MichaelPe
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Feb 22, 1999
- Messages
- 1,115
After reading the news that Fox is releasing 2 editions of "The Passion" on DVD, I thought about this again...
I've never understood the reasoning for including a multichannel (DTS/DD) track on a P&S DVD.
Have studios actually done any marketing studies and found that people who own multichannel equipment (and are knowledgeable enough to select the appropriate track from the audio menu) would intentionally watch the film in its incorrect aspect ratio?
Who cares, right? Well, I realize that it doesn't cost studios anything more to include the DTS/DD track, especially if it has already been mastered for the existing widescreen edition. However, by not including multichannel tracks on the P&S edition, this will provide an additional incentive for consumers to purchase the widescreen edition (or eventually "upgrade" to the widescreen edition once they've upgraded their HT audio system).
Of course, one can extend this argument to director commentaries and other DVD features. Though, pricing of both editions would have to remain the same for such a strategy to work.
I've never understood the reasoning for including a multichannel (DTS/DD) track on a P&S DVD.
Have studios actually done any marketing studies and found that people who own multichannel equipment (and are knowledgeable enough to select the appropriate track from the audio menu) would intentionally watch the film in its incorrect aspect ratio?
Who cares, right? Well, I realize that it doesn't cost studios anything more to include the DTS/DD track, especially if it has already been mastered for the existing widescreen edition. However, by not including multichannel tracks on the P&S edition, this will provide an additional incentive for consumers to purchase the widescreen edition (or eventually "upgrade" to the widescreen edition once they've upgraded their HT audio system).
Of course, one can extend this argument to director commentaries and other DVD features. Though, pricing of both editions would have to remain the same for such a strategy to work.