Son of a Glitch!

I stumbled across the following comment (left in response to my 1/08/2023 post):

Naturally I had to investigate.

First I had to rip all three distinct Blu-ray versions of "The Human Factor," to see if the file sizes were different between them (depending on the size of your screen, you may need to click on the image below to read the numbers):

Predictably, the Mediumrare file is identical to the Via Vision file (since the former used the latter's disc masters). The Kino file (the O.G. from 2018) is slightly larger, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. The technical specs (video and audio bitrates, etc.) are identical across all three (again, you may need to click on it to actually read it):

Step #2 required me to spot-check each file at the 40-minute mark in question (the target section was 39:59 through 40:10). First, the Kino version from 2018:

...which looked just fine. But when I checked the 2020 Via Vision file, my fears were confirmed: there is indeed a glitch at 40:03 that affects the lower quarter of the frame (right when the desk nurse starts to speak):

Not surprisingly, the same glitch is present in the 2022 Mediumrare file:

So... yeah, this kinda sucks. But to put things into a bit of perspective, this is one very minor error that only lasts a second or so (this is nothing like the "Soldier" audio debacle, which Kino ultimately fixed). If that's the only thing wrong with the Via Vision and Mediumrare editions (other than the gripes detailed previously in these pages), I'm not going to light a torch and storm the castle. I assume Via Vision did some sort of additional compression when they used Kino's masters (which may account for the slightly-smaller file size), which may have introduced the glitch (which then carried over to Mediumrare's release). But honestly---- I have no idea. This isn't exactly my area of expertise.

Thanks to "Anonymous" for bringing this to my attention.

THE OUTER LIMITS from Mediumrare: Well Done, or Half Baked?

Left: DVD (slipcase front). Right: Blu-ray (slipcase front).

Goodness, time's gotten away from me. I intended to post this back in early January... but my latest Blu-ray audio commentary project (for a feature film that I still can't mention) had a deadline, so I had to focus on that. I managed to get it done and submitted a couple of weeks ago but, as it turns out, my work on that particular release isn't quite finished---- I've been given the green light to produce a documentary featurette to accompany it (similar to the ones I produced for the Night Gallery Blu-rays). I've also got another classic TV commentary assignment coming up (which I also can't reveal yet). So... yeah, my March is gonna be busy. But for anyone out there who's been patiently waiting for details on Mediumrare Entertainment's Outer Limits DVD and Blu-ray releases from December... sorry for the delay. I'll, um... refund your money or whatever.

Left: DVD (slipcase back). Right: Blu-ray (Slipcase back).

First up---- the Blu-ray version. Happily, ALL of the content from the Via Vision effort from 2020 is here, including the exclusive content (detailed in my previous post). There's nothing new, however---- so that "Tourist Attraction" track that Dave Schow and I did, along with the new track for "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" by Tim Lucas (both detailed here) will languish in silence... for now.

So should you spring for it? Well, it's a helluva lot cheaper than the Via Vision version (not to mention much easier to acquire), and it's the only game in town if you want those exclusive commentaries and stuff. However (and this is a fairly critical however)--- you must be multi-region equipped, as Mediumrare's set is locked to Region B. I bought my first multi-region player about 10 years ago, and lemme tell ya--- it was life-changing. There are a couple of other caveats, which we'll get to in a bit.

On the standard-definition side of things, Mediumrare's DVD release is... well, interesting. The first 13 discs essentially mimic the Via Vision and Kino releases, but then they throw in a 14th disc with lots of extras that are otherwise only found on the Blu-rays (including some of those Aussie-exclusives you won't find on the domestic releases). Also on that 14th disc are Please Stand By (the original pilot) and The Unknown (the alternate version of "The Forms of Things Unknown") along with their attached commentaries. In fact, with this DVD edition, you get everything except the three exclusive Blu-ray commentaries and:

Cliff Robertson – Full TNT Interview (36:00)

Joanna Frank – Full TNT Interview (21:02)

Casting Director Meryl O'Loughlin - TNT Interview (23:44)

Interview with Writer Anthony Lawrence (9:13)

It's that 14th disc that pushes Mediumrare to the front of the pack on the DVD front. However, its packaging is by far the most disappointing: a flimsy cardboard slipcase and one big fat plastic inner case (with those horrific hinged stacked-disc page-flippers inside). I wasn't surprised by this, truth be told... but I was shocked to discover that their Blu-ray (which again matches Via Vision's in terms of content) has THE IDENTICAL SHITTY PACKAGING. In fact, it's even the exact same size, but the sleeve art is smaller because apparently the Blu-ray logo has to be visible due to some Draconian BDA (Blu-Ray Disc Association) requirement.

Left: DVD (inner case front). Right: Blu-ray (inner case front).

One more gripe, if you'll permit me: there are NO booklets to be found in either edition. All you get is a basic list of the episodes on the reverse of the case insert... which means you have to take several discs out just to see it (or I guess you can just jimmy out the insert--- like I did; see below--- but who wants to do that every time?). And even then, there's no way to know who's providing commentary on which episodes... you have to load up the disc to find out for yourself. Boo. I'm still planning on posting a comprehensive list of everything at some point... just gotta find the time.

But it's what's inside that really counts, yes? What Mediumrare has done is made the contents of the unobtainable Australian Blu-ray available to the world, and bested all the other DVD releases at the same time.... that is, if you've got a multi-region player (or live in Region B). Other than the cheap packaging (and the region-locking, and the lack of booklets), they do deserve some measure of kudos.

But for me, Via Vision's Blu-ray set (in that glorious hard box) is still the one to beat. I've said it before: 2023 is the show's 60th anniversary, so there's still time for any of these three labels---- or perhaps some fourth as yet unknown entity--- to do something even more spectacular. Dave Schow and I (and our Commentary Crew cohorts) still have lots to say in the form of audio commentaries, and I'd love the opportunity to put together a video featurette on the home video history of the show too.

Meanwhile, across the pond...

Since a number of sites have these listed for pre-order, I guess it's safe to publicly unveil another Complete Series Blu-ray release (and DVD too, for those permanently stuck in 1998), this time from Mediumrare Entertainment in the UK, coming December 12th (that's 2022, for future readers).

My understanding is that Mediumrare is basing their effort on the Australian edition released by Via Vision in 2020 (sans that gorgeous hard box packaging, sadly; the above are slipcases). So hey, if you missed out on that, this may be an approximate solution. I should mention that there are NO NEW SUPPLEMENTS--- which is a shame, since there are two audio commentary tracks currently looking for a home (which I detailed last time). But, as I've stated elsewhere, 2023 is the 60th anniversary of the series, so I'm still hoping against all logic and reason that there'll be some reflection of that milestone on the home video front. 

One interesting (i.e. confounding) observation: All the Blu-rays releases across the board have 11 total discs each. However--- the combined DVD sets from Kino have 13 discs. The Via Vision complete series DVD set also has 13. This new complete series DVD offering from Mediumrare has FOURTEEN. But I'm told there are NO NEW SUPPLEMENTS. What does it all mean?

Naturally, being the psychologically-imbalanced fool that I am, I ordered the Via Vision DVD set (which I don't already have, oddly enough) and pre-ordered both Mediumrare editions... which is to say: I'll report back when I know more.