Fredasa t1_ivqpzze wrote
Somewhat famously, this show does not exist anywhere on the internet (with some very slight exceptions) in its original 1980 broadcast iteration. The 2002 DVD release is the 1990 "special edition" which changed about half of the music and half of the special effects sequences. In other words, better than half of the entire body of footage across all 13 episodes is, in some way, different from how it was originally intended.
You would think that something as famous and ubiquitous as Cosmos, which had been re-broadcast in its original state for at least the 1980-1985 span, would be available in its original version on the likes of Youtube or archive.org. The problem is that the "special edition" exists; the DVD set exists; the bluray upscale exists—once people have "a version", there's little enthusiasm remaining for something as specific as "the original version".
Lord_Boffum t1_ivqssqc wrote
Wait, so there's no complex web of rights holding that back, just a lack of interest?
Fredasa t1_ivqvhrn wrote
The main thing holding it back is, yes, a lack of interest/awareness because 99.9% of folks don't really care beyond getting "Carl Sagan's Cosmos" in their hands. But a strong secondary factor would be the fact that there was never a commercial release of the broadcast version, which in turn means the only sources that exist for it would be home video recordings. While this is not normally a great barrier, especially for something that was almost certainly very widely recorded (Youtube and archive.org are absolutely overflowing with digitized VHS tapes), the existence of the Cosmos DVD set is what ultimately puts the nails in the coffin.
Just visualize this scenario: "Huh, I have Cosmos recorded on these old VHS tapes. Maybe I should think about digitizing them for posterity. Oh, wait, no: the whole thing was already released on DVD. I guess there's no point." Multiply that by thousands and we have today's situation.
ashbyashbyashby t1_ivqvp9c wrote
Man, you're neurotic. None of that stuff matters. The message and content is still identical.
Fredasa t1_ivqwdi6 wrote
This isn't a discussion about the message. Cosmos is my #1 favorite documentary (-esque) series of all time. I have an interest in being able to experience it as though I were tuning in to PBS in 1980. It's really nothing more complicated than that. Though there also absolutely exists merit in preserving the history of perhaps the most important landmark series in documentary history.
ashbyashbyashby t1_ivqwmtk wrote
Again, neurotic. You're obsessing over minor details to try and relive the past and get back to a better time. Live in the now, even though its a dystopian hellscape.
EDIT: The coward either side of this comment blocked me.
Fredasa t1_ivqwz6r wrote
You must be having a bad day. I'm satisfied that sites like archive.org exist as bastions against arbitrary contrarianism like this.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments