Chatting About Buffy!
Added 2023-03-17 03:25:23 +0000 UTCI wanted to make a video explaining my feelings and thoughts about the Buffy remastered and original format versions. It's been a frustrating experience so far and nothing seems to be right and I don't want it to ruin my feelings for Buffy 😔 Why is life never simple 😅😭 Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions, solutions and general patience as I navigate this. I just want the best experience for YOU whilst also being able to enjoy it, too 💜
Comments
Please don't stress over this. The show is pretty old, and things were less standardized. It doesn't help that it aired right around the time of switching to widescreen, so publishers were pushing for widescreen DVD releases. There will be a vocal minority crying out regardless of the version used. There unfortunately is no perfect solution here. I've seen other reactors face similar complaints and it pains me - the version really does not matter. For watchalong, whatever syncs best for most people is the most important. A lot of us are annoyed that something we love so dearly was shown so little love during the remastering, but the truth is that if you're not sitting there directly comparing, most people will never know. And it's a lot less of an issue after s3. The version I have doesn't sync perfectly, each fade to black lasts a couple of seconds shorter, but at least it plays the same speed so I just have to pause a couple of seconds 2-3 times per episode - no big deal. I haven't tried Buffy watchalong before, but I expected much worse. Some people are recommending a running timestamp, but I will say that this has personally never been useful - most reactors do this, and I can't recall a single instance of the timestamp being accurate, I've always had to ignore it and just look at the blurry picture. I did have some trouble with the video player used here on patreon - Chrome runs out of memory and crashes every 5-10min, but it works fine in Firefox so I guess it's not a big deal. Hope this doesn't stress too much or take away too much from the enjoyment of the show. Looking forward to the next episode!
Asmo0
2023-03-18 02:00:27 +0000 UTCThe speed issue is something that a lot of reactors have had to deal with. Back in the days of broadcast television there were two standards, NTSC and PAL. Much of the Americas used NTSC and much of Europe (and Australia) were on PAL. One of the differences is the frame rate. NTSC is 30 frames per second, while PAL is 25 frames per second. It does not result in any noticable diffrence in viewing speed, but over an hour of video you will get a few seconds out of sync. Digital video does not have this problem for the most part, but older videos put on DVD have it. In my case I have the original Region 1 (NTSC) DVDs that were released the year after each season ran, and I notice the sync problem while watching. Of course the folks at Fox are over-acheivers, so they managed to take a bad situation and make it even worse with a widescreen edition (in the first 3 seasons) that is quite messed up in many fans opinions. Since I've never watched it, I can't really give you my opinion. Anyway, Buffy is one of the only shows that has a Wikipedia article just about the video formats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_home_video_releases The bottom line is that there is little that you can do about it. If you choose a Region 1 format then some of your audience will be out of sync and if you choose Region 2 or 4 (PAL) then another part of your audience will be out of sync. You won't have as much of a problem with digital streaming, and most of what was released in this century will have no problem. Please don't obsess over this. You are so kind to worry about us, but it's the nature of the beast and completely out of your hands. Really the only thing you can do is to put a timer on the screen so the audience can more easily re-sync in the middle, which is what I do if I notice a problem. Also, once you get to Season 3 which was shot in 16:9, I believe it is no longer a problem.
Alan Kobb
2023-03-17 23:22:37 +0000 UTCI'm very sorry to hear about all the problems you're having Juliette :( Also I know what you mean about pirated movies etc.. I don't do it either, I'm not comfortable with it and also my internet is bad enough as it is. Running torrents would take 9 billion years to complete. So I buy everything the same as you. Having said that if there is ever a movie or a series that I have I could look into sending it to you. Not sure if it would be cost effective but I could look into it for you. (Besides Buffy because I don't have that one) Or better yet start up a thrones gift. That might work as well.
Tex N7
2023-03-17 22:38:28 +0000 UTC100% agree with everyone, just do what's best for you. You're the new viewer, we're here on your journey and not the other way around.
SweetSummit
2023-03-17 22:02:25 +0000 UTCAww, you big Belgian softy. :P
SweetSummit
2023-03-17 22:01:33 +0000 UTCThe copy I'm using to watch along is faster than your Disney+ version. I don't know if it's the same as your DVDs, but for me it's indeed mostly during the black screen between the acts. But I just pause until it (more or less) syncs up again, it's no big deal. It's not like I haven't seen the show before ;-) And don't be sorry for being you - you is absolutely lovely.
zerofk
2023-03-17 18:00:35 +0000 UTCLike everyone has said here. Do what is best for you. It is not worth the extra stress. I and others joined here because of the way you were already doing things. One of the things I was concerned about with watching Dvd's depending on the version was spoilers. I watched buffy in the past all the way through. With friends that have not seen the show. The dvd menu's and episode selections were a bit spoilery and I told them to look away till I pressed play.
Mark Taylor
2023-03-17 11:02:15 +0000 UTCIt sounds like you have the same DVDs as me. The DVDs for the Region 2 and 4 run 4% faster for compatibility with the PAL TV format. I have used my DVDs with watchalongs in the past by playing them on my computer and setting the playback rate to 0.96 - VLC can do this. You may find the DVDs are widescreen from season 4 onwards, these are not remastered just wider versions of the originals. There are some small, rare mistakes, but nothing significant. Don't stress, enjoy the show in the best way that you can.
Texas
2023-03-17 08:56:44 +0000 UTCThe intention of steering you to the good version was never meant to create stress, of course. But can people please stay away from calling those who aim for the best possible outcome, because they care, whiners & losers?
Patrick Armbruster
2023-03-17 07:30:54 +0000 UTCStick with the Disney version. It’s working fine and we all enjoy watching it with you. Ignore all the whiners. Our hope would be that you really grow to love the show and you want to rewatch it. Maybe then you could rewatch on the DVD versions in your own time. Take it easy.
Paul Thomas-Humphreys
2023-03-17 06:27:32 +0000 UTCI really hate to see you feeling so stressed about this issue Juliette, so my personal opinion is that you should just forget about trying to find the 'correct' copies of Buffy. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what version you are watching, what matters is that you are enjoying yourself. You may get a comment every now and again telling you to watch the 4:3 version but like I said previously, they are easily ignored. To the other point you mentioned, I love that you find enjoyment in the episodes that others would consider bad. That's a great quality of yours and shows the kind of person you are, a 'glass half-full' type if you will. And you never know, your enjoyment of a 'bad' episode may actually help others see it in a more positive light.
Neil Hanson
2023-03-17 06:11:25 +0000 UTCTHANK YOU!!! I say something along these lines on pretty much every reaction I watch of Buffy. People need to quit focusing on whether it's the oldv ersion or the new version and just enjoy it
Michael Short
2023-03-17 05:35:51 +0000 UTCMiss Juliette, please do not stress about it. You just do you and what it best for you. I am just so grateful that we have someone like you that appreciates our passion and you were willing to share your reactions with us. I do not want anything to take your enjoyment away from the show 💜
Eric Hoover
2023-03-17 04:20:45 +0000 UTCMy two cents. Some people just enjoy the show because they enjoy the show. They couldn’t care less about format and quality and technical aspects. It’s Buffy! And that’s all that’s important. Then you have the hard-core Buffy enthusiasts – who have seen Buffy a thousand times and they tend to get hyper-critical – thinking you can’t truly enjoy the show unless everything is technically perfect. What I have enjoyed about your reactions is that you aren’t a film-critic who scrutinizes all the details – film grain, sound quality, aspect-ratio, etc. And all the other things that aren’t required to enjoy the show. That’s fine for hyper-critical, Buffy enthusiasts – more power to them – glad they’ve watched it a thousand times, that’s proof how good the show is. But don’t let them deter you from the enjoying the show. Watch it how you want and in whatever format you want, it won’t change the story or the characters or your enjoyment experience. And I’ll bet a million dollars that even the die-hard Buffy purists will still watch along with you and enjoy the experience, regardless. It's about the show and the characters - even the "bad episodes” are enjoyable because even they still evolve the character development of these beloved characters. So enjoy it. The ONLY thing that will ruin the experience for you is stressing about all this other nonsense. Watch and enjoy one of the greatest shows ever made, and disregard all the rest. That way we can ALL enjoy it with you. 😊 In short, you do you.
King Author
2023-03-17 04:04:41 +0000 UTCI agree. When push comes to shove if she watches the wide screen versions she will still experience the amazing story :)
Michael Short
2023-03-17 03:44:32 +0000 UTCI haven't had any problem watching with you. Wide screen is a small issue. Your having a stress free and enjoyable time is the most important.
Bud Haven
2023-03-17 03:39:01 +0000 UTCIt sounds like you got a different format DVD. I've noticed this often happens when watching reactors especially from Europe some of their footage goes faster than ours in Australia. There are ways around it, I know Mary from movies with mary had these issues when reacti g to game of thrones. But honestly, even though I'm in the minority I will be happy even if you choose to react with the Disney+ versions. Since they seem to be working well so far
Michael Short
2023-03-17 03:30:12 +0000 UTC
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