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Post by Udvarnoky on Aug 17, 2004 9:01:07 GMT -5
I, like many of you, e-mailed Rhino to complain about how Manos was to be re-released with the Essentials when I discovered they would be double-dipping. I've finally received a reply, and it is very comforting. Here it is, in its entirety: ---------------------------------------- Dear MST3K Fan, Thank you for your letter regarding our upcoming release of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Essentials. We very much value your opinion and understand your concern that the episode "Manos - The Hands Of Fate" had been previously released on DVD and thus the new 2-disc set seems a bit redundant. Initially - the collection was going to be offered as an exclusive television infomercial piece - in an attempt to reach out to those who have yet to experience the series on DVD (or at all). We felt that it would be appropriate to offer the two most requested episodes, as an introduction to this wonderful TV series. No collection of "The Best" episodes would be complete without Manos, but Manos alone is not a "collection". We were told by a number of fans that it would be a shame to only offer "Santa Clause Conquers The Martians" via infomercial, and so we decided to make this collection available at retail at a significantly lower price than our current boxed sets (in part because we knew some fans might already have the Manos disc). To sweeten the deal, the infomercial release comes with a free bonus collection of shorts - which means you can get 3 of the best MST3K has to offer for only $24.95. If you wish to purchase the collection with the free "Shorts - Volume 3" DVD, you can click the link below. www.esecurecare.com/music/order_info.jsp?id=AMMSTWAgain, please accept our sincere thanks for writing to us regarding this issue. Sincerely, Rhino Home Video ---------------------------------------- This attitude was pretty much my assumption and hope all along. I think this pretty much means that this was a one time thing, and an (hopefully successful) effort to introduce newcomers to MST3K. This has certainly answered a lot of my questions and my confidence in Rhino has returned.
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Post by Blurryeye on Aug 17, 2004 9:33:54 GMT -5
I wonder when and how they asked fans about whether releasing SCCTM only by informercial was a good idea or not. I wouldn't have minded that. They didn't do it via Satellite News, obviously. Is there a list of fans of the show that Rhino contacts personally and privately before they make their volume sets?
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Aug 17, 2004 9:36:08 GMT -5
Ah, now that I know an infomercial was planned I understand.
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Aug 17, 2004 12:01:22 GMT -5
Still- Why can't they release Santa Claus and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!? Santa Claus is PUBLIC DOMAIN DAMN YOU RHINO. This reply explains that Rhino are idiots even more for the simple fact that just because Manos is a favorite among fans doesn't mean it's a favorite among the average person. I've realized that Manos is often a turn off for those not familiar with MST3K. I was going to say that too, Manos, isn't something that you want to introduce fans too. Pod People would actually be best (but then again they're double dipping). Anyway the informerical never happened, so they should have saved SCCTM for later. I bet that SCCTM goes into a box set by number 10.
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Aug 17, 2004 12:09:56 GMT -5
I thought they meant full legnth 30 minute infomercial, when and where does it air?
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 17, 2004 16:01:14 GMT -5
I thought they meant full legnth 30 minute infomercial, when and where does it air? I saw it a couple weeks back on Sci-Fi, during a Sliders marathon they were doing to promote the release of season 1 and 2 on DVD. It was pretty cool, but I haven't seen it since.
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Aug 17, 2004 16:19:23 GMT -5
The only infomercial I know before this was Poopie Parade of Values which was a joke infomercial about Poopie and Scrapbook.
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Post by mightyjack on Aug 17, 2004 16:40:41 GMT -5
I wonder when and how they asked fans about whether releasing SCCTM only by informercial was a good idea or not. I wouldn't have minded that. They didn't do it via Satellite News, obviously. Is there a list of fans of the show that Rhino contacts personally and privately before they make their volume sets? That's a valid point. Who are these fans they are talking to and can I be included in this secret focus group? And why didn't these fans point out that double dipping would piss off a large part of their core customers and that Manos isn't the best choice for first time viewers? Hell, "Final Sacrifice" would have been a better choice as far it being one that is a popluar fan favorite and one that many new viewers are able to handle without much pain and suffering. And why didn't these fans they spoke to mention than if Rhino was dead set on releasing Manos, some new extra's would go a long way towards quelling the anger felt by fans who had already bought Manos on DVD. And if these fans did mention it. Why didn't Rhino listen to them on this point, yet listened to them about a wide release? The whole thing sounds fishy to me. It sounds like they are feeding us the company line.
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Post by MonsterX on Aug 17, 2004 21:52:16 GMT -5
I think its BS, but you can believe it if it makes you feel better.
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Post by LordKaT on Aug 18, 2004 4:13:40 GMT -5
It's corporate BS, but it does prove that enough complaint letters will cause a company - large or small - to respond.
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Aug 18, 2004 7:20:53 GMT -5
Yeah, now it's all coming together. Maybe they asked SNSampo and Erhardt and called them a number a fans. Listen I'm not trying to give them benefit of the doubt, but I'm guessing that's what they meant.
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Post by Unsavory on Aug 18, 2004 18:38:59 GMT -5
I might buy into this if they released Manos and another already released episode such as Mitchell. It would still be disappointing, but not tricky. Like you all are saying, BS. But whatever. It's done now. The next box set has me hopeful for some quality releases in the future, and I'm done bashing Rhino if they live up to my hopes.
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Post by mightyjack on Aug 18, 2004 19:22:44 GMT -5
On a personal note - I don't bash Rhino because I hate them or because I like bashing them. I call 'em like I see 'em. If it warrents a bashing I'll do it. But if they do something great, I'll praise them for it.
We've talked about sending them complaint letters, well I recently sent them a "thank you" for delaying the release of the next set so that they could get a better master.
And that goes for any company. I think FOX usually does a bang up job, but their work on the M*A*S*H discs stinks (Poor packaging, no extras). I've checked them out from the library, but I wont buy them.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 19, 2004 6:24:25 GMT -5
And that goes for any company. I think FOX usually does a bang up job, but their work on the M*A*S*H discs stinks (Poor packaging, no extras). I've checked them out from the library, but I wont buy them. Just a little bit of Fox bitching here: the packages they put their multidisc sets in are CRAP. I'm of course refering to that carboard/plastic garbage they put their Simpsons DVDs in, as well as X-Men 1.5 and the Alien Quadrilogy. One of my Simpsons season one DVD's is hella scratched because it kept falling out of the damn case. And my X-Men DVD tabs still broke off before I even touched the damn disc to get it out! They seem to be doing better with the later seasons of the Simpsons though.
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Post by Udvarnoky on Aug 19, 2004 9:12:52 GMT -5
Listen I'm not trying to give them benefit of the doubt, but I'm guessing that's what they meant. Heaven forbid anyone giving them the benefit of the doubt. I do agree that the fans stuff is fishy, but I for one am quite relieved because now I've heard straight from Rhino that this was a "mainstream-targeted" package. So I think we can expect only new releases from them from now on. And a major selling point for me was that the price of the set was the same price as a single-disc, and the special order was retail but you got the Shorts disc, so it's not really a rip-off any way you look at it.
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