Access MST3K DVD FAQ

DVD FAQ

Q. How are you packaging your DVDs?

The DVDs will be packaged one of three ways.

First the Premium DVD. The DVD comes in a plastic DVD case with insert. The insert has a screen shot of the MST3K Logo as well as a screenshot of the episode title. The episode name is also listed vertically on the binding so if you have them on a bookshelf you can tell read the episode. The episode number is also written in the hub of the DVD itself.

Second the Budget DVD. This DVD simply comes in a paper DVD Sleeve with the episode number written on the sleeve.

There is absolutely no difference in the quality of the DVD itself in the Budget or Premium versions. The ONLY difference is in the packaging and cost.

Third the EP DVD. These DVDs have 2 consecutive episodes on a single DVD. You cannot choose the two episodes you want on the DVD. I start with each season, master the first two non-Rhino episodes from that season onto the DVD, then the next 2 non-Rhino episodes, etc. If the number of available episodes comes to an odd number, I add one of the MST3K Specials to the end of the DVD to balance it.

Q. How Good Are Your DVDs?

A copy can never be better than the original as far as quality of the image is concerned. The DVDs are mastered from my personal collection of SP mode tapes so their quality is pretty much equivalent to that. To find information on the quality of the tapes used to create the DVDs click here. The episodes are played on a 4-head high quality stereo VCR and captured with a realtime hardware encoder in MPEG-2 format for excellent capturing quality.

There are a few things that can be improved. Sometimes the episode suffers from some "jitter". Digitally capturing the analog signal usually corrects this. I can also clear up some of the sound on some episodes.

It is also important to note that different DVD Players have different decoding capabilities which can make a difference in the play quality. This is usually only noticeable in a fast moving scene where things are changing rapidly. For example...smoke coming from the barrel of a gun gets pixelated on my older DVD player, but looks perfectly normal on my newer DVD player. Same DVD but the newer player has better hardware.

Q. What are EP DVDs?

As stated above, the Premium and Budget DVD quality is exactly the same. The only difference is in the packaging. The EP DVDs are captured at a lower bitrate to allow 2 episodes to fit on a single DVD, therefore their video quality is not going to be as good as the Premium or Budget. It is basically the difference in recording something on a VCR in SP speed vs EP Speed. They are both watchable, but the SP picture is a bit crisper. That being said, the quality of the EP DVDs is quite good. Most are more than happy with the video quality of the EP DVDs and the audio is exactly the same quality as the Premium and Budget DVDs. The downside is you don't get to pick the 2 episodes you want on the EP DVDs. You have to take 2 consecutive episodes. For a list of which 2 episodes appear on each disk, click here

Q. Do your DVDs have a menu?

Premium and Budget DVDs have a main menu, as well as a chapter selection menu.

EP DVDs have a main screen that allows you to choose between the two episodes, and chapter points every 5 minutes. There is no chapter menu on the EP DVDs

Q. Do your DVDs have chapters?

On the Premium and Budget there are 10 chapters per DVD for Seasons 1-10. The KTMA Seasons have 8 chapters. Chapters are determined by commercial breaks.

Q. How many episodes do you have on each DVD?

Premium and Budget DVDs each have 1 episode on each DVD for maximum quality, EP DVDs have 2 consecutive episodes on each DVD

Q. How do I know if DVDs will play on my system.

Your DVD player must support DVD-R (which most DVD Players bought the last few years do), but even with that, it doesn't guarantee your player will work with my DVDs. You should consult your manual or you can click here to view a chart of players compatible with the DVD-R format.

If you are at all suspicious of whether your player will play DVD-Rs, I suggest trying a single episode first just to be sure. I also cannot return any compensation given me for the DVD you requested. There is high probability that they will play on your system if it was produced in the last several years. If I had to guess, I'd say I have about 95% success rate with the DVDs.

Q. It doesn't play on my system and I can't return it...what now?

I suggest taking the DVD to several other places (friends/neighbors) to try it out on various machines. This will give you a better idea if the problem is related to your particular DVD Player. If it turns out to be a defective DVD I'll gladly send you a replacement. If you player just doesn't like them, I'll trade it for a copy on tape. You will, of course, have to return the DVD in the same condition as you received it.

You could also consider getting a new DVD player. I know that might sound nuts just to play these DVDs but I've had people do it. You can get el cheapo DVD players now for about $50. Most of them play DVD-Rs just fine.

Q. What episodes do you have available on DVD?

I have all Season (KTMA-10) converted to DVD. I also have most of my specials converted as well.