The Official DVD Discoveries Thread (1 Viewer)

[Adam_WM]

Ok... I received my disc a few days ago and I have managed to watch the Content Production Stuff. Here's my blow-by-blow for Paul's feedback:

1K Studios/Sparkhill Productions: I liked the section a lot but it could have been 20 minutes and it would have been good. I wanted more! The brief glimpse of the Sopranos DVD was awesome!!!! 8/10 (loses 2 points because it's too short!)

Automat Pictures: This was cute. The Krull references were really funny. At times, the jokes and references were so dead-on to real DVD's. At other times, I wanted to turn the segment off. (6/10)

A Conversation with Charles de Lauzirika and David Prior: This was interesting. Charles and David were informative, BUT a little more Ridley Scott would have been cool and DAMMIT! All the stuff the mentioned in the credits (i.e. Blade Runner) were just teases!! WHAT DID THEY SAY?!?! It was re-assuring that there is a Black Hawk Down doc that is "longer than the film itself" and that Panic Room supplements do exist for the eventual SE. 8.5/10

Jason Rosenfeld - My So-Called Nightmare: This was ok. Needed more variety. Just listening to Jason talk was a bit boring. 5/10

Sharpline Arts: This was cool. The bits about discovering the long-lost deleted scenes of Alien and Star Trek were really cool and informative. I thought it was kind of long, but never really boring. 8/10

Van Ling:
Abyss/ID4/T2: Exploring Menu Environments: NEED MORE! STAR WARS! ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!! NEED MORE! HUNGRY!!!!!!! 10/10

Confessions of a DVD Producer: Van Ling is the man. Van Ling is the man. He is why I love DVD. In this brief featurette, he defends widescreen, praises DVD, and insists that studios stand behind what they put out. This could have been an hour!!! 10/10 (On a side note, does anyone else think that Johnny Banta looks like the child of Steve-O and Mark Hamill?) 10/10


So far my only real complaint is that the volume level is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay low. I don't have a surround setup and I had to turn my TV almost to the max for some of the segments and they still weren't too loud.

I'll follow-up with my comments on the rest of the disc as well as my hopes for Vol. 2... and there better be a VOLUME 2!!!!!!

And for those of you who are disrespecting the efforts of DVD Angle and Paul Russell, I ask you this: Where's your website and where's your DVD? Support your local websites, you bums!!!

 

[ShawnDCarter]

I must admit I wasn't very interested in the DVD Discoveries project when I first heard about it. I had not planned on purchasing the disk, and I wasn't even planning on viewing the copy that my friend had ordered for himself. I must say that I stand corrected. I found it to be very informative and even entertaining at times. (not all the time ) I consider myself pretty green as far as the production that goes into dvd's, and I learned quite a bit. I admit that some documentaries were better than others though. Do I plan on purchasing it for myself? definitely. Is it worth very reasonable price of $9.95 with a few bucks for shipping? yep. I'm not saying this disk is for everybody, but if you're a fan of dvd's or even even just a movie fan; I highly recommend you support a good cause and pick this up.

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

In general I agree with most here. It did show though, when some did not put a whole lot of work into it.. F ex Charles De lauzirika/David Prior and Jason Rosenfeld, both segments were frankly very low in "production values" so to speak, but I thought at least Rosenfeld was more honest about it in his approach. I was all ready to turn off Lauzirika/Prior, but thankfully it picked up as soon as they got started.

For the rest, I basically agree with most everything, although I think Automat is given a harder time than they deserve here. Ok, maybe they did go a little over the top with the filmmaking jokes, but that is what they do after all, at least it wasn't a talking heads approach, and how many ways to approach the subject is left then, without potentially running into some kind of legal situation.

Also, why pick on the music video, I thought it was great, but then again I like that kind of rock music. I can't recall this being mentioned earlier, so essentially it was an easter egg on a very cheap DVD anyway.

 

[Jesse Leonard]

I still haven't received mine yet, either. I initially placed the order sometime around November.

 

[DanC]

I still haven't received mine yet, either. I initially placed the order sometime around November.

Jesse, you may want to think about emailing Paul with your order #. He sent my replacement disc Monday and I received it yesterday.

Like others have said, Paul is working hard to get this corrected.

 

[Ron-P]

I was told mine shipped 3 weeks ago, still nothing. Any reason why, did emails go out way before product?


Peace Out~

 

[Derick Snow]

I finally got mine on January 30, 2003. (Thursday) As soon as I watch it, I will post my thoughts about it.

 

[Keith M.]

ADAM_WM wrote:
"And for those of you who are disrespecting the efforts of DVD Angle and Paul Russell, I ask you this: Where's your website and where's your DVD? Support your local websites, you bums!!!"

First of all, these are solicitated personal opinions, not expressions of disrespect. Referring to other members of the HTF as "bums" is disrespectful. You contradict yourself by being ignorant to the fact that all HTF members dont share your particular opinion. Grow up!!! Efforts involved are never factored into a dvd review, its irrelevant. The end result is all that matters. People here have a right to demand quality content and express there opinions when they spent there money on a product such as DVD Discoveries regardless of the cause.
Its people like you who have slowly deteriorated this forums credibility!!!

 

[Adam_WM]

Keith, it was in my opinion that some posters were simply not posting their dislike of the disc. They were TRASHING the disc. Paul Russell visits this forum on a regular basis and to totally rip apart something that he has created, quite frankly for us, is not fair to him.

If you don't like the disc, say you don't like the disc and explain how it could be made better. Don't say that only reason the disc is good is because the package can be reused. If you don't like it, commend Paul for efforts (which obviously was a lot of effort) out of respect and cite how Vol. 2 could be an improvement.

That's all I meant by it.

 

[Steven_M Grimes]

"Efforts involved are never factored into a dvd review, its irrelevant. The end result is all that matters."

I don't agree with this sentiment at all. A good production job can make a world of difference in how one feels about a DVD. Take a marginal film, spruce it up with a good transfer, new 5.1 surround mix, interviews, deleted scenes, etc, and you have a superior DVD experience.

IMO, that's taking the efforts involved in producing the DVD into account, and is no different in this case. I appreciate the effort that went into DVD DISCOVERIES--appreciate that it even exists--so that has colored my feelings on the disk overall.

Steve G.

 

[Paul Russell]

Hey guys,

We seem to be straying from the point, so I think it's time I chime in to be able to put this behind us.

Frankly, we never expected everyone to like the disc. DVD Discoveries is what it is. We never made any pretenses that this was a "big budget" disc. In fact, it was made common knowledge that this is a look at the "real" industry and not some glamorized fantasy world.

Our goal was to run the spectrum in the types of featurettes to add variety. Some may like one but not another, and so on... So far, from the feedback we have received, people are very happy with the DVD. This is, after all, the first time in history anyone has released a disc like this one. There is no predetermined template to work from -- on any level. Being a first effort, we will use the feedback (both good and bad) to learn from should we decide to create another version down the road.

While I don't appreciate trashing, criticism is good. It is the only way we will know what people do and don't like. There is one particular post in this thread that does step over the boundaries of criticism, but that's a persons right. I don't like it, I don't feel those harsh words were particularly deserved, yet I can't stop someone from doing it, nor do I pay much attention to it. If an individual wants to lower themselves to flaming something they are only harming their own credibility. Yes, I'm human, and there's a part of me that would like to re-create a certain scene from the end of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, what would be the point? One completely dissatisfied customer out of a thousand satisfied customers certainly beats the odds.

On the topic of reviewing, the end result certainly does matter -- but that is not the only factor. I have been reviewing professionally since 1997 with hundreds and hundreds of reviews under my belt. Retail price, the project's budget, and the purpose of the disc are all important aspects to consider when critiquing any DVD. In the case of DVD Discoveries, the disc is not meant to be a new reference level for audio or video. This is all about the content and introducing you to the men and women of the industry. Should someone not like what they see, or feel it is unrealistic, they have severely distorted preconceived notions about the industry. These people are real -- just like you and me. Both DVD Discoveries and the DVD industry and "what you see is what you get." No false pretenses at all.

The bottom line is DVD Discoveries is our best effort for a first time project. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I know I'm quite proud of what we put together and am equally proud of the contributions from all the Producers and production companies. We put in the effort and did something no one else has ever done. We succeeded where many others have failed.

We all do the best with what we have. If that's no sufficient for some, there's nothing we can do about it. I hope that clears up any off-the-topic issues and now we can get back to productive criticism/praise for the disc.

When all is said and done, I appreciate all of you taking the time to share your thoughts with us. I certainly asked for your input and accept both the good and the bad.

Best regards,

Paul Russell
President, DVD Angle
Link Removed
[email protected]

 

[Bob Muir]

I received mine today 1/31 (shipped per email on 1/14). The email said it was shipped first class but it was actually sent media mail. Even with media mail, two weeks seems like a long time to go from California to Washington state - so if you haven't received yours yet, it's probably still enroute.

Given the price of the DVD, I don't mind media mail shipping at all, but the email should have said media mail and not first class.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to watch it soon.

 

[Bob Muir]

ok, I just finished the first five features and I just have to say, AWESOME!

These are real people, not actors. We're looking at the real deal here and I was fascinated! I expected ordinary videos about how they do their job, but I didn't expect hilarious scenes that not only showed how they did their job, but also satirized their own industry. Fun-ny!!!

They only suggestion I have for future videos of this type would be to show a short clip of each of the participants during the credits next to their name so we know who was who.

Great job Paul and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the DVD!

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Finally received mine today as well. (Ordered 1/7/2003). Haven't gotten a chance to watch yet.

 

[Dan.Proteus]

Mine arrived on Thursday, and I was one of the earliest pre-orders. I had previously contacted Paul, who said he would send a replacement, which is probably due to arrive next week. Again, shipped via Media Mail, due to a screwup somewhere, which hasn't bothered me - I'm glad to own DVD Discoveries, but it was hardly my most anticipated title.

So far, I've only seen a bit of the Content Production material, and I've been amazed at how much I'm enjoying it. I bought DVD Discoveries for many reasons - primarily because I love DVD Angle, secondarily because I want DVD sites to consider producing digital media materials. (Record commentaries!) The last reason I had to but this disc is because I'm really interested in how DVD production companies decide to create a menu or collect extra materials. I figured I would learn something from the disc, and be glad to be a bit better informed. In fact, I've found all the interviews and "Behind the Behind the Scenes" to be fairly entertaining and really fascinating. I think Paul and Co should be very proud. It's a fantastic achievement, for a low budget and quickly made effort or not.

Here's what I'd love to see in volume 2: How to back catalog titles get the okay to go to DVD? Is there a lot of analysis of the market to see if people really want one of the lamer Jaws rip-offs (that's not actually a sequel), or how studio legal officials view each new release. But there's obviously a lot left uncovered (and I haven't finished the disc), so I'm sure when Vol. 2 rolls around, there will still be a long list of stuff left to talk about.

I am quite pleased and surprised by DVDAngle's achievement - I hope some of those other struggling DVD-based sites are paying attention.


Adios,

 

[Robley]

I finally got mine on friday.I also was one of the first
pre-orders,that never arrived,and paul had them send me a new one.It arrived first class mail,I havent
had the time to watch it yet,hopefully tonight or tomarrow.
I do want to thank Paul, he has done a great job straighting
out the whole mess.

 

[Reed Grele]

I sent an e-mail of inquiry after about a week of waiting for the 2 DVD's that I pre-ordered months ago. I received a polite reply to wait until Monday, and if they had not arrived by then, they would be resent.

Well, they DID arrive last Monday (via MEDIA MAIL) but the DVD's were "rattlers", having been detached somehow from the hubs, and were a little scratched up. And I posted this fact here.

Imagine my surprise when I found 2 replacements (which were actually shipped FIRST CLASS) in Saturday's mail.

Whatever you may think of the content, I can vouch for the honesty and integrity of Mr. Russell, as well as his concern to keep customers happy.

I will definitely be pre-ordering the next effort (if there is one) from DVD Discoveries.

Do you want the scratched ones back Mr. Russell?

Reed

 

[Brad A]

I finally got my copy of DVD Discoveries...Even though it took forever to get here (media mail)...I feel it was well worth the wait...I really enjoyed it...It was very informative...If another volume is put out..I'll be on the list to get one....I too would also like to see a segment on restoration.
Thanks Paul...I think you did a great job


P.S. Maybe a different distributor next time?????

 

[Bobby Garfield]

A suggestion for Paul Russell...

From what I understand, DVD Discoveries sales have been soft thus far. Why not send free review copies to all of the major DVD review sites? That would get the word out to hundreds, maybe thousands, of new potential customers that never would've known about the product otherwise. Of course, there's always the risk of a bad review or two, but if you're confident enough in your product (and I know you are), then I think it's worth the risk.

Just a thought.

 

[WillG]

I just finished watching DVD Discoveries.

I thought it was good for a first edition. I thought the most interesting parts were with Van Ling. The Sharpline Arts segment was good as well.

I do have a few suggestions if another edition is ever produced.

I'd like to see more on the physical creation of the DVDs I found that paticular segment a bit short and the information, I found, was pretty "Rapid Fire" It was hard to take it all in. I would suggest a longer, more specific version.

I think a more in depth history of the format would be appropriate and how DVD "Evolved" Ex. Flipper Discs to RSDL

It would be cool to see some film restoration efforts for a special edition DVD or a new transfer (although, of course, I do not know what the legality of showing film clips would be)

Something that was touched on in DVD Discoveries that I would like to know more about are the legal issues surrounding DVD and what are the potential roadblocks that hold up releases.

I would be interested in seeing something on the "Physics" of DVD Storage and Encoding

One last thing I can think of right now is that I would also like to hear more feedback from the industry guys about the changes that have been going on it the industry since it went "Mainstream" and where they think the industry is headed.

Like I said, it was very admirable for a first time venture. I hope to see further editons in the future.