Thou Shalt Not: A message from consumers to DVD producers (1 Viewer)

[Seth T]

1. Require me to "choose" to watch the movie I paid for. I want the movie to play by default when I insert the disc.

So...what about DVDs with both DD5.1 and DTS tracks? Which would it default to? DD so the people without DTS processors can have audio? Or DTS so the DTS camp doesn't get upset about having to go to a menu to switch?

It doesn't bother me to have to press select to watch the movie. It bothers me that it takes 4 hours on some movies to get through all of the intro crap just to get to the menu though.

 

[Cees Alons]

Require me to "choose" to watch the movie I paid for.

??????

How can they know what exactly you think you payed for? The movie in English? In French or Canton Chinese? With or without the subtitles? And if so, which subtitles? A DTS track, or DD 5.1 or perhaps DPL? Closed captions necessary - or do you define that as abnormal?
Or, when a next time you put in your DVD to view just some scenes of the movie you payed for or to watch the extras you payed for, that you don't want the movie to start by default at that occasion?

Cees

 

[Cees Alons]

Sorry, Seth! You must have been posting while I was typing. Partly doubling the arguments.

Cees

 

[dpippel]

Every DD/DTS disc I own defaults to Dolby Digital, the DVD standard. I can't recall a single title that presents me with a choice before the movie begins. If you want the DTS track you've gotta reach for it.

 

[Lars_J]

I'v sometimes wondered how hard would it be to create DVD players that could default to selected specific audio tracks and subtitle langages? (Use DTS if present, for example) I suppose the DVD spec would have to be expanded... But it would be neat.

 

[Andy Kent]

DVD players do have a "default" option for language and for subtitles. So it's entirely possible (heck, this is what we do) to make a disc that will look at your player defaults, see that you like Japanese audio, and default to that option.

Unfortunately, there's no way to do the same vis-a-vis what particular kind of audio you want, so 2.0 vs 5.1 vs DTS needs a menu.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Also, you may want different languages for different movies. For instance, I want the English track on The Sixth Sense, but the French track on Brotherhood of the Wolf. So activating this isn't usually a good idea.

 

[Yumbo]

all the initial DTS discs had an audio option on insertion.

all R4 discs do this as well.

ALMOST all SuperBits default to DTS.

cheers

 

[Vincent Matis]

Also, you may want different languages for different movies. For instance, I want the English track on The Sixth Sense, but the French track on Brotherhood of the Wolf. So activating this isn't usually a good idea.

You can choose to activate the original language by default... That's what I do...

Cheers,

Vincent

 

[dpippel]

Not to belabor a point, but this is not true. Every R1 Superbit title I own that contains a DTS track defaults to Dolby Digital on startup (Charlie's Angels, Das Boot, Mask of Zorro, Bram Stoker's Dracula, From Here to Eternity, etc., etc.). That's a fairly representative sample of Superbit releases and none of them default to DTS.

I believe that the DVD spec *requires* the default audio track to be DD.

 

[DeathStar1]

Though shall not release Stand alone DVD, and then, 2 months later with no release info before hand, Release a Special Edition, Super Duper Edition, Double Edition to get us to double dip our pockets.

If your going to release a title, do it right the first time.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

You can choose to activate the original language by default... That's what I do...

That's the same thing as leaving the option alone, yes?

 

[Yumbo]

interesting Doug,

I use a Panasonic RP82 on a Yamaha Z1, and most of my SBs just bang off with the DTS logo without having to select it.

doesn't bother me!

would it be because it is track 1, instead of the normal track 2 on certain SBs?

 

[Jesse Skeen]

It's really annoying and pointless when movies that have one soundtrack and English subtitles only start with a menu- Hmmm, do I want subtitles on or off? Do I want to start from the beginning or somewhere in the middle?

 

[JasonKZ]

Well, assuming that there is decent audio/video for the actual film (which is why I really bought the disc), my Number One pet peeve is having to watch the whole damn movie over again in the extras. Enough already. I just watched the movie - for the love of goodness, you don't need to show another 5 minute clip.

 

[TommyT]

For sooth! So many different commandments, so little time!

Thou shalt not...

...continue to package DVDs in snapper cases!! They sucketh. Period.

...manufacture & sell hubs (holders) that break easily, sometimes before the buyer hath the chance to breaketh them thyselves!

...manufacture & sell hubs made of those irritating little triangular "points" that have plagued this medium as well as compact discs for over 20 yrs. They simply break too easily & the discs can scratch much more readily.

(These days I'm actually careful enough to give the package a little shake to see if there is any tattletale rattling inside indicating that some of the hub has broken off or the disc is loose inside.)

...release a mostly substandard version of a film WITHOUT informing the public that there will be a better version down the road. Positive caseth in pointeth: FOTR EE. Last year the good folks at New Line had the good sense to let us all know that there would be a special edition later in the year. Ditto this year with Towers. Such was not the case with Traffic, Black Hawk Down, X-Men & many others too numerous to mention. With the former 2 I just mentioned I purposely didn't get sucked in by the initial releases because I had a hunch they'd be upgraded.

...not eliminate WORTHWHILE Easter Eggs on discs. I'm not in agreement w/the posters on this thread that were calling for the elimination of eggs. I still enjoy the 82997 egg on T2 Ultimate. Likewise those found on the Evil Dead BOTD ed. What I don't enjoy are mundane eggs like DVD credits. If the folks who worked on the disc want their names on it, add it to the main menus or someplace more obvious.

 

[Andy_MT]

* thou shalt not pass off standard features (video,audio,subtitles) as special features.

* thou shalt not sharpen things that needeth not sharpening (ee).

* thou shalt not impose cardboard casing products (snapper) on most loyal and beloved consumers.

* thou shalt not useth most ancient transfers for collectors editions (from dusk till dawn, forrest gump, grease, the abyss, robin hood (kevin costner)?, terminator 2 UE)

* thou shalt not commit the 8th deadly sin - non OAR compliance. the lord will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger !!!

* thou shalt not disable audio and subtitle channels on the main feature.

 

[DeathStar1]

* thou shalt not commit the 8th deadly sin - non OAR compliance. the lord will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger !!!>>>

I was going to use a funnier quote for this from Holy Grail, but I couldn't recall any Knights from NEE(?) lines .

 

[Thomas Newton]

Do not anger the HTF dragons by releasing a title only in MAR, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.

 

[Vincent Matis]

That's the same thing as leaving the option alone, yes?

I'm not sure... The "default" language might be different than the "original" one. The Leon DVD released in France (the first movie released on DVD in France) had the "default" language set to French...

Cheers,

Vincent