Farscape Blu Ray VS DVD Complete Series, Which One Should I Buy?

[BenevolentImperator]

I heard the Blu Ray doesn't look much better than the DVD version is this true? And does the DVD version come with all the same special features that are on the Blu Ray Version? I have a blu ray player that can upscale dvd's but I think upscaling might look better on my PS3 so it might look just as good as the Blu Ray and sound just as good after you upscale it. But if the DVD version is missing all the same special features that the Blu Ray version has then I will get the Blu Ray instead.

Which one is worth getting?

[DigiFluid]

I can't speak to bonus features, but I know that the BD video quality is nothing to write home about. The VFX were produced in SD originally and they weren't about to shell out to create all new scenes and the studio insists the original 35mm prints are lost, so even the 'regular' film is just an upconversion.

[Vfpcoder]

I own both the DVD "Starburst Editions" and the complete series Blu-ray box set.

The Blu-rays *do* look better than the out-of-print "Starburst Edition" DVDs, but not by a large degree. However, the Blu-rays look *much better* than the currently available DVD complete series box. The latter are a victim of too much MPEG compression combined with a lower resolution source (480i). The Blu-rays are computer-upscaled from the PAL broadcast video masters which start out at 576i and also benefit from being mastered from more modern video codecs. They’re nowhere near true HD, but they look pretty darn good -- even when blown-up on a projector to 100". Now, the audio is a different story altogether: The Blu-rays are an order of magnitude better in that department. The DTS-HD MA mastering is head-and-shoulders better than the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio included with the DVDs.

As to the special features: You don't get everything that was included with the "Starburst Editions" -- but you do get everything included with the currently available DVD box set -- and more. There’s still lots of audio commentaries, actor interviews, season and series documentaries -- the list goes on and on.

All-in-all I can heartily recommend the Blu-rays!

[Replicator Todd]

There is also this coming out...

[BenevolentImperator]

Damn, that new blu ray is probably in true HD 1080p. Now I have to wait until November to see Season 2.

[Vfpcoder]

Damn, that new blu ray is probably in true HD 1080p. Now I have to wait until November to see Season 2.

I haven’t been able to find out anything regarding that upcoming release on Amazon. It could be nothing more than a repackaging of the original Blu-ray set combined with, perhaps, "The Peacekeeper Wars". There's *no way* it could be true 1080p for the first four seasons, though, since all of the SFX would have to be redone; and that kind of restoration would have garnered quite a bit of publicity.