Region 4 Winners and Losers

    The Region 1 version of this disc is not yet released. It has been planned for a September 11 release, but ours was originally planned for early August, so there is no telling until it actually arrives in the catalogues of the online retailers. While the Region 1 version of the disc has considerably better cover artwork compared to our blurry still of an Auton, the usual PAL vs NTSC differences come into play far more considerably than is normally the case. Given that resolution is never a strong point with the masters used to transfer Doctor Who serials, the extra information in a PAL image is much appreciated, and there was never any intention of the serial being transmitted on anything other than PAL television, anyway.

    Those who are considering importing the Region 2 version of the disc will probably be aware that the two versions are fundamentally identical, making the local disc the disc of choice due to superior resolution and a cheaper price. The Region 2 and Region 4 discs are much closer to how the BBC would have this serial presented, so the only compelling reason to order the Region 1 disc applies to those who are really picky about cover artwork.