Getting The Day Of The Doctor Dvd And What You Actually Get
The Day Of The Doctor Dvd came out back in 2013, bundled with the 50th anniversary release. It pairs that anniversary special with some extra material, though the extra content quality varies depending on which region your disc is from. On the disc you get the main special featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant sharing screen time as different incarnations of the Doctor. There is also a documentary called The Big Note called The Story Of The Doctor, which tracks the show from 1963 through to the anniversary. Some discs include behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the special, but this is not consistent across all releases. I picked up a Region 2 copy a few years back and found the picture quality was decent enough, but not exceptional. The special was shot on location in various places, and some of the outdoor sequences show compression artifacts when you pause and look closely at darker scenes. It is fine for casual viewing, but if you have a large TV and sit close to it, you will notice the limitations of the video encoding.
Picture Quality And Audio
The video runs at standard definition on most DVD releases, with some being 576i for PAL regions and 480i for NTSC. The audio is dolby digital 5.1, which works adequately for the orchestral score and dialogue. I found the surround effects during the war scenes are where the audio mix really shows its strength, with the sound panning around the room during the Trench sequence. If you are watching on a modern system, you might want to consider upsampling. Most TVs handle this automatically now, but the result can look softer than the original source. I typically turn off motion interpolation on my set when watching this, as the added smoothing makes the image look like a soap opera, which is the opposite of what you want for a Doctor Who special.
Region Locking And Where To Find It
DVD region locking is still a thing, unfortunately. Region 1 covers North America, Region 2 covers Europe and Japan, and Region 4 covers Australia and similar markets. If you buy from the wrong region, your player will not play the disc unless it is a multi-region player or you have a modified one. I learned this the hard way when I ordered a cheap copy from an overseas seller. The disc looked fine physically, but my player just displayed an error message and refused to play it. I ended up having to sell it at a loss and buy a proper Region 2 copy from a UK retailer. The moral is to check the region code before buying, usually printed near the barcode or on the back cover.
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Common Pitfalls When Buying Second Hand
Scratches are the main issue with second hand DVDs. Surface scratches usually do not cause problems, as the player can skip over them. But deep scratches that go through the data layer will cause freezing or complete playback failure. I once bought a copy that played fine for the first ten minutes, then started stuttering badly during the climax. The scratch was near the outer edge of the disc, which is where the data for the later parts of the movie is stored. Another thing to watch for is disc rot, which appears as brownish spots on the reflective layer. This is irreversible and gets worse over time. If you see any discolouration, do not buy it regardless of the price. I have three discs sitting in a drawer now that I cannot play because of disc rot, and there is no way to fix them short of digitising the content, which is a lot of work.
Alternatives To The Physical Disc
If you cannot find a good copy or do not want to deal with region issues, there are streaming options. The special is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and on other platforms in different regions. The quality here can actually be better than the DVD, as streaming services often use higher bitrates than the physical media. However, streaming depends on your internet connection. If your bandwidth drops during the special, you will get buffering or quality reduction. I had this happen once during the Trench scene, where the picture dropped to a blurry mess for about thirty seconds. It ruined the atmosphere, as the tension builds slowly during that sequence and any interruption breaks the immersion.
When Physical Media Still Wins
There are reasons to prefer the DVD. You own it, and it does not disappear if a streaming licence expires. I have seen shows vanish from streaming platforms overnight, leaving you with nothing. The DVD stays on your shelf and plays whenever you want, assuming it does not suffer from physical damage. Also, DVDs do not require an account or subscription. Some people prefer not to give personal data to streaming services, or do not want another monthly bill. The DVD has a one time cost, and after that it is yours. You can lend it to friends, sell it, or pass it down, which is not possible with a streaming licence.
Final Thoughts On The Release
The Day Of The Doctor Dvd is a reasonable way to own the special, though the video quality is not top notch. If you are a collector, it is worth adding to the shelf. If you just want to watch the story, streaming might be more convenient, assuming your connection is stable. I tend to keep my DVDs in original cases, stored upright rather than stacked, to prevent warping. I also keep them away from direct sunlight, as UV radiation accelerates disc degradation. These are small things, but they add up over time, and I have seen too many friends lose copies to poor storage practices.
