Rating: 
Summary: Terrible encoding artifacts ruin DVD set
Review: What some other reviews are calling "film grain" in this set is actually MPEG artifacting. The encoding on this set is so bad that you can't even SEE the film grain. On any large screen area of continuous color (skin, sky, etc.), you can see clear pixel patterns that don't shift as the camera or action shifts, especially on a larger TV. This DVD simply has the worst video encoding that I've ever seen. I watched the B5 Season 1 DVD set right before this, and had something to compare to. In contrast, that set had excellent encoding--good enough that you can see the the film grain and film scratches, and can tell the difference between scenes that are wide shots and those that were digitally zoomed (most of the effects shots). Moving to this DVD set was a real shock to the eyes, and this complete lack in video quality gives me the feeling that whoever was in charge just DID NOT CARE. I'm currently renting this set and would never buy it because of the poor encoding.In conclusion: I would give the source material 4 stars, but the video encoding is so poor that the box set only gets 2 (buy it if you're desperate for Xena and are OK with sub-VHS quality).
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than Expected
Review: Seeing all the negative reviews of the Davis-Panzer produced DVDs, I was expecting a "low end" product from Anchor Bay - who are virtually just reissuing under their name. I was pleasantly surprised with what I received. Although the picture is slightly grainy in areas, it is certainly much better than many DVD compilations out there (example - the Sanford and Son series has awful video quality)and the sound is quite good. I have not encountered any of the video break-up some people complained about and only a slight hesitation on layer switching from one disc. This may be dependant on the quality of your DVD player, as many low end machines do hesitate on layer switching, no matter what the DVD quality. As stated in many reviews, the initial season was filmed on low quality film and the video should pick up mid-way through the second season when the film production switched to higher values.
All in all, I'm very satisfied with my purchase and eagerly look forward to season 2 in September.
Rating:
Summary: buy it NOW
Review: Well, if you're a fan of Xena, then what are you doing reading this review? Click on that "Buy" button and get it! If you're new to the whole Xena thing, then this is a great place to start and it's priced reasonably. Great bonus materials too (although I was very disappointed that there were no closed captions). I don't think I've ever known of a show that captured the attention of so many different types of people. I mean, when I was at a Herc/Xena convention I sat next to a Hell's Angel...how cool is that? So what are you waiting for, go buy this set!
Rating:
Summary: Its finally here!!!!
Review: Too sum it up in so many words.It took forever to put this set of DVDs out.I have been a huge fan of Xena since the show began.But the drawbacks on the dvds are,the episodes are grainy and dark.But the added bonus,5.1 surround sound on every episode.Some boxsets dont give yoou that.If you were to buy this,you cant go wrong.Just cant wait for Season 2. TROY
Rating:
Summary: Not worth it...a sure let down
Review: Pretty packaging doesn't make up for terrible video. Don't waste your money on a grainy blur...you'll get better picture quality recording the re-runs on tv. The least Anchor Bay could have done was to have made this much awaited DVD set a quality product...
Rating: 
Summary: Dirty video? Maybe just me...
Review: Iv'e watched the first 3 episodes. I don't know if its my DVD player or what...but the picture quality seems "dirty." I plan on calling Anchor Bay to find out more about it. Otherwise, the content is great...Xena was/is a great show.
Rating:
Summary: promising, but disappointing
Review: When I learned that Xena was finally being issued on DVD, I was very excited. When I saw the specs on it, I couldn't wait. I am also a big fan of Xena, and have been since the first year. The show was beautifully done. Humor and life flows through this show, and I never fail to be entertained by the episodes. I rely on closed captioning to "hear" what goes on screen. Since Xena was captioned, I assumed that it would be subtitled or at least subtitled. Imagine my BIG DISAPPOINTMENT when I got home with it to find out its not. Shame on Anchor Bay Entertainment for being too cheap to "do it right" and fail to caption Xena. I returned my copy of Xena and will take great pains never to buy another ABE title. I am also writing them to express my displeasure. This is not the first title they have messed up. This effort gets 3 stars, because the material is so good... but the release of it just [flops]- this was a promising effort that really didn't measure up. My advice is not to buy it until ABE fixes their blunder.
Rating:
Summary: Re: Closed Captions on Xena DVD
Review: I agree with what the hearing impaired customers said about the lack of CC on Xena DVDs. I have also been waiting ages for the DVD of XWP with subtitles/CC. I am very angry that they haven't managed to put subtitles in these DVDs, where my DVD player can play any region DVDs with or without CC. It's not fair at all! Even the depressing news that in the UK (my country) we do have Xena VHS videos, but not CC and is still very angry about it, where I had to tape all my episodes from satellite TV with CC on them, apart from one episode - The Way is missing from my CC Xena:WP episode lists. GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! We should start a campaign to persuade the manufacturers to subtitle Xena DVDs for die-hard Xenites who are deaf/hard of hearing, especially for those who live in another country like Europe, Japan, Australia etc. Looks like I won't buy them until they are CC/subtitled. Damn.
Rating:
Summary: Great dvd set with disappointing video quality
Review: First I'll say that this is a great, well put together, classic set that any fan will love. I hate to give it three stars, but the video quality is a lot more important than presentation and packaging, and it's the video quality that's sub-standard. It says "Digitally Mastered" and "Dolby 5.1" on the dvd casing. This leads you to believe that the sound and video has probably been cleaned up the best it can be for the dvd format. I didn't expect anything more than vhs or tv viewing quality...I know the early episodes were filmed in 16 rather than 32 mm, and I know what to expect. The thing is, the dvds have poorer video quality than the previously released vhs tapes. I ran Sins of the Past downstairs on both the vcr and dvd player at the same time, toggling between both while they ran through a digital tv, just to confirm I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't. Imagine a window screen. Well, on the dvd, it looks like there's been a screen laid over top of the video. It's indistinct, hence grainy and blury looking, but you can actually see the lines when you pay attention (like I did the second I started watching it, and immediately knew that it wasn't the usual grainy 16 mm look). So two thumbs down to whoever's responsible for encoding the original film to dvd format. What a way to ruin what would otherwise have been a great set. Ok, so the video is still easilly bearable to watch, but that doesn't make it right. It makes me wonder if every season Anchor Bay produces is going to look this way. It's still a set worth having, but I'm not impressed with the quality.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic season - Poor DVD Quality
Review: Although season one is my favorite, I've found the dvd picture quality to be very grainy - like a transfer from an old VHS tape. The packaging is very impressive, but I'm extremely disappointed with the quality of these DVDs.
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