Customer Reviews

Don't Touch That Dial

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was really looking forward to this but was tremendously disapponted in the film quality. Considering the subject matter I was ready to look over certain quality issues due to the commercials' age factors; however, I purchased a similiar item which contained several of the same commercials on it and the film quality was SO much better I couldn't believe it! This DVD has MANY parts which are so illegible or faded you literally cannot see the piture. I also purchased "1001 commercials" DVD set; the quality on "1001", which contains many of the commercials shown on "Don't touch that dial" was so far superior I know this is not age issues rather the poor quality of this DVD that makes it incredibly bad. This makes me angry--I feel ripped off by the crappy quality throughout this DVD. And this one had the guts to cost MORE than "1001"! I hope that my review can save someone else from wasting their money.

This is an interesting collection of commercials, but as another reviewer noted, the poor video quality is distracting and some spots are unviewable. It's as if they videotaped a TV displaying a not so great quality VHS tape. I'd be embarassed to release a product of such poor quality.

This DVD is almost an exact copy of the Madacy set that was released a few years ago. Classic Commercials The commercials are in the exact same order and everything, so if you already own that set I do not recommend purchasing this set.

Don't touch that dial promises a look at favorite commercials from the past, unfortunately the product quality is so poor it easily overwhelms any fun that might have come out of this.

For the good stuff. This is am amazing look back in time. It is fun to see future stars in early jobs- Mike Farrell shilling for Schlitz beer was a surprise. Commercials from your youth ,like Frankenberry pack a lot of nostalgia and even older commercials like a tap dancing box of lucky strike cigarettes is a look into an older age. I finally understand the Chevrolet logo and will remember for a long time that the 1959 models will be available October 16! It also makes you think. There are products that have completely disappeared, anyone for a Hamm beer? But obviously for people around when those came out they remember them. What do the clothes and the approach of the commercials say about the times?

So much for the good. The bad is the quality of the ads. Some are quite good. Some are understandably faded with time but many from the early 70's are nearly unwatchable with blurred edges and barriers. Why? There is no explanation but many of these become very frustrating when your think "were they this bad when I was 8 years old?"

The second problem with this DVD is the complete and utter lack of organization and chapters. The commercials just start and run and that's it. Sometimes similar items are together, like several car commercials in a row, but other wise there is no rhyme or reason to how they are set up and while some progressive through time or products might be educational, these just thread together. Secondly there are no chapters just a single 6 hour track. If you want to go forward or back in the line to revisit a commercial you have to just rewind or fast forward through everything. Not so bad if it's near the front but something 3 hours in is going to be a pain. Adding tracks to the disc would have added little if any cost to the production, heck they could have been random, but leaving them out shows just how little care the producers had for their customers.

The bottom line is some of this is fun and some is educational and some- the happy trippy VD ad springs to mind, are down right weird, but the product quality is so lousy rent or borrow the disc from someone who already paid for it. Don't reward these manufacturers with your money for their poor product.

I ordered "Don't Touch That Dial" before reading reviews and I am very disappointed in the DVD. As stated by other reviewers, the video quality in over 60% of the commercials is almost non-viewable. Also, some of the most popular commercials were not included. I do not recommend wasting money on this DVD set.

Anyone who loves nostalgia will love this - today we can't get past commercials fast enough but these are fun to watch. Taken from the original non-cleaned up films.

The item arrived within the suggested delivery window and was new and sealed in the original packaging just as the seller advertised. It was given as a birthday gift and everyone was very happy with it. I would definitely buy from this seller again.