TV series on DVD - how much is a fair price, are they currently too high?

Right now, the going rate appears to be $2.xx per 1/2 hour episode, and are sold in seasons - generally 26 episodes per season, though this varies.

This is why

"Three's Company" season 1 is $13 (6 eps)
"Married with Children" season 1 is $25 (13 eps)
"The Monkees" season 1 is $60 (28 eps)
"The Dick Van Dyke Show" season 1 is $55
"South Park" season 1 is $50
"Family Guy" season 2 is $40 (similar for all FOX cartoons, which are composed of 22 episodes per season)

Hour-long shows are roughly $4 each. This is why

"Battlestar Galactica" season 1 is $90
"Star Trek TNG/DS9" seasons are $110 each
"Star Trek TOS", per season, are about $240 each after you buy all the volumes separately. YEOW!!!!!!!

And lots of others, undoubtedly.

British shows are different, but a single Dr Who story is either $20 or $27, depending if it's a 4 episode or 6 episode story.

British comedies, in season format (6 half-hour episodes), cost $25.

And not all series are released in season format. SNL, Laugh-in, and other shows are sold in 'best of' compilations. 6 episodes of Laugh-In cost $40, or ~$6.67 per 49 minute episode (they are NOT 50 minutes, and some of the edition suggests these have been edited since original transmission).

Keep in mind the following:

1/2 hour shows are really from 21.5 to 27 minutes, depending on when the show was made. Since 1980, TV show lengths have gone down to make way for more commercials. Of course, hour long shows are from 42.5 to 51 minutes.

British shows are roughly 27 minutes for a half-hour slot and 51 minutes for an hour-long slot, this has never changed. Dr Who, of course, is in <25 minutes except for one year where they were in a <45 minute format. And, of course, the new 2005 season where they will be 50 minutes in length.

Also consider that commercials and advertisement is what pays for a bulk of these programs in the first place. They've made their money back a long time ago. Now they're cashing in on your desire to re-live the past.

With all that in mind, are current prices per season too high? Are consumers being exploited?

Star Trek seasons for $89 at Sams and BJ's (discount warehouses), as wel as just about any other popular show much cheaper.

"pay to get a discount" is asinine and only works after you've bought several things. Just give the consumer a fair price in the first place.

Sams Club is also owned by WalMart, so I'd rather take a leak on their rooftop rather than shop inside.

$89 is better, but try for $49 instead. Especially when Trek makes plenty as it is...

But too much push in that direction gives you Wal-mart... For what it's worth, I think that the prices on a season on DVD are maybe a wee bit too high, but they are absolutely heavenly compared to buying the series on VHS which is much, much more expensive, and you get no extras...

For many items, the price is the same if not a few pennies lower at Wal-Mart. A couple of dollars isn't worth it in the end, and unlike Wal-Mart, Target gives back to the community.

I only saw one product whose price was lower by a reasonable margin at Wal-Mart: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.

I will agree though, our media masters have been somewhat kinder to us with DVD... But probably because DVD was new at the time. When DVD becomes standard and VHS gone for good (which will happen within a year), expect prices to go up - slowly - so people won't notice.

$100 +/- ... a true fan will pay it (and I did), but I can still see the lines from the
video screen when it was originally filmed. That kind of money would be
about right for digital transfer from the original film... but there you go...

I payed it and yes- i love it!

Except when I'm selling.

...who the hell would want to buy "Three's Company" on DVD?

Even $13 sounds steep for this!

You find out that compared to today's crappy shows, the old ones were MUCH better.

not by the mechanical costs, unfortunately. Witness The Prisoner DVDs above.

THE PRISONER ROCKS!!!!

OK, got that out of my system. I would love to buy the entire MASH catalogue. But each season, IIRC, is something like $40. Too Much!

But I've noticed recently that DVD collections have started showing up at video/gaming stall at the flea market. If you can stand having a used DVD, this I think is the thing to do. And I've found the quality to be good. These aren't abused products.