Search - Stingray (The Complete Series) on DVD

Great DVD SET!!!!

ed600 | New York, N.Y. | 04/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As advertised the 5 disc contains all 24 episode including the 2 part pilot version. I was very apprehensive about the quality as they would have to use a great deal of compression to fit that much video on to 5 discs. But I was very pleased, as I checked each disc the quality is much better than I expected! Yes there is a small amount of artifacting but very little, they did a very good compression job for 5 eps. per disc.
The color looks good and accurate, the print or source material is totally clean and the picture is nice and sharp and clear.
The sound is in true stereo!!! Has most of the original music is intact -All the songs are the original up till the last 2 episodes of season one, from then on, most original songs (NOT the theme or background effect music they are all original and intact) were replaced with new dubbed material , they did in my opinion a good job, and it seemed to fit nicely with the episodes - they might have had licensing problems - which might have delayed the series from being released
The only problem I have encountered is there are some problems with motion. It has a look of a PAL disc converted to NTSC - the motion at times seem unnatural and not fluid - this may be a result of the rendering or capturing process that was not done correctly.
When you load each disc there is a disclaimer That anomalies may be present due to source material.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the motion problem, it is slight and you notice it mostly when the camera is panning a moving shot, or when people are walking in the scene.
If you liked the show you will not be disappointed with the set and it is a very good quality product.
Yes it could have been slightly better, but it could have been much, much worse. Im very Happy with the DVD set - and it's great to see the show again with a nice clean picture - and stereo sound!
Go ahead and order it - Im very picky about my reviews and this set is thumbs up!
"

STINGRAY...STARRING NICK MANCUSO

PALADIN | 02/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I obviously cannot review the actual DVD set as yet ( at this date, it is delayed until later in 2008).

But the series deserves some PR...

"Someday I'll see you again, and I'll ask you to for a favor, and whatever it is... you must do it" -- `Ray's stated terms for his assistance.


STINGRAY, as portrayed by Nick Mancuso, was a former American Intelligence Operative who chose to become an enigmatic loner, helping ordinary people with their problems when they contacted him through a newspaper ad: "Stingray. For Barter Only."
Ray would tackle anything from suspicious death to drug-running to blackmail and his price was always simply ; "a favor", which could be any thing, any time, and would be asked in order to help Ray help someone else later on (a gimmick, incidentally, that resurfaced years later on The Equalizer and Vengeance Unlimited) A nice continuity touch was that previous clients did in fact, resurface during the series as Ray would call upon them to help others. Ray was computer savvy at a time well before the proliferation of personal computers, and kept his Stingray Client List, complete with occupations and locations of past clients on a PC which he consulted from time-to-time.

One of many nice touches was that whenever anyone attempted to run Ray's fingerprints, the match would come back either as someone he clearly was not, or as "Classified" by the D.O.D. When his car license plate was run, it would come back as registered to the White House Motor Pool or to the Governor of the State. The man was A CYPHER from start to finish of each episode, with only a few glimpses into his past and his life as the series progressed.

Ray was an extremely competent investigator, adopting disguises that went beyond simple make-up. He could assume a complete personna instantly, complete with appropriate dialect, accent and mannerisms whether he was posing as an effete European hair stylist or a poor, illiterate laborer. Ray was highly skilled in several martial arts and multiple weapons use.

Although he never called himself "Stingray", the name `Ray` was apparently derived from his car, a classic black 1965 Corvette Stingray. Ray tended to favor black in his wardrobe as well.

The short-lived series had smooth class and a cinematic style. A marvelous job was done matching background theme music with the action. Nick Mancuso made a slick action/adventure hero and the plots were gripping -- if at times a bit far-fetched. The show ran for 25 episodes, and to the best of my knowledge, would have continued had Mancuso not become a "problem" for the production company -- supposedly because he couldn't hack the pressure of a weekly series. Too bad.


Overall, an excellent series, ahead of it`s time, which still stands up as some great entertainment.

Can`t wait for the dvds !
"

Good Transfer, but the Pilot episode is Incomplete

B. Johnson | New York, NY USA | 04/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I got my copy of the DVD set and was delighted to have all 24 episodes. VEI has even gone so far as to include the 30 second promos (with Mike Post music) that began most of the episodes. Some of the footage looks a tiny bit aged, but that ageing is surely due to the original medium in which the episodes were stored. Good job, VEI!

However, there are no bonus materials and it turns out that VEI was provided with an edited down version of the 2 hour pilot episode. Like many shows, Stingray was launched with a 2 hour premier. Later, when the series was renewed for a second season, the 2 hour pilot was edited down to make it into a two-part episode of 45 minutes each. In order to make room for a review of what happened in the "previous episode," editors cut scenes from the original 2 hour pilot. It is this latter, edited version that is included on the DVD set. Thus, for example, there was a scene in the pilot episode where Ray does Tai Chi while he researches his planned identity as a businessman from Fort Worth. There was another brief scene where he was on a completely different case and returns a kidnapped child. These scenes are not in the two-part episode version and are not on the DVD.

I e-mailed the staff at Stephen J. Cannell's website about the issue (Cannell is the guy who wrote the show) and received a very polite reply indicating that "The pilot was separated into 2 episodes for syndication. The show was remastered for syndication and that is what was given to VEI for release on DVD. The original pilot was never remastered and could not be used.""

Classic fare from Stephen J. Cannell.

Glenn M. Schoditsch | Richmond, Virginia USA | 04/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stephen J. Cannell's "Stingray" finally comes to DVD. This fine series, cultured with profound scripts with deft direction, provides viewers of all with stories of the mysterious man known only as Stingray. "Ray's" character is portrayed by Nick Mancuso, an actor who seems to have been born for the role with his unique good looks and distinct voice. "Ray" was a cool blend as a master of the martial arts and a man of many faces, very much like "M.I."'s "Roland Hand".

This series was far ahead of its time, incorporating that wonderful 1980's beat with composer Mike Post leading the way with a fast paced intro score.

Outside of that great 80's music, this 22 year-old show seems more contemporary than ever. Kind of makes you want to check the want ads for: "'65 Black Stingray. For Barter Only."

Neatly packaged in a standard size clear-plastic keep-case for minimal storage."