Digital Bits interviews Buena Vista's Senior VP of Worldwide DVD Production (1 Viewer)

[LukeB]

You know what's sad is that Amazon, with supposedly a more technical-knowledgeable customer base, is still selling more copies of the HIGHER-PRICED pan&scan Remember the Titans DVD than the widescreen version.

 

[DustinDavis]

I wouldn't complain about that higher pricing. It discourages people from buying the pan 'n' scan version. Sales would be even higher were it not for the higher price.

 

[LukeB]

My point was that people would rather pay more to get less of the picture...this doesn't seem like something in the format that we can determine anymore.
Ocean's Eleven Fullscreen has been outselling the Widescreen DVD at Amazon from Day 1. :frowning:

 

[RogerB]

"I don't have those numbers..."

"Ask the right people..."

Are you sure he wasn't the Magic Kingdom janitor? If you're going to speak to the media about widescreen vs pan&scan DVD's then you ought to come prepared.

"We're gonna give this a try and see what happens..."

Hey, didn't Warner Bros. try this already? Ask them what happened. Why not try Beta tapes while you're at it? See what happens.

 

[Jay E]

The Wonka campaign was successful, but can we repeat it today? No more petitions means to me that either it can't be done or we don't care enough.

Just look at the Columbia petition. Wonka had over 10,000 signatures and the Columbia petition has just over 3000, and we're talking about a company policy and not a single title. Regretably, people on this forum pick & choose the titles they will fight for. We all need to stick together whatever the title or studio.

 

[Mike Knapp]

You know, a wise man named Mike Knapp said this would happen.

Yes I did. And I was called "Chicken Little" and "The boy who cried WOLF" for doing so.

This is one time I wish I had not been right.

Thanks for remembering!

Mike

 

[Rain]

Jay,

You hit the nail right on the head.

The Columbia petition currently has only about 3100 names.

It is unfortunate that people are opting to wait until a title they are interested in is affected. For the record, I was never interested in Wonka, but I added my name to that petition on principle.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Thanks for remembering!

Aw Mike ... We'll never forget you ... After all, you're the one that coined the acronym "OAR"!!
I will say that after five years of 95% or better Widescreen DVD releases, I never dreamed that a DVD P&S-exclusive release of any title would even so much as be considered at this point by any major studio.
This is like a bad dream.
No ... It's a nightmare!!
All of a sudden, I feel like Charlton Heston in the original Planet of the Apes movie ... The world has turned upside-down!!!

 

[William Ward]

I signed and bought the WS version of Wonka on principle...I'm afraid I may have to start buying the WS version of films I'm not interested in on principle as well...
I agree that had the studios simply not put MAR on DVD in the first place, this wouldn't be a problem today...Either you put it out as seen in theaters, or you don't put it out at all.

 

[Mike Knapp]

After all, you're the one that coined the acronym "OAR"!!

And thank you for remembering that as well. I wish I had copyrighted it, it is used by damn near every publication, website and studio around now.

Just glad to do my part!

Mike

 

[John Berggren]

I too agree that if widescreen were the only option that people would get used to it. They'd even begin to understand the benefit. Television networks have said consistantly that they get more positive feedback from their widescreen programming than negative, which is why Angel, Enterprise, E.R., West Wing, and others broadcast in widescreen.

Disney is catering to the LOWEST common denominator without looking towards the future. I think they are in a prime position to educate consumers on all the benefits DVD provides - including Original Aspect Ratio in the form of anamorphic presentations for widescreen features.

I read the interview at Digital Bits, and Ron's comments are dead on. This was not an interview per se, there was no back and forth. The guy from Disney came in with set statements and issued those as responses to Bill's questions. If the questions fell into any other territory, it was up to "marketting" - and what department was this guy from exactly? right...

The worst thing about being right is having to deal with people who are wrong - and think they are right.

 

[Joseph S]

Bill Hunt: Now we're talking DVD-9, which is a single-sided, dual-layered disc.

Chris Carey: Yes. Single-sided, dual-layer. Then beyond that purely technical issue, you start getting into economics and consumer satisfaction issues. I've read many an article, and it's not new news to you - the vast majority of America wants full frame. They do. And when we put out a widescreen version, we get lots of, "What's wrong? My DVD is broken. I want my money back."

If that's all it takes... Then maybe I'll pick up 50 copies of Snow Dogs open them up and return them saying these discs are broken. They do not fill my screen. The vast majority doesn't buy the disc and that is who you choose cater too??? Your customers are the ones who should be catered to Mala Vista, Columbia Tri Star, Fox, Warner, etc.!!!!!!!!!

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Firstly,
Thanks Ron for organizing a process of getting some action done. When you get your letter together, I'll do whatever I can to help the cause (send it, sign it, hand it out on the street etc.)
Secondly, for those of you up in arms, I hope that all of you have taken the first step to making a difference by contacting Disney directly via phone and email. These comments you provide have a DIRECT impact on their policy.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...505#post625505
Don't just whine...do something (thanks to those who have).
Thirdly,
For those of you who raised issues with Bill Hunt's part in the interview, did you email him and tell him how you feel? I did:

I'd like to ask them why they don't try using "pan & scanon the fly". That way people could select "4:3" on their set and never have to look at black bars.

That is the obvious answer that no one is bothering to discuss!!! I emailed Ron and asked him to please emphasize this option with Disney in future interviews. He responded and said that he would.
Call Disney and tell them you want P/S on-the-fly option so you can get your 16x9 WS transfers. Tell Bill Hunt what you think it is important for him to ask or if he didn't take the stand you thought that he should have. Sign the petition to Columbia Tristar for WS.
Do something other than just complain on this thread.
Go Team!!!
-dave
p.s. I don't know if all of you area aware, but the calls and emails that forum members (not identifying themselves as forum members) have sent to Disney has created a HUGE stir at the Mouse. Be sure to do your part. Give them some Pro-WS feedback to counter the HUNDREDS of calls they've received from wal-mart shoppers complaining about the "black bars" on their DVD.
RON-this is true. People really DO call that 1-800 number and complain about the black-bars on their "broken" DVD; the fact is that consumers *have* told Disney they want P/S. Now it's time for *us* to tell them otherwise.
Next Step...the retailers who are also putting pressure on the studios to bend to the P/S complaints of the public...

 

[Bill Hunt]

Hey guys,

Just an update. Chris is getting back to me on the whole "pan & scan on the fly" issue, which many of you have mentioned. Also, I'll be talking with the actual Disney DVD brand people on Monday.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

did Blockbuster officially change they fullscreen policy? i noticed AI was available in widescreen as a rental. this has probably been discussed in other threads but I know that I had written Blockbuster. maybe we affected some change there.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Yes and BB had Spy Game in Widescreen while there was a P&S available.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Actually, it has been suggested to me
that the people you need to call
are Walmart and other retailers who
started this mess.
If someone wants to post contact information
for Walmart, that may indeed be the
best place to start.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

What I've tried to keep hammering into their head is that if they are getting "complaints" about widescreen, the answer is NOT to give them pan and scan and make that the ONLY version available! Outside of educating, the best thing they can do to please EVERYONE is to offer BOTH formats, which is what WAS one of DVD's biggest-promoted features when it came out- I still see Wal-Mart ads showing DVD players saying "Features both widescreen and regular playback options".

Yes, it would be nice if everything was widescreen-only, but giving the people a CHOICE is better than having everything pan-and-scan only! That's the beauty of the format, it makes that possible! For all I care they can put in pan-and-scan versions and G-rated "Family-Edited" versions of all movies, as long as they also include the PROPER version on the SAME disc! I think the black-bar-haters would be much more happy being told to turn the disc over or set their player to "pan and scan" than WE would be being told there's NO widescreen version available at all!

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Just an update. Chris is getting back to me on the whole "pan & scan on the fly" issue, which many of you have mentioned. Also, I'll be talking with the actual Disney DVD brand people on Monday.

good news Bill. Glad to hear you're doing what you can to convey Disney's thoughts to us. Now we need you to make sure and convey our thoughts to them as well! Please take this word of advice:
Chris and his techy's over at BV will have all sorts of reasons why they can't use the P/S-on-the-fly option. There will be some truth to their reasons but their conclusion that they can't use it is WRONG.
Don't get pulled in to nodding when they list off their technical "reasons" why it can't be done. It can and will work if they want to make it work. We need to PUSH for things to change...not just listen to Disney tell us why they are the way they are.
Tell them to SOLVE the problems with P/S on the fly and use it. It takes care of everything for the vast majority of films affected by the P/S only threat.
Don't let thedigitalbits be a passive agent to sanction their excuses or let them off the hook. Be an ACTIVE agent for change in the HT community. We NEED you to help us win this fight!!!
Thanks Ron and Bill,
-dave

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Tell them to check out Elite's "Drive-In Discs"- both of these have P&S enabled if you have your player set to "Pan and Scan". These include some 4x3 cartoons shown windowboxed on 16x9 sets, so you have the option of seeing them windowboxed (with black on all four sides) on your 4x3 TV, or having them fill the screen.