Remaster Night Gallery for DVD

Universal Studios recently announced an August DVD release, the first season of the 1970s TV series Rod Serlings Night Gallery. Despite concerns from the DVD-preparation staff within the studio, who showed decision-makers a night-and-day comparison between an old print and a newly restored print, the marketing department decided to move ahead with the transfer to DVD using the old prints. Some episodes in the old mastering have music cue omissions and other errors that are now to be transferred permanently, for posterity, to silver disc, with substandard picture quality. With the new wave of high definition DVDs on the horizon, what does this executive decision say about this studio? They want your cash, but they couldnt give a rip about offering you proper value. This is merely the latest offense in Universals string of DVD-release fiascos: Steven Spielbergs Duel--postponed twice, presumably for quality control issues--and the defect-ridden releases of Monty Pythons The Meaning of Life and the Back to the Future trilogy.

The icing on this rancid cake: no extras are being considered, even though they exist and could be easily added. No trailers, TV spots, commentary, interviews, paintings gallery, isolated scores, essays, nothing. The studio wont even throw the fans a bone--just one more example among many of the careless attitude this studio has for the cultural legacy it stewards and for the customers who support it.

We request from Universal Studios a DVD set of Night Gallery from newly remastered prints, with errors corrected and the addition of such special features as are mentioned above. The studio needs to treat this historically significant, classic series with the respect it deserves. It was small-screen icon Rod Serlings last foray into series television and warrants a presentation with a little more prestige.