Seinfeld: Complete Series Box Set (Repackage) ? DVD

OK, Seinfeld is my favorite TV series of all time. I've been a fan of Jerry Seinfeld since his days of doing spots on Carson. I remember when it was announced he was getting his own TV show. The pilot aired and then nothing, just nothing. It was before the days of the internet and I had no idea what happened. Figured it didn't get picked up (I was only 12 at the time so I wasn't that savvy in the entertainment industry lol). Finally like a year later more episodes aired. They re-tooled it and it worked much better than the so-so pilot. From there the first few years were touch and go because it was on the verge of getting cancelled due to low ratings. It was the best show on TV but they had it up against the #1 rated show on TV Home Improvements; what did they expect. Finally it started getting some buzz thanks to the "show about nothing" Chinese restaurant episode. It got moved to Thursdays and then it was off to the races.This 4K box set is amazing. I got this version because unlike the Blu Ray which is widescreen, this has the original TV aspect ratio of 4:3; nothing cut off the picture. It really would have been nice if they could have included both aspect ratio versions, especially at the price they're charging. Regardless, the picture quality is amazing!!! Unlike many TV shows which were shot on video, Seinfeld was shot on 35mm film since day one. The 4K really shows off the full quality and the show has literally never looked this good.I collected all the deluxe DVD season sets that came out back in the day. They had some neat things like a puffy shirt, napkin holder. ketchup/mustard bottles. It would have been nice if this expensive set came with some stuff like that for us diehard fans.My only big beef with this 4K release is it was described as "limited" when it was released. The 4K was supposed to be "limited" and then only the regular Blu Ray would be available. So I bought this on release day and paid full price. Well 8 months later and it's still available. It went OOP for a brief period, but then they just made more. Not very limited. Kind of wish I had waited since the price has dropped substantially since then (but then went back up as well). It's still over priced, LOL, but I was going to get this either way so yada, yada, yada.

Like everyone else, I'm disappointed the cardboard box isn't something thicker, such as the sturdy collector's boxes that came with some of the DVD sets. Still, it isn't the most flimsy one I've owned, and it is honestly sturdy enough to hold the collection. I have been handling it gently, though, as it won't last forever. I hope they do a little better with future releases.I also hope they release the original aspect ratio again one day. I'm disappointed I had to buy the 4K to get it; I only have a PS5 as a player, and I don't own or have any plans for a 4K tv for a while. I bought 4K anyway because I don't want the cropped version of the Blu Ray release.As we haven't had cable in a long time, I've only had the DVDs to watch over the past many years. I hadn't even realized how washed out and bland the DVD transfers were at times until I watched this release.First thing I noticed is the black point is much darker than the DVDs. You can notice it the most in the opening comedy sequences; The dark shadows on the stage on crowd blend into the black bars on the side, giving the illusion of the screen being more full. The DVDs have too much brightness during these scenes, and the bars stand out more because of it.The colors throughout the show are a lot more vibrant, and the new color depth and sharpness makes everything feel more 'real'. Watching it on 4K feels a lot more like sitting back and watching the show in the 90s than it ever did on DVD. I also appreciate that 4K means they can fit more episodes per disc, so each collection is 3 discs instead of 4. Definitely eases one of the strains of being a physical media watcher.Watching the series in 4K is so much more of a smooth experience. Sometimes, the DVDs would stutter or just not quite look right as the camera pans or the characters move, but the movement in 4K is as smooth as possible. It really feels like the 90s were brought back to life with this release.The sound is much more crisp in this release than the DVDs. Sometimes it sounds more off because of it; some lines sound like they were done on an open set. I can make my peace with that, though, as it does sound like the audio is more organic/less tampered with. The menu screens are plain, and while I like the images the chose for them, they washed out and over-sharpened these images, so they're a little rough on the eyes.I do wish there were more features for the price, but overall, it's a fantastic release and worth the money for a special release like this. The main reason to buy this set is for the unaltered, originally intended video, and I feel it truly delivers on this aspect. It's not clear if we'll ever get another release of the original aspect ratio, so it may be worth buying to ensure you own it.I grew up on the original releases of Seinfeld, and I don't think I'd be able to adapt to the cropped versions. It's a shame this is currently the only way to get HD Seinfeld in the original aspect ratio.