The Digital Bits still doesn’t have a review (I betcha because MCA/Universal is shying away from sending out review copies), but they at least state a confirmation of The Meaning of Life problem:And for you Python fans with progressive scan DVD players and TVs, we have a purchase warning. Universal’s new DVD of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life: Special Edition is defective — yet ANOTHER defect in a Universal title. Only Disc One (the movie disc) is affected, but it’s definitely a defect in the authoring of the disc. It appears that the software “flags” on the disc that allow progressive scan DVD players to de-interlace the video signal have been screwed up. As a result, the 3-2 pulldown is incorrectly done on almost all progressive DVD players, resulting in constant jagged edges throughout the film. We have confirmed this on our own equipment. This is a defect of ALL copies of the disc, but you’ll only notice the problem on progressive players. So you folks with the best technology are screwed. Universal seriously needs to get its act together with regard to it’s [sic] Quality Control department. Judging by the many e-mails we’re getting, Bits readers are getting awfully tired of having to send in discs for replacement. In any case, call Universal’s Meaning of Life customer “service” hotline at 1-800-433-4673 to arrange to have your copies replaced… by sometime in mid to late November (with any luck).
So that’s nice: all progressive-scan players are affected, as I guessed; yet MCA/Universal’s press release refers to these state-of-the-art players a “small number of DVD players [which] do not have the technical capability to take full advantage of the Monty Python̵ disc. That, my friends, is a spin worthy of Rumsfeld.
