Streaming services such as Netflix have made watching shows and movies more convenient.In some cases, however, the versions that are available on streaming services may secretly be significantly worse.Why the streaming versions can feel wrong You're watching a movie or show that you've seen before, and something feels off.
There are scenes that you might remember that don't appear.You keep waiting for the moment, but you reach the end of the episode or movie without it ever happening.Perhaps something feels off about the tone.
That song you remember hearing in the movie doesn't seem to be there anymore or has been replaced by an inferior song.You feel like you're probably imagining it.It turns out that you may be right all along.
The versions of shows and movies that are available on streaming services can be significantly different from the versions that you originally watched on TV or at the movie theater.While some changes may be improvements, in many cases, the versions available on streaming can be worse than the versions that you remember.Related The Future of Streaming: Will We Ever Own Movies Again? Our libraries are vanishing.
Posts 22 By Ray Malik Music swaps are common Music in shows and movies is a complex issue.Music licensing deals don't always apply across all media platforms or expire after a period of time.Sometimes the only option is to replace the song in the streaming version with something else.
The classic coming-of-age drama proved to be a nightmare involving music rights.The original show had numerous classic songs from The Beatles to Bob Dylan that caused significant licensing issues, which meant that it wasn't available on DVD or streaming for years.When it finally made it to Netflix in 2011, many songs had been changed, including Joe Cocker's iconic version of , the original theme song for the show.
Another show that had glaring music changes was the teen drama .Due to rights issues, the original theme song, by Paula Cole, was replaced with Jann Arden's when the show was added to streaming.After fan outcry, Paula Cole re-recorded the original song, as there were still issues with the rights to the original master recording, but some fans find the re-recorded version inferior to the original.
You may be missing out on entire scenes or episodes Another way that streaming services are quietly ruining shows and movies is by removing entire scenes.This one is fairly easy to spot because the run times are often significantly shorter than they were when the shows or movies were first shown.The issue often boils down to cuts on syndicated versions to accommodate commercials, with these shortened versions then making their way to streaming.For example, the final episode of , as broadcast on DirecTV, was over an hour long.
When it was shown on NBC, it was cut down to less than 45 minutes to make room for commercials.Unfortunately, this heavily cut version was the one that made it to Netflix and Hulu, with entire scenes from the original finale missing on the streaming services.Sometimes, entire episodes of shows are missing on streaming.
Five entire episodes of have been removed from streaming on Hulu as they contained controversial content.Episodes have also been removed from other popular shows such as , , and .The opposite can also be true.
Sometimes scenes are added to shows and movies that hurt the product.The most famous example is the scenes added to the original movies.The versions available on Disney+ include multiple additional scenes that were added to the original version by George Lucas, many of which are widely derided as making the movie worse, not better.
Another issue is when shows are cropped to match modern aspect ratios.It can often lead to important parts of the image being cut out.For example, on Netflix, was cropped from its original 4:3 aspect ratio to 16:9.
In the episode "The Pothole," it resulted in a scene in which George is ranting about a pothole on the ground that has been completely cropped out of view.The original version may not be available at all If the cut of a show or movie on your streaming service isn't the best version, there are alternatives.You may be able to buy digital versions of the show or movie that include the missing scenes or original music.
For example, on Prime Video, you can buy the full 61-minute version of the final episode of .Subscribe to the newsletter for hidden streaming versions Looking for how to spot swapped music, missing scenes, cropped framing, or altered cuts on streaming platforms? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear, source-backed guides to identifying edits and finding truer versions.Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe anytime.However, the episodes you can buy are still not the same as the original version.While they include all the scenes from the original broadcasts, many songs were only licensed for a limited time, so songs by big names such as Ryan Adams and The Killers have been replaced with sound-alike library tracks.
Another option is to buy the shows or movies on physical media, but even it may not always get you the true original versions.The DVDs of s, for example, are the full-length episodes, but do not include all the original music.The majority of the DVD and Blu-ray versions of the original trilogy that you can buy include the extra scenes and edits, although the 2006 Limited Edition DVDs include a bonus disc with the original theatrical release.
In some cases, it's just not possible to buy official versions of shows and movies in their unaltered original form.Unofficial restorations created by fans are sometimes the only versions that come close to matching the originals.The frustrating thing about streaming shows and movies is that you have no control over the versions that you're shown.
You may not even be aware that a show or movie has had major edits that make it significantly worse than the original version.It's not the case for every show or movie on streaming, but it happens enough to be genuinely annoying.
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