DVD-18 making a comeback? (1 Viewer)

[Jacob_St]

I just noticed that MGM's Bandits DVD out Tuesday is a DVD-18. Does that mean replication problems for this type of DVD have been solved and studios will start using it?

 

[Lars Larsen]

I don't think this means much. The only thing that going to help DVD-18 is if volumes go up and I don't see that happening. The sheer volume of SS-DL discs makes them quite cheap to manufacture and also adds the possibility of on-disc art-work. I think DVD-18s will become a rarety along the lines of the small CD-singles. That's just how I see it.

- Lars from Mars

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

I thought Bandits was a DVD-14 with the widescreen version and extras on one side and the pan & scan version minus extras on the second side?

 

[Tom-G]

I seriously wasn't aware there was a problem with DVD-18. Can anyone point my in the right direction to get some more info?

 

[Jacob_St]

I seriously wasn't aware there was a problem with DVD-18. Can anyone point my in the right direction to get some more info?

The best thing I can tell you is to do a search for dvd-18 on this site. You should get alot of info about manufacturing problems that way.

 

[Martin Fontaine]

No, it's gold on both sides. Widescreen is on one and fullscreen is on the flipside. I'm hoping this isn't a fluke decision and MGM will start using DVD-18 more often. This would help reduce the amount of separate fullscreen widescreen editions released.

Does that mean that Widescreen+Extras on one side, and Pan & Scan only on the other meaning that the video bitrate will be higher on the P&S Side, Damn!

Or maybe the extras are copied on both sides, or spread out on the 2 sides... I'll find out tuesday when I buy it.

 

[Leon Liew]

Like to know what are the problems with DVD18 discs.Got

the T2 UE & Gettysburg but did not experienced disc problems

so far.

 

[Ken Seeber]

MGM has been using DVD-14 for a lot of its releases lately, and I suspect the studio will be using more DVD-18 as well. I think it's a good move, because they can do away with multiple releases for widescreen and pan-and-scan, which means we can find widescreen MGM movies at Blockbuster and most retailers.

I think the "problems" of DVD-18 have been overstated. Yes, they cost more to make, but no one has ever provided figures as to how much more. They also have a higher failure rate, but most of these bad discs are caught during the inspection process before ever leaving the plant.

 

[MaxY]

I would not mind seeing MGM put DVD 18s to use in a value added way of double features. Maybe do some of their Midnight movies as double features and pairing up of sequels on the same DVD. Can you say Return Of the Living Dead and ROTLD II on the same DVD. Who needs a stinking P&S version I say give me two widescreen movies on the same disc.
Max

 

[Martin Fontaine]

MGM has been using DVD-14 for a lot of its releases lately, and I suspect the studio will be using more DVD-18 as well. I think it's a good move, because they can do away with multiple releases for widescreen and pan-and-scan, which means we can find widescreen MGM movies at Blockbuster and most retailers.

Except if they put their Barcode Stickers on the Widescreen side... I had that problem when I rented Wicked (Which is a dual-sided Widescreen/P&S disk) and I managed to remove the sticker without damaging the disk and I reglued it on the Fullscreen side!

 

[Jesse Skeen]

MGM has been putting both versions of the movie on the dual-layer side and the extras on the single-layer side. Don't know how they're doing it with "Bandits"; for a longer movie they'd have to put one version on each side.

I'd like to see a disc with FOUR complete movies on it. I read a speculation a long time ago that DVD-18s would be used for cheap public-domain cartoon collections too, like those ones you can get on VHS now with about 6 hours of cartoons on an EP-speed tape (of course with DVD there's no quality sacrifice like there is using EP on VHS.)

They really need to stop this dual-release widescreen/"fullscreen" nonsense too, it's causing too much confusion and making the widescreen versions harder to find. I'm sure those who like full-color disc art will jump at the chance to create their own and stick it on over the side they don't want, though I still don't get why they don't print on the entire center of the disc instead of just the hub, since they could make it easier to read that way.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

DVD-18 is basically dead. WB has quit using it, Artisan, and MGM will do so soon enough because of the ludcrous error rate in manufacturing (close to double DVD-9's)

Lars-In Japan, almost all CD singles are 3cm. Considering Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry in the world, that's a LOT of singles.

 

[Ken Seeber]

DVD-18 is basically dead. WB has quit using it, Artisan, and MGM will do so soon enough because of the ludcrous error rate in manufacturing (close to double DVD-9's)

Do you have any actual numbers concerning DVD-18 failure rates? I keep reading posts like yours, but nobody ever has any actual data to prove how uneconomical DVD-18 is.

The trend, at least for MGM, is going in the other direction. They've ramped up DVD-14, and they seem to be showing a renewed committment to DVD-18 when needed.

 

[Ron Ryder]

I'd much rather have a 2-disc set, but DVD-18's are ok by me.

 

[LukeB]

DVD-18s blow P&S-only DVD-9s out of the water. When it comes down to getting only a P & S version of a film with disc art or both OAR and another version on a DVD-18, I'll take the DVD-18.
Instead, Disney & Columbia gives us Pan & Scan only releases. :frowning:

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I don't have it on paper, but i know a LOT of people in authoring houses, and there are a lot of them around here that I'm sure could chime in on DVD-18's failure rate.

 

[YANG]

What i fear most is that the other studios(such as PARAMOUNT,UNIVERSAL and FOX) will follow MGM's move to release their S.Es in DVD14 or DVD18 format.

Let us look at the fact that,no matter what DVD type-DVD5,DVD9,DVD10,DVD14 or DVD18,disc thickness will still be in a constant thickness of 2mm(or 3?).More data film layers,lesser coatings...is that logically correct?Lesser coating,means lesser durability!This will happen,especially we don't just watch the disc once,we watch it over and over again for about 6 times per year(approx.) or even more!

To me,i would prefer/suggest the studios to go for more popular/durable disc type...DVD5,DVD9 and DVD10.

 

[Ken Seeber]

What i fear most is that the other studios(such as PARAMOUNT,UNIVERSAL and FOX) will follow MGM's move to release their S.Es in DVD14 or DVD18 format.
Let us look at the fact that,no matter what DVD type-DVD5,DVD9,DVD10,DVD14 or DVD18,disc thickness will still be in a constant thickness of 2mm(or 3?).More data film layers,lesser coatings...is that logically correct?Lesser coating,means lesser durability!This will happen,especially we don't just watch the disc once,we watch it over and over again for about 6 times per year(approx.) or even more!
To me,i would prefer/suggest the studios to go for more popular/durable disc type...DVD5,DVD9 and DVD10.

What you should fear most is the fact that studios are beginning to release P&S-only versions of films to DVD. This is because DVD has gone mainstream, a large portion of the public wants "fullscreen" and retailers are resistent to stocking multiple versions of every title because of consumer confusion and limited shelf space.
In all the time I've been reading about DVD, here at HTF and elsewhere, no one has ever offered evidense that DVD-18 is less durable because of its thickness. If you have something to back up your assumption, I'd like to see it.
In the meantime, if you get your wish, we will most likely start seeing even more P&S-only releases, especially with catalog and "family" titles.
If we're smart, we'll start embracing DVD-14 and DVD-18 as a welcome way to consistently get OAR releases while reducing consumer confusion and retailer complaints of stocking multiple versions of titles.

 

[YANG]

"If we're smart, we'll start embracing DVD-14 and DVD-18 as a welcome way to consistently get OAR releases while reducing consumer confusion and retailer complaints of stocking multiple versions of titles."

I am curious about the manufacturing cost of 2 DVD9 disc versus 1 DVD18 disc.Which is more expensive?

If both cost are almost the same,or doesn't make any difference at all,maybe studios can release both fullscreen and widescreen version of a movie in seperate disc.Isn't that the same as releasing movie in a single DVD18?

For example,CTHV had managed to squeeze in both fullscreen and widescreen version of THE ONE in one DVD9 disc(of course,the short running time of this movie plays a part in this release).For other titles,if there are anymore extras,put it into another disc.

 

[Sean Oneil]

Just another point in favor of using DVD-18s...

Putting two versions of a film on a DVD-9 is quite common, however if the P&S and OAR versions of the same films were each given their own side of a DVD-18, much less compression would be needed. Assuming that generous bit-rates were used because of the extra authoring space, the picture quality would go way up (much less grain, mosquito/blocking noise etc.) It also means that more audio tracks/supplements could be included with each version of the film.

The use of a DVD-14 could also mean that one version of the film may need to be overly compressed to fit on the single layer side of the disc, and there is a good chance that the single layer side of the DVD could be used to house the OAR version of the film instead of the P&S, which could be detrimental the OAR version's quality.

Of course, this problem could also be addressed by using two separate DVD-9s in the same package, such as 'Shrek'... but who knows if that will become a standard practice for future DVD releases.

I think everyone would agree that use of a DVD-18 to house both P&S and OAR versions of a film without compromising the quality of either version would be preferable to having some films available in Pan and Scan only, or potentially handicapping the OAR presentation by overly compressing it, and/or sacrificing audio tracks so that it might fit on the single layer side of a DVD-14.