film – Auxiliary Memory

Brand-New Complete Series of TV Shows Sold On DVDs Are Sometimes Bootlegs

by James Wallace Harris, 9/24/26

I recently bought Barney Miller on DVD. I got it on eBay. It was advertised as brand-new, in the shrink wrap. It was $8 cheaper than the set on Amazon, so I ordered it. The box looked mint. It was in the cellophane, with stickers. But when I went to rip it to my NAS, I had all kinds of problems.

Ripping DVDs is seldom straightforward. I use both Windows and a Mac. I have three different DVD/BD drives. I have three different ripping programs. Usually, switching combinations of these three factors will eventually rip a problematic disc. But some of the Barney Miller discs resisted all efforts.

I asked my AI. It informed me that bootlegs are common. It said to check the disc with MakeMKV. If the DVD was a single-layer disc, it was probably a bootleg. They were. Evidently, bootleggers try to save a few cents per disc by buying the cheaper single-layer discs rather than dual-layer discs. Look for Data capacity under Disc Information using MakeMKV. Under 5GB is single-layer; above is dual-layer.

This means they compress the files, reducing the playback bitrate. That means inferior picture quality. Even when playing the Barney Miller discs on my Blu-ray player, the picture quality was somewhat fuzzy. I thought it was because the TV show was old.

While ripping the discs with MakeMKV, it warned me that the discs were probably bootlegs made with DVD Fab Mac Ripper. That gave me an idea. I downloaded the free trial of DVD Fab Mac Ripper. It ripped the bad discs. I then paid $55 to buy the full version. I’d been wanting an alternative to MakeMKV for ripping Blu-ray discs on the Mac anyway. And the rips made with DVD Fab Mac Ripper didn’t look that bad. They were watchable.

I reported my findings to the seller. He said he’d give me a refund. I let him off the hook. I figured that after working so hard to rip the discs, I would keep them. I could have sent Barney Miller back and kept my files, but I didn’t want to be a ripoff artist too.

The lesson here is to be leery of great deals on eBay when buying complete TV series on DVDs sold as new. I noticed the DVD set I got was the 2011 edition – the one pictured on the right above, with the door. Amazon still sells that edition, but it ships from a 3rd party. Amazon also sells and ships a 2019 edition, the one pictured on the right. Both are $40. Even buying from Amazon might get you a bootleg if it’s from a 3rd party.l

I’m curious: if I had spent the extra $8 and bought the newer set, the one sold by Amazon. Is it legit and recorded on dual-layer DVDs? If anyone bought that set from Amazon and uses MakeMKV, let me know.

I really enjoy great picture quality. I hate to think Barney Miller could be sharper.

Checking some recent buys:

Barney Miller – Single-layer (eBay)
Downton Abbey – Dual-layer (Amazon)
Quantum Leap – Dual-layer (eBay)
Hazel – Single-layer (eBay)
The Loner – Dual-layer (Amazon)
Frasier – Dual-layer (Amazon)
MASH – Dual-layer (Amazon)

I guess I need to stick with Amazon. Two out of three sets from eBay were probably bootlegs. However, they were from sellers who had multiple copies to sell, all labeled new. Individuals selling “used” copies might be safe.

I’ve also seen people online say they are willing to buy bootlegs if no one else is selling the series. That might be true for me too. I’d love to find the second season of Mr. Kovak.

I still wish the publishers of old TV shows would sell them as digital files. See my essay about this. Messing with discs is a pain.

JWH

Could UGreen Create a NAS/Media Server That People With No Tech Skills Could Use?

by James Wallace Harris, 9/12/26

The other day, my wife told me her friends wanted a Jellyfin server like ours. I was surprised by this. I asked why. Susan said she told them how she watched TV, and they wanted to do the same thing. I had to explain that my UGREEN NAS DXP2800 cost $300, and two Seagate IronWolf 12TB drives cost $800. Plus, it was very difficult to set up.

That ended the discussion.

I should have told her that any computer could be a Jellyfin server as long as it had the space to store files and had a DVD/BD player to rip discs with the free MakeMKV. That’s zero cost. But I doubt they even had the technical know-how to go with that low-ball route.

And even if they could set up a Jellyfin server, it’s not practical unless you have a bunch of old DVDs lying around. We have an IKEA bookcase, shelved two-deep with DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Jellyfin is best for people who like to own their own content. Jellyfin is a pain to set up on a NAS, but somewhat easy on a local computer. For day-to-day use, it’s far more convenient than using a DVD/BD player.

I initially bought my Jellyfin setup to save money. Susan likes to watch the same old TV shows over and over while sewing. We were subscribing to Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, HBO, Amazon, and Apple just so Susan could watch about a dozen old TV series.

We already owned several of them on DVD, but she hates messing with the DVD player. I told Susan I could buy the others, set up the server so watching was as convenient as using Netflix, and we could cancel all those subscriptions. Which we did.

Susan was skeptical at first. And she thought using the streaming services was nicer than using Jellyfin, but she’s since adapted and is happy. I’ve already paid for the NAS and drives.

The UGREEN DXP2800 turned out to be even more useful for me. I cancelled Dropbox. Now all my computers use the NAS for file services. But I also set up YACReader Server. That gives me a library to manage my digital books and magazines. My digital library is available from my computers, tablets, and iPhone. That’s a lot of utility. Unfortunately, it’s not practical for the average user.

Yesterday, I started ripping my CDs to FLAC and turned on DLNA on the NAS. I can now play my CDs from my WiiM stereo systems, iPhone, or computers.

We can play movies, TV shows, audiobooks, ebooks, and music from any device. All of this made having the NAS big fun.

But this got me thinking. What would it take for Susan’s friends to have the same functionality without any technical hassle? Ripping DVDs, BDs, and CDs is a lot of work. Often it’s annoying because of frequent problems.

Could UGREEN create an all-in-one box that rips discs and also functions as a media player? Ripping discs is finicky. I have three different drives for two computers, using five different programs. If one drive and program refuse to rip a disc, I try another program or drive. UGREEN would need bulletproof software to sell such a user-friendly consumer product.

Would it be legal to ship it preconfigured with Jellyfin and YACReader? UGREEN has its own software that serves various kinds of media, but it isn’t very good. They also need a program like dBpoweramp. Plus, ripping discs is a legal gray area.

Over the years, I’ve bought some complete TV series on Amazon – the kind that Amazon maintains for me to stream when I want. I only bought from them when they were a good buy. Most of the time, buying a digital copy of a complete TV series on Amazon is more expensive than buying the complete series on DVD or Blu-ray. That’s really ridiculous.

For example, Barney Miller is $40 for the DVD set, but each season is $15 for the digital edition. That show has eight seasons, so $120 for the complete series. Plus, Amazon doesn’t sell all eight seasons.

But using Amazon would save people the expense of buying and maintaining a media server. If Amazon sold all eight digital seasons of Barney Miller for $40 for perpetual use, it would be a better deal. No ripping, no server, and no backup.

However, many people believe buying digital copies is renting because someday the company managing that content will go under or decide to quit supplying the service. Amazon is not likely to go bankrupt. If Amazon, or another company, can be trusted, this would be the solution for Susan’s friends. It would actually be my choice too.

Maintaining a server, worrying about backups, and ripping discs is a pain.

I don’t like the current streaming model for TV and movies. Too many subscriptions to cover all the shows we want available. And more and more, many TV shows aren’t available to stream.

A New Paradigm

What if Amazon, or other companies, sold us digital content – movies, TV shows, music, ebooks – but instead of solely relying on them to always provide that content, they would also allow us to download the content to our own servers?

This would feel like owning – not renting. Amazon would be the backup for when we need to reinstall the content. Sure, some people want something physical to hold, but once I rip my content, the boxes of discs are stuffed into a bookcase I never look at.

If you don’t want to run a server, just let Amazon stream it.

There’s a growing backlash to subscriptions. I know corporations love subscriptions, but people don’t. I hate when I’m subscribed to Netflix and realize I haven’t used it in months. Netflix has a pause policy, but the pauses are limited. I’m about to cancel Netflix because I can’t pause as long as I want.

I hate messing with discs. And I don’t want to steal stuff off the internet. Companies should be able to sell digital content cheaper than manufacturing discs, boxes, and shipping. I’d feel like I owned what I bought. UGREEN and other companies could make servers for those people who aren’t skilled enough technically to set them up and maintain them, but I doubt they will

Most people should just stick with stream subscription services. But for those people who don’t like renting their content, we’d love a new paradigm that feels like owning. I do feel like I own my Kindle and Audible books even if it’s an illusion. I have thousands in my libraries.

Amazon offers a limited form of this for movies and TV shows, but their current pricing is too much. And I like buying complete series. For example, I’d like to own The Big Bang Theory. Currently, it’s $73 for 37 discs. That’s more than I’m willing to pay. The same box, listed as new, is $42 on eBay. The company that sells The Big Bang Theory should be able to sell a digital version for $35 and make the same profit.

However, even the $73 price isn’t bad compared to HBO, where it currently streams. We typically watch 1 episode a night when we’re going through a complete series. 279 episodes is almost 10 months of HBO. That’s $185.00 at the current subscription price. Since we seldom watch movies, we’d need to watch several TV series while subscribing to HBO to make it cost-effective. That just doesn’t happen.

Susan and I watch a single drama and two sitcoms each night. We hardly ever find all three on one streaming service. Considering the math above, you see why it’s cheaper for us to buy complete series on DVD. We also tend to rewatch old favorites, so the overall cost is further reduced.

We’re currently watching Lark Rise to Candleford on BritBox. It’s 40 episodes. That’s costing me $26 for two months of subscribing. I should have bought it for $21 on eBay. Especially if Susan wants to see it again. I was just being lazy that night.

As viewers balk at the subscription model, I hope corporations offer other sales models. The subscription model is great if you don’t worry about money and love convenience. But times are getting weird when it requires a spreadsheet to keep up with all the subscriptions we sign up for.

I don’t want to go back to an all-analog world again. But a digital-owned model might work.

JWH

The above photo is my UGREEN NAS sitting on top of a bookcase. Beside it is a portable drive used for a backup.

I’ve Got a Noir a Day Habit

by James Wallace Harris, 7/9/26

I went for years not being able to sit through a movie or television show by myself. My mind would just feel restless after ten minutes, and I couldn’t continue. I guess I felt guilty, thinking I should be doing something more productive with my time. But being retired, I have all my time free, so why did it make me feel uneasy about frittering away a bit of it?

Then I discovered my mind would latch onto certain old movies, and I learned to relax and go with the flow. Oddly, these were mostly film noir movies. I’ve never been big on mystery or crime fiction. I just never cared whodunit. Evidently, there are aspects to film noir that calm my restless mind.

Today’s film was Flaxy Martin (1949), starring Virginia Mayo, Zachery Scott, and Dorothy Malone. I was inspired to select this movie because of The Stiletto Gumshoe’s essay, “Meeting Flaxy For The First Time.” I had no memory of seeing Flaxy Martin before, but as I watched, I realized I had.

I instantly picked Flaxy Martin for today’s dose of noir because of this photo. I’m a big fan of Elisha Cook, Jr. He’s most famous for playing the gunsel, Wilmer, in The Maltese Falcon. But Cook shows up in countless old movies and old television shows. He plays a very similar character in both Flaxy Martin and The Maltese Falcon – a bantam rooster with a rod.

I’ve never thought of myself as a fan of Virginia Mayo, but I might need to rethink that. Flaxy is a femme fatale and quite evil, and I love a good evil woman character. My friend Mike and I have been keeping a list of evil women in movies since we saw Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Flaxy is not up to the evil of Ellen Berent Harland, but she’s dangerous enough. I see that Mayo was also in two other 1949 films admire, Colorado Territory and White Heat.

I wish Flaxy Martin had been the main character in Flaxy Martin; unfortunately, she’s not. She’s AWOL for most of the middle of the film. The movie is really about Walter Colby (Zachery Scott), a lawyer for crime boss Hap Richie (Douglas Kennedy). Quite a lot happens to Walter in the flick, which is why the story moves so fast.

At the beginning of the film, Walter is in love with Flaxy, not knowing that Flaxy is two-timing him with Hap. Of course, Flaxy plays both ends against the middle, and neither the audience nor Walter nor Hap knows where she stands until the end of the film. For each man, Flaxy acts as a spy on the other, but lets the audience ponder whether she’s a double agent for which one.

Flaxy Martin lacks the style of true noir, so it’s really just a good, fast-action B-movie thriller. There are noirish scenes. The movie would have been hardcore noir if the story had been told entirely from Flaxy’s perspective. We see Flaxy set up Walter, and then for the middle of the film, he goes off and falls for Dorothy Malone. The film moves fast, with several twists, but the subplot with Malone feels tacked on. That middle part does give Elisha Cook, Jr. a lot more to do, and I appreciated that.

It’s just a shame that Flaxy wasn’t the main character. Femme fatales seldom get to be the main character. It would have been great to see Flaxy manipulate all the men all the time, for the entire show.

I don’t think the production code would have allowed this, but I would have loved to see Flaxy manipulate all the men and get away with it.

The weird thing about being retired is having all this time to fill. I’m never bored, but neither am I fulfilled. I’m well occupied by a series of entertaining diversions. Watching a film noir each day is becoming as regular as lunch. I assume I’ll burn out on them one day. I wish I knew why my brain likes them now.

Eddie Muller will convince you to watch Flaxy Martin.

JWH

DARK CITY: THE LOST WORLD OF FILM NOIR by Eddie Muller

by James Wallace Harris, 7/8/26

Anyone who frequents Noir Alley on Saturday nights on TCM should find Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller to be Noir Metropolis. However, a tip about where to place your bet.

I bought the hardback edition because I knew I’d want to linger over the beautiful photos. Noir is very visual. And the book is laid out in landscape to showcase those photos. But when I went to read the book, I discovered that reading a landscape volume was a pain in the ass while sitting in my La-Z-Boy. The tiny type was also a hindrance.

Luckily, the audiobook of Dark City went on sale, and I snagged a copy. Listening to the book is like listening to 12 hours and 19 minutes of Eddie Muller on Noir Alley. Muller is one of the audiobook’s narrators. The book is written in the same style he uses to narrate his introductions on TCM. Muller’s nonfiction prose is like reading Raymond Chandler novels.

I’m glad I got the hardback with pictures, but I wish I had the Kindle edition too, so I could enjoy reading and studying Dark City with my eyes. I have to read Dark City at my desk using a book holder. That’s only comfortable for short periods.

However, I never need to read for long. That’s because when Muller describes a movie, I often jump up to go watch it. I haven’t gotten far in the hardback, but I have with the audiobook. And it might not be a book I can ever finish reading. It makes me want to watch too many noir films.

For example, I read this and immediately wanted to watch it.

After you watch the show, read about the 1947 smallpox outbreak on Wikipedia. While watching the movie, I thought some of the events were too fantastic to believe, but they happened.

Luckily, I found The Killer That Stalked New York (Frightened City) on YouTube right away.

A word of warning. A large percentage of the films Muller mentions are on YouTube. But I’m not sure if everyone can see them for free. I subscribed to the light version of YouTube Premium, which gets rid of commercials, for $8.99 a month. That fee might get me extra movies. Just check. Often, when using the JustWatch app on your phone to see where a movie is playing, it will say it’s not available to stream. Then check YouTube. It often has movies that aren’t streaming anywhere else.

Here’s Muller’s old introduction to the film on Noir Alley.

Muller tends to call every black-and-white movie from the 1940s and 1950s film noir if it involves crime. The Killer That Stalked New York lacks the visual and narrative style of The Maltese Falcon or Double Indemnity. Nor does it have the gonzo edginess of Gun Crazy or Kiss Me Deadly. It’s just a gripping story.

And that’s my problem with film noir. Hundreds of films get the film noir tag, but is that fair? I’ve looked for all kinds of rubrics to categorize a film as noir, and nothing works consistently.

One thing I have noticed is that some of my friends who claim to hate old movies will watch and praise a classic noir film. I’m wondering if most old films just seem hokey to them, and noirs are old movies with a story they can handle. Maybe crime stories just seem more realistic. And is this related to why every TV show on BritBox seems to be a police procedural? Are crime stories some kind of lingua fraca among moviegoers? Or do tales about criminals just have wide appeal?

If you’re not familiar with film noir, look at this list on Rotten Tomatoes. If you watch a few of them and like them, you might want to get Muller’s book to look for all the forgotten films. I’m addicted to them.

JWH

Finding Old Movies on YouTube When You Don’t Have TCM

by James Wallace Harris, 6/2/26

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is the gold standard for old movie lovers. Unfortunately, in the era of cord-cutting, fewer people have access to this wonderful resource. TCM is available via several live-streaming services, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, and Sling TV. However, they are becoming as expensive as cable TV.

Luckily, my wife is willing to pay for YouTube TV, so I don’t have to worry. However, I have friends who love old movies and don’t have TCM. I invite them over to watch movies with me, but it’s not the same.

The mood to sit in a dark room lit only by the flicker of a black-and-white movie can strike at any time. When I say old, I mean films produced before Beatlemania.

To show how old I am, I’d call The Graduate (1967) a new movie. I define old movies as those I first saw on television growing up. And new movies are those that came out after I started going to the movies on my own in 1962, when I was ten. I’d tend to call films like The Matrix (1999) recent films.

There are plenty of streaming services that show new and recent movies. It’s hard to find old movies if you don’t have TCM.

YouTube is a great resource for old movies. If you don’t subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite ($8.99) or YouTube Premium ($15.99), you’ll have to watch ads or rent the films individually. See YouTube Premium. Lite just removes most commercials, and full Premium adds YouTube Music. Watch this video for a full explanation. I’m subscribed to Lite because I have a Spotify subscription.

Go to YouTube’s Movies and TV page to view their catalog newer movies.

However, many old films are uploaded by regular users. These you have to find yourself, but they are a great source of old movies that aren’t shown on TCM. TCM’s library is great on MGM and Warner Brothers films, but is less good for many studios. For example, YouTube has lots of films from 20th Century Fox and Screen Gems that you don’t see on TCM.

Whenever you’re searching JustWatch and it lists no streaming sources for the film or TV show you’re looking for, check on YouTube.

In recent years, I’ve craved widescreen black-and-white films from the 1950s, and I’ve struck gold on YouTube in finding them.

I should warn y’all that watching old movies on YouTube can be tricky. In the early years of YouTube, old movies were uploaded in low resolution. But over time, they are reloaded in higher resolutions. If you find a movie that’s not in 1080p or 720p, be sure to use the search function to locate other copies.

Also, some uploaders trim off the opening credits. I hate that. I assume they are trying to avoid copyright strikes. Others like to overlay their channel IDs onto the film. I really hate that! My TV can upscale a 360p or 480p copy to make it watchable, but I generally check for 720p or 1080p copies first.

I’m also annoyed by colorized prints. Generally, I won’t watch them. However, I am intrigued by David Adiss’s effort to convert The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio with AI, and colorize it with AI.

Another problem is that films are uploaded without titles or alternate titles. I guess this is a shade area of the law. Check IMDb.org.

On the other hand, I’ve found stunning prints of old movies on YouTube. My soul finds great beauty in black-and-white cinematography.

It’s possible to watch old movies on your phone or tablet on YouTube, but I strongly recommend adding the YouTube app to your smart TV interface, or your Roku, Fire TV Stick, or Apple TV box.

I also recommend having a Google account. This should be automatic if you’re using a smart TV with Google TV or Android TV.

If you’re logged into YouTube, you can save old films to Watch Later. Also, Google remembers what you like and suggests additional old movies to your feed. I now have a nice library of old movies waiting to be seen.

Below are movies I’ve watched on YouTube with IMDB ratings. If you like a film, click on “Watch on YouTube.” It will take you to YouTube, and you can add it to your Watch Later list.

No Down Payment (1957) – 7.1

The Tattered Dress (1957) – 6.5

Oliver Twist (1948) – 7.8

The Admirable Crichton (1957) – 7.1

Separate Tables (1958) – 7.3

Two of a Kind (1951) – 6.6

Rawhide (1951) – 7.1

The Big Combo (1955) – 7.3

Garden of Evil (1954) 6.6 4K

House of Strangers (1949) – 7.3

Vicki (1953) – 6.5

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005) – 7.6

These are just the ones I’ve seen recently. You’ll note the many film noir flicks. Once I started watching them, YouTube kept offering me more. As the algorithm learns your tastes in films, the better the system gets. Be patient.

JWH