Forget Warner. Look at the Big Picture! (1 Viewer)

[PhilipG]

Fox - terrific 2-disc SEs (BTILC, DHT); DTS; excellent customer support; TV series done right in boxsets (Simpsons, X-Files)
Paramount - starting 2-disc SEs (Gump); high bit-rate video; nifty menus (WW); excellent customer support; Trek boxsets to come
MGM - starting 2-disc SEs (Hannibal) & DTS; many old catalogue releases at reasonable prices; TV series in sturdy keepcase boxsets (Stargate); fixed Terminator problems for R1
Disney - zero to hero - anamorphic new releases; DTS; the best 2-disc SEs; beginning to reissue their laserdisc boxsets for DVD (looking forward to Tron!); 3-disc SEs coming (PH)
Anchor Bay - anamorphic support second-to-none; excellent transfers on low-budget films that other studios wouldn't bother with (recent Hammer releases); terrific LE box-sets (Wicker Man, + Evil Dead next year); DTS and ES support coming
Columbia Tristar - terrific transfers (even at low-bitrates); SUPERBITS coming to please the videophiles; 2-disc sets (MIB, CEOT3K) & DTS; fancy packaging for classics (BOTRK, LOA); beginning to reissue their early product in SE form (Zorro)
Criterion - excellent releases of classic films (bar the recent non-anamorphic disappointment of W&I); DTS; continuing well-thought-out extras and stylish menus
New Line - top-notch transfers (even on deleted scenes!); 2-disc SEs with DTS (Se7en); InfiniFilm pushing the DVD interactivity boundaries (+keepcases!)
Artisan - SE's coming in novelty cases (TR, BI); Twin Peaks coming in boxsets
Dreamworks - 2-disc SE's (Gladiator); DTS; clearly-labelled packaging; "unrated" alternative releases (RT); superb all-round quality - the studio that gets it right the first time
Universal - 2-disc "Ultimate" Editions; excellent 1-disc Collector's Editions; DTS; clearly-labelled packaging; "unrated" alternative releases (AP, PB)
and even Warner:
Warner - slow but well-restored releases of catalogue titles (BH, SM); DVD-18; V; B5 coming soon
If I've left anything out, please say so!
Summary:
Don't let Warner's insanity over pan/scam blind you to the big picture: we have a lot of excellent studios here, and more quality releases than my bank account is comfortable with. 99% of DVDs are OAR, and despite what Warner's marketing computers think, everyone I know equates DVD with Widescreen & Extras, and those that don't like that (a tiny, tiny minority) are happy enough to buy the cheaper VHS alternative (or rather, rent VHS). We've Never had it better than this.

 

[alan halvorson]

Yeah, we're the small but vocal minority, and we won! It's pretty unbelievable. We've won a bigger victory than we did even in laser discs. There's an occasional relapse? Nothing to fret about - it's not a trend.
------------------
They're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa To the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!!!!
- Napoleon XIV

 

[Mark Klaus]

Great post.
I, too, believe the glass is at least 90% full. I was just looking at my pre-order list, and it is truly amazing what the studios are doing. The Godfather set looks to be outstanding. The last set of Woody Allen films is on the way from MGM. Fox's French Connection set will undoubtedly continue its excellence. Some studios even know how to make everyone happy with their "family" releases, look at what Disney is doing with Snow White and Dumbo, and the magnificent Shrek set coming from Dreamworks. Even Warner, except for the idiotic "family" division, appears to know what to do with their bigger movies, and I'm confident Citizen Kane will be a must-own, even if I have to hold my nose when purchasing a Warner title. They'll be doing a Circuit City type reversal within months.
This is just a brain fart from a bunch of pencil-neck geeks at Warner. It will not set off armageddon.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

What really scares me about what Warner did is that another studio could follow in their tracks. Shooting Warner down now would stop another studio from doing that, or even thinking about it.
At this point, someone should send a nice letter to the director's guild. I'm not sure if it would help, but if the directors have any say in the format for all future DVD releases, (especially for Warner titles) it could get pretty funny.
Glenn