The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Radio Show [IMPORT]

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Original Release Date: May 5, 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: BBC Audio
• ASIN: 0563494212
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #301,085 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Complete BBC-4 Radio Series of Both "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Douglas Adams's Guide to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on One Double CD Set. These Discs Are Recorded with Mp3 Files (Not Regular Audio Discs) So that the Extensive Running Time Can Fit. The Audio also Includes a Previously Unbroadcast Interview with Author Douglas Adams. Also Included is Douglas Adams' "Guide to the Galaxy", a Behind the Scenes Look. These Discs Will Play Only on Equipment Capable of Reading Mp3 Files.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice idea, but not worth it for loss of sound quality, June 24, 2004

By	N. Blake (Nottingham, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love the radio series of Hitchhikers...REALLY love it, both series of it. I owned them for years on cassette tape and used to listen to them regularly. Then, recently, fueled by the news of the new Tertiary Phase (which will be broadcast in Sept. 2004), I decided to upgrade my cassettes of the Primary and Secondary Phases to CD.

And I saw this wonderful sounding "all on one CD" mp3 release, going for a cheap price, and thought, "What a great idea!". Although slightly dubious about what the sound quality would be like, I ignored the other negative reviews here which criticised it and bought it anyway.

Bad mistake. There is a constant barrage of crackle and popping going on in the background, which ruins the programme for me. The radio series is so reliant on its sound and sound effects that having a constant popping in your ear is not only irritating, but downright insulting, and I am shocked that the BBC actually allowed this to be released.

The fact that SIX CDs are compressed onto ONE (with LOTS of room left over if you look at the burn markings on the CD) should be warning enough, but I did not heed it and paid the price.

Quite a large price, actually, because I instantly went out (in quite an annoyed huff) and bought the original CD releases of the Primary and Secondary Phase. Which sound beautiful.

Do yourself a favour and do NOT bother ordering this mp3 CD; spend the extra dough and get the decent original releases. Or perhaps wait for a DVD-Audio of it...really THAT is what the BBC should have done.

You may end up spending double what you would if you got this mp3 CD, but believe me: the Hitchhiker's radio series IS worth it.

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Original Audio CD Verison Still Available, March 25, 2005

By	The Great Oz (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

With regard to concerns about the audio quality of the this MP3 version, the original audio CD version ("The Collector's Edition"), an 8-CD set, is still available from Amazon UK. I paid a little more than twice the MP3 price. The ISBN number of the Audio CD version is 0-563-47702-4.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good contents but poor audio quality, October 18, 2003

By A Customer

This box cosists of 2 CDs. The first contains all 12 parts of the original BBC Radio 4
Hitchhiker series as 124 MP3 files (encoded at 160kbps). The second contains Douglas Adam's
Guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (28 MP3 files, also 160kbps).
The radio series really is a must have for every Hitchhiker fan ! It was available
before on 6 regular CDs in two sets called "The Primary Phase" and "The Secondary Phase".
Unfortunatly this MP3 edition - while being cheaper - has comparatively poor audio quality
with lots of cracks and pops that are *not* present on the original CDs (I also own
"The Primary Phase"). The files sound as if they were recorded from an old vinyl record.
I can not help but think that these cracks and pops were introduced deliberately to justify
the more expensive non-MP3 editions.
My advice: get the original CDs and encode them yourself (80kbps at 22kHz will do) - you'll
get much better sounding MP3s that way.
Curiously enough, the files on the second CD (Adam's Guide to H2G2) have good quality and
are crystal clear.