Teh Wire Complete Series: $81 Gold Box deal

Jeff_Green · January 22, 2009, 3:29pm

O YEAH BABY YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT

DoomMunky · January 22, 2009, 3:37pm

My brother just got this. It’s dense, heavy, and totally awesome. Holding it is awesome; you know you’re in for it.

Matthew_Gallant · January 22, 2009, 4:04pm

BlueJackalope · January 22, 2009, 4:18pm

Where’s Wallace At?

Kael · January 22, 2009, 4:24pm

Awesome, Ive been waiting to buy this forever. I almost did at $125, but this is to good to pass up. Thanks Jeff!

Kalle · January 22, 2009, 5:13pm

I almost want to risk it sticking in customs. Almost. But so awesome. I wish it was available in the EU.

Tracy_Baker · January 22, 2009, 5:55pm

Curse Amazon and their “we no longer price adjust” stance, but this set is worth it at at whatever they decide to charge.

The only downside is that the disc packaging sucks. They’re in cardboard sleeves that are glued together and tend to slide into the gluey part during shipping, marring the outside edge of the disc. It’s not a really big deal, but a set like this deserves packaging that isn’t so chintzy.

VegasRobb · January 22, 2009, 6:19pm

Yeah, seems as if the packaging is the #1 complaint. Very tempting to pick it up and move the DVDs into cases.

Jeff_Green · January 22, 2009, 6:27pm

Wow. LOL :)

mono · January 22, 2009, 6:31pm

I’ve never seen an episode of The Wire, and I’m very tempted. I think I’m gonna have to hold out for the eventual Blu Ray though. I finally bought a player, so I’ve just got to get the super ultra diamond blu ray edition some day.

triggercut · January 22, 2009, 6:55pm

Thanks Jeff! Grabbed this earlier today thanks to this thread…and 3.99 overnight shipping was a deal I couldn’t refuse either.

Kevin_Grey · January 22, 2009, 7:23pm

FWIW, the Wire is shown in a conventional aspect ratio- it isn’t widescreen. I wouldn’t expect the Blu-ray to be much of a visual upgrade.

Tracy_Baker · January 22, 2009, 7:26pm

That, and it was filmed in standard-def video and not on film. I’m holding out for Blu-ray with Deadwood, but the DVDs are technically as good as The Wire will ever get.

DavidKaye · January 22, 2009, 7:27pm

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You’re holding off from watching one of the greatest television series ever made on the vague chance that a high definition version may eventually at some point be released? They never even broadcast it in high def!

Kevin_Grey · January 22, 2009, 7:55pm

Really? I had assumed that it was still shot on film. The image quality is quite good and it doesn’t have the same look that video usually has.

Tracy_Baker · January 22, 2009, 8:24pm

Nick Griffin:

And perhaps the final contrast to the rest of high-end episodic television, The Wire for each of its five seasons has been produced in good old fashioned 4 x 3 standard definition. DP Dave Insley recalled, “The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show’s never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs. There is no 16x9 version anywhere.” As a viewer with an HD set I will point out that like much of SD television that makes its way to HD channels, it appears that HBO utilizes state-of-the-art line doubling technology. It may still be standard definition, but line doubled it looks considerably better on a high definition set than it would on a standard definition set.

Insley explained, “When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion – David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs – and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3. The DPs pretty much defined the look to be what it is now. And it’s been consistent for the past two seasons.”

Quoted from Griffin’s Inside HBO’s The Wire.

EDIT: I was mistaken in that this doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t originally shot on film, but the fact remains that the final version was always produced in SD.

Hanacker · January 22, 2009, 8:37pm

Best Buy had it for $90 along with a soundtrack CD around Christmas. Considering there was no chance in getting messed-up packaging, I’d say that was a slightly better deal. No idea if it’s coming back, though.

Mike_Cathcart · January 23, 2009, 7:34am

Today’s gold box deal: Deadwood for $65.

Guido_Jones · January 23, 2009, 7:43am

thanks for posting that, and the original deal. Bunch of dvd’s in the mail to me.

Jazar · January 23, 2009, 11:37am

The Wire Seasons 1-5 in 5 mins (and in rhyme).

GIGA-SPOILERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZExR3mpv6_k
GIGA-SPOILERS