Direct from Hollywood: Widescreen DVD releases under the gun! Here's the Answer! (1 Viewer)

[SteveGon]

I can only reiterate what others have already said. We need to make some kind of concerted effort to educate the J6P crowd about OAR. Unfortunately, I believe we will only claim a few victories - most of the people that care about OAR are already with us. Apathy is a hard thing to combat...
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He thought on homeland, the big timber, the air thin and chill all the year long. Tulip poplars so big through the trunk they put you in mind of locomotives set on end. He thought of getting home and building him a cabin on Cold Mountain so high that not a soul but the nighthawks passing across the clouds in autumn could hear his sad cry. Of living a life so quiet he would not need ears. And if Ada would go with him, there might be the hope, so far off in the distance he did not even really see it, that in time his despair might be honed off to a point so fine and thin that it would be nearly the same as vanishing.
-- Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

 

[Mark Zimmer]

It is incumbent upon every HTF member to go to his or her local Walmart, get a big stack of P&S only discs, and then ask for the widescreen versions of them. When they say they don't carry them, ask for the video dept manager. Ask him or her why not. Then tell he/she/it that you only buy widescreen, that you're going to go get them at Best Buy or wherever, and then leave the big stack on the counter for them to reshelve. Enough people do that enough times and even the Wally Mart buyers will buy a clue. This is the ONLY way to address this issue, because the studios don't really care about aficionados like us.
Of course, if the DVD market comes to be mostly P&S only discs (like the Warner abominations), I would save an enormous amount of money because I wouldn't buy a single one.

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"This movie has warped my fragile little mind."

 

[Brett_B]

For information - I only read Ron's original post and did not read any of the responses that span over 4 pages.
I feel that studios should release the pan-n-scan versions as barebones, and I mean NOTHING as far as extras. Then release (at the same time) the widescreen only edition as a special, collector's, or Suberbit versions.
I just can't imagine someone who doesn't want the "true" picture (OAR) wanting a commentary, deleted scenes, trailers, etc.
With releasing a barebones edition for the pan-n-scan only studios could lower the costs of DVDs to be distributed to Walmart and Blockbuster.
If Joe Six Pack wants the extras, then he (or she) will have to learn to live with the widescreen version.
Just my 2 cents

 

[John Tillman]

OK OK... How about a new law forcing studios to release W/S production rights (for a percentage of profit) to a bidding pool of qualified production companies (like Criterion).
This new law would be based on the FCC mandating digital broadcasting 16:9 compliance within five years. In other words, if they are going to force everyone to go to W/S sets, lets make some W/S material available to them.
Lead, follow or get out of the way.

 

[BobPeck]

This is all very strange, I lived in England about three years ago for a year, and my friend had a 16:9 TV. I couldn't understand why he'd want something like that. All the aspect ratios were off, and things just looked plain goofy. Noone was broadcasting in 16:9.
Well, I went back and visited him recently. Guess what? Almost all programming on Sky (the main cable company in the UK) is in 16:9. Everything. News broadcasts on the BBC. Footie, everything.
I went into a Dixon's (sort of like a Best Buy over there) and it was hard to find a 4:3 TV! Everything ws 16:9!
Afterwards I went to Germany to visit family (and pickup my new car!

) and saw the same thing.
Europe has adopted 16:9, we should figure out how they got it accepted over there.

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Brett, I disagree with that. All releases. And I mean ALL releases should have both versions. Screw the damn extras.
I think we should go to a RENTAL format for new releases: No extras if there isn't room. PAN & SCAN on one side and WIDESCREEN on the other. DVD18 if need be.
Or DVD14.A perfect 16x9 transfer on the Duel Layered side and a POS pan & scam version on the single layer side. You can fit up to 135 minutes on one layer. Give Joe Six Pack what they want. DVD14's are cheaper than DVD18 and if they were used widely, the manufacturing costs would drop.
EDIT: Bob! Exactly! We need to have a two prog effort by our Networks and the TV manufacturers. Septmeber 2002 all TV's over 20" should be widescreen and all new TV programs should be broadcast in widescreen. Then two years later, all shows are switched to anamorphic. Here is where we need the FCC to step in.
Of course, this is a pipe dream. HDTV in the U.S. is doomed, let alone widescreen TV's.
[Edited last by Matt_Stevens on October 09, 2001 at 09:41 AM]

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Europe has adopted 16:9, we should figure out how they got it accepted over there.

And I guarantee you that then the J6P types who dominate USA culture will get the tops and bottoms cut off all the 4:3 movies and the sides cut off all the 2.35:1 movies. No screen ratio is a solution.
I see the future. We will be buying special editions and many japanese imports at prices that are greater than what I paid for most of my laserdiscs.

 

[Brett_B]

Matt,
I disagree with you there. For one, I don't want a pan-n-scan version of the movie. I would rather have something else related to the movie instead of a version that will NEVER be watched by me.
Why should the product we want suffer due to people who don't know or don't care.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Europe has adopted 16:9, we should figure out how they got it accepted over there.

And I guarantee you that then the J6P types who dominate USA culture will get the tops and bottoms cut off all the 4:3 movies and the sides cut off all the 2.35:1 movies. No screen ratio is a solution.
I see the future. We will be buying special editions and many japanese imports at prices that are greater than what I paid for most of my laserdiscs.

 

[Brett_B]

duplicate
[Edited last by Brett_B on October 09, 2001 at 09:45 AM]

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Why should the product we want suffer due to people who don't know or don't care.

Well, Brett, that attitude will cost us widescreen releases all together. It's come to that. I do not want to risk losing my widescreen DVD and to save it, we need to compromise. If we don't, Joe Six Pack wins. We lose.
This is where RENTAL dvd may have to come in. Just like VHS, we have an expensive bare bones release for Shlockbuster. A DVD with both versions.
Then six months later, the retail special edition. I have no problems with this, as long as the SE is widescreen.
Walmart can stock the crap version instead of the SE.
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www.deceptions.net/superman

 

[Sam Graves]

I work at a Wal-Mart. Last Sunday I went to Sears on my lunch break to look at televisions. I guess it is the norm for Sears to have a wall of 4:3 RPTV and widescreen televisions. The Mummy Returns was being used as demo material. I noticed that on the widescreen televisions the characters' heads were cut off and the Egyptian subtitles were cut in half when displayed. I was expecting to see a proper widescreen presentation (black bars on the 2:35:1 transfer). I walked over to DVD player that fed the TV's and the FULL FRAME Mummy Returns was being played. Sears is trying to sell widescreen TV's using Pan and Scan DVD's! Of course the 4:3 RPTV were proper; a 4:3 DVD was being used. I shook my head.
I then walked back into my store and noticed that the Mummy Returns shipper (the stand the DVD's are displayed) had been labeled to indicate "Mummy Returns - Full Screen" and "Mummy Returns - Widescreen". We had so many copies of the widescreen version returned because of complaints of the black bars (about 15). I feel the Salad Days are over.

 

[Mike Broadman]

For what it's worth, I have come to see the light.
I am not much of a movie enthusiast. I really love a select few films, but I generally just don't like movies. So, this issue never meant anything to me and I myself got angry at the black bars. But I always figured that there must be some logical reason to do it. Why would they just "chop up" the picture like that?
A few months ago I got a new sound system. I'm a music fanatic, so that's its prime use. Since I got a DVD player for my birthday/Christmas/Hanukah, I got the surround sound get-up and learned about home theater.
Through sites like this, I learned about widescreen, P&S, OAR, etc, so now I'm a die-hard OAR defender.
I guess my point is that it took specific circumstances and an open mind to convert me to your cause. Not a lot of people can do that.
So, for what it's worth, you have successfully converted this consumer.

 

[Sean Moon]

Here is another solution....two disc sets. The first disc in OAR, Superbits style. No extras. Second disc crammed with extras and a pan and scan. Sacrifice the quality of the Pan and Scan transfer because those who want it probably care less about the quality.
I think another problem is the wording. All p&s say"This film has been modified" Modified sounds like it was made batter. If it said "this film has been altered" which it has, it sounds more negative and truthful.
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[BryanZ]

Widescreen will not be in trouble. Just watch regular tv for a while. Count the number of commercials you see in widescreen versus the number in P&S. Now I am starting to notice more VHS movies in widescreen vs. those done in P&S. The industry is gearing towards WS as a whole. UPN is showing "Enterprise" in WS. As more people become accustomed to it it will be more popular. Now I buy most of my dvds in WS, unless they are only available in P&S. The thing that made the most difference for my enjoyment of WS movies at home were mattes. Rather than have studios cave in and do P&S movies perhaps they should get together with television manufacturers and start marketing mattes. Both companies could make money that way and we, the ht enthusiasts, would continue to receive the WS movies we so enjoy.

 

[Brett_B]

Matt,

Then six months later, the retail special edition. I have no problems with this, as long as the SE is widescreen.
Walmart can stock the crap version instead of the SE.

What is the difference between your explanation (suggestion) and mine? According to your comment (see above) we both agree that the special edition should be in widescreen. Stock a barebones pan-n-scan version in Walmart and Blockbuster.

 

[Robyn Young]

I know one very simple solution for me--I just won't shop at Wal-Mart at all. Period. Let's face it. I can get everything I normally buy at wal mart at other places. It may be more work for me, but I'd be willing to not shop there to prove a point--That thier policies will curtail not only my dvd buying power, but also my general junk buying power.
They may balk at me as a dvd consumer, but if I make it clear that they won't get ANY of my business because of thier pressure towards the studios regarding OAR dvds(no film processing, no clothes shopping, no prescription filling, no holiday shopping, no toilet paper, appliances, furniture, towels, shoes, NOTHING), they might take notice. I'd be happy to shop for these things at a place that doesn't carry dvds(just to show that K-mart and the like wouldn't be picking up the extra business.
Obviously I can't do this kind of thing alone, but it would be a start.
Robyn

 

[DarrenA]

There are approx. ~20,000,000 DVD players in U.S. households. There are ~20,000 HTF members (many of whom are not U.S. citizens). In any event, even if all 20,000 HTF forum members were in the U.S., we would only make up .001% of DVD owners.
My point is this. As many others have mentioned here already, it's going to take the studios a little effort on their part to add a 30-60 second demo of P&S versus OAR to show the difference to all DVD buyers.
I like the idea of in-store demo displays, but this will not clearly demonstrate it to everyone as even P&S buyers purchase online as well. I really believe it's going to take studios to either include a pamphlet inside EACH AND EVERY DVD, or they will have to add a small 30-60 second educational video demo on EACH AND EVERY DVD to illustrate these points.
In any event, just as with Divx and Non-Anamorphic DVDs it's going to take pressure from all of the DVD related web sites and interactions between studio reps and DVD advocates to get the point across. This thread is a great beginning with some wonderful ideas. I hope we can put some of these ideas together and come up with some consolidated efforts.
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DarrenA
The Academy Home Theater

 

[Marty M]

This is an example of a shortsided attempt to cash in on the growing popularity of DVD to the J6P crowd. Instead of trying to educate this crowd, studios want to do easiest & safest thing -- give J6P movies in the format they know that will sell more, P & S. I find this an insult to the very audience that made the DVD format the success it is today.
I remember Mike Knapp and others predicting this would happen if DVD became "mainstream". It saddens me that this prediction may come true.

 

[Rain]

Well, I've said this before and I'll say it again: The studios are listening to the wrong people. Maybe J6P has been complaining from his spot in line at Walmart, but again I ask, how many DVDs does he own? Compare that to how many folks like us own. If the studios think that the outcry from J6P is unbearable, just wait until they see what happens if they were to go to strictly "formatted to fit your TV" releases. Trust me, it would never last.
Once again, and not surprisingly, big business is short sighted.
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