Magazine Poll: (1 Viewer)

[Jesse Skeen]

Pan-and-scan-only discs or separate pan and scan and widescreen releases- if you MUST include pan and scan, include BOTH on the SAME disc!

Mis-labeling of pan-and-scan as "Fullscreen" or "Standard" format- if you MUST put out pan-and-scan, at least LABEL it correctly!

Anything that can't be skipped over before starting the movie- FBI warnings, trailers, etc

Having to play with a menu just to play the MOVIE- I like the discs that start the movie without making me look at the silly menu screen; if I want to see the menu I'll hit the Menu button

Locking out Audio and Subtitle buttons

Multiple releases of the same movie that could have fit on one disc- worst example *4* versions of "American Pie II"!

5.1/stereo remixes of movies released with only mono or matrix surround tracks- at least include the unaltered soundtrack as an option

Multi-disc sets just for the sake of making it look like 'more'

Not taking full advantage of storage capacity- i.e. multi-volume sets of TV episodes running 2 hours each instead of one full 8-hour disc!

Cases that break discs

High prices (anything above $30 for a single disc is out of line; I don't want to go back to laserdisc prices!!)

Macrovision- this DOES affect the picture on my Mitsubishi TV- my main player has Macrovision disabled even though I don't make tapes. I can't watch protected discs on my Playstation 2 because the top of the screen is bent and darkened!

 

[Mike Broadman]

1. "Security" stickers on 2 or 3 sides of the case that you have to peel off.

2. Multiple releases of the same title, especially if they are near one another time-wise. I don't mind waiting for a title- it is much more important to have quality than speed. I rarely even buy the first release of movie anymore.

3. No Babylon 5 DVDs, and the fear that they won't be packaged well if they are released (season box sets, widescreen, no less than 4 eps per disc).

4. The price game: lower prices when they just come out, then jumped back down, than cut again.

5. Poor selection at stores and the need to order on-line for many titles.

6. If a DVD has multiple soundtracks, it should not jump straight to the movie when you put it on. It should go to the menu, allowing the user to configure audio settings. I'm not complaining that it defaults to 2 ch instead of 5.1 (that actually makes sense), but let me select my audio preference first.

7. Advertisements that one cannot skip through.

8. Poor surround mixes for non-surround movies without original soundtrack provided.

9. Menus that emphasize style over substances. Looking nice is a bonus, but menus should be easy and fast. I'd rather have a bland efficient menu than a flashy annoying one.

10. And of course, no OAR and bad transfers are just awful.

 

[Glennica]

I hate:

Pan and Scan Only!!!

Mastering errors that never get fixed (like Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Lack of English Subtitles

TV Shows that are released in ‘best of’ sets instead of seasons (South Park!)

Snappers

Non Anamorphic Transfers

Non Anamorphic Supplements – it’s a pain if you have a widescreen TV

Features listed on box, but are not on DVD

The super loud “Are You Ready for Fox DVD” ad that comes up automatically

Painfully slow release schedule for MST3K

 

[Simon Massey]

1. Films not released in theatrical aspect ratio (by far the worst thing)

2. Poor masters/transfers

3. Non Anamorphic Releases

4. Snapper cases

5. Absence of any extras

6. Lack of meaningful extras.

7. Regional Coding (especially for old/classic films - pointless)

8. Not including original soundtrack as well as 5.1 version

9. Extras tend to lean towards the technical and practical aspects of making the film, with little given to discussion on the ideas and aims of the film.

10. Re-releasing titles over and over again - how many versions of The Mummy do we need - get it right first time

 

[Josh_Hill]

1. Pan and Scan only releases

2. No trailers

3. Wheres the Classics?

4. Crappy Animated Menus that take forever to load and you cant skip past. (Perfect Storm)

5. Boring Commentaries

Sorry, I could only think of 5.

 

[Terry Hickey]

Lack of English Subtitles on some releases.

Discs that are off their spindles in the cases, either due

to the spindle being broken or just not put on in the

first place.

Mail-in rebates that you have to cut up the case to get the

proof of purchase, when it could have been put on a

seperate insert sheet.

Layer changes that aren't at the beginning of a new chapter

or where the picture fades, because the music or noise is

interrupted when layer change occurs in the middle of the

chapter.

No trailer of the movie, just bonus trailers that have

nothing to do with the movie.

Some of the keep cases that are nearly impossible to get

the disk off.

 

[Brian Lawrence]

-1. titles in the wrong aspect ratio

-2. titles that do not include the original audio soundmix

-3. titles that don't have the original theatrical version of the film on them.

-4. dvds that have too much edge enhancement

-5. dvds that have to much Digital video noise reduction

-6. studios that sit on their gems, rather then release them on dvd.

-7. annoying animated menus that take 45 seconds to play through before you can make a selection from it, and then that takes you to another 45 second animated menu that you have to wait through....

-8. dvds that don't have English sub-titles

-9. 3 security stickers and then you get the thing open and their is one of those damn security tags.

-10. Loading a single disc title with so many extras that the movie itself ends up getting overly compressed.

 

[Scott W.]

1. Snapper cases

2. Full screen releases

3. Multiple releases of same title

4. Menues that take forever be4 you can select something

5. Easter eggs

Scott

 

[Brian Alan]

1. Menus too complex to figure out

2. Bad transfer

3. Excessive loading/access times after pressing a menu button

4. Pan n Scam

5. The practice of some retailers of putting 3 security stickers on the cases (and why on earth does Amazon do this?), causing me to mess up the case to get them off

6. Forced trailers at the beginning

7. That stupid rating + explanation box forced at the beginning of some movies, where the explanation can at times provide a spoiler for the film

8. TV releases spread across too many discs

 

[Todd_Brown]

1) No more Pan & Scan only releases - No OAR = No sale!!

2) No more snapper cases!

3) The spindles that have the "teeth" that break-The push & release spindles are far superior.

4) Multiple releases of the same movie as LE or SE or Ultimate editions need to end. Present the best product the first time!

5) T.V. series should be sold in "Season Sets", not individual discs with 2 episodes.

6) More classics on DVD please!!

Todd

 

[Michael Warner]

1. Animated menus that take forever to load

2. Discs that disable on-the-fly audio track switching

3. Forced previews or unskippable legalese when the disc is first inserted

4. Poorly located layer changes

5. Snapper cases

6. Discs that don't encode the runtime length for bonus features

7. Discs that don't offer English subtitles for all content

8. DVDs for foreign films that don't offer the original soundtrack

9. Lack of OAR

10. Extreme edge enhancement

 

[Joseph Young]

1. Long Promotional Videos/Commercials Before Menu Screen: I think consumers are tired of watching the same 'Are You Ready... For FOX Home Video!' commercial, and many others like it. We pay for the film, and not a long stream of unsolicited (and poor quality) advertisements for other films.
2. Snapper Cases: Nobody wants poorly constructed cardboard and plastic mechanisms like these anymore. They are universally unpopular and should be phased out.
3. on DVDs with multiple audio settings that start the movie up without giving you a title screen to select options. We're going to head back to the menu anyway; why not just take us there in the first place?
4. on Meandering Main Menu Animations that give away key scenes in the movie. If you enjoy watching your movies 'sight unseen' and a key scene is flashed before your eyes when you pop in the DVD, it's a cheat to the consumer. At least give us the option to fast forward during such extensive animated videos that preceed the actual film.
5. Bad Cover Art. If you market DVDs as definitive, indellible records of a film's longevity, does it make sense to replace the original theatrical poster artwork with botched photoshop jobs? To assume that DVD consumers prefer a circle or v-formation of pasted 'floating heads' instead of actual artwork is simply wrong. This is one of my biggest peeves.
6. on Gaudy Purple of Yellow Banners emblazened across the front of DVDs proclaiming 'Widescreen' or 'Special Edition.' We get it. We're smart.
7. Double Dipping , unnecessary and unsolicited re-releases of films like Patch Adams and American Pie. It's becoming obvious, even to the broad customer base you are targeting, that such releases are redundant. The money and marketing spent on these marginally 'improved' DVDs could be spent on releasing films that have not yet been released on DVD.
8. Non-anamorphic DVDs: No excuse for these.
9. Pan and Scan: Nuff said. We will not purchase DVDs with butchered, modified aspect ratios.
10. Sloppy transfers: Severe video artifacting and overzealous audio remixes are both irritating.

 

[ErikG]

1. Not using original poster art for covers .
2. Paying more than $10.00 for bare-bones DVD's.
3. Use of 3 security stickers.
4. Lack of DTS soundtracks.
5. Lack of catalog titles from ALL studios.
6. Need more classic TV shows from 70's and 80's.
7. Snapper Cases.
8. Not using Double Alpha cases for 2-disc editions.
9. Studio Promo's
10. Ridiculous packaging (Universal UE's).

 

[Sutjahjo Ngaserin]

1. [rant]Region Codes!!![/rant]
2. Pan & Scam
3. Not enhanced for 16x9 monitor
4. no original soundtrack, dubbed version only

 

[Scott Bell]

1.Non OAR releases

2.Trailers not always available

3.Re-releases of the same movie(Do it right the first time!!)

4.Forced trailers

5.FBI warnings that cant be skipped

6.Snapper cases

7.Lack of older movies

8.Wasted space to make a 2-disc set

9.English subtitles not included

10.Higher prices on more popular box-sets

 

[CaptDS9E]

1-Non-OAR releases

2-TV shows best of dvd's. We want season sets

3-Lack of DTS tracks

4-Expensive Barebones releases

5-Horrid cover art. THere are some bad ones out there

6-Lack of English subtitles-I dont use them but for people who are hearing impaired it is a huge problem i think needs to be changed

7-Non 16:9 enhanced releases

8-Edge Enhancement is a no no

9-Poor layer changes-Most these days are good but a few come mid sentence

10-Bad transfers. DVD is in its 5th year. Most releases are good but how some get through quality control is beyond me

capt

 

[Sarah S]

In no particular order:
Pan & Scan I don't buy this, I save my few pennies for OAR, and I tell my friends to do the same.
Multiple Releases of the same title. I am likely to only buy this once, not seven times.
Bad Transfers which just show worse on the dvd medium.
Marketing Goofs that say a particular film will only appeal to a "niche market." How do they know? Have they done any definitive counting of how many people like B5 or "Follow That Bird"? My family doesn't have any children (at present) but I have all the Muppet movies and most of the Disney animated films available. Why? Because we like these films and watch them regularly.
Last but not least:
If your movie is having major compatibility problems once it hits the regular marketplace, ADMIT IT and make replacements available without jumping through a lot of hoops. Owning up to your mistakes is a good thing & will ony bring you respect.

 

[David Lambert]

1) Original Presentation (Aspect Ratio, Soundtrack, & Cut)
Extended cuts, upgraded sound mixes, fullscreen, etc. might be nice...but I want to see it the way it was originally presented - in theaters or on TV, whatever the original source - and made me and everyone else fall in love with it! For instance, the theatrical version of a film is what I want to see...after all, this hobby is called "Home Theater", isn't it? That's the idea: the theater version in my home. Not some "home video version". Not "modified"...not for content, not to fit my screen, NOT MODIFIED AT ALL!
2) Anamorphic when widescreen
When I go buy a widescreen television, I want it to use it properly! Especially at those prices!
3) Proper use of disc space
Low bitrates and high compression aren't cool, especially when the disc space isn't fully utilized or the supplements that take up disc space are lame
4) Original Trailers
ALWAYS include the original theatrical trailer - the "best, most popular one" at least, and preferably all the major variations - on the same disc as the feature it goes with. Not only good for nostalgia, it is also good to demonstrate to others what the film is about. Someone comes over, looks at my collection to pick a show to watch tonight. "What's this one about?" What better way to quickly show them besides the trailer? Music rights issues? Deal with it, and pay the bucks! Or find a variation that didn't use that track. PLEASE!
PS - this includes TV-on-DVD, both "last time on..." and "next time on..." variations. Oh, and don't put a commercial on a DVD and call it a "Trailer". Which leads me to include in this rant: No advertising on the DVD! No forced "sneek peaks", no collage of the studio's wonderful other stuff, nothing that makes my purchase feel like a magazine experience. There's nothing tasteful about this. And its NOT a trailer!
5) Menu Navigation
Keep it simple, stupid! And animated sequences are nice, but get in the way of repeated viewing and navigations. Lose those, or keep them short AND skippable (see #7).
6) Locking out of Remote Functions
Never, EVER lock out any remote controls, especially "SKIP", "Fast Forward", "Pause", and "Menu". Not for the FBI warning. Not during advertising that should not be there in the first place (see #5). Not during menu navigation, especially when long animated menu sequences are occurring (which they shouldn't, see #6). NEVER!
7) Lack of "Play All" Menu Choice where Appropriate
Missing on most TV-on-DVD discs, missing on some music videos, and also missing on some other appropriate offerings (documentaries, educational/info etc.). Us lazy couch potatoes might want to sit through 3 hours of straight programming in a marathon session. This easy-to-offer menu choice will fit the bill. Why can't it be a more standard offerring when appropriate?
8) Flimsy packaging
Snappers aren't as bad as some indicate, but they ain't great, either. All cardboard-based packaging is bad. Also bad are the cheesy keepcases with the teeth that break off, allow the package to become a "rattler", and scratch up the DVD. Invest in the case, guys!
9) Lack of Chapter Stop insert
OR making it hard to find, like putting it on the flip side of the cover art. One of DVD's main advantages is the ability to jump right to the favorite scene, or the best episode, etc. The *VERY INEXPENSIVE* inclusion of a chapter stop insert - even for Underdog and Teletubbies efforts - allows us to go right to where we want to do. Inclusion of easy-to-navigate "scene access" menus on the disc - no matter how descriptive - fail to make it easy to use the remote to just jump right to where you want to go! Please include these...ALWAYS!
10) Easter Eggs are too hard/too systemized
Easter Eggs are there to be a fun and interesting side item. They shouldn't be REQUIRED to be figured out in order to access all the advertised supplements. The disc is a movie, not a mystery to be tracked down and solved. Not a videogame to be played. Answering trivia questions should be the hardest thing to do to access an easter egg. Otherwise, it should A) always be easy to stumble across, and B) interesting but not essential to the experience. Also, if you advertise it, then it's not really a surprise, it is?

 

[Randy B A]

1. non-oar releases

2. Flippers, 2 disc set is better then flipping!!!

3. Snapper cases

4. Universal U.E. cases (keep it simpl, keep it in a keepcase)

5. non-anamorphic releases

6. Lack of DTS

7. edge enhancement

8. Lack of continuity between cases for movies in a series.

-Rush hour New line platinum edition in snapper

-Rush hour 2 infinifilm in a keep case.

9. security stickers

10. releasing a box set after all the movies in a series were released seperately.

-Follow universals example with Jurassic park.

 

[Eric S M]

10 DVD Pet Peeves, in no particular order:

1. Non-OAR releases

2. Non-Anamorphic releases

3. FBI/INTERPOL warnings that cannot be skipped

4. Badly placed layer changes

5. Audio tracks that cannot be switched on-the-fly

6. Multiple title re-releases (do it right the first time)

7. Security tags and stickers that scar the interior/exterior of cases

8. Marketing fluff masquerading as documentaries

9. Scene selection, etc. being passed off as Extra Features

10. Lack of Dolby Digital, DTS, and THX trailers

-Eric