LOTR disc(s): consumer backlash against multiple versions, _L.A. Times_. (1 Viewer)

[Yohan Pamudji]

This is my favorite quote from this asinine article:

But "Lord of the Rings" aficionado Rob Noblin didn't know of the second release until a friend told him last week.

Huh? What kind of "aficionado" is this Rob Noblin anyway? All he had to do was go to the website and check out the DVD release info to find that out. Lame, lame, lame. The article author managed to find the one "aficionado" who didn't know about the dual release schedule.

 

[CaptDS9E]

I love when people complain about buying the same movie on dvd more then once. But no one ever complained when a movie was released on VHS 4 times, or a video game is released 4 times with just updated graphics.

New Line is handling LOTR in great fashion. Both releases are totally different movie wise and extras wise. I already have the 2 disc and i cant wait for the 4 disc

capt

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

I wonder about the people they polled for that article. All of my friends, and not all of them are particularly internet/newsgroup savvy, were well-aware of the two releases.

It's one thing to rail against the bait and switch method with regards to barebones releases and "special" or "limited" editions but in this case, that response is unwarranted.

I applaud New Line for their approach - they disclosed all the information and specs of the various editions and put the choice of editions squarely into the consumers' hands. Why wouldn't we want studios to be more like this?

 

[Sumeet Beniwal]

I just bought the LOTR DVD and plan to purchase the 4-disxc version in November. I wish other studios could be like New Line.

 

[Josh Lowe]

wow, an alarmist media trying to drum up controversy where there is none on a slow news day! in california, no less! no way!

 

[Benson R]

While I feel criticism of New Line is off base in this instance I do feel the article touched upon something. I don't mind what LOTR since I find it believeable that they do in fact need this time to put together the expanded edition. Other titles I feel differently about. Black Hawk Down comes to mind. I find it understandable that they may in fact need extra time to put a special edition together. I am aware of the upcoming special edition but more average consumers probably are not. Nobody put a gun to my head to make me buy the barebones disc but it seems almost like the release date is fuzzy and being held back on purpose to get the fan of Black Hawk down into purchasing the movie twice. Again I feel this is an important criticm of certain studios though LOTR is a bad example to use and was probably only used in the article because it is such a high profile title.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I wish I had the email of SUSAN KING the author of that article. I consider her as a "J6P dude". She doesn't know crack about DVD and try to talk about it.

To the contrary, Ms. King knows quite a bit about DVD; she writes about each week's releases in a Thursday-morning column. She is also the author of the much-lauded, recent lament about AMC's decline as a channel for serious film lovers--and which was praised here at HTF.

She is constrained by what her editors let get through to print; for all we know, King did speak with enthusiasts. She knows very well how DVDs are marketed.

Of course, the consumers quoted in the piece exhibit the ignorance with which we must contend almost daily. Not Susan King's fault.

 

[Brad Eisenhauer]

Not much to add here really, but I'll summarize/reiterate/reinforce a few key points:
1) The dual-release format/schedule was advertised by New Line loud and clear from the very start. Anyone who isn't familiar with their existence and the differences between them has not taken the time nor made the effort to educate themselves.
2) If the studio had gone with a single release (e.g. either of those currently planned) then one group of consumers would be made unhappy: either the die-hard fans would have felt that the 2-disc release was lacking, or the casual fans would have felt overcharged for 4 discs worth of an extended cut and a lot of extras they don't really care about. This way everyone can have what they want at a price they're comfortable with.
3) If the 2-disc had been released simultaneously with the 4-disc, then 11 months would have been an extremely long lag-time from theatrical release to home video in any format. What's Austin Powers going to be? A little over 4 months? Star Wars: just under 6?
In summary, this is a very consumer-friendly pair of releases. These are the kind of choices we should enjoy having to make. There's something here for everybody who enjoyed this movie. Kudos to New Line for an outstanding offering. The check is in the mail!

 

[Randy B A]

i will buy the 2 disc and the 4 disc, and i hope newline continues this for the trilogy. in regards to the ultimate box set, hopefully Paul Champaign (SP?) will design a nice box to store them in.

 

[ChristopherS]

I agree with what most people have already mentioned, you have to be living under a stone to not be aware of the four-disc version coming out in November. I personally think it is a brilliant marketing move. Normally I would never buy a film on DVD twice but since both versions are going to be completely different with no overlap, I may just have to make an exception (plus I now have a $8 off coupon).

Chris

 

[John Knowles]

I have to agree with what's been said here. I don't believe New Line did anything wrong--they're giving people a choice and not being deceptive about the upcoming releases. You can't really expect your average retailer to shout out, "the 2 disc DVD is out today, but wait for the 4 DVD set!" And, the price is cheap enough that I don't feel too bad about buying both (which I'm going to).

 

[David Oliver]

I pretty much agree, except I don't think it is fair to criticize people for not doing their "research". They are buying a DVD, not a car or a house. They get their Sunday supplement and see that Best Buy has Lord of the Rings this week, $15.99. Hey, I think I'll get that. I know a lot of people who appreciate movies and DVD, but are moderate DVD purchasers who don't scour the ends of the Universe for information and deals. I agree that htey could've found better movies to bring up this point, or they could've changed the focus of this article from complaints to the difficulty a studio faces when releasing a movie like LOTR.

 

[Eric Fisher]

my comments:

right complaints.. wrong movie

The extended edition is significantly different from the theatrical version where it merits its own separate release.

The J6P complaint is better applied to other movies which are NO different and have had multiple releases.

 

[Eric Bass]

The only thing that bothers me in that article is the end where it says new line is thinking of an Ultimate Box Set in 2004...i'll buy the movie twice but even i'm not gonna buy it three times so I would hope the ultimate box set would contain nothing extra that i won't already have after november.

Well P.J. could have decided none of the movies will be released until 2004 and he could put together his uber-edition box set like some other directors, however that hasn't made anyone happy either.

I think it's entirely fair that people should be expected to do their research before making a purchase. Movie buying has evolved to where you don't just choose to buy a movie, you choose which version of that movie you want (widescreen, fullscreen, bare bones now, SE later, etc). It's not exactly rocket science, and some days I really wonder (working in cust svc myself) just to what extent we're going to spoon feed the general public by the time all is said and done. Now the flip side to that is that studios need to make information about their upcoming releases readily available.

Personally I have been burned plently of times. Go buy a new video card for the PC, a month later the new version is out which is 2x as fast and half the price. Did I get screwed by corporate America? No, I just didn't bother to do research before handing my $$ over to someone. The fact that every DVD you buy will sooner or later be replaced by a superior version is relatively new so granted it will take the public some time to realise that some savy in movie buying is now necessary. However I'd maintain that that savy is what will be required, rather than studios cutting our options to satisfy the crowd who will be angry at needing to think more often when spending money. More educated consumers can only be a good thing in the end.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

I must commend New Line too. I knew in advance a deluxe set with the director's "first" cut (who's to know if the films won't be released as even longer "miniseries" type events in the future) was on its way and opted to wait. To boot, they even added a remixed DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 track!

Take that Paramount (who does as little as possible and charges as much as possible), AOL/Time Warner, Universal and Sony!

Dan

 

[oscar_merkx]

congratulations to new line about releasing two different versions. i am not but buying the first release. most likely i will rent but will most definitely purchase the 4 disc version.
It is called choice.

 

[Wes C]

New Line Rocks, I love what they are doing with the multiple releases! (in this case)

 

[Chuck C]

there's a four disc set in nov!?! who cares, I'll enjoy the 2-disc for a while

 

[DavidAC]

Well first let me say I like the way New Line is handling this, their making it clear to people that there will be a another version, even giving a promo in the barebones 2 disc which gives people the oppurtunity to make an inform decision of what version they want to go with. Of course I have to say I do hate the the trend that DVD's have taken with releasing a barebones just to get people to buy the more extravagant DVD a couple months later. I mean I spent a fortune on the Star Trek movies waiting forever for them to get to ST:TMP then they go and decided to give all the movies the full treament right after ST:TMP comes out. Ive wised up in not getting the barebones straight away now but when I first came to DVD's I went out unaware of better versions on the horizon and got a bunch of barebone DVD's which even today Im still replacing so it's kind of fustrating. Still like I said New Line has handled it real well, Ive decided to stick with the 2 disc for now and wait for the extended till all three LotR extended versions are out, I thought it would be a cool experience when I go to pick up the boxset for the first time.

 

[Robin Warren]

I like the computer card analogy. As consumers we are all aware that there will be something bigger and better just around the corner and we don't sweat it too much, yet New Line is under the gun for doing the same thing. BAH. Piss off everyone!