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I don't really know where to begin, so I'll just begin.
I have the original uncut version that aired on TV of the Muppet Family Christmas. It was one of many christmas shows on a six hour tape. However, the version I had was somewhat tainted because at the time I recorded it I was eight years old. I tried editing the commercials out, but the VCR we had at the time would wind the tape back a few seconds whenever you stopped it, and then take another few seconds to start again once you hit record. Being eight years old, I didn't know that you could offset this by just hitting the pause button, or just not editing out the commercials. The tape also skips when Electric Mayhem is singing Jingle Bell Rock, which I don't like.
That is the format I've had for over twenty years, and it is still in exellent shape. I did want to get another version of the uncut version of what aired on television, and over thanksgiving, I found one. My cousin had it. It is the 1987 broadcast that aired on TV, and he even has it with the original commercials. I have converted it, along with the version I had to DVD.
Here is the problem, my cousin's version is more complete, and the video is excellent, but the audio is not in stereo because his VCR at the time did not have that capability. It is now my plan to do something both ambitious and tedious (and perhaps a little nuts). I am basically going to combine the two versions. I'm going to primarily use my copy that has the good audio and video, and when necessary stop my DVD recorder to splice in the parts of his video that I missed before and after each commercial break. That's basically as good as I'm going to be able to make it. It's not perfect, but it is complete, and 98% of the audio is of stereo quality.
I really don't know what to do with this once I'm done with it. In the years I searched off an on for a better version, I came across people that were literally selling it for hundreds of dollars. I don't have a huge problem with that, but at the same time it's not as if these are baseball cards or works of art or stamps or something like that. It is family entertainment, and I think charging a hundred dollars is kind of missing the point. In some ways I want to start selling for ten bucks a pop just to irritate the people who are basically exploiting it. At the same time, though, I don't want to break any laws by selling it illegally, even if it is at a lower price. In other words, I guess, I want to make it available because I feel anyone who wants to enjoy this should be able to, but I don't want to just give it away for nothing when I myself need to expend a certain amount of energy to make copies of it.
For what it's worth, one of my hobbies is collecting old christmas shows and specials and preserving them on DVD. Every year since I was eight, I taped christmas specials off TV, and the collection has grown over time. I've now converted them all to DVD and have a grand total (I'm not making this up) of 26 twelve hour DVDs of Christmas specials and movies, including several muppet specials such as the uncut version of Muppet Family Christmas, Both Muppet Christmas movies, John Denver and the Muppets Christmas (without the closing credits, though) the Letters to Santa special from last year, The Christmas Toy, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (aired sometime in the 1980s on PBS), Emmit Otter's Christmas that Kermit narrates, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree that Kermit also narrates and that starred Robert Downy Jr.
Some people play golf or collect stamps, I preserve things on DVD. I don't even buy them from the store. I have a DVD recorder and get all my movies when they air on TV.
I guess my big question is that if I start making this stuff available online will I be breaking any copywright violations? If not, then what is the best way to go about it?
thanks,
3wm
I have the original uncut version that aired on TV of the Muppet Family Christmas. It was one of many christmas shows on a six hour tape. However, the version I had was somewhat tainted because at the time I recorded it I was eight years old. I tried editing the commercials out, but the VCR we had at the time would wind the tape back a few seconds whenever you stopped it, and then take another few seconds to start again once you hit record. Being eight years old, I didn't know that you could offset this by just hitting the pause button, or just not editing out the commercials. The tape also skips when Electric Mayhem is singing Jingle Bell Rock, which I don't like.
That is the format I've had for over twenty years, and it is still in exellent shape. I did want to get another version of the uncut version of what aired on television, and over thanksgiving, I found one. My cousin had it. It is the 1987 broadcast that aired on TV, and he even has it with the original commercials. I have converted it, along with the version I had to DVD.
Here is the problem, my cousin's version is more complete, and the video is excellent, but the audio is not in stereo because his VCR at the time did not have that capability. It is now my plan to do something both ambitious and tedious (and perhaps a little nuts). I am basically going to combine the two versions. I'm going to primarily use my copy that has the good audio and video, and when necessary stop my DVD recorder to splice in the parts of his video that I missed before and after each commercial break. That's basically as good as I'm going to be able to make it. It's not perfect, but it is complete, and 98% of the audio is of stereo quality.
I really don't know what to do with this once I'm done with it. In the years I searched off an on for a better version, I came across people that were literally selling it for hundreds of dollars. I don't have a huge problem with that, but at the same time it's not as if these are baseball cards or works of art or stamps or something like that. It is family entertainment, and I think charging a hundred dollars is kind of missing the point. In some ways I want to start selling for ten bucks a pop just to irritate the people who are basically exploiting it. At the same time, though, I don't want to break any laws by selling it illegally, even if it is at a lower price. In other words, I guess, I want to make it available because I feel anyone who wants to enjoy this should be able to, but I don't want to just give it away for nothing when I myself need to expend a certain amount of energy to make copies of it.
For what it's worth, one of my hobbies is collecting old christmas shows and specials and preserving them on DVD. Every year since I was eight, I taped christmas specials off TV, and the collection has grown over time. I've now converted them all to DVD and have a grand total (I'm not making this up) of 26 twelve hour DVDs of Christmas specials and movies, including several muppet specials such as the uncut version of Muppet Family Christmas, Both Muppet Christmas movies, John Denver and the Muppets Christmas (without the closing credits, though) the Letters to Santa special from last year, The Christmas Toy, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (aired sometime in the 1980s on PBS), Emmit Otter's Christmas that Kermit narrates, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree that Kermit also narrates and that starred Robert Downy Jr.
Some people play golf or collect stamps, I preserve things on DVD. I don't even buy them from the store. I have a DVD recorder and get all my movies when they air on TV.
I guess my big question is that if I start making this stuff available online will I be breaking any copywright violations? If not, then what is the best way to go about it?
thanks,
3wm
