I’ve been watching the Rockford Files on Samsung TV and the commercials and syndication cuts have been getting on my nerves. I decided to get the series on Blu ray and ordered a set on eBay that I didn’t realize was from Mill Creek.
I figure I’ll just rant and post my warning here.
The Packaging-Not as bad as I have seen in the past from Mill Creek, but there are 4 discs per season and only 2 disc spindles per case. This is annoying and may or may not scratch the top discs over time. There are also 2 of the Blu Ray cases that have slightly different cases than the rest. Not the biggest deal in the world but still just a lack of attention to any kind of detail. The cardboard case that holds all the Blu-ray cases is incredibly flimsy and not glued or printed with any gloss. The slipcovers are kind of shoddy too.
The Content-No special features, no commentary tracks, NOT EVEN SUBTITLES! Half the reason I like physical media is stuff like that. At least the scans are nice. Clean and pretty with DTS-HD audio that sounds as good as its going to at this point. It’s just what I assume is the original stereo track and doesn’t have a 5.1 or 7.1 remaster. Its a good thing the picture is clear because our deaf friends are going to have to read lips and thankfully it is at least in the original aspect ratio.
Other Annoying Stuff-The DVD release of Season 1 contained the original TV movie pilot in its original release format. This Blu-release only has the chopped up “Season 0” 2 part episode with cuts and alterations. Again, not the end of the world, just highly annoying to have the Blu-ray release not be the superior version.
The printing on all the Blu-rays has a huge section of the artwork covered up with an ad for Mill Creek’s website.
The Menus are lame too but what can I expect when there are no features to select from They don’t have to be amazing but they just suck.
This is the only HD release of the Rockford Files. I understand that I am probably one of the few people who gives a crap about the Rockford Files but it’s a shame that such a good show that was shot on film on location in LA is treated in such a slipshod manner by a fourth rate company like Mill Creek.
–WARNING FOR POSTERITY– Mill Creek sucks. This is far from their worst release but frankly, all of their stuff is just crap. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here but seriously? NO SUBTITLES? That sucks.
They’ve done some good releases. They put out some truly incredible He-Man and the Masters of the Universe DVD sets at one point that were full of commentaries, special features, animated menus, and even menu Easter eggs. But yeah, most of their stuff is bare bones. “Mill” is right there in the name.
I unfortunately bought my set of The Rockford Files from Amazon, and you should never buy box sets from that company because they’ll just end up crushed due to no-shits-given packing. I didn’t notice the damage within the return window, of course. I’m just going to buy a new one from Amazon and return the other (still sealed) one for a refund.
I recently learned of the shittiness that is Mill Creek with the Community blu ray collection. Same issue of 2 discs per spindle, quite annoying.
