What DVD trends are ticking you off lately? (1 Viewer)

[RobertM.Fleming]

but they have...in region 2. Their 3-disk set is an actual three disk DVD set. if the US Deluxe release had this instead of a soundtrack I would guarantee that it sells better.

and im waiting for the "why not just go multi region and get the UK version instead" response. Why not? why should we have to go to that extreme for a DVD release? if a 3-disk dvd set will sell in region 2, im sure as hell it would sell better in the states.


also would have to agree with the menus that give away the movie and forced trailers mentioned above. I can too can do without those.

 

[Matt Czyz]

I think the Indiana Jones menus were the worst offenders in this category. They highlight every major scene, from beginning to end, for each film.
They're fun to watch, IMO, but I can see someone yelling at their kids before watching Raiders with them for the first time: "Keep your eyes shut, don't look at it!"

 

[Lafe F]

I do not like the TV ads which say "Own it today on DVD" or "Own it Tuesday."

I don't like how Disney pushes a new disc ad every Tuesday with the same announcer voice.

And how Disney call their discs "Disney DVD" - as if it's some technology that differs from all the other studio DVDs.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Oops - sorry, George, I read you wrong. I somehow thought you were objecting to "split seasons"!

As for "only getting one season," that really aggravates me. But even there, if the choice was one season or none, I'd take the season.

 

[RyanAn]

I LOVE interactive menus, and hate dull, drab little ones that are just the cover.

I hate the forced copyright/MPAA Rating (I don't trust their opinion anyway)/ that is always playing.

I do not find 3-Disc Deluxe sets annoying, but a treat as long as they are released on the same day much like Mystic River. But when I am itching for the director's cut of Hellboy, it ticks me off.

When a director leaves half-way during a commentary or is boring. (Mel Brooks talks about bread in the Blazing Saddles 30th, then leaves early)

Ryan

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I dislike DVDs with long, forced menus. It's especially bad on TV shows, like the Star Trek: DS9 and Bullwinkle sets. However, I have noticed it on some films as well, such as the original X-Men DVD release.

 

[Paul Strilka]

I can deal with most all of these complaints. Except the one which takes advantage of the customer who buys the SE DVD only to hear about a "Deluxe" SE Directors Cut version a few months later.
Chances are if you bought the movie once you like the film and would prefer to own the most complete version available.
I hate the forced double dip.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

It's not pointless to me because this is a favourite of mine. Any additional extras are worth a double dip to me. Also since the movie was released several years ago, DVD authoring has improved. A better picture should result.

If you are not interested in such things you do not have to buy the re-release. Then again, one would not get such items as the upcoming Gone With The Wind re-release.

If the market will bear it, I have no problem with this trend.

 

[george kaplan]

I have no objection to split seasons. I guess if I had my druthers I'd prefer whole seasons, but if split seasons is what it takes to get the whole series out, then fine.

 

[Dennis*G]

I can't satand interactive/animated menus. Just pop up the play screen so I can get on with the movie.

Finding Nemo drives me nuts waiting for the animated menus to finish...

 

[John Watson]

Where to start?

I'll just stick with the diversity of bad design in the packaging.

If this species can't adopt one of the better designs, and use it as a standard, then we deserve the chaos we're getting.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Gotta add this to my list, Disney does this a lot...or where they'll release a 2 disc set, and most of the content of disc 2 are games and such.

 

[JPCinema]

The trend in the ongoing mania of releasing TV shows while most studios are neglecting DVD releases of Movies from the 40's 50's and 60's. So many classic have yet to see the light of day..but with TV shows, the market is inundated with them!

 

[Charlie Essmeier]

DVD trends that continue to tick me off:

1. Forced trailers
2. Forced menus. If I want a menu, I'll press the "menu" button. I'm only going to watch the extras once; why do I have to navigate around them every time I insert the disc? I want the movie to start automatically unless I press the "menu" button.
3. Any segment of any disc that disables my controls.
4. Bad packaging, which includes anything more elaborate than a slipcover or a jewel box. The Monkees box sets weren't packaged well, but the cardboard covers for the individual discs in the box are just fine and take up minimal space.
5. Menus that second guess my choices. Are you sure you want DTS?
6. Pointless, annoying, time-wasting "features", like the James Bond discs that require that the disc be "activated."

I continue to be amazed that as time goes on, the product becomes harder and harder to use.

Charlie

 

[John Watson]

"I continue to be amazed that as time goes on, the product becomes harder and harder to use."

Amen. Sounds like my experience with computers, new TV and audio gear, etc.

 

[MarkHarrison]

I don't know about Purple Rain and Lost Boys, but Goodfellas would have looked quite silly in a digipak next to all the keep cases in the Scorsese box.

I've heard this argument elsewhere about WB not doing digipaks anymore. I don't know what's going on, but I'm holding off to see what's done with Harry Potter before I get upset over a few releases not being in digipaks.

 

[dan fritzen]

I know Disney doesn't do this with every disc, but if they all had Disney enhanced 5.1 like Lion King has and Aladdin is supposed to have, I would be for them calling it Disney DVD.

I hate when the first release is the uber deluxe edition. even if it is what it says don't name the edition, since it will be released again, a nice nomenclature of editions would be best, otherwise joe schmoe may want the new edition he sees a commercial for but buys some 2 year old deluxe version thinking it is the brand new ultra version.

 

[David_Blackwell]

I don't like them holding back extras (that exist) for a future special edition. I won't mind waiting 2-3 months for a better edition as the one release (instead of multiple releases).

 

[TommyT]

I'm annoyed when there isn't an insert in the box, & I hate hate HATE [rant]HATE[/rant] forced trailers!

One of my biggest peeves lately, tho, has been menus where it's hard to tell what choice you're making because of the color scheme. The old edition of The Abyss is like that. I've also found it on The French Connection (2 disc set).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Paramount's not the only company to use them.

As far as the stickers go, I don't mind peeling them off, and as someone who's worked in a video store, I'm glad they're there. Most retail DVDs that get stolen aren't stolen with the packaging... the person just comes in, slices the shrinkwrapping, opens the case, and takes out the disc. The stickers and the tabs do make it harder for people to quickly steal the discs in a discreet matter, which means less stuff goes missing, which means the store loses less money. If that causes me or anyone else the inconvenience of peeling off an extra couple stickers, I really don't mind.

As for real pet peeves, the ones that can't be easily peeled away:

1. Forced trailers. If I wanted those, I'd still be using my VCR.

2. Interactive/animated menus. Honestly, I'd prefer menus like on the older Criterion discs, where you pop in the DVD, the menu comes up, there's no flashing or animation, and no background music to repeat over and over. But I don't really mind the menus that have little bits of stuff to them, but I do hate the ones where it takes a freaking hour to navigate them. So anything where you have an animation or movie clip when you first put the disc in before the main menu, and then another one every time you go to press a button, those annoy the living hell out of me. And don't even get me started on the bonus disc for the first Harry Potter movie.

3. DVDs that don't allow me to use my remote. By this, I mean DVDs that don't allow for switching subtitle and/or audio tracks on the fly. Those buttons are on the remote for a reason: so I can use them! Sometimes, if I can't make out a line correctly, I might want to use a subtitle for a brief moment. Sometimes I like to toggle between commentary and the film's soundtrack, or sometimes I just want to compare an original mono mix with a 5.1 remix. Either way, the option to switch on the fly should be mine, always.

4. DVDs that list things like "Digitally Mastered" as a special feature. DVD is a digital medium, therefore, for any information to be stored on the disc, it must be in the digital format. Stating a spec of the technology is not a special feature, folks!

5. DVDs that list things like "Digitally Restored" or "All New Restoration" without citing what kind of work has been done. I do not consider an LDI style cleanup to be restoration work. That's video cleanup work, and I'm glad it's done (well, most of the time), but that's not a restoration. In my book, a restoration means that elements have been restored and preserved so that new prints can be made, allowing the film to be screened theatrically. The "North By Northwest" DVD looks great, but the movie wasn't restored - they didn't actually repair any of the damage on film, and there aren't new elements from which to make new prints. The new Star Wars DVDs were not restored. To begin with, restoration means to put something back to the way it was - not to add new special effects. Digital files were manipulated to make a presentable image for home theaters. I'm not saying what they did with those films is bad, I'm just saying it doesn't fit the definition of restoration, as I understand it to be. When a word like "restoration" gets thrown around and used to cover just about any circumstance, it starts to lose it's meaning, and it becomes a marketing hook blankly applied to anything the studios feel like using it for. People like our own Robert Harris, Ronald Haver, Scott MacQueen, Robert Gitt and others have worked very hard to restore certain films, and by calling everything that gets put on DVD that's not a brand new release a "restoration", their work starts to go unnoticed and underappreciated because the general public has no idea of the extent to which they do their work. These people deserve all of the credit they can get, and then some.