Petition Universal!

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:26 am

I'm a man of action, and I think we should all get together, and tell our friends who like the show to petition Universal to release the whole series of Knight Rider on DVD! I mean I'm seeing many shows being put on DVD, but why not Knight Rider!? KR was a very popular show in its hayday! (and still is!) And its still shown in what, over 70 countries? I think its still strong and that the whole series should be put on DVD (with spiffy extra's of course)! So I think we should all get together and write real letter (or even call them up if you want) to Universal and petition them to put KR on DVD! The reason why I suggest that we write real letters to Universal instead of email because a written letter just has more effect than an email. But if you can only email them, then by all means email 'em! Or do both.

What does everyone here think? I think we should also have a set date where we all mail in our letters to Universal, that way they'll just be flooded with letters.

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:44 am

Knight Rider IS available on DVD, and every few months new episodes are coming out. It's not the perfect box set that everybody wants, but I don't think a write-in campaign will have any impact whatsoever at this point.

Timing is everything. Once the movie gets underway then we might want to think about getting a major DVD release. That's what happened with The Incredible Hulk and Battlestar Galactica: they both had new DVD releases to coincide with a new project.

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:48 am

I haven't seen Knight Rider for sale on DVD in America, I thought it was only for Europe?

KnightCrusader99 · Post by **KnightCrusader99** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:59 am

Yeah, it is avalible here, but you have to get it from Columbia House through the mail.

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:02 am

It's available on a subscription basis through Columbia House. Only about a half-dozen DVDs so far, but hopefully more on the way. Granted, it's not a great way to get to have a DVD collection since you can't pick and choose the episodes you want and the "extras" are basically nil.

Unfortunately, if Columbia House is currently the U.S. distributor for Knight Rider on DVD there may be very little Universal can do. I don't mean to put the complete kabosh on writing to Universal, but from my experience I don't see it doing any good, at least not now.

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:04 am

Well I wouldn't call that a true release, first you have to be a member of Columbia house to order them, (and I thought Columbia house only sold the episodes on VHS?) and also. I think I speak for most fans when I say "I want a true series release of KR where I can walk into my local minimall and pick it up". Call it my youthful insincts but I really want to try to get a full series release of KR. I believe if you try hard enough, it can happen.

KITT · Post by **KITT** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:05 am

i'd love it if they released a boxed set of kr dvds. like what they are doing with friends.. seasons 1-5 available on dvd with extra features. like behind the scenes stuff, and what not for kr.

KITT

KnightCrusader99 · Post by **KnightCrusader99** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:08 am

Yeah, I wish they did a season at a time, like how i get my Stargate SG-1 shows. Now I am saving up for season 3....

Are the Columbia House episodes uncut? It would make sense that they would be, even though I have seen very strange things in this world....

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:11 am

Yes, the world indeed is Knight Crusader99. I even saw the movie "The Mask" for sale with a big sticker on it saying "This film has been edited for family enjoyment". I was like "What the @$#%!" lol

KITT · Post by **KITT** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:14 am

same goes with widescreen movies. other people may like it, but i really can't stand it.

KITT

Post by **Michael Pajaro** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 2:44 am

My other big Devil's Advocate argument is that it isn't fair to compare Knight Rider releases to shows such as Friends, Simpsons, X-Files, etc. Knight Rider is 20 years old and has mini-cult status at best. The big DVDs with all the good extras are going to be focused on more current shows. Even Herc & Xena are pretty recent series compared to KR.

It all goes back to reasonable expectations. Here's an honest question I don't know the answer to: what other 80s shows have been given a really good DVD treatment? Are there any? (Besides Trek, natch). Knight Rider should be compared to those releases, and not shows from the 90s and today.

knightimmortal · Post by **knightimmortal** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 3:01 am

There are quite a few things to consider as well when releasing these shows onto DVD. (Basically echoing Mike's statements a bit)

1) Who owns the rights. You can write and scream and kick until you are blue in the face, and it isn't exactly going to work, because the rights holders are the rights holders, and right now, in the United States, that is Columbia House.

2) It takes a lot to get individual rights for these releases. Did you know that a lot of the problems with the releases as of present of not only Knight Rider but Miami Vice is the music within them? The music actually has to be cleared, song by song, that can hold up a lot of the releases.

3) Universal Studios (the holders of the original rights, not the copy rights, not to be confused with copyrights) is not exactly in the most stable position right now. Last time I checked, they were being sold. Maybe once their finances level off, we will see more.

4) Gee, why didn't we think of that? Writing in? (Sorry, couldn't help the sarcasm there.) It's not a new concept, we have played with it before. We at least are getting some form of DVD release, even if it is sporadic. Yes, they are uncut. But remember, these people think they are doing us a favor with what they are doing now. Too many complaints (and trust me, there are quite a few who don't quite know the proper language to use in a write-in) and they pretty much will ignore it.

I am not one to spoil anybody's parade, just putting out the rest of the story here. I do give you kudos however for suggesting the more proper snail mail approach. Now all that you would have to be examined would be how, and the appropriate way of doing such, taking into account all the variables that have been presented.

KI

The Real Michael Knight · Post by **The Real Michael Knight** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 3:17 am

I can name one other show, but it was a mini series, but 80's none the less. "V" has got its own DVD treatment. I have yet to give up on Knight Rider.

JL · Post by JL » Fri Nov 14, 2003 8:57 am

Michael Pajaro wrote:It all goes back to reasonable expectations. Here's an honest question I don't know the answer to: what other 80s shows have been given a really good DVD treatment? Are there any? (Besides Trek, natch). Knight Rider should be compared to those releases, and not shows from the 90s and today.

The only one I can think of off the top of my head is that the first season of Cheers is out on DVD.

The shows that seem to be getting the DVD treatment right now are either from the '90s and/or currently running (Homicide, NYPD Blue, My So-Called Life, Law & Order, Buffy, 24, Alias, etc.) or from the '70s (M*A*S*H, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Mary Tyler Moore). I'm sure they'll come around to the '80s sooner or later.

DJGM · Post by **DJGM** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:25 am

Going slightly off-topic . . .

KITT wrote: same goes with widescreen movies. other people may like it, but i really can't stand it.

KITT

So, do you enjoy watching movies with up to 50% of the picture chopped off at the
sides? I dunno about anyone else, but I prefer to see the full picture, not half of it!

Having had a w/s TV for over three years now, and with most TV shows in the UK
being made and broadcast in 16:9, I can't stand seeing some movies, that were
originally made with a wide picture, cropped to 4:3, with huge chunks chopped
off the sides off the picture, forcing me to switch to "stretch-a-vision" mode.

Thankfully, most movies made in widesreen, shown on TV in the UK, are now
displayed the way they were originally intended to be seen . . . in widescreen.

Sorry if sounds like a bit of a rant, but it's just something I feel strongly about.

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 11:46 am

that maybe something you feel strong about but did you ever consider the fact that they sacrifice picture information from the top and bottom?

yes, it does happen because it's been proven so.

i have a 36" widescreen tv myself but full frame is still good if you want to watch the top and bottom half of the picture too.

half the time, nothing goes on at the side of the picture so widescreen is a waste of time in a lot of films.

films like Halloween benefit from widescreen(or not) because the killer is shown coming in from the side a lot of the time.

however, i watched it in fullscreen and him jumping out of the side, which is the given effect with it being in fullscreen, was very beneficial and made it more scarier, in my opinion.

so widescreen is a 50/50 thing.

Skav

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 12:59 pm

it actually depends on what the movie was originally filmed with to show in theatres. there are two lens in the projection booth: Flat and Scope. with flat, you only see 80% of what was actually filmed on the screen. with scope, what you see is what they filmed. so if you're watching a scope movie in widescreen at your house...you're not missing ANYTHING. HOWEVER, yes you are missing picture from a flat film when you watch it in widescreen...though why anyone would WANT to see the boom mikes hanging down is beyond me... but it is fun to ajust the framing at work to see if those people are really naked in the shower scenes!

anyway, if you go to Amazon.com and do a search under DVDs for Knight Rider, it comes up with "This item is not yet available, please enter your email address to be notified when it is released. Your email will also be used as a vote that will be tallied and sent to the distributor to show how many people are interested in this release" or something close to that. dont worry, Amazon is really good about NOT selling your address and NOT sending you a bunch of junk mail. so it's not huge, but it's a place for us U.S.ers to start!

KITT · Post by **KITT** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:05 pm

DJGM2002 wrote:Going slightly off-topic . . .

KITT wrote: same goes with widescreen movies. other people may like it, but i really can't stand it.

KITT

So, do you enjoy watching movies with up to 50% of the picture chopped off at the
sides? I dunno about anyone else, but I prefer to see the full picture, not half of it!

Having had a w/s TV for over three years now, and with most TV shows in the UK
being made and broadcast in 16:9, I can't stand seeing some movies, that were
originally made with a wide picture, cropped to 4:3, with huge chunks chopped
off the sides off the picture, forcing me to switch to "stretch-a-vision" mode.

Thankfully, most movies made in widesreen, shown on TV in the UK, are now
displayed the way they were originally intended to be seen . . . in widescreen.

Sorry if sounds like a bit of a rant, but it's just something I feel strongly about.

i've never seen a movie where it was chopped off at the sides... just the top and bottom - thus widescreen.

i like fullscreen versions of movies. where it covers the whole tv screen.. otherwise it just bothers me.

KITT

msKEN · Post by **msKEN** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:05 pm

Sacrificing film from the top and bottom on a widescreen film is called anomorphic widescreen. That's when they chop off the top and bottom to give you that widescreen appearance to make people feel good about themselves when they are getting a widescreen film. (IE The Back to The Future Trilogy, which was proven that the top and bottom was cut off to give it a widescreen appearance.)

I myself love widescreen, and I'm not sure what it is, but when I buy a DVD if its not widescreen, I don't want it. But if KR were released as widescreen, they would in fact cut off the top and bottom, and call it anomorphic widescreen because it was in fact not filmed in true widescreen.

That I do not want or need.

- Ken

knightimmortal · Post by **knightimmortal** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:06 pm

Yep, and the amazon thing has been there for two years now.

KI

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:07 pm

yes, true widescreen sacrafices nothing. you really need to understand that. i highly doubt they would release KR as that, because like msKEN said, that WOULD cut out film

KITT · Post by **KITT** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:07 pm

even if it was meant to be filmed in widescreen, i wouldn't want it.. it makes the picture look smaller, and i wouldn't feel good about myself.

KITT

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:08 pm

well, see, then they should have lots of votes : )

KITT · Post by **KITT** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:10 pm

they would only release it as widescreen if they wanted to piss off the mini-cult of knight rider fans.

KITT

msKEN · Post by **msKEN** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 1:15 pm

As I said, this only happens for animophic widescreen, those black bars at the bottom and top does not mean they hacked the film to annoy you with black bars, its because your picture has been extended to the left and right. True widescreen means true widescreen. As described above with Scope and Flat.

If in fact Knight Rider was filmed in true widescreen (I remember it being stated by someone from the crew that it never was, it was filmed for TV meaning 4:3 and that stock 16:9 35 film would have been too expensive budget wise for a TV series, and it was unneeded considering the only way to see a widescreen movie back in the 80's was to go to a theater.) then I would definitely want to see a widescreen presentation. Even if it means your not really missing much, you would definitely see more of KITT, more of cretin scenes, and just... droooooool..... ahhh gesh, I just wanna see the intro in true widescreen...hehe

- Ken

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