Columbia/Tri-Star OAR petition: "We're looking into the matter." (1 Viewer)

[Jesse Skeen]

"Perfect" was 2.35!!! It's never been widescreen on laserdisc, but that's still ridiculous. They should go back to licensing their movies to Goodtimes!

 

[David Lambert]

I apologize, profusely, for bringing the "DVD Angle" article to the attention of this forum. I guess I was just hoping against hope that this report was true

Joseph, no grudges here. I know you were hoping for it to be true...none of us wanted to believe that C/TS would betray OAR like this! Let's just save our ire for the MAR stuff, not each other.
Just a reminder, Columbia: [c]NO OAR = NO SALE![/c]

 

[Anders Englund]

How about a list of these titles and their other region counterparts? If you choose to buy a particular movie from another region, send a polite e-mail and explain what you just did.

--Anders

 

[Jerry Gracia]

:frowning:
Sad, sad, sad.
I can't say this suprises me.

 

[Jay E]

Here is a list of full frame titles being released (or have just been released) by Columbia. If anyone knows of any others please let me know and I will add them to the list.
84 Charing Cross Road - available in region 2 widescreen
Cowboy - available in region 2 widescreen
Homicidal
Look Who's Talking Now
Midnight Clear, A
Mo' Money
Mountain Men, The
Perfect
Scent of Green Papaya, The - available in region 2 widescreen
Sweet Hearts Dance
Stuart Little Deluxe Edition
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Villain, The

 

[SteveK]

I've just finished reading many of the comments on the online petition. Reading the comments, it makes it even MORE difficult to understand how ANY studio could decide to release any title in P&S only. It is quite obvious that the DVD community generally feels very strongly that all movies should be available in their OAR. I just cannot understand how a studio could turn its back on the core DVD supporters who purchase large numbers of DVDs. P&S should be confined to VHS and not even available on DVD, but certainly not at the expense of OAR. Offering both would at least make everybody happy without alienating anybody.
Maybe one of these days I'll be smart enough to understand the studio's "logic", but I hope I never do.

 

[Rain]

Rain, don't give up my friend! Have you talked to Video Store Magazine yet? If not, you should! Go to their site and e-mail the guy who wrote the article; his by-line should be a mail-to link.

Yes, I will try to get to that today.

 

[Terry H]

Reading the comments, it makes it even MORE difficult to understand how ANY studio could decide to release any title in P&S only.

That is indeed a mystery. My local paper reports dvd sales every Sunday. This week they listed A.I. (widescreen) at number two and A.I. (pan&scan) at number five. They listed their source as www.billboard.com It appears they lag a week behind as when I looked A.I. (widescreen) was number five and the pan&scan version had fallen off the chart. Why would any studio seriously anger half the potential customer base? Only they can answer.
Fair Warning: Billboard.com will plague you with popups.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I just saw the specs for A Midnight Clear over at DVDFile. DAMN, is this annoying! I'd really love to add this movie to my collection....

 

[Larry Gardner]

Maybe we should notify Columbia/TriStar's parent company (Sony) and mention to them that their is no reason for us to even consider a Sony Widescreen TV since their subsidiary does not support OAR.

Why purchase a WS TV from Sony when the aren't supporting WS features on all of their DVD releases? No reason in my mind since the WS TV cannot showcase their product.

 

[DarrellP]

Full screen is probably due to those idiots that run BlockBuster. According to The Digital Bits, the only reason Lord of the Rings is coming out in a full screen version is because BB demanded it.

I wish everyone would boycott these B***busters. (yes, I signed the petition and no longer do any business with them).

 

[David Lambert]

Mr. Stringer serves as Chairman of the American Film Institute Board of Trustees and is on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Television and Radio and of NARAS (The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences).

As the Chairman of the AFI Board of Trustees, I'm certain Mr. Stringer will be VERY interested in preserving film the way it was meant to be shown. I'm certain that is the position the AFI would insist that he take, in any case.
I addressed my letter to his office, and added a small piece to address his responsibility in that area, as well as to his corporate sales of widescreen TV's.

 

[Larry Gardner]

David:

Very good! Let us know how you eventually send this so that we can also procede with our own.

After reading your message, one thing struck me funny in the wording (used by studios dealing with full-frame films):

"modified to fit my TV screen".

Well, people with WS TV will now become confused. Since they would assume, rightly so, that the film has been modified to fit a WS TV - in essence - fill the screen.

They are going to have to change that real soon to:

modified to fit your 4:3 classic TV screen!

 

[David Lambert]

Thanks Larry...I don't intend to lengthen it or anything, but I'll probably straighten out a bump or two before I do mail it off to them. I haven't had time to get an address yet, but probably later today. Thanks,

 

[Brian Kidd]

How about, "modified to fit your intelligence level"? I think we've lost this battle, but certainly not the war. As long as we stick to our convictions and these Studios realize that they are, indeed, losing money, then they'll come around. I feel sure of that. Keep up the noble fight, Comrades!!!

 

[James David Walley]

...This film has been modified to fit Joe Sixpack's screen...

 

[Jay E]

Just wanted to update my list as I just found out that Perfect & Mo Money are being released in widescreen in the UK.
84 Charing Cross Road - available in region 2 widescreen
Cowboy - available in region 2 widescreen
Homicidal
Look Who's Talking Now
Midnight Clear, A
Mo' Money - available in region 2 widescreen
Mountain Men, The
Perfect - available in region 2 widescreen
Scent of Green Papaya, The - available in region 2 widescreen
Sweet Hearts Dance
Stuart Little Deluxe Edition
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Villain, The

 

[Ted Todorov]

Just wanted to update my list as I just found out that Perfect & Mo Money are being released in widescreen in the UK.

If they would just release a widescreen of A Midnight Clear SE in R2, I'm going to stop caring altogether. Maybe the Columbia geniuses who made the P&S decision were heavily bribed by Malata, who wants to sell more of their region free players in the US.
This whole thing would be just funny if it wasn't so sad.
The one good thing about all this is it may bring about the end of the DVD region system. If enough angry R1 consumers get region free/multistandard equipment, that will be the end of it. Most consumers outside R1 have region free players and multi-standard TVs, we are the last holdouts in studio-induced/region-1/NTSC-only slavery. Cast off your chains!
Ted

 

[Jesse Skeen]

"Maybe the Columbia geniuses who made the P&S decision were heavily bribed by Malata, who wants to sell more of their region free players in the US."

That might make sense if they weren't owned by Sony, and Sony doesn't have any easily-converted players at the moment. Don't forget that Columbia/Tristar Video started out as RCA VideoDiscs though!

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Jay,

Where'd you see the news item that PERFECT was being released in widescreen in the UK? I haven't seen any news on it and it isn't listed at Amazon.co.uk or Blackstar. I'm not doubting your news, just keen to read some actual confirmation of this, as it's a title I'd like to pick up.