In 1998, UK "Thomas" fans were introduced to "The Original Adventures of Thomas & Friends: Classic Collection", a VHS featuring all 26 episodes from the first season of "Thomas & Friends". Since then, VCI/HiT Entertainment have put out every subsequent season on DVD in the UK and Australia to this day.

In the United States, "Thomas" fans were only given a 3-DVD boxset titled: "The Early Years" from Anchory Bay in 2004. This DVD set was the first release to feature restored footage from the new masters created in 2003 from the 35mm negatives. While the DVD was a hit in the states, Anchor Bay never released any other seasons of "Thomas" on DVD.

With Universal taking the role as the new North American distributor of "Thomas & Friends" on home video, now is the perfect time to give the US and Canada the same treatment that the UK and Australia are given in regards to season DVDs. No old broadcast masters with dot-crawl, only the 2003 DigiBeta masters that were recently used for the 2012 edition of the "Complete Series" releases in the UK and for "The Early Years vol. 1" DVD set in the US. As for Seasons 6 and above, they must be presented in their original Widescreen aspect ratio!