When I first heard about the news that the commentaries and music/effects tracks were being pulled from the Blu-Ray release, I first thought I could settle for seeing the episodes in a remastered condition. On further reflection as I see no explanation from Kino Lorber on why this has happened, combined with news this is all due to a "bizarre technicality" that may actually have its roots in the ongoing actors/writers strike, I am now angry and feel insulted that Kino is still going ahead with this release in a stripped down mode. This was the last chance to see this show done in a physical media format and after dealing with barebones releases on DVD years ago while so many other lesser titles got more, this was supposed to be our vindication as Columbo fans. To see it given this no-frills nothing treatment (sorry, but I don't regard a shorter version of "Etude In Black" to be a bonus) is frankly insulting to me. Kino should have put this on hold to try and sort things out and the fact they're going ahead with it means we will NEVER see this show get the treatment it deserves in a physical media release.

I will not be buying this set and I encourage other Columbo fans who have the show on DVD not to do so either. Kino should be encouraged to not go ahead with this and take the time to get these matters straightened out.

And yes, I have seen the Scott Skelton announcement about turning all the commentaries we can't hear now into a book, but frankly that just leaves me cold at this point. We already got a very good new book on the series a couple years ago from David Koenig to supplement Mark's book and frankly a book like their Night Gallery one is something that's often much too unwieldy and not reader-friendly unless a digital version is also produced (which they didn't do with Night Gallery), plus the fact it would be a minimum of a couple years to put one together.

Well, I'm not buying it. If that's what you call a boycott.
I plan on posting my short comments about RANSOM on this site as it is taken directly from my FILM SCORE MONTHLY article on the music for COLUMBO

You can watch very clear copies of the episodes on free streaming services like Tubi and Freevee. I rarely even bother with my old DVDs anymore. It's a lot easier to click a few buttons to get the episode you want immediately versus digging out the DVDs, finding the disk, putting it in the machine, waiting for the menu screen, etc. A lot less cumbersome and great picture/sound quality.

All of you fans who depend on streaming are at the mercy of the giant corporations that control the content. Plus, many services edit programs and contain commercials (or , will in the future).
There is no guarantee that what you want to watch will always be available.
Physical media is the way to go. It's very easy to play a DVD if you have a brain😉

Everything has its pros and cons. I didn't say playing a DVD was hard, just a pain. And the episodes on Tubi and Freevee are not edited and only interrupted by occasional ads. Yes, they may not be available forever, but it wouldn't be long before they turn up somewhere again. In the meantime, I would have my old DVDs to tide me over. Something else interesting that I have noticed on the episodes available for streaming that are not always on the DVDs are the original spots where commercial breaks once were. Oftentimes on the DVDs, the spots where a commercial break would have been are skipped over so it plays straight through like a movie. I think it's interesting to know when in the episode the commercials played during the original airing.

The music/effects tracks are apparently still a go, but that hasn't changed my mind. I'm not getting this on the day its released. Maybe if I see it marked down to its true value which would mean well under $50 I'd be inclined but this set is totally unworthy of a premium price since it lacks premium content on all levels.

Further proof that the actors/writers strike is the culprit for this mess. I was down at the "Dragon Con" convention in Atlanta and all of the guests scheduled for panels could NOT talk about any part of their acting careers. Instead they could only be asked generic fluff questions. And they couldn't sign autographed pictures of them in character or costume from their shows.