Knots Is Streaming in the US at Last!

[Seaviewer]

the stretched aspect ratio

Yes, I've noticed that the aspect control on my TV works for broadcast and for the Composite and HDMI inputs but not for streaming or USB inputs. Very annoying.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I just noticed that the popular streaming service PlutoTV has added three channels similarly backed/branded by WB that fall into their "Home and Food" category: "Rustic Retreats by WB" (which features people buying homes in the mountains and other remote areas); "Ultimate Builds by WB" (following people who build difficult structures like aquariums, tree houses, racetracks, etc.) and "House Crashers by WB" (a channel rerunning the HGTV show of the same name). So apparently WB is getting into these streaming ventures with other "channels" popping up. Hopefully this means Pluto might have a working relationship with WB that may allow the "Primetime Soaps by WB" channel to begin airing on Pluto as well as Plex and Freevee.

Until recently Pluto had a channel (which has since disappeared) called "Pluto Soaps" which aired reruns of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful from the late 2010s (2018 up to the Covid shutdown), since those are CBS's two soaps. Maybe they ditched the soaps channel in anticipation of adding the WB's channel?

 

[Seaviewer]

Pluto in Australia is part of 10Play - the streaming offshoot of Channel 10 which is owned by CBS/Paramount. They have the CBS soaps on it. A deal with WB here seems unlikely, and even if they did one, the content is all FAST.

 

[knots4309]

Does anyone know for sure if Amazon (or other digital providers) are going to get the remainder of the series to put out to buy? The one season is pointless, especially on a long running serialized drama. Also, most of the Knots hardcore fans already have the season 1 DVDs. If they wanted to test a season, they should have started with season 3 or release seasons 1 through 3. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well just take season 1 down until the entire series is available to sell. I don't see a need to test sales either as it costs virtually nothing (as opposed to distributing on DVD or Blu-Ray) to make the Knots seasons available to buy/download.

By the way, all the original CBS broadcast dates listed by Amazon for season 1 are incorrect. They are off by one day.

 

[Knots4ever]

Does anyone know for sure if Amazon (or other digital providers) are going to get the remainder of the series to put out to buy? The one season is pointless, especially on a long running serialized drama. Also, most of the Knots hardcore fans already have the season 1 DVDs. If they wanted to test a season, they should have started with season 3 or release seasons 1 through 3. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well just take season 1 down until the entire series is available to sell. I don't see a need to test sales either as it costs virtually nothing (as opposed to distributing on DVD or Blu-Ray) to make the Knots seasons available to buy/download.

By the way, all the original CBS broadcast dates listed by Amazon for season 1 are incorrect. They are off by one day.

Looking at the WBD catalogue of shows available for streaming services on offer for purchase, only season 1 is available. Season 2 is listed but currently marked as not available (yet). So the problem (if it is a problem) is with WBD, not the individual services as they can't offer what hasn't been made available to them.

Whether this is a random decision WBD made without much thought or whether it's a case of giving Plex a limited window of exclusive streaming rights, we can only guess. It could even be a case of them wanting to have a period to monetize (almost) exclusively on advertising income from the Prime Time Soaps FAST channel, on top of income from Plex on-demand streaming.

Having said that, there must be some interest in purchasing season 1 because the price on Amazon has gone up from $17.99 to $19.99 and Amazon very much operates on a demand dictates price model.

 

[mrpitkin]

For the life of me I can't understand these channels that show constant episodes back to back. Who seriously would watch a show like this, who has the time etc..?

 

[Daniel Avery]

They don't expect the average person to watch those types of channels 24/7. They know the average channel-surfer has the attention span of a housefly. They're happy if that viewer stops flipping from channel to channel every once in a while to watch an episode or two.

This isn't 1985 (or even 2005) when TV executives sought to foster "channel loyalty" in viewers, trying to be everything for every viewer. in this splintered media landscape, they are content to get even a small sliver of the viewers' attention.

 

[Stillwitty]

That the actors and producers never received royalties is not true at all. They have been received royalties per episode for every international broadcast and every rebroadcast, just as it said in their contracts. Royalties from U.S. airings were low though because the only rerun was on SoapNet 20+ years ago.

Filerman was a very greedy guy, so it's no surprise that he didn't want to do an audio commentary for free. It sound absurd, considering he was paid $ 25,000 per episode up front in the early years (which later increased significantly) plus a percentage later once the show made profits. So it's rather obscene that he refused to do an audio commentary, particularly considering how much else he earned from Lorimar for not even working — just one widely known example is that he received $ 25,000 per episode of "Falcon Crest" between episode 13 and episode 183 although he had executive producing duties in name only during that time, but never actually worked on these episodes. It's an open secret that Lorimar had to take him off the show's staff because he was so incredibly rude and disrespectful to sweet show creator Earl Hamner. I knew Filerman personally (as well as most of the other producers and writers of "Falcon Crest"), and I do appreciate that he did a good job on "Knots", but his mood swings, his attitude and his arrogance were just unbearable. I've never met Michele Lee, but if it's true that she refused helping promote the DVD release out of solidarity for Filerman, it sounds like bad judgment and a huge disappointment.

TY for the insight! Surprising comment about Michele, until taken in some other context...

I didn't expect this streaming to start so soon so I recently bought the first two seasons of Knots on DVD to start my re-watch (in non YouTube quality). I just listened to the commentary for episode six and I agree with you that it is a lot of work. You could tell that Joan Van Ark in particular had already re-watched and studied the episode and as a result she was able to provide such great insight into the episode. I typically skip commentaries because they seem so thrown together, but this one was really well done and made me wish we had them for all the seasons.

Agree. Sadly, it's too late now, but I and many fans would have loved to hear Kevin Dobson's evaluation the Wolfbridge Saga and how he/Mack felt about jeopardizing Val's pregnancy with the twins by using Gary's "death" as part of their plan. The whole "Does the end justify the means" eternal question is always a conversation starter in this episode...

 

[Seaviewer]

Season 1 is now available for purchase on YouTube. I couldn't resist even though I have the DVDs; I like having the DVDs on the shelf but streaming is much more convenient. Hopefully, season 2 will follow but I won't hold my breath - I'm still waiting for the missing Dallas seasons to appear.

 

[Knots4ever]

Just a FYI - Knots is now streaming for free on the Roku Channel. The copies are much better quality than the ones used on Plex. They are however all the syndication prints (including the finale which has a “previously on” recap and doesn’t have the special closing theme arrangement at the end).

 

[Knots4ever]

Knots is now also available on Tubi. This release has added to the mystery surrounding HD prints - Tubi does seem to have a different set of prints to all other services.

Earlier seasons appear to be worse quality than elsewhere (Plex aside), later seasons are better quality (no typical Betacam lines at the bottom of the screen, no visible VITC which is visible on some episodes on other services) and some season 11 ones (there may be more but I've not had time to look at many) actually look like they've been put through AI upscaling.

 

[bmasters9]

Knots is now also available on Tubi. This release has added to the mystery surrounding HD prints - Tubi does seem to have a different set of prints to all other services.

Earlier seasons appear to be worse quality than elsewhere (Plex aside), later seasons are better quality (no typical Betacam lines at the bottom of the screen, no visible VITC which is visible on some episodes on other services) and some season 11 ones (there may be more but I've not had time to look at many) actually look like they've been put through AI upscaling.

Just looked that up, and even though the front page says only 2 seasons, it seems it may have all the seasons.

 

[PhD.in.Dynasty]

Knots is now also available on Tubi. This release has added to the mystery surrounding HD prints - Tubi does seem to have a different set of prints to all other services.

Just checked a few episodes; it seems the early ones are syndicated versions (eg 4-22 Willing Victims is the version that doesn’t have the scene of Laura trashing the kitchen in the restaurant). The final episode is in its original format and is not split into two episodes and it has the end credits with the slightly different music arrangement.

But honestly, where are the remastered HD versions? I’m willing to pay for them, WB…

 

[Knots4ever]

Just checked a few episodes; it seems the early ones are syndicated versions (eg 4-22 Willing Victims is the version that doesn’t have the scene of Laura trashing the kitchen in the restaurant). The final episode is in its original format and is not split into two episodes and it has the end credits with the slightly different music arrangement.

But honestly, where are the remastered HD versions? I’m willing to pay for them, WB…

It's an enigma and totally baffling. The only logical explanation that I can still come up with (and want to believe in) is that they want to put all their classics in HD on Max once it has launched in more countries (most of Europe will have it by the end of spring) but that flies in the face of their most recent strategy of increasing profit potential by also licensing to third parties (which clearly they are doing because WB shows are everywhere).

More likely in my opinion though is that with all their constant changes, M&Es etc., no one actually knows what they have in their archives. It just seems chaotic and so many people who used to be brilliant contacts have left.

The fact that we now have the entire series across 5 different streaming platforms with different prints (or a mix of different prints) just screams chaos to me.

 

[bmasters9]

Looks like they've taken it off; I can't find it there anymore (or any of the others).

ETA: found it again; it seems I have to search the show name in regular search, then append Tubi to the end.

 

[Seaviewer]

Can't find it on the AU site. I don't know what they're waiting for.

 

[alexpaige]

It's an enigma and totally baffling. The only logical explanation that I can still come up with (and want to believe in) is that they want to put all their classics in HD on Max once it has launched in more countries (most of Europe will have it by the end of spring) but that flies in the face of their most recent strategy of increasing profit potential by also licensing to third parties (which clearly they are doing because WB shows are everywhere).

More likely in my opinion though is that with all their constant changes, M&Es etc., no one actually knows what they have in their archives. It just seems chaotic and so many people who used to be brilliant contacts have left.

The fact that we now have the entire series across 5 different streaming platforms with different prints (or a mix of different prints) just screams chaos to me.

What seems likely to me is that WB is determined to get everyone who wants to pay for the series (via iTunes etc) to pay for it once in SD and then pay for it again in HD.

To do this, they need to first release it in SD, and have it available only in SD for an ongoing period before they then release it in HD and make everyone who wants it buy it again.

This may sound cynical but it is something all the majors have done over and over in the past. Universal already had remastered HD versions of its Monster classics (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man et al) ready to go when it was still re-releasing the old unrestored prints on DVD over and over again. I think Dracula was released 3 or 4 different times in crappy prints on DVD before the restored version was (finally) released on Blu Ray. The restored version was being shown on European HD TV at the same time that the unrestored print was being re-released on US DVD!!!

 

[alexpaige]

some season 11 ones (there may be more but I've not had time to look at many) actually look like they've been put through AI upscaling.

Which episodes are you talking about? I can't see any evidence of upscaling in the season 11 eps I've checked.

On the plus side, the episodes seem to be in better condition than those on Amazon or Plex - S05E12, E06E11, S07E22 and S08E07 are all complete which they are not on Plex/Amazon

 

[Knots4ever]

Which episodes are you talking about? I can't see any evidence of upscaling in the season 11 eps I've checked.

On the plus side, the episodes seem to be in better condition than those on Amazon or Plex - S05E12, E06E11, S07E22 and S08E07 are all complete which they are not on Plex/Amazon

I’ll take some photos when I have time. It’s very obvious during the opening titles.

Yes, they’re complete which is why I initially thought Tubi has the same prints as Howdy/Roku Channel but that’s not the case as Tubi’s prints have a different mix of syndication episodes compared to Tubi (plus the distinct absence of Betacam flicker/lines and no random visible VITC which so far is visible on all versions apart from the one used on the Prime Time Soaps FAST channel).

Plex copies remain the worst.

Strangely PTS version of prints has not made it to any streaming service… so there are literally 5 different sets floating around now.

 

[Knots4ever]

What seems likely to me is that WB is determined to get everyone who wants to pay for the series (via iTunes etc) to pay for it once in SD and then pay for it again in HD.

To do this, they need to first release it in SD, and have it available only in SD for an ongoing period before they then release it in HD and make everyone who wants it buy it again.

This may sound cynical but it is something all the majors have done over and over in the past. Universal already had remastered HD versions of its Monster classics (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man et al) ready to go when it was still re-releasing the old unrestored prints on DVD over and over again. I think Dracula was released 3 or 4 different times in crappy prints on DVD before the restored version was (finally) released on Blu Ray. The restored version was being shown on European HD TV at the same time that the unrestored print was being re-released on US DVD!!!

Could well be the reason but it all just seems too chaotic and doesn’t match what’s happening with other WB shows.

Take Growing Pains for example - it’s available pretty much worldwide on all kinds of streaming services in HD as well as to purchase and has been from the day it was released. The show is barely known in the UK (it was hidden away on Sky One before Sky became a big thing). I’m pretty much the only person who knows it because I grew up in Germany and watched it every evening.