Buffy The Vampire Slayer - All Episodes Replaced With Terrible HD Remastered Version

[juliej1630]

I purchased the Vudu bundle for Buffy back in late 2017. Just yesterday I clicked to watch the show and to my absolute horror I found that Vudu has removed all of the episodes I had been watching for years and decided to replace them with the infamous HD remaster that Fox created back in 2014. This remaster is widely known to have many issues and the general consensus among fans as well as people who worked on the show is that it's absolutely terrible and unwatchable!

The show has been forced into widescreen instead of the original 4:3 version, early season 1 episodes are cropped and zoomed in to create this false widescreen image, everything looks too up close and much of the picture on the top and bottom has been cropped off, so we are seeing less of the image than before. The color correction doesn't match the original version of the show, dark scenes are now too bright and the overuse of Digital Noise Reduction has made all the faces look like plastic!

This is NOT the version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer that I purchased when I decided to buy the show and this is completely unacceptable to just switch the files on Buffy fans like this without our permission. The episodes are not even in HD, they are SD only but using the terrible HD remastered source material, just like Amazon has been doing for years in the US for Prime Video.

The presentation of the show from these new masters is not by any means an upgrade at all, it's a complete downgrade in quality! I urge anyone who has purchased a single episode, season, or the entire series of Buffy to complain endlessly to Vudu to get the original version of Buffy restored, this HD remaster is absolutely hideous and offensive and I do not want it!

I don't want to hear any nonsense from Fandango blaming this switch on the studio, fans who purchased this show deserve better. They need to contact Disney and demand the original digital files back! This needs to get fixed as soon as possible so I can resume my rewatch of the series properly!

What has just happened here is a perfect example of why you shouldn't buy anything digitally. I buy the series on Vudu, I'm told I "Own It" yet I have no control over it. Vudu can just swap out the files any time they feel like it and replace it with any version they want, it's ludicrous!

If this doesn't get fixed I'm done spending money on TV shows digitally here. DVD discs may be more inconvenient but at least they'll never be switched out on you behind your back, like the fast one Vudu has just pulled over on Buffy fans! To secretly switch out the original digital files of the show like this without any notice or consent is shameful! And to replace the show with a version everyone knows is cheap and hideous shows Vudu has no idea what it's doing, those of us who paid for this show deserve better! This inferior source material needs to go! Bring back the original Buffy now please!

[jeremymc7]

Without reading all that. There was similar issues with the disc release and people had similar reaction.

People complained about Simpsons 4:3 episodes being zoomed in to make them 16:9 initially before FOX fixed it on streaming.

[jeremymc7]

Best wishes with your issue.

[juliej1630]

I contacted Vudu customer support about this issue two weeks ago and haven't heard a single response back yet, other than the immediate automated reply you get saying your ticket has been created of course, which means nothing. Before Fandango took over Vudu any support ticket you created for issues like this were answered within a couple of days. It's obvious now that Fandango cares nothing about customer support, first they sneakily swap out all of the Buffy digital files I purchased and supposedly 'own' with horribly inferior copies that have been widely criticized for years. Then when I send in a formal complaint about it it just goes ignored for weeks. Nobody from Vudu who reads these boards has even bothered to look into the issue or give any response here.

I think it's pretty obvious now that it's only a matter of time before Vudu crashes and burns under this new Fandango management. You can't just screw things up and then ignore people when they complain, now Fandango just wants to take your money and ignore you when there is a problem, whether it's movies or shows you purchased or complaints about the horrible new app they designed and forced on everyone recently.

It's such a shame because Vudu used to be really great when it was still owned by Walmart. It's astounding how poor ownership and management can ruin an otherwise great company when the new people who come in and take charge do not care about customer satisfaction at all.

Anyone can go to: "https://www.facebook.com/BuffyHD/" and review the facebook page created by a fan of Buffy years ago who goes into great detail all of the things wrong with this horrible Buffy HD remastered version. You'll quickly see how terribly, lazily and cheaply the job was done. Yes this is the version Fandango chose to force on us while deleting the original files if you can believe it! Anyone thinking about purchasing "Buffy The Vampire Sayer" on Vudu DON'T! Unless they take the time to address and correct this, if they ever get around to it.

[Wasteland]

As much as I agree, customer service has went to zero, I am not surprised. FNow had horrible customer service before the merge. I think Vudu and Fox should work together, along with the other retailers who replaced these transfers, but I don't really see that happening.

[juliej1630]

As much as I agree, customer service has went to zero, I am not surprised. FNow had horrible customer service before the merge. I think Vudu and Fox should work together, along with the other retailers who replaced these transfers, but I don't really see that happening.

It's such a shame, for a new company to swoop in and buy Vudu and do things like this and just ignore everyone who has a complaint. It was the same thing with the new app design that everybody hated, they just forced it on everyone and didn't care. My guess is that even if Vudu (Fandango) does respond to this issue they will try to point the finger at the studio and say it was their fault even though the service provider is Vudu and the files were purchased and "owned" by users. I expect them to take no responsibility or action, I really hope I'm wrong. If they don't care at all Fandango should just sell Vudu to another company who does actually care about customer service.

[jg0001]

So… I had the same issue. Watching episode 1 was migraine inducing. I suffered through it and popped some Tylenols. I cannot watch it so zoomed in. It is unwatchable.

You’ll be happy to know you can find the original aspect ratio version in HULU (for now anyway, Oct 2023) — however, the video quality is terrible. Dark scenes are a splotchy mess and it look like cd-video quality bitrate. I compared back to back w vudu. Vudu’s image is far cleaner, but simply unwatchable due to the zoomed in headache machine it is now.

[juliej1630]

So… I had the same issue. Watching episode 1 was migraine inducing. I suffered through it and popped some Tylenols. I cannot watch it so zoomed in. It is unwatchable.

You’ll be happy to know you can find the original aspect ratio version in HULU (for now anyway, Oct 2023) — however, the video quality is terrible. Dark scenes are a splotchy mess and it look like cd-video quality bitrate. I compared back to back w vudu. Vudu’s image is far cleaner, but simply unwatchable due to the zoomed in headache machine it is now.

You are right, the episodes on Vudu now are completely unwatchable. It isn't just the cropping and zooming in to fake widescreen, the color correction and brightness is poor and the DNR overuse makes everyone's skin look fake. It's absolutely pathetic that it's been well over a year now since they switched the episodes to the terrible HD remastered versions (while still presenting the episodes in SD) and I've received not one single reply to my complaints on this issue.

I purchased this complete series a couple of years before they changed the episodes so I paid for the original version which Vudu said I "OWNED" then they just decide to swap out those original versions for an inferior copy and ignore all the complaints of a paying customer who gave them money for the episodes!

I haven't purchased or rented anything from Vudu since this happened and I will never give Vudu a cent of my money ever again! They effectively stole the videos I purchased and replaced them with junk files and then gave me the middle finger by not responding to any of my legitimate complaints over it or switch the files back to what I actually bought.

I said it before and I'll say it again, since Fandango purchased Vudu the service has gone in the toilet. If this had happened under the previous management before Fandango took over I at least would have gotten responses back from Vudu support because I've dealt with them before and they always responded quickly. Now this "New Vudu" will just steal your money and your purchased files without permission and ignore you completely when you don't accept it.

The HD remaster of Buffy is widely regarded as one of the worst remasters in history and it absolutely should not be here on a paid service! Vudu needs to contact the studio and get the original files back now, the original broadcast versions! But I doubt that will ever happen, I've learned my lesson here and won't give Vudu money ever again. Terrible company who doesn't care about the customers or the presentation of the videos they offer!