I was wanting to buy a Detectorists DVD for a friend who would almost certainly enjoy but I was put off by some seriously negative online comments on the technical quality of the visual aspect (from sharp to washed out and murky).
Does anyone have the official DVD versions? Is it really that bad?
What a crying shame that a brand new cinematically filmed, lovingly crafted TV series can be bunged out in some crappy transfer (if indeed that is the case)… Just get it right…
@colin-h, there are 176 reviews on Amazon AKA Taxdodgers site;
165 – 5 Star
10 – 4 Star
1 – 2 Star
Looks like a good product to me.
I have both series on DVD. They are perfectly ok.
Thanks both – I feel a little reassured, Pencil, if you have them. With respect Baron, lots of the amazon reviewers are reviewing the quality of the show rather than the transfer.
Aside from amazon punters, I had noticed this detailed techy review, also thumbs-down on pic quality:
http://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=3439
But if pencil has the DVD and reckons its not as bad as I’m fearing, I’m good with that…
They are perfectly acceptable. I watched them when they were broadcast in HD. Obviously there is a slight degradation in quality when watching them upscaled from DVD but nothing so terrible that it detracts seriously from image quality.
Hope your friend enjoys the show. It is a quiet triumph. I love it.
Glad to hear it. I was thinking of getting them for a couple of Christmas presents but hesitated when I saw Colin’s post. You’re a man whose aesthetic judgement I trust so your recommendation is good enough for me.
Just for reference my tv is a 40″ Panasonic plasma and my disc spinner is a cheap as chips Sony Blu Ray. I’ve also taken a quick gander at a couple of episodes played back via my Xbox One and they look fine. Some folk are just too picky I guess.
I guess that must be it, Pencil. I’m not a hi-fi snob (or whatever the TV equivalent is!) but when you see even two or three people talking very seriously about shoddy image quality you do get jittery (and they’re not at the cheaper end of DVDs). One complainer was probably right about the technical compromise of squeezing 3 hrs 40 onto one disc – yes, you CAN do it, but it seems to be better not to. But I most definitely feel better spending £17-18 on your thumbs up, Pencil. And I’m certain my friends (from Australia) will enjoy this. It’s tricky buying something for well-off friends who can easily purchase all the music etc they want – all you can hope for is spotting something you think they’d love but might have missed. And who, of any taste, WOULDN’T love Detectorists! 🙂
I’ve got series one on DVD and it is perfectly fine.