The Time Tunnel - The Complete Series [DVD] [1968] [Region2] Requires a Multi Region Player

Loved all of the series.

THE TIME TUNNEL is a sentimental favorite of mine. After all these years, I still regret that ABC canceled the show before a second season. Admittedly, the show is a product of its time, but I still love it. In 2006, we were treated to a great-looking set of prints transferred to DVD.Now, in 2018, we can get the series in high-definition Blu-ray. Revelation in the UK had originally planned to simply place the existing standard definition masters onto a Blu-ray medium as a sort-of upgrade. But somehow they managed to obtain the full high-definition masters of the episodes and mastered them to Blu-ray. Also initially, the set was planned to be just Region 2/B, but with this release, it's available to play on Region 1/A players here in the US.The episodes have never looked better. Fine detail can be seen that was never visible before. It's amazing to think that the series was designed to be seen on typical 1960's televisions, and now we can be treated to the way the original film masters looked in all their glory.Revelation's initial DVDs in the UK had an odd presentation in that the "next week" teasers were excized and placed as a bonus feature. Then they placed the main episodes in production order. That's a messy way to try to view this series. It plays better in aired order with the teasers intact, and that's what you get on the Blu-ray set - all 30 episodes, in order of broadcast, with teasers intact.There is a secondary sound choice on the Blu-rays of a supposed 5.1 surround soundtrack. Personally I find that choice more annoying than useful and stick to the default mono track, which sounds absolutely wonderful.Extras are contained on the final disc in the set. It includes the extended version of the pilot episode, "Rendezvous With Yesterday" which has a few extended scenes that were chopped out for broadcast. It also has a different ending which was later re-used by Irwin Allen in two other episodes of the series. This extended pilot is also in full HD with just a mono soundtrack.The other extras on the last disc are a bit problematic. The 2002 pilot for a reboot of the series is presented in standard definition that can look OK, but it's a bit time-sped, probably as a result of a PAL conversion somewhere along the line. It runs shorter than the same film on the DVD set here in the US.Another TV film is presented here too, an Irwin Allen pilot called THE TIME TRAVELERS from the 1970s. It starred Tom Halick and Sam Groom as two time travelers who are sent back to old Chicago to try to find a cure for a modern day disease outbreak that was lost in the Chicago fire. The story is fine, the running time is fine (not sped-up), but the standard definition picture on this Blu-ray looks really bad. It's actually better on the old DVD set.The old Irwin Allen Home Movies are presented here in standard definition and they run a bit slower than the US DVD counterpart.All in all, I rate this set very highly. It's an import from the UK, but it plays well here, except for the few anomalies in the extras that I've noted. But the core 30 episodes look and sound magnificent.

I rate this 4.5 stars because of one, minor, deficiency (lack of time-tracking[seriously]) readouts. i.e., when you watch a program and stop the discs for later play, it does NOT remember where you left off.Someone mentioned the menu data is difficult to navigate--- and you'll do a lot of THAT. I noticed that when I hit "PLAY all", after selecting "5.1 Surround Sound" [which is quite magnificent!], each, subsequent, episode defaults back to mono. Rather than deal with the menu, I just use my remote:Hit "AUDIO" button, then, switch to the other audio option. Since the audio is either ENGLISH mono, or, ENGLISH multi, it's easier for THIS seventy-year-old fan of the series. James Darren, the star, is now in his 83; Lee Merriwether, 84; Robert Colbert will be 90 in 2 more years... as long as he stays lost in the anti-aging time tunnel.The clarity of the picture, and that superb remastering of the sound... wow! A reviewer who recommended watching it in MONO is nuts! Maybe he doesn't have a good, discrete, surround system; mine is a Bose.The picture is S00OOoo clear you can see blood vessels in actors' eyes. This series must've been h-o-t inside the massive 20th Century Fox Studios. In each episode, all of the actors are sweating, literal, bullet-size sweat... except Lee MerriwetherI was in high school 1964-'68. This program ran one year. Filmed in the mid-'60s; the episodes mention it's a few years later: 1968.The past is, mostly, historically correct except those ancient-time thick-soled sandals. There ARE speculative ideas that, in 1978, NASA would stop on our Moon to refuel for trips to Mars.On a large screen, you'll notice the NASA, stock-footage, rocket switches over to one with tail-fins!All-in-all, EXCELLENT for a one-year TV series filmed over 53 years ago! Highly recommended for sci-fi buffs!

The recipent loved this series when it wes on TV and they were a request as a gift.

Exiting episodes.

The most outstanding set in SF TV history. Some very good stories, but Irwin just wanted action and no depth to story lines, though, several episodes were able to achieve that. The first five or so episodes are very good, with the pilot and THE DAY THE SKY FELL DOWN being the best. It then degenerated into alien of the week, using costumes from LOST IN SPACE and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. The shortest running series of Irwin's four big shows in the '60s.

Toppie Toppie serie.

Bellissima serie tv. Peccato che sia durata una sola stagione. Avrebbe meritato una seconda chance....