(DEAD) The Wire: The Complete Series - $72.49, Amazon DOTD

Hmm, was about to buy it, but noticed most auctions go for $50 or less on ebay. Think they're bootlegs or something? Many say it's the "US Version" and are from US sellers
 
A decent show. Swearing a bit over the top and its slow to get moving each season, but it has some interesting characters for sure. I'd buy it if it was Bluray. Can't get myself to buy DVD anymore even though this may never see a Bluray release.
 
Tough to say....that's definitely very cheap. I seem to recall having paid about $30 or 35 per season individually as they were coming out. I guess if the price has fallen to the point where retailers are listing the entire series for $72 and change, it could be legit. I don't know if this holds true in general, but a cousin of mine picked up the entire Sopranos series while in Iraq, and it was totally bootlegged garbage, it came on just 3 or 4 discs and was compressed out the arse. If the auctions you're looking at list the series as coming on the correct # of DVDs (which would be something like 23 total if memory serves), I'd at least feel a little better about taking a chance.
 
The box is also a lot smaller than it seems in the photos. It is just a bit bigger than either Rome season on DVD.

I look at it this way - pay $20 or so for each season (5) individually, or pay $75 for all the seasons, plus more special features (IIRC the additional features are sparse) PLUS the complete series packaging is smaller than all five seasons individually? Yes please.
 
The packaging on this can screw up the discs. I had a few of mine that were barely playable. Also, you can get it on ebay for cheaper.
 
Bought the Tiger Woods Move bundle and a couple HDMI cables yesterday off of Amazon...don't know if I should be dropping another $73 on this. But all I've heard are amazing things.

Don't trust buying DVDs off of eBay, had a couple friends get screwed over.

Think it'll get cheaper during Black Friday season? Or should I just go for it. Never seen it lower than this personally.
 
Yeah I think this is the cheapest it's ever been, on amazon at least. As far as blu goes, I don't think the show would benefit or need hi def as it's shot with that grainy aspect.
 
[quote name='alrighthearthis']As much as I want to see this show I'll wait until they release Blu-ray sets.[/QUOTE]

You'll likely be waiting forever then...
 
This will never get a blu ray release. Hell, they didn't even ever switch over to widescreen.

I've seen this for around 50 on places like ebay, half.com, etc. I believe the reason it is so much cheaper than the individual seasons is because of very poor packaging. Whoever designed it should be fired. It's the only thing that has stopped me from buying this great series.
 
Be very careful with any of the sets you find for under $70, especially on eBay. They're most likely bootlegs. Some of the Asian pirates are wise to the fact that people are checking whether sellers are from the US, so they set up their businesses with US addresses. The bootlegs are actually pretty good knockoffs in terms of packaging and video quality, but why not shell out a bit more for the real thing since it's on sale today?

A Blu-ray box set would be nice, just for the sake of moving past the DVD format. But as far as A/V quality goes, it's unnecessary. The show's creators have said as much, since they gave the show an intentional low-quality aesthetic. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they're the ones who've prevented a BD release thus far.
 
It's actually being sold for $66.69 by another seller, fulfilled by Amazon.

And yes, this show is HIGHLY recommended. My third favorite drama of all time.

Be warned though, if you have a short attention span, don't bother. The show's a slow burner.
 
Great price for the greatest TV series ever.

And if you're someone who is interested in this but you're thinking about trying to wait on a blu ray version... you might as well just buy the DVD set. I'm pretty sure the show's creators said that the show was never even shot in HD so I doubt we'll ever see a blu ray release.
 
I fell victim to a bootleg a few years ago on this box set. Disks came in plastic baggies inside the cardboard sleeves. I'd advise to avoid third party sellers at all costs. Even from Amazon the condition of the dvds were so bad/scratched that I had to swap out certain disks with them. Great show, horrible packaging.
 
This was shot on 3-perf 35mm film so not only can it be scanned in in high definition, the sides of the picture can be expanded into a native widescreen resolution.

I'll wait for the Blu-ray release with expanded HD picture and lossless audio, m'kay. Y'all have fun with your cropped standard definition releases.
 
[quote name='Xizer']This was shot on 3-perf 35mm film so not only can it be scanned in in high definition, the sides of the picture can be expanded into a native widescreen resolution.

I'll wait for the Blu-ray release with expanded HD picture and lossless audio, m'kay. Y'all have fun with your cropped standard definition releases.[/QUOTE]

I know that the cinematographers for The Wire had indeed future-proofed in the event that the show would move into widescreen and high definition. But in the end, that wasn't the vision the show's creators had. If there ever comes a day that we get The Wire in widescreen and high definition, it'll be a nice alternative for sure. But that's all it should ever be: an alternative.
 
A superior alternative.

I look forward to the day when HBO ignores what the showrunners want and release this show in a proper format. What the director wants is not always what's best. Peter Jackson has famously stated that he prefers the theatrical versions of the Lord of the Rings over the superior extended editions. They are humans too and their opinions can vary from the majority.
 
Fantastic show, probably my favorite show of all time. If I didn't own it alraedy I'd jump on this.
 
Because following Obama is a sound idea.

Maybe if he actually did like this show he wouldn't be such a right-wing shithead.
 
[quote name='Xizer']Because following Obama is a sound idea.

Maybe if he actually did like this show he wouldn't be such a right-wing shithead.[/QUOTE]

Right winged??
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']You'll likely be waiting forever then...[/QUOTE]
[quote name='SonictheHedgehog1337']Have fun with that.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='rapsodist']I know that the cinematographers for The Wire had indeed future-proofed in the event that the show would move into widescreen and high definition. But in the end, that wasn't the vision the show's creators had. If there ever comes a day that we get The Wire in widescreen and high definition, it'll be a nice alternative for sure. But that's all it should ever be: an alternative.[/QUOTE]

If HBO decides not to release them on Blu-ray then they don't get my money. Not a big deal to me. Its their choice to make fantastic cinematic quality television and keep all but the newest shows on an outdated format.
 
[quote name='Xizer']What the director wants is not always what's best.[/QUOTE]


Who can determine what is "best"? If anyone, I think the creator, head writer, showrunner and executive producer is a likely candidate, and in this case:

"David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie."

Futhermore:

"When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion -- David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs -- and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3."

You can disagree with and criticize that decision, but ultimately you're just disagreeing with a deliberate stylistic decision made by an artist, not determining what is "best".

Personally, I would enjoy having a Blu-ray release with HD picture and lossless audio. While I agree with Simon's decision not to change the aspect ratio partway through the series, I don't think that 16x9 would hurt the show's realism. But regardless of my opinion, it won't happen anytime soon, if ever, and in the meantime this DVD release is absolutely sufficient and worth owning, especially if you've never seen the show.

[quote name='Xizer']Y'all have fun with your cropped standard definition releases.[/QUOTE]


I will, annually.
 
I can determine what is "best" because it will be my eyeballs watching the series and my money purchasing it. Don't accommodate me, don't get my cash. I will never purchase this show as long as it's in standard definition. I don't piss away my money on standard definition copies of things that were filmed in high definition. End of story.
 
[quote name='kellte2']I fell victim to a bootleg a few years ago on this box set. Disks came in plastic baggies inside the cardboard sleeves. I'd advise to avoid third party sellers at all costs. Even from Amazon the condition of the dvds were so bad/scratched that I had to swap out certain disks with them. Great show, horrible packaging.[/QUOTE]

oh, so it's not supposed to be like this then?

guess my buddy got me a bootleg version
 
[quote name='Xizer'] Because following Obama is a sound idea.

Maybe if he actually did like this show he wouldn't be such a right-wing shithead.[/QUOTE]

fuck yes, you're absolutely right.
 
[quote name='Xizer']I can determine what is "best" because it will be my eyeballs watching the series and my money purchasing it. Don't accommodate me, don't get my cash. I will never purchase this show as long as it's in standard definition. I don't piss away my money on standard definition copies of things that were filmed in high definition. End of story.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't aware The Wire was filmed in high definition.
 
[quote name='Xizer']I can determine what is "best" because it will be my eyeballs watching the series and my money purchasing it. Don't accommodate me, don't get my cash. I will never purchase this show as long as it's in standard definition. I don't piss away my money on standard definition copies of things that were filmed in high definition. End of story.[/QUOTE]

lol
 
What happened to the posts that were here?

EDIT: Oh, I guess Xizer was temporarily banned. So posts that quote banned members are deleted? That's stupid.
 
So why were a bunch of posts deleted, including my relatively innocuous one noting that it's Obama's favorite show?
 
[quote name='Dragon164z']What happened to the posts that were here?

EDIT: Oh, I guess Xizer was temporarily banned. So posts that quote banned members are deleted? That's stupid.[/QUOTE]He's not temp banned, he's permabanned.

[quote name='IRHari']So why were a bunch of posts deleted, including my relatively innocuous one noting that it's Obama's favorite show?[/QUOTE]Sorry, was collateral damage. Fixed that now.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']He's not temp banned, he's permabanned.[/QUOTE]


:wave:

Anyway, here's my post, which was so rudely deleted, for the benefit of anyone that wants to read the actual reasons for the 4:3 ratio:

[quote name='Dragon164z'][quote name='Xizer']What the director wants is not always what's best.[/quote]

Who can determine what is "best"? If anyone, I think the creator, head writer, showrunner and executive producer is a likely candidate, and in this case:

"David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie."

Futhermore:

"When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion -- David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs -- and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3."

You can disagree with and criticize that decision, but ultimately you're just disagreeing with a deliberate stylistic decision made by an artist, not determining what is "best".

Personally, I would enjoy having a Blu-ray release with HD picture and lossless audio. While I agree with Simon's decision not to change the aspect ratio partway through the series, I don't think that 16x9 would hurt the show's realism. But regardless of my opinion, it won't happen anytime soon, if ever, and in the meantime this DVD release is absolutely sufficient and worth owning, especially if you've never seen the show.[/quote]
 
I'll just add this as well.

And perhaps the final contrast to the rest of high-end episodic television, The Wire for each of its five seasons has been produced in good old fashioned 4 x 3 standard definition. DP Dave Insley recalled, "The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show's never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs. There is no 16x9 version anywhere." As a viewer with an HD set I will point out that like much of SD television that makes its way to HD channels, it appears that HBO utilizes state-of-the-art line doubling technology. It may still be standard definition, but line doubled it looks considerably better on a high definition set than it would on a standard definition set.
Click to expand...
http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/inside-hbos-the-wire
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']Hmm, was about to buy it, but noticed most auctions go for $50 or less on ebay. Think they're bootlegs or something? Many say it's the "US Version" and are from US sellers[/QUOTE]

Most likely you're going to get a bootleg. That happened with me, and every time I'd email to ask I'd get the typical 'I don't know I bought these in bulk and they are in plastic sleeves' which made me know they were bootleg. I finally lucked up to a guy who got one from Best Buy and won the auction for $46. You can get them legit, but you need to make sure the seller knows it's legit.
 
[quote name='mr_bungle']Most likely you're going to get a bootleg. That happened with me, and every time I'd email to ask I'd get the typical 'I don't know I bought these in bulk and they are in plastic sleeves' which made me know they were bootleg. I finally lucked up to a guy who got one from Best Buy and won the auction for $46. You can get them legit, but you need to make sure the seller knows it's legit.[/QUOTE]

Yeah. If I do get it on ebay, I'll probably get it from someone only selling one and in used condition (i.e. they bought a legit one, watched it and are reselling it). Also preferably someone that has more than just a stock pic of it


I do wish Netflix would add it their instant collection but I doubt that will happen anytime soon, if ever considering the tension between them and HBO
 
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[quote name='CaseyRyback']The audience network shows the show in high def.[/QUOTE]

They just cropped and upconverted the 4:3 SD master.

I've been watching the series on there. It does look better than the DVD IMO (had to Netflix a couple discs when I uplugged my DVR when heading out of town for 3 weeks without thinking about it needing to record shows!).
 
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