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How come the lengths of Friends episodes differ from DVD to TV?
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A friend of mine has been downloading episodes of Friends on his computer, and they are 22 minutes each. Exactly. Never more, never less. That's what I heard was the common time of a TV sit-com.
However, I was at my other friends house the other day watching Friends on DVD, and the episodes are definetaly longer than 22 minutes each. I even noticed particular moments in which the video went on for longer before switching scenes. Like, someone might say something else, or the scene might simply go on for another 2 minutes.
Why are the episodes longer on the DVD's?
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The shorter episodes that your friend is downloading are probably episodes that ran in syndication. TV shows are often edited down for syndication to fit in extra commercials.
Or the episodes on the DVDs might be extra-long "director's cut" versions or whatever.
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Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey
The shorter episodes that your friend is downloading are probably episodes that ran in syndication. TV shows are often edited down for syndication to fit in extra commercials.
Or the episodes on the DVDs might be extra-long "director's cut" versions or whatever.
I'm not sure. Even episodes from Season 1 are longer on the DVD's....
But if that is the case, then my friends downloaded episodes are as they were on TV, correct? So he wouldn't be missing anything important?
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Originally Posted by macgeek2005
I'm not sure. Even episodes from Season 1 are longer on the DVD's....
But if that is the case, then my friends downloaded episodes are as they were on TV, correct? So he wouldn't be missing anything important?
If they are episodes that ran in syndication, then they are missing some footage that was included when they originally aired on NBC--usually a couple of lines at the end of scenes, as you described. They usually aren't crucial details. They should be exactly the same as the episodes that you see as reruns today.
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especially older episodes like season 1 (1994) when no one was digitizing TV episodes, so they are pretty much guaranteed to have been captured from syndication. You can also probably see local affiliate stations' watermarks on the files if you look (the original broadcast may have had watermarks, but you can tell the difference between the NBC peacock and some random local station's mark).
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Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton
especially older episodes like season 1 (1994) when no one was digitizing TV episodes, so they are pretty much guaranteed to have been captured from syndication. You can also probably see local affiliate stations' watermarks on the files if you look (the original broadcast may have had watermarks, but you can tell the difference between the NBC peacock and some random local station's mark).
So when they originally aired on NBC they were longer than 22 minutes each?
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Originally Posted by macgeek2005
So when they originally aired on NBC they were longer than 22 minutes each?
Very likely, yes.
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LOL. Torrents are always lame.
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Yeah.. i'm considering buying the DVD complete set. For some reason that $250 box set isn't really available anymore, and they've got a new set in a completely different type of packaging that's being released on November 14th for only $194.
I wonder why....
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There's lots of funny scenes on the US DVD that weren't in syndication. Like when Ross and Rachel are carrying the couch up the stairs, the part where the fire alarm gets pulled is never on TV. And at Chandler and Monica's wedding where Chandler slips and pulls of Monica's mom's skirt was missing from syndication. There were a few S-words here and there, too.
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Originally Posted by awaspaas
There's lots of funny scenes on the US DVD that weren't in syndication. Like when Ross and Rachel are carrying the couch up the stairs, the part where the fire alarm gets pulled is never on TV. And at Chandler and Monica's wedding where Chandler slips and pulls of Monica's mom's skirt was missing from syndication. There were a few S-words here and there, too.
I remember watching the couch scene at my friends house, and the fire alarm definetaly was never pulled.
But what do you mean "that weren't in syndication"?. Do you mean those scenes were NEVER on TV? Not even originally on NBC?
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Originally Posted by macgeek2005
I remember watching the couch scene at my friends house, and the fire alarm definetaly was never pulled.
But what do you mean "that weren't in syndication"?. Do you mean those scenes were NEVER on TV? Not even originally on NBC?
You should read through the Wiki link I included in my first reply. Syndication, specifically, "off-network syndication," refers to when networks sell the rights to broadcast their programs to local affiliates. So, when you watch "Friends" in reruns on TBS or your local Fox affiliate, or whatever stations are showing it now, that is a syndication run. As I said, they are frequently edited to allow for more commercials. So scenes that were in the original airing on NBC, such as the fire alarm scene, sometimes aren't in the slightly shorter syndication version.
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I read the whole thing on wiki. I just got a little confused.
So let me get this straight. The stuff that was Originaly shown on NBC and the stuff on the DVD's is always identical? It's the Exact same footage from beginning to end of each episode? Before I buy the DVD set, I wanna know I won't be missing anything.
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Why would they sell so many copies of something with missing footage?
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Isn't this called timeshifting?
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Originally Posted by starman
Why would they sell so many copies of something with missing footage?
Well the big box set isn't available anymore, and that's the one my friend has, and in place of it they're releasing this very different looking set.
Amazon.com: Friends - The Complete Series Collection (40pc): DVD: Jennifer Aniston,Courteney Cox,Lisa Kudrow,Matt LeBlanc,Matthew Perry,David Schwimmer
That's the new one. And this is the old one.
Amazon.com: Friends - The One with All Ten Seasons (Limited Edition): DVD: Jennifer Aniston,Courteney Cox,Lisa Kudrow,Matt LeBlanc,Matthew Perry,David Schwimmer
Why would they make such a drastic change if there was no different in the actual videos?
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Originally Posted by macgeek2005
Why would they make such a drastic change if there was no different in the actual videos?
To make more money.
Originally Posted by New Box Set details
New to this set: 60-page commemorative book with original pilot pitch and behind-the-scenes photos with cast and crew
Commentaries
Behind-the-scenes featurettes
Gag reels, video guest books, trivia quizzes, and more
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Ah. Thanks! I'm buying the set!
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Cutting shows in syndication is really annoying. A lot of times you never even know that there was an extra 2 or 3 minutes of your favorite episodes that you have never seen. Sometimes they even release the syndicated versions on DVD, which is of course a total rip off.
Oh, and I have "The One With All Ten Seasons." It's nice. The box is pretty cool. But if you can't get that, the other should be fine too.
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Originally Posted by Icruise
Cutting shows in syndication is really annoying. A lot of times you never even know that there was an extra 2 or 3 minutes of your favorite episodes that you have never seen. Sometimes they even release the syndicated versions on DVD, which is of course a total rip off.
Oh, and I have "The One With All Ten Seasons." It's nice. The box is pretty cool. But if you can't get that, the other should be fine too.
My friend has The One with all ten seasons, except he doesn't have the box. He bought each season seperatly at different times.
You said that they sometimes release syndicated versions on DVD. What if that's the case with the new set?
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Originally Posted by starman
?
Alright I get it, they're not releasing cut versions on DVD. However I did notice that Season 1 at the itunes store is definetaly syndicated. I wonder why they'd do that.....
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Yeah, to everyone saying that you usually find off-network syndicated cuts on torrents...check out the iTunes store...they have those same crappy 22 minute syndicated versions. WAY lame.
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/smacksforehead
Think about it.
A show runs from 8:00 to 8:30. That's 30 minutes.
Two minutes of commercials after the opening song.
Four minutes of commercials in the middle.
Two minutes of commercials at the end.
That's.....EIGHT MINUTES.
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Originally Posted by starman
/smacksforehead
Think about it.
A show runs from 8:00 to 8:30. That's 30 minutes.
Two minutes of commercials after the opening song.
Four minutes of commercials in the middle.
Two minutes of commercials at the end.
That's.....EIGHT MINUTES.
What are you getting at?
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Originally Posted by starman
/smacksforehead
Think about it.
A show runs from 8:00 to 8:30. That's 30 minutes.
Two minutes of commercials after the opening song.
Four minutes of commercials in the middle.
Two minutes of commercials at the end.
That's.....EIGHT MINUTES.
Nobody's arguing that there's NO commercials in the non-syndicated version, they're just pointing out (and correctly so) that there are MORE commercials in the syndicated version. An episode that might be 22 minutes when it originally airs may only be 21 or 20 minutes in syndication.
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Originally Posted by macgeek2005
My friend has The One with all ten seasons, except he doesn't have the box. He bought each season seperatly at different times.
You said that they sometimes release syndicated versions on DVD. What if that's the case with the new set?
I didn't mean Friends in particular. But for example, the first season of The Cosby Show used the syndicated episodes. And Alf and some others that escape me at the moment.
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Originally Posted by Icruise
What are you getting at?
check out the iTunes store...they have those same crappy 22 minute syndicated versions. WAY lame.
^^^
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Still not following you... The non-syndicated episodes are around 25 minutes.
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Originally Posted by Icruise
Still not following you... The non-syndicated episodes are around 25 minutes.
How do you cram 25 minutes with commercials into a 30 minute slot?
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You show less commercials? The whole point is that syndicated shows remove content so that the syndicating stations can get in more commercials. I may be misremembering how long the syndicated versus non-syndicated versions are for Friends in particular, though. In any case, the syndicated ones are shorter.
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Originally Posted by Icruise
You show less commercials? The whole point is that syndicated shows remove content so that the syndicating stations can get in more commercials. I may be misremembering how long the syndicated versus non-syndicated versions are for Friends in particular, though. In any case, the syndicated ones are shorter.
We know THAT.
I'm saying that the 22-minute versions are NOT edited.
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For example (checking the versions that I converted for my iPod from the DVDs against the iTS versions), episode 24 ("The One Where Rachel Finds Out") is 22:45 on iTunes and 25:57 on the DVD. You are saying that the DVD version has *extra* footage?
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OK, you may be correct with regard to Friends, but this is an exception to what I was talking about in terms of DVD versus syndicated versions. (And frankly, you could have stated your point more clearly.) This begs the question -- how long are the actual syndicated versions? 20 minutes? Less?
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I Knew it! So the torrent download ones are as they were on TV, and the DVD versions are Longer because they had more footage when they actually filmed it......
That makes the most sense.
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That is one explanation, but as I say there's no way to know that the ones they play on TV aren't even shorter than the ones on iTunes. Which means that there could in fact be 3 or more different versions of the episodes out there -- one with extra footage from the DVD, one that was originally broadcast, and one that is shortened for syndication.
The Simpsons is one show that gets drastically shortened for syndication. I am a big Simpsons fan and yet there were many scenes that I didn't even know existed until I got the DVDs.
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Hmm alright. Well I certainly got all my questions answered. Thanks guys. It does make sense that 22 minutes was the length of each episode in the original broadcast because they were in fact half hour shows... Or maybe there were less ads... oh man, now I don't know anymore. Whatever. I'm buying the DVD's once they're released. No sense in pre-ordering.
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Originally Posted by starman
How do you cram 25 minutes with commercials into a 30 minute slot?
I don't know if they are still doing it but NBC was running slightly longer than 30 minute slots for a while. The theory was that if you were watching Friends and it ends 2 or 3 minutes later than normal you'll keep the TV on NBC rather than switching to another channel and miss the beginning of a show on another network. The reality was that it was really annoying if you're recording shows because they did not list the extra time in program guides.
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Originally Posted by Icruise
Which means that there could in fact be 3 or more different versions of the episodes out there -- one with extra footage from the DVD, one that was originally broadcast, and one that is shortened for syndication.
Bingo, we have a winner! I believe that the ones on iTunes are the syndicated version (and not the originally aired versions), but no matter what they are, wouldn't it make the MOST sense that they should have the DVD versions of the shows on iTunes? You get a short syndicated version when you are watching crappy cheap late night reruns. If you are paying $1.99 per episode, you should be getting the DVD versions, or at the very least, the original broadcast versions.
With some shows, there are even MORE versions available. For example, with Sex & The City you've got the original broadcast, the DVD version (which actually I don't think usually if ever features bonus footage), and then TWO syndicated versions. The eps featured on TBS are edited from the original airings, and the syndicated versions that appear on local Fox/WB/Whatev affiliates are edited even more heavily.
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Last edited by Josh Reid; Sep 19, 2006 at 12:26 PM.
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The ones on iTunes are NOT the syndicated versions.
Jesus, people.....
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i just bought the house dvds today for season 1 and 2. the pilot episode was 40 mins long, that's 20 mins for commercials! and the second episode was 45 mins. that's 15 mins for commercials it's nuts!
good night ya'll
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How did this thread get this far without anyone making fun of either Friends or this guys obsession with Friends?
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