Doctor Who Blu Ray Collection Boxset - Standard better than Limited?

hello and today im talking about why i think going with the standard collection box sets is by far the best way to go...
Instagram: thenorthern...

[@jamied.5612]

I prefer the standard editions to be honest. In terms of shelf space and idk they feel more durable. As much as the limited editions look asthetically pleasing and the booklets more in depth.

[@thenortherndalek]

This!!

[@DomH75]

The packaging of these sets has been a disaster. First they said the 'limited edition' packaging would be followed by standard packaging. Then they backtracked. The limited run of the original Season 12 was half the size later series, so they sold out fast and I figured I'd missed the boat. In America, they went directly to standard editions, so I imported my Season 12 set (which is in a sensible 15mm spine case) from there. THEN, the UK released more limited edition Season 12 sets, which initially had the wrong discs inside, THEN they suddenly announced standard editions. It's infuriating. I wanted standard editions in the first place. They're a sensible size and in solid packaging. I own ten limited edition sets, but I had to stop: I don't have the room and I think the limited edition box design is functionally awful. My limited edition Doctor Who sets take up the same amount of room as my complete sets of The X-Files, 1950s-60s The Twilight Zone and 1960s Star Trek put together! I'm sitting tight waiting for standard set of Season Two now and at some point I'll flog off the limited sets. I don't care about making megabucks on them: I'll just sell them for enough to buy the standard editions as replacements.

[@andrewtomes4980]

I’ve been collecting the limited edition, simply because I caught them early and was aware the supply was limited. Had I been smart enough to consider that a standard edition would follow, I probably would have waited for those.

[@Nikioko]

I have the limited edition and will stick to it. I ordered every issue when it became available for pre-order, so I also own Season 12 first edition.

[@thebiggerpicture7114]

Really helpful for someone looking to get into them thanks

[@thenortherndalek]

no worries!!!

[@dominictrofa4156]

Great video. I've been buying the standard editions since they first came out and I'm happy with that. It's a shame that they don't release at the same time as the limited version.

[@thenortherndalek]

Absolutely you’d think they’d do that… but no we’ve gotta wait at least two years before we get whatever season they’ve just dropped with the limited side of things 😒

[@AimeeRose1997]

Season 17 was actually the last of the limited sets I owned. I had all the ones they'd released until then but never got round to preordering any of the sets they made afterwards for whatever reason. I eventually decided last November or October to just take all the limited edition sets I had and trade them in at CEX so I could use the money to switch to the standard edirion sets instead for pretty much all the reasons you listed in this video. Sure, they're taking longer to come out than the limited edition sets, but I feel the longer wait is worth for what I honestly feel are better value products

[@jameswilson8216]

how much money did you get for the limited ones at CEX?, my only experience was getting about £10 for nearly £50 worth of blu rays and 4Ks so would want to do it on the basis I'd get a similar amount back. I'm starting to regret mix and matching and having limited and standard and want to just stick to the standard boxsets for space reasons

[@livensflame]

I waited (years) for Standard Editions, mainly because I'm not a fan of cardboard digipacks. I much prefer regular plastic cases for discs.

[@thenortherndalek]

I’m exactly the same. What’s annoying is when you get something like series 12 ( new who ) on blu ray and it comes in this weird digipack. Whilst being the only one in the revival range whilst almost everything else gets a standard plastic case

[@davidbull7210]

I went down the standard route (or rout as you pronounce it😮) because I managed to get a joblot on eBay that worked out at 20-something per set. Glad I did as they take up far less space and seem much sturdier and durable. I don't mind the waiting game so long as it's not one every two years...

[@thenortherndalek]

Yeah I’m exactly the same. Fine waiting just not waiting a year for one new release whilst the limit side of things is flying through the range.

[@brandonfoley87]

I collect the standard editions but recently I’ve started to pick up the limited editions because I’m one of those fans who all the editions and yeah lol. I do prefer the standard editions and always will do but the only thing that I don’t like about the standard editions are because when a limited edition set comes out and you miss out on it and, the price skyrockets then you’ll either have to buy the set for god knows how much or wait about 2 years for the season to be released on standard edition

[@MuchWhittering]

I missed out on the limited because I was stubbornly sticking with my DVDs, so I've now only got the standards. And you know what? I'm glad. I think they're all gonna look nicer on a shelf by the end. Other than the shorter booklet and the 2 years wait, I'm happy with my standards.

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

I have a problem with digipacks. Another disaster in the making. Boutique labels seem to be heading down the digipack route to limit plastic and save the environment. Funny that. Councils dump 60% of plastics into landfil. Digipacks and stacks are atrocious. I have three digipacks with the glue already coming off the backing. At least with plastic casing, it's durable, like you said, but this seems to be the cost cutting measure to save planet Earth, supposedly....I'll try not to laugh.

[@johntaylor6345]

I think fans should be given the choice of DVD, Blu Ray and 4k. I personally think that the picture quality is better on DVD. A lot of fans just have not been able to get complete seasons because on DVD because the BBC are not releasing anymore individual stories on DVD so fans have to buy complete seasons on Blu Ray either limited edition or wait for the standard edition.

[@thenortherndalek]

Whilst I flat out refuse to buy DVDs because of the quality compared to Blu rays and what they offer I do think they should have done a DVD line separate from the blu ray side of things to keep DVD collectors happy while also pleasing blu ray collectors ( limited & standard for both formates )

[@ShanghaiRooster]

But all these old Doctor Who stories have been released on DVD already. One thing that instantly makes the blu-rays better for me is that the proper 4:3 aspect ratio has been respected instead of hacking about to fit wide screen tellies.

[@johntaylor6345]

@@ShanghaiRooster yes. But the BBC stopped releasing the dvds once every available story from the classic series had been released. Modern Who still gets released on DVD and Blu ray. I only buy Modern Who on Blu Ray to match with the other series. I'm collecting the classic seasons now on blu ray so that i can have all of my Who classic and modern on blu ray. I stopped collecting the dvds when the BBC stopped releasing them. Old stories on DVD of classic Doctor Who can be found on the shelves of hmv or cex and possibly ebay and amazon.

[@Pooter-it4yg]

Can someone please explain to me the fascination with buying things in supposedly better quality than they were originally produced? I used to sit with my head virtually inside the TV back in the day because they were just smaller then. Now I can watch from a chair.

[@GLOBEREVIEWS]

Standard sets for me don’t have space or money for limited.Good video Subscribed

[@thenortherndalek]

thanks! yeah whilst i do have income to throw at the limited box sets its the space and durability that massively let them down for me

[@HudsonMedia]

I can definitely see the appeal of the standard editions and if I didn’t manage manage to get Season 12 by chance on limited edition. I would have gone down the standard route. For me the limited edition packaging is so good. The biggest plus for me is the comprehensive booklet that comes with it that breaks down the production of every story. Whilst for the standard edition it’s just a disc breakdown. Also the limited ones I get use to the size inconsistency on the shelf. But at the end of the day they still look decent. But yeah it is great that we’re slowly getting the standard editions tho.

[@thenortherndalek]

I get both sides - the limited side of things they look absolutely gorgeous ( better than standard. You don’t have eh blu ray banner at the top of the case ) but your right with the booklets and that’s one thing I’m jealous about is how much detail they go into with the production of every story whilst again like you mentioned on the standard side of things is just a brief summary of the box set & the discs. Both come with pros & cons.

[@HudsonMedia]

@@thenortherndalek I suppose in a way also there will always be a little bit of, whichever version u get you’ll probably be more inclined to prefer it. I’m sure if I had the standard edition I’d have said I preferred them. Love the video though! :)

[@thenortherndalek]

Yeah I completely agree - I honestly couldn’t mix & match I know a few collectors that do that but I can’t

[@kermitsghost]

Hi mate, I had the first 10 limited edition and then swapped over for the standard releases, purely for because of the size difference, I like uniformity on the shelf, I’m sure we will catch up eventually 🤞America seem to have more out than we do for some reason, take care👍😃👍

[@thenortherndalek]

Do they? 😅 how far ahead are they

[@androzanimajor9808]

The US only gets the standard, so 3/4 months after the limited release in the UK we get the digipack for that season.

[@89awcock]

Does anyone know if the season two Doctor Who collection from America blu-ray with William Hartnell will play on a British Blu-ray I have a Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player. If it will definitely play in the UK then I will definitely buy copy from Amazon UK which will come from America. As I love the standard edition.

[@thenortherndalek]

@89awcock it won’t you need the get the correct region regarding the disc

[@androzanimajor9808]

@@thenortherndalek We don’t have Season 20 yet. We’re normally 1-2 sets behind.

[@peterbumper2769]

As an Australian, i wish there was an option of getting the standards. The LEs come out, and if it is a popular year, gone in a month. I was late to the game so there are a few years I have missed (Trial of a Time Lord) :(

[@thenortherndalek]

That’s devastating. That’s why they originally made the standard side of things too so if you missed out on the Limited box sets you could catch up. It’s a shame that they haven’t done that for Australia - ain’t they available on Amazon or anything?

[@peterbumper2769]

@@thenortherndalek Actually your video motivated me to have a look at Amazon UK. Australia and the UK are in the same zone, so they will play. One set I wanted was expensive, but I did find three others that were priced the same as when I bought locally Win

[@thenortherndalek]

@@peterbumper2769 sometimes they do come up expensive but always check the others that are available under whatever season your currently looking at. You may find a cheaper option! But I’m glad to hear that my video made you have a look honestly it’s the best thing to do if you’ve missed out on one they are always available somewhere online

[@delboy3k1]

I see both sides....in the end its a choice and right now we have ample. With the limited set i am glad they are hard cardboard and not plastic just from environmental point of view and being a collector for 25 years for dvd plus packaging..plastic snapping and years to destroy plastic over recycling cardboard must be a plus. The inner plastic could do with looking at being plastic again. Maybe digi book style encompassing the booklet would be better and more delux for the buyer. I am glad for the cheaper option but its limited style all the way for me.

[@thenortherndalek]

Whilst I agree with everything said - I’ve heard far more of breakage due to the Disc trays being far too heavy for the Hard cardboard (seasons 2 & 20 respectively) Whilst one is bad for the environment and the other that can easily be damaged by postage services throwing boxes about before delivering them it’s a double edged sword but the main thing for me is the size of them and how they fit with the rest of my blu ray collection anything larger then a standard blu ray case in height just doesn’t do it for me flat out refuse to have DVDs because of this unless the show or movie was never released on blu ray then yeah.

[@delboy3k1]

@thenortherndalek yeah Size can be a problem but they make these sets for the masses not individuals. I have a godfather 50th anniversary 4k set and the box us as large as a vinyl record in height and length. My deluxe other films include books and pins and lobby cards making the width over 3 1/2 inches. A standard 4k is around 1/2 an inch. I guess if you want box sets then your buying into a product that you want complete and in the best packaging available as in the last time you will ever buy it. The digi book idea seems a.more viable root

[@banginman1879]

I believe the booklets in the standard sets have fewer pages than the limted edition too?

[@thenortherndalek]

That’s true - the limited stuff gives you a real breakdown of the episodes whilst the standard only gives you a list of things for each disc

[@bobbyfellerd2993]

@@thenortherndalek SOMBODY PLEASE DO OR WHERE CAN I FIND A PDF OF THE LIMITED EDITION BOOKLETS, WOULD THE U K SETS EVEN PLAY IN MY USA BLU RAY PLAYER, I KNOW REGION 2 U K DVDS WON'T PLAY IN MY REGION 1 USA DVD PLAYER

[@Nikioko]

I have the Limited Edition, and it is better than the unlimited. But the standard edition is definitely better than the US version.

[@ShanghaiRooster]

Your complaint about the disc trays in the limited editions is really a non-issue. Some years ago I bought a 'Buffy' box set on ebay, which, when it arrived had several trays with broken tabs meaning the discs wouldn't stay put. But, I was able to easily obtain replacement disc trays online, remove the broken ones from the adhesive tape which holds them and replace with new ones. If it should happen that the tape should dry out and fail it would be a fairly easy job to obtain new tape and repair. The space saving (and price) reason is a better one to opt for the standard editions certainly, and if the booklet was identical to those in the limited editions I'd recommend it to anybody. The BBC have definitely mishandled these sets. I get the impression that in the early stages they were producing only about as many as there were pre-orders going in, which is why they sold out almost as soon as they were released. More recently they seem to have been producing a larger number, with the result that sometimes the limited edition remains available for a few months.

[@thenortherndalek]

Regardless of fixing the issue yourself you shouldn’t be dropping £50+ on something that’s gonna break if you open it. The season two limited box set had this well known issue - I’d imagine season twenty having the same issue

[@Grayvorn]

Think they're staggering the standard sets so they can gouge more money from the deluxe ones?

[@thenortherndalek]

Probably are

[@michaeldaniel5009]

2:27 all my ltd are fine.

[@jacobthomas0219]

Hate to do this, but “than*”

[@thenortherndalek]

No no it’s all good haha il get it changed

[@DDuck777]

Bin the Hot Toys and free up some shelf space 🫣

[@thenortherndalek]

Noooo chance! 😤😂