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Post #437419

Author
Bingowings
Parent topic
Did the advent of Blu Ray kill the Laserdisc Preservation for most films?
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/437419/action/topic#437419
Date created
3-Sep-2010, 5:10 PM

It's an interesting question for which I don't have enough information for a meaningful answer.

It does pose a related issue though.

As DVD became more popular many films and television shows that didn't get a VCR release were dug out by studios and given a dust down because the possibility of extras and higher picture quality made rethinking releasing the material for sale a viable option on that new format.

I've recently been watching Department S and Jason King on some really nice sets put out by Network (they have also put out disc sets of show partially lost with books and documentaries explaining the lost material, like the BBC does with shows like Doctor Who).

That's great, some of these shows have never seen the light of day since initial broadcast but to gather them they have had to search high and low (some of the episodes only existed in foreign archives) and the poor condition of what's left of the source material really shows on DVD.

On Blu Ray and other HD formats the poor quality would show up even more and that would either prompt some studios to really push for restoration (which is a costly process and has it's limitations, especially when the source is really degraded) or not bother and as the DVDs rot (and they do) those shows will be lost again.

There are still many films and shows that haven't even got a release in any format.

If the source material is poor and the demand is low because nobody remembers them that may amount to a loss of our cultural heritage. 

That's why the preservation section of sites like this one are so important because at some point these may be the last refuge for hours and hours of material.