I think I've found a place to dub the series for any listmember wanting
NTSC tapes of the episodes. Do not reply to this note until you read my
list of 7 considerations! Right now I need to hear from anyone who is
seriously interested in a set--we did this last December, but now I need a
definitive list. To help you make your decisions, consider the following:
1. I am only dubbing episodes 7-20 because the first 6 episodes are still
available commercially. I believe 1-6 must look quite crisp and clear in
their commercial versions, as they are professionally made from studio
masters and my tapes are off the air--not bad, just off the air (at the
highest recording speed).
2. That leaves 6 tapes that I will have to duplicate (for those of you
trying to imagine splitting 14 episodes across 6 tapes, 2 are T160s). Early
estimates are about 8 bucks per tape, so figure on over $50.00US for the
total, and for first class postage which I've yet to figure. This estimate
is subject to change as I deal with the duplication facility on a more
specific basis.
3. I do *not* intend to make a profit on this (ad)venture. My intention is
to encourage SB discussion on our list by making more of the series
available to listmembers in a one-time-only deal. Of course, I have no
intention of losing money, either, so there will be a policy of advance
payment via money order (no cheques) when the time comes. I believe
listmembers for SB are an advanced and decent group of people, but I still
need safeguards for my own fiscal state. I've never done something like
this before.
4. I won't guarantee that your idea of "good" quality dubs matches my idea
of good quality dubs. The copies will be SP to SP, which should be
fine--I've tried this at home and it looks ok. For those who are curious,
dubbing from SP to one of the two lower speeds looked horrible.
5. Barring something incredible like blank tapes, I don't see any way of
offering refunds on this stuff.
6. Recall that if SB should be re-broadcast on a cable channel such as
Bravo, you might waste a lot of money by purchasing these copies now.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NOW:
Reply to this email if you think you will want eps 7-20. I won't break them
up, so it's an either/or proposition. If someone wanted to offer indvidual
eps to listmembers in the future, that would be great. I know some people
are probably missing only a couple eps, but I'm having a hard enough time
getting a bulk series done.
All that being said, who is seriously interested?
timothy keirnan
tim@denver.net