Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am not going to review BSG as a series, you are interested in this set because you love the show. My review is for the Blu-Ray set which I will say right off that you should go for The Definitive set is well worth it! The series is NOT meant to be seen in widescreen! The feature film (and the pilot by default) is the only thing that was meant to be seen in widescreen. The feature film was shot with 1.85:1 in mind for a theatrical release and was meant to be matted to 1.85:1 (trimming the top and bottom and opening up the sides) but was also protected for TV (opening up the top & bottom and trimming the sides to achieve 1.33:1, the TV ratio of the time). The feature film (in the Definitive Collection) is also a different edit (and better IMO) than the pilot version. Once you get to the first episode "Lost Planet Of The Gods" The widescreen framing looks wrong. (Examples included with this review) Heads are cut off, framing looks unnatural and cramped, and things are cut off in general. I went back and started watching everything in "full frame" 1.33:1 (only available in The Definitive Collection) where everything looks like it should. I am totally against faking widescreen which is the case here. However, the picture quality is outstanding! Sharp and colorful. There are some grainy shots, but if they use DNR to remove grain, it destroys detail and causes "smearing", so grain is the lesser of 2 evils. Keep in mind this was a TV show made in the 70s with lots of visual effects. Some shots are still going to have dirt and scratches that can't be removed, but a lot of the major damage has been removed as shown in the special feature "Battlestar Galactica: Remastered". My other gripe with this set is the "5.1" audio. It was lazily "mixed". If a proper 5.1 mix can't be done, leave it in it's original mono or stereo (In the case of the BSG series, mono) It sounds like the dialog was put in the center where it (for the most part) belongs. But it sounds like the effects and music were just spread into the left & right with little or no mixing / panning and with faked "stereo". This is really annoying when a viper flies from one side of the screen to the other and the audio stays in both the left and right channel with no left to right panning. It's also annoying that when Muffet barks and it comes from the left and right channel when it should be centered. These are just a couple of examples but the audio over all is like this for BSG. I would have been happier if the original mono audio was included. I know it's an older TV show and all the original elements may be lost making it impossible for a proper 5.1 mix. The original Star Trek series has a fantastic 7.1 mix, but all the original elements must have existed for them to do that. All the gripes aside, this is a significant upgrade from the DVDs, but go for The Definitive Collection that includes the "Full Frame" version of the series. The feature film is included in the Definitive set and is the ONLY BSG that is made for widescreen. The feature film includes the original mono "Sensurround" (2.1) which packs a powerful punch when you have a killer sub-woofer hooked up to your system. So in a nutshell, Movie is great in widescreen and 2.1 audio, From "Lost Planet Of The Gods" on should be viewed in 4x3 "full Frame" and NOT widescreen (examples given in pics), 5.1 audio on BSG is annoying at times. Picture quality over all is excellent. Go for Battlestar Galactic: The Definitve collection and NOT the remastered collection.