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DVD-18 making a comeback? (1 Viewer)

AaronMK

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Oct 30, 1999
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Aaron Karp
Don't know how they're doing it with "Bandits"; for a longer movie they'd have to put one version on each side.
FYI, Bandits is a DVD-18, with a version of the movie on each side. Supplements are identical on both sides of the disc, aside from differences in the AR of some of the supplements. In other words, it is similar to glueing both versions of the Mummy Returns or Jurassic Park together.

I don't think Bandits is a highly anticipated release. If they can do DVD-18 with this one, then I don't see why it isn't feasable for many other releases.

I still very much prefer dual releases if there must be a P&S option. I don't think A.I. would have been a nice of a package if the felt they had to cram two versions into a single release. I think many other releases would be pretty barebones as well.

Contrary to what has been reported, all Wal-Marts I have been to have carried both versions of titles, so it must not be that confusing to most consumers. The self space allocated for those titles is usually the same as for titles with a single release as well, so I don't think that is the issue either. This territory is about as J6P as you can get coupled with a pretty small DVD section, so if these aren't issues here, I don't know where they would be.
 

Jesse Skeen

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DVD-18 is basically dead. WB has quit using it, Artisan, and MGM will do so soon enough because of the ludcrous error rate in manufacturing (close to double DVD-9's)

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There's always high error rates on anything you just start making. In time the error rates should go down, just like everything else (laserdisc, anyone?)
 

Martin Fontaine

Supporting Actor
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Aug 15, 2001
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626
And to avoid further confusion they should put a warning before the movie on each sides:

P&S : "This movie has been modified to fit your screen. Flip the disk to watch it in its original aspect ratio."

WS : "This movie is presented in its original aspect ratio, Black Bars at the top and bottom are normal. Flip the disk to see it formatted to fit your screen."

This way, J6P is either warned that he inserted on the wrong side and explained how to get rid of the black bars, or he is told that he entered it on the wrong side and that the intended version is on the other side.
 

Jesse Skeen

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I have a few Polygram discs that say that during the menu; "Turn disc over for standard (or widescreen) version."
 

Brad Eisenhauer

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Feb 28, 2002
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What i fear most is that the other studios(such as PARAMOUNT,UNIVERSAL and FOX) will follow MGM's move to release their S.Es in DVD14 or DVD18 format.

Let us look at the fact that,no matter what DVD type-DVD5,DVD9,DVD10,DVD14 or DVD18,disc thickness will still be in a constant thickness of 2mm(or 3?).More data film layers,lesser coatings...is that logically correct?Lesser coating,means lesser durability!This will happen,especially we don't just watch the disc once,we watch it over and over again for about 6 times per year(approx.) or even more!

To me,i would prefer/suggest the studios to go for more popular/durable disc type...DVD5,DVD9 and DVD10.

I'm not an expert on the technology involved here by any means, but it seems to me that the data layers need to be a certain fixed distance below the surface of the disc (aka "coating" thickness) in order for the laser, with a fixed lens, to read the pits and plateaus that contain the data, doesn't it? Besides, that extra layer is thin enough that a laser can read right through it, so even in the scope of a disc that's about 1 or 2 mm thick, I don't see there being a sufficiently significant reduction in the "coating" to impact the durability of your discs. I'm kind of anal with taking care of mine, anyway.

I'd rather spend my time crusading against the evils that threaten civilization as we know it: PoS, er, I mean P&S. (Please excuse the Freudian slip. :b)
 

Bryant Frazer

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 1, 1998
Messages
122
I was at WAMO's manufacturing plant in Olyphant, PA last year. I don't have numbers, but their VP of operations told me that one DVD-18 probably will never be cheaper to manufacture than two DVD-9s. He referred to it as "a niche product." This is significant, since WAMO developed the DVD-18 manufacturing process and was promoting it heavily for some time.

DVD-14, on the other hand, is cheaper to make.

-bf-
 

Jeff Kleist

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Dec 4, 1999
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11,266
The Laser isn't fixed. In the portables I've seen, the laser moves up and down during its self check
 

Yumbo

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Sep 13, 1999
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Chris Caine
Bandits doesn't play Chapter 30 Widescreen in 3 of my players - Onkyo 555, Pioneer 535, Philips 931, but plays ok in my Apple ROM player.

MGM DVD-14 (they all break from center) and 18 SUCKS!
 

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