Monty Python’s Flying Circus Restored for Blu Ray (1 Viewer)

[Coressel]

This just in:
http://www.montypython.com/news_mp5...FRghifq_3e_h0paqgdm1KxvgYe_l2cGijdvOvTC1xALy0
Network Distributing will release all 45 episodes of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, on Blu-ray and DVD, fully restored for the first time ever. Each episode has been painstakingly restored using the original video and film elements exclusively for this release. All four series, along with unseen and excised footage, sketches and much more, will be presented in an exclusive 50th anniversary limited-edition box set available exclusively here from 29th July, with all four individual series available to purchase separately at a later date.

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[StarDestroyer52]

This just in:
http://www.montypython.com/news_mp5...FRghifq_3e_h0paqgdm1KxvgYe_l2cGijdvOvTC1xALy0

Network Distributing will release all 45 episodes of "Monty Python’s Flying Circus", on Blu-ray and DVD, fully restored for the first time ever. Each episode has been painstakingly restored using the original video and film elements exclusively for this release. All four series, along with unseen and excised footage, sketches and much more, will be presented in an exclusive 50th anniversary limited-edition box set available exclusively here from 29th July, with all four individual series available to purchase separately at a later date.

There trying to put me in the poor house. I will be in on this one

 

[Angelo Colombus]

It's about time! Have the 16 Ton box set but that was released in 2005.

 

[dpippel]

Ni!

 

[David Norman]

There trying to put me in the poor house. I will be in on this one

If it's sold by Network and you are in the US, you ain;t kidding. Whatever the actual price of the set, Network shipping is based on weight and it's extremely likely this will move the package into the Expedited only Shipping level -- to the US £40 flat rate. Now if you have 20 other things to order, this isn't actually too bad and it will arrive in 2-3 days, but for a single item, it's painful

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'll wait for the eventual US release from whoever owns the home video rights to Python.

As for "painstakingly restored", that better mean the Pythons have employed all the recent tech the BBC has developed to resuscitate their early 70s catalog to make the show as close to original broadcast quality as possible.

 

[Blimpoy06]

I wonder if it will be Region free. There is so little information on that website. Most of my Network blu rays are Region B.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I wonder if it will be Region free. There is so little information on that website. Most of my Network blu rays are Region B.

I would imagine it would be Region B 50hz.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

If it's sold by Network and you are in the US, you ain;t kidding. Whatever the actual price of the set, Network shipping is based on weight and it's extremely likely this will move the package into the Expedited only Shipping level -- to the US £40 flat rate. Now if you have 20 other things to order, this isn't actually too bad and it will arrive in 2-3 days, but for a single item, it's painful

I'll wait for the eventual US release from whoever owns the home video rights to Python.

As for "painstakingly restored", that better mean the Pythons have employed all the recent tech the BBC has developed to resuscitate their early 70s catalog to make the show as close to original broadcast quality as possible.

It'll either be A&E or Shout Factory for the inevitable North American release.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Isn't A&E Home Video mostly defunct outside of History Channel content at this point?

 

[PMF]

"I Love Lucy" was that only American T.V. series I ever wanted to own in its entirety.
But when it comes to the only British T.V. series I ever wanted to own in its entirety;
it's Monty, it's Python, it's Flying and it's Circus.
Now I am complete.

 

[bigshot]

I was watching some episodes on Netflix the other night. The current copies look really rough. Even if it isn't true HD, it's welcome.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Isn't A&E Home Video mostly defunct outside of History Channel content at this point?

The last time I purchased a A&E home video dvd was over 10 years ago. Time for something different like the Shout Factory.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Remember you're brickwalled by 720x576 which is better than NTSC but still far from genuine HD or 720i for that matter.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Remember you're brickwalled by 720x576 which is better than NTSC but still far from genuine HD or 720i for that matter.

While that's true, I do have to say that the Classic Doctor Who episodes I've seen on Blu-ray do look quite nice, taking into consideration the limitations of the source material. Does the BBC even have the original tapes for Python? I wonder, since they were so keen on erasing tapes around the time it was originally shot. If they have the 16mm segments, those could look quite nice, but if all they have for the video material are dupes, I don't know that there's much that can be done to make them look any better than the DVD's.

Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy also looks nice on Blu-ray, but only if your expectations are reasonable. It looks like extremely stable video, with good compression and color information. Better than the previous DVD release, but nothing resembling true HD material. It's kind of like movies finished at 2K and then upscaled to UHD. The strengths of the UHD format offer some visual benefit over BD, but nothing that is going to knock your socks off when comparing the two formats.

EDIT: So, it looks like, at the time Python was shot, they were likely using tape with 625 lines of resolution. If they have original material, it could look quite nice on Blu-ray, compared to DVD.

ANOTHER EDIT: (This post is beginning to read like a Python sketch.) According to this article, the BBC was all set to erase the tapes of the first season. Terry Jones caught wind of it and he and the other Pythons smuggled the tapes out to make copies. The tapes didn't get wiped and, because of the sale of the show to PBS, they survived. Hopefully, they're still in usable shape. Doctor Who fans know the pain of wiped videotapes.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

While that's true, I do have to say that the Classic Doctor Who episodes I've seen on Blu-ray do look quite nice, taking into consideration the limitations of the source material. Does the BBC even have the original tapes for Python? I wonder, since they were so keen on erasing tapes around the time it was originally shot. If they have the 16mm segments, those could look quite nice, but if all they have for the video material are dupes, I don't know that there's much that can be done to make them look any better than the DVD's.

Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy also looks nice on Blu-ray, but only if your expectations are reasonable. It looks like extremely stable video, with good compression and color information. Better than the previous DVD release, but nothing resembling true HD material. It's kind of like movies finished at 2K and then upscaled to UHD. The strengths of the UHD format offer some visual benefit over BD, but nothing that is going to knock your socks off when comparing the two formats.

EDIT: So, it looks like, at the time Python was shot, they were likely using tape with 625 lines of resolution. If they have original material, it could look quite nice on Blu-ray, compared to DVD.

The equivalent is 576i, as 625 includes the vertical blanking interval, in the same way that NTSC was 525 lines, but only 480 usable lines because of the VBI.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Well, still better than NTSC DVD resolution, so I guess we'll be able to see all of the image information that is available, small improvement though it be. I just hate to find out how much they're going to charge for it. BBC shows on U.S. home video =

 

[Randy Korstick]

It'll either be A&E or Shout Factory for the inevitable North American release.

Which will probably happen 2 years from now based on how long it took for Space 1999 and several other titles. But still no Avengers Seasons 4 or 6 in the US so maybe longer than 2 years

 

[StarDestroyer52]

If it's sold by Network and you are in the US, you ain;t kidding. Whatever the actual price of the set, Network shipping is based on weight and it's extremely likely this will move the package into the Expedited only Shipping level -- to the US £40 flat rate. Now if you have 20 other things to order, this isn't actually too bad and it will arrive in 2-3 days, but for a single item, it's painful

Egads. I’ll wait either for the Shout release or hopefully Network release these individually. Are shows like The Saint, The Prisoner, and The Professionals with Network or are those ITV?

 

[B-ROLL]

Does the Inquisition know about this???