Stingray: The Complete Series

As advertised the 5 disc contains all 24 episode including the 2 part pilot version. I was very apprehensive about the quality as they would have to use a great deal of compression to fit that much video on to 5 discs. But I was very pleased, as I checked each disc the quality is much better than I expected! Yes there is a small amount of artifacting but very little, they did a very good compression job for 5 eps. per disc.
The color looks good and accurate, the print or source material is totally clean and the picture is nice and sharp and clear.
The sound is in true stereo!!! Has most of the original music is intact -All the songs are the original up till the last 2 episodes of season one, from then on all original songs (NOT the theme or background effect music they are all original and intact) were replaced with new dubbed material , they did in my opinion a good job, and it seemed to fit nicely with the episodes - they might have had licensing problems - which might have delayed the series from being released
The only problem I have encountered is there are some problems with motion. It has a look of a PAL disc converted to NTSC - the motion at times seem unnatural and not fluid - this may be a result of the rendering or capturing process that was not done correctly.
When you load each disc there is a disclaimer That anomalies may be present due to source material.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the motion problem, it is slight and you notice it mostly when the camera is panning a moving shot, or when people are walking in the scene.
If you liked the show you will not be disappointed with the set and it is a very good quality product.
Yes it could have been slightly better, but it could have been much, much worse. Im very Happy with the DVD set - and it's great to see the show again with a nice clean picture - and stereo sound!
Go ahead and order it - Im very picky about my reviews and this set is thumbs up!

It seems my favorite shows are the ones that disappear. I am so happy to now be able to enjoy the full series of Nick Mancuso in 'Stingray'. I loved the show and was so disappointed when it ended and for years I couldn't even find the series available anyway to buy.
The more reality and cartoon shows that take over so many channels the more I appreciate some of the older series of 'good overcomes bad' and justice is seen more than in real life

I've waited a long time for Stingray - the complete series to come out on DVD. My old VHS tapes are so thin in spots, I was scared to play them any more. So for this series gift, I give Stephen J. Cannell 5 stars!

Stingray is the story of a dark mysterious stranger, who drives a super cool 1965 Black Corvette Stingray. Just call him "Ray" - a war veteran, a secret government operative, a teenage vigilante - who really knows for sure? Accepting no cash, he barters his seemingly unending bank of skills and plethora of abilities, to strangers in need, to be paid in kind in the future.

Having only two regular characters, Ray and his classic car, episode ideas were fresh, inventive and varied. Story lines ran the gamut of drug dealers, psychopaths, the price of war, minorities needing a voice, unsolved murders, greed, etc. - you name it, Stingray had it. The continuity of having some of his "clients" come back and repay their favors was a bonus to the regular viewer.

Technically the series has some really cool quick cut camera action. Awesome sound tracks and almost mini music videos, thanks to Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. The directors and photographers worked to achieve a real dark edgy feel. The three filming locations; L.A., Calgary and Vancouver gave a real road trip feel to Ray's adventures.

The heart of the series is the way Nick Mancuso plays "Ray". He is vulnerable and tortured, yet a force no bad guy in his right mind should dare clash with. The quiet angsty moments, when we get in close and get to see the real "Ray" are my favorites - Mr. Mancuso's acting style is subtle and engaging. (Reference S2 episode "The first time is forever.")I met Mr. Mancuso in Calgary in 1987, and he was a very nice man.

My only complaint with this DVD set is the loss of the licensed music tracks. For example, in "Less than the eye can see." the extended sequence when Ray is driving to find Larry Thorson, the horror of finding the diner is diminished significantly!