Happy 7th Birthday, DVD! Remembering those Early Days

Joe Karlosi · 03-13-2004, 06:12 AM

I never went for LD because of the expense, and also due to the fact that I just knew they'd never last. I figured something smaller would take over, much like the CD - and would require no flipping of discs. Since I never went for lasers, it turned out saving me a ton of money in the long run.

So when I first heard about this thing called DVD I was sold from the beginning. I became an instant fan of the format before the product was even launched (7 years ago this month!) and I predicted that DVD would do for movies what the CD did for music. It seemed like common sense to me. That's why I often use the nickname, "The First DVD Fan".

I was the very first person I knew who bought a DVD player in March 1997, and I remember very well all the jeers and hostility and doubters everywhere who said DVD would never last, and that DIVX would dominate! I heard this everywhere: from video store owners/customers; from IMAGE themselves (who eventually and grudgingly released THE TERMINATOR as their first DVD, saying that if people want extras they can buy the laserdisc); and even movie conventions where there would actually be panel discussions called "DVD -- will it last?" I recall being literally the ONLY person in the entire audience among anti-DVD panelists who spoke up for DVD, while everyone else condemned it and felt it would never catch on!

In 1997 I would actually go onto a computer chat room anywhere and say, "Let's discuss DVD" -- but people would always shoot back, "What's DVD??"

I recall laserdisc owners pooh-poohing DVD and boycotting them, often times being quite nasty about it.

Well, here we are now, 7 years later, and everyone -- even the LD fans - have embraced DVD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Paul_Scott · 03-13-2004, 08:49 AM

well Joe, i remember passing thru Atlanta one time and stopping off at Laserdisc Enterprises like i usually did and finding a demo set-up to get people aquainted with and interested in the coming of DVD.
they were showing Twister and i have to tell you- it looked like crap- artifacting all over the place (digital breakup).
i was dreading seeing this format usurp my beloved Lasers.
thankfully they got better (and pretty quickly too).

i was very much one of those ones who hated this format with every fiber of their being and needing some strong convincing before i ever got on board.

JeremySt · 03-13-2004, 10:44 AM

The first DVD I saw was the first release of T2. I thought it looked and sounded stunning. I bought my first DVD player within a month. I picked up T2, Seven, and Austin Powers.

Ronald Epstein · 03-13-2004, 11:24 AM

Well, here's my story....

Back in 1996 we laserdisc collectors began to
hear the "buzz" about a new upcoming format
called DVD. Having spent thousands of dollars
on our collection of laserdisc titles, none of
us were very happy about this threatening format
and the fact that we would be forced to upgrade
our current video library.

We made a lot of noise across the Internet
in protest of DVD. Plain and simple, we
didn't want it to happen.

Well, it came to be that in early 1997 when
the format hit store shelves in a few select
cities, favorable word-of-mouth began to spread.

One afternoon in late February of that same
year, I found myself at the VIRGIN MEGASTORE
in New York City. There, in the store's video
department, I saw my first glimpse of the new
format. They were playing Batman on a
small TV monitor. Though the display was rather
small, it was very clear to me that there was
something quite incredible about the picture
quality. There was absolutely no mosquito noise
or color bleeding -- some of the traits I was
used to seeing in laserdisc videos at that time.
In fact, the picture was so much clearer than
anything I had ever seen before that I
immediately purchased a handful of discs and
bought my first Sony DVD player the next day.
By the way, back in 1997 players cost $1,000
minimum -- and they were heavy dinosaurs.

None of us were ever really sure back then if
DVD would take off. It was a real gamble
for many of us as studios were taking their time
to commit to the format. To add to the overall
uncertainty, there was the looming threat of
DIVX, a pay-per-view DVD format that the studios
were looking to support.

Of course all of you know that there is a happy
ending to this story. DIVX died a quick death
and DVD became the fastest growing format ever
to be conceived.

Larry Sutliff · 03-13-2004, 11:50 AM

I purchased my first DVD Player in March of '97 as well, through J&R Music World. It was a Toshiba model that cost 499.00(I gave that one to my sister a couple of years ago). My first DVD's were BATMAN and IN THE LINE OF FIRE. I had purchased a laserdisc player in '95, and I couldn't believe how much better the DVD's looked than laser on my 32" RCA set. Since DVD's were only 24.99 compared to the typical 39.95-44.95 laserdisc, I figured the player would pay for itself once the software took off, which I always believed that it would.

And now we have thousands and thousands of releases, many of top quality that cost less than twenty dollars. The quality has improved so drastically that the BATMAN DVD that looked so good in '97 is now in desperate need of a remaster. DVD has been an incredible boon to movie buffs.

**HTF Ads**

Rodney · 03-13-2004, 11:58 AM

My experience is very similar to Joe's. I held off laserdiscs because of the size and the price. I knew that eventually that compression would make possible movies on cd, as I called it in the early 90's.

I purchased my first DVD player, the Toshiba SD-3107, on December 28, 1997, for $700.00 at Sears. My first DVD was "True Romance", and it was given to me free when I purchased the player.

I remember scouring the web for any information, finding and enjoying DVD Resource and also remembering how bummed I was when Steve Tannehill stopped his website. In fact, it was his website that took me to this forum, where I was a lurker for a long time before finally registering.

Wow, I cannot believe it is already seven years. This format has been phenomenal, with a fast adoption rate and a whole new avenue for the studio's to distribute product.

Jack Briggs · 03-13-2004, 12:51 PM

I had a comment about Ron's post, but Larry stole my thunder!

But I'll comment anyway: That Batman seemed to look so good in 1997 — and Blade Runner — just shows how the quality bar for DVD kept getting higher and higher. It's simply amazing how far this format has come in so short a time, relatively speaking.

Though home theater has existed for decades, it was DVD that made it a household name. Not only has it changed our hobbies, it has changed our lives as film lovers.

Hail, hail DVD!

Paul_Scott · 03-13-2004, 01:00 PM

i think a large part of dvds success is attributable to its convergence with the explosion of the internet.
for not just sales, but for information and 'fan clubbing'.
if LD had had this going for it, it may have created a bigger dent than it did.
back in the ld days, the only source for LD info for me was Doug Pratts newsletter, another monthly put out by a fellow in SF, and the image pamphlets that were carried at many retailers listing upcoming titles.
other than that, and barring any internet connection, where could you go to reenforce your enthusiasm with the hobby?

compare that to something like HTF where we now actually have the opportunity to interact with some (enlightened) studios.

03-13-2004, 01:52 PM

I remember the first day I read an article in a newspaper about DVD. It sounded so cool. Coming down this hill, I read the whole article to my Mom (she was driving). All these things that you could do with it. I knew I had to have one. Now I have five in my house and hundreds of DVD's.

I never got into LD because it was too cost prohibitive for me at the time. I also had loads of LP's and nowhere left to put those big discs. For me, DVD's were the God-Send to get me into "digital viewing".

DVD has changed my life.