The Wonder Years finally on DVD!

Dana McKellar (Winnie Cooper) was on "Fox And Friends" earlier this week. Not only is she in her
late 30's, but she's what I would consider, well, "hot".

 

Are they sending shipping confirmations? I ordered a signature edition and haven't heard anything.

 

I'm thinking of ordering a signature edition too as they haven't exactly been flying off the shelves from what I've seen. I guess the question would be can anyone confirm whether the signature editions have shipped yet or just the standard editions?

 

No shipping confirmations. They wanted to surprise the people who pre-ordered. Those who paid for next-day shipping received it yesterday.

The Signature Collection is nice!

 

I just checked the Star Vista website and they say this about the signature and experience editions:

"This is a pre-order item and is expected to ship week of September 22nd."

 

You can check your status on their website.

 

Only the pre-orders shipped on Thursday. The others start shipping on Monday. Still a lot earlier than the projected October 7 date.

 

I pre-ordered and mine hasn't shipped yet. Interesting to know who finally signed.

From the official FB page:

"The more basic sets are being shipped this week, but Time Life is holding off on shipping the "Signature" sets until next week in hopes of delivering another cast member signature or two. They do not want to reveal just who the cast member(s) is/are just yet in the event that they might not be able to sign it after all and they don't want to get anyone disappointed. From what I can tell, the fact that they are holding them back a week is a positive thing, though. Also, even though "Signature" customers have to wait a short while longer...keep in mind we will still be seeing it a couple weeks sooner than originally announced so stay positive!"

 

Awesome. I didn't see that on their page.

 

I just tracked my order at TimeLife.com and it says it's currently on back order. Back order? I PRE-ordered the Experience Edition on July 15th - one of the first days it was available for sale.

I just hope TimeLife/Star Vista used a quality pressing plant. I want these 26 DVDs to be perfect!

 

I hope they are not signing those on the outside of those yearbooks.

 

I wonder if they's signing those yearbooks "Have a bitchin' summer!"

 

http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m3rnSoYd7uSGs5I2H41y9xg.jpg

Looking closely at the books it looks like "Winnie" signed in the top right corner and the Arnold's older sister(Oliva D'Abo) signed top left. PR stated several signatures but only confirmed Fred/Danica.

 

Man, that replacement song that takes the place of "Light My Fire" is AWFUL. It's a clear "Fire" imitator, and that just makes it worse. They should've used an entirely different song - the replacement sounds so much like "Light My Fire" that it becomes a distraction...

 

Any photos for the content of the fancy box and signatures?

 

I wish my signature edition would ship. Hope the packaging is secure.

Just got my copy of Costco Connections magazine and it looks like they will get the first two seasons around 10/7.

 

Well, I just unboxed and inspected my Experience Edition of The Wonder Years complete series on DVD.

First, the positive:

• The swag, such as the Kennedy Wildcats gym bag, iron-on patch, tube socks, etc., are actually pretty high quality. As collectors' items, they're made well - the gym bag especially.
• The bonus music CD comes in a jewel case.
• The packaging of my Experience Edition for shipping was better than expected - lots of air pillows in the slightly oversized box.
• My locker arrived with no dings or dents in the metal.
• The printed paper ephemera (yearbook, episode guides, binders) look like a lot of care and concern went into their design. They're pretty but...

Now the negative:

• Every single one of my 26 DVDs has some type of scuff or scratch on it. Why? Because...
• The DVDs are housed in thick cardstock pockets that are part of the binder pages. At least the slots are on the unbound edge of the pages so there isn't additional cardstock against which to slide the DVDs. However, these are some pretty tight pockets so first you have to pinch the edge of the DVD and then pull it out ever so carefully.

Normally I'd return a multi-disc set like this in the hopes that a second copy would result in blemish free DVDs. However, I was much more careful than the average consumer would've been while removing the DVDs and they still got scuffed/scratched. Due to the choice in package design, a second complete series set of The Wonder Years wouldn't fare any better. Even if one were to cut up the cardstock binder pages (essentially ruining them) to expose the DVDs and then lift them off the cardstock, I think most of the damage would still be there because, at some point, they were still initially slid into the pockets on the production line.

Why do companies INSIST on selling movies (and music) in harmful (to the physical media) packaging? I know, so they can sell them again. But at $300 a set ($250 without the Experience) this is a one-time purchase for me and, honestly, I expected better quality. Especially after how long us fans of The Wonder Years have waited for the show to make its way to DVD.

That said, I'm moving my 26 discs to multi-DVD plastic snap cases and keeping the Wonder Years set I received. Like I said before, a second one most likely would just be more of the same.

I wonder what StarVista/TimeLife's disc replacement policy is, though, or if they even have one? The packing slip says something to the effect of I "have 30 days to use my product and if I'm unhappy for any reason, I can return it for a full refund or store credit." Well, I also have a day job (and a life) so I'm pretty sure any potential problems with my DVDs will be discovered AFTER the preview period expires. Maybe that's their plan all along. I sure hope any discs that prove defective can be replaced as needed. I'm in no mood to box up and ship the entire locker, swag and all, back to StarVista/TimeLife at any future point in time.

 

How often do cosmetic scratches interfere with the playback ? Never, in my experience.

 

Don't they still have the original film?

 

I hope you're right, MYKE!

 

Wonder years is a smaller budget reissue. If there is crazy demand or if syndication happens again then maybe.

 

I'll take that as a "yes". Cheers was shot on film but edited to videotape. Recently they went back to the original film and re-edited all the episodes on to 1080 HD video. They haven't been released on Blu-ray yet, but HD versions have been shown both in the US and here in the UK, so it is possible for them to do the same with The Wonder Years at some point.

 

Anyone who expects these shows to look great - or even good - is gonna be sorely disappointed. For TV shows from the 80s, they look okay, but they still come with lots of problems - iffy definition, bland colors, print flaws, etc.

 

I'm actually fine with less than stellar video because to me, it further emphasizes this show's place in TV broadcast history. Yes, The Wonder Years can probably be remastered in HD, and no doubt it would look glorious, however I remember this show from watching episodes in their less than perfect, grainy state - no doubt a product of my 1980s/90s television set and my rose tined backwards glance. Therein lies the nostalgia for me.

Scratched DVDs? I'm not so thrilled with that.