DVD, The Studios and DIVX

Everybody is aware of the benefits of DVD to the consumer. It offers the best picture and sound quality available in the home today, and also offers lots of extra bonuses and features on most discs. All at prices which are reasonably affordable.

What everyone may not be so aware of are the benefits of DVD to the entertainment industry as a whole.

VHS has pretty much reached its saturation point in the industry. The only movies people are buying in huge quantities on VHS are newer releases, and for the most part the back catalogs are stale. There are a few exceptions to this, for example Disney's releases which are allowed on the shelves for limited periods of time and then re-released usually around a decade later. There are also some "classic" titles which have never been available for sell-through, and as such sell quite well in their initial releases on VHS. Still, sales figures are not what they were even five years ago, and so the studios need a new revenue stream. Enter DVD.

Disney doesn't make as much money from their catalog of animated titles as they used to, now that the VHS market has been saturated with sell-through movies. Once the DVD market hits 3-5 million players (probably this year), we should expect to see Disney starting it's "limited release" program on DVD. The nice thing about this happening is that Disney gets more money (like they really need it, but it does keep the shareholders happy) from the same old product. In five to ten years when they re-release it on DVD, the DVD market should still be growing (unlike the stagnant VHS market) and because of that growth Disney will be able to actually increase its revenue streams rather than have them remain flat. Let's face it, the only people buying VHS players these days are people who are replacing a broken one. They're not going to re-invest in new VHS tapes. Once recordable DVD hits the market (probably affordably in 2-3 years), it will mark the beginning of the end for VHS.

DVD offers the studios a whole new way to make money. They can release their back-catalogs on DVD, and fans of the film will find them. This will allow them to generate new revenue streams from old products (and only in movies and music is this really possible) with a minimal investment. There was never any question that every major studio would support DVD. The only question was how long it would take for them to jump in. Now that all the major studios are playing in the DVD market, expect to see movies released and re-released (with extra content, new transfers, whatever it takes to make them "A-list" again) on DVD in the next few years as the studios try to woo new DVD purchasers. It's an interesting situation because when VHS started out, the industry never really saw it as a sell-through format (in fact, they saw it as a serious threat to their business - ironic, isn't it?), so they never took advantage of it until at least ten years in. Obviously the story with DVD is not the same.

The other benefit to the industry, though, is in the introduction of new talent. Most good DVDs include supplemental material including photos, interviews, documentary featurettes, etc. There are of course, people who have to put this stuff together. This means more entertainment jobs as a whole.

Steven Spielberg started out directing for television, and eventually moved into features. David Fincher started with music videos (his masterpiece being, in my opinion, Aerosmith's Janie's Got a Gun video - which is available on DVD on "The Making of Pump"). Even psychotic American History X director Tony Kaye started with commercials. DVD features and supplements offer a whole new way for wanna-be directors, producers, writers and even actors to break into the industry. How long until we hear about a new up and coming director whose first work was the documentary on the Star Wars DVD?

This is great news for the industry as a whole. DVD means added revenue streams, new content providers, and of course new customers. The only kink in the slinky (so to speak) is the presence of DIVX.

Now, DIVX is not the threat that people perceive it to be. It isn't some all-consuming monster which will kill DVD. It is, however, a threat the harmony of the DVD market. It'll never gain mass acceptance for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it's expensive. Compared to a rental from Blockbuster or the corner video store, DIVX discs typically cost 30-50% more. Secondly, it's available ONLY in the US, and only at select stores (primarily Circuit City). The longer DIVX is not available in other countries, the less likely it will succeed as a format. Given strict US law about exporting encryption (and decryption) technology, I wouldn't hold my breath for DIVX in Europe, or anywhere else in the world. Third, DIVX requires a huge infrastructure to support. Even if DIVX were able to export their technology today, they don't have the resources or capital to set up the infrastructure (not to mention launch funds) necessary to get it out there. Even if the rumors are true and Blockbuster dumps a few hundred million into DIVX, it'll only be a temporary solution. Blockbuster isn't interested in DIVX, they're interested in hedging their bets because of competition from pay-per-view (and eventually video on demand).

So obviously, DIVX is dead in the water, so why is it a threat? It's a threat because it confuses the consumer. Especially when crooked Circuit City salespeople are feeding every customer the "DIVX is the Bomb" line when they come in the store. It introduces an element of chance to a DVD player purchase, and as such turns the consumer off. I feel much the same way about DTS sound, but at least a DTs disc will play on a non-DTs player

Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone should lose significant amounts of sleep over DIVX. It was more of a concern when DVD was just getting started, but now that DVD is firmly entrenched in the marketplace (and getting more so every day), DIVX is a minor blip on the radar. Circuit City and Digital Video Express' inept marketing and communications departments are more than taking care of DIVX by themselves. The added support for a public flogging of DIVX and its founders from web-sites like this simply add a few more nails to an already sturdy coffin.

I notice over at the DVD File page (www.dvdfile.com) , that Peter M. Bracke is opposed to the Warner Brothers budget titles. I have to say that I categorically disagree. Since not every movie deserves a special edition, I would say that it's probably a great idea to release as many movies as possible, as quickly as possible. For example, my wife is the sole person the planet who thoroughly enjoys Hudson Hawk, and who are we to criticize that (ahem)? She should be able to see it on DVD if she wants, but it's certainly not worthy of the production time or facilities necessary to produce a special edition. Better that it's on DVD in a limited capacity than not at all. Peter's article (and site) is great, though, so check it out! You won't regret it.

To add a new feature this week, I'm going to lift something from one of the columnists over at Mr. Showbiz (mrshowbiz.go.com). In Jeffrey Wells' Showbiz Confidential column (which seems to run about three times a week usually), he quotes lines from movies, then asks his readers to email him with who said it and which film it's from. Now, this is a great idea, except quite frankly this guy knows movies which are waaaay too obscure for me. Sometimes they're easy, but usually he'll grab two or three lines from different movies, so I'll usually only get one of them. I'm going to make it a little easier, I'll quote one line, and it may or may not be obscure. Of course, there are no prizes, I mean this is all just for fun, but the first person to answer each week will get his or her name run in this column (woohoo! Instant fame...forget fortune...)

To start this new feature off, I submit the following:

"I totally loogied on that good dead me!"

Anyhow, enough rambling from me...until next time, go watch a movie! 

Studio Round-Up

Now, nobody will argue that all companies have treated DVD equally. We've seen the quality of DVDs range from absolutely incredible (anything from Columbia/Tristar or Warner) to OK (Twentieth Century Fox - albeit this looks like it'll change very quickly), to Mediocre (Paramount, Disney) to absolutely terrible (those collections of Three Stooges, etc, with no extras, and the wrong Curly on the cover).

This week, I thought I'd do a round up of various studios releasing content on DVD and give you an idea of what to expect from them. I have no doubt that with the number of companies releasing DVDs these days, far from everyone is covered. I also am not familiar with every studio's work since I haven't had opportunity to peruse content from some smaller organizations.

These are in no particular order.

Twentieth Century Fox

Fox was originally supposed to be one of the first supporters of DVD, but backed out at the last second. As we are all far too familiar, it took them forever (and a day) to step back in. When they did come back, they released solid, but not spectacular DVDs (Predator, Home Alone 3). Picture quality was good, but not anamorphically enhanced. Sound was excellent. Features were pretty much nil (maybe a trailer if you got really lucky). They did release one or two special editions (i.e. Young Frankenstein), and the supplementary content there is excellent. With the release of news regarding the Alien DVDs coming in April, it appears that Fox has indeed turned their policies around. It looks like anamorphically enhanced transfers will be the norm, as will supplementary content. It looks like the Die Hard DVDs presented the first step in the turnaround, and it isn't taking long for Fox to come to grips with how to make great DVDs. Given their friggin' huge film library, this is great news.

Disney/Buena Vista

Disney has supported DVD since very early on, but only in a minimalist way. They release non-anamorphic DVDs, with little or no supplementary material. Picture quality has ranged from fair to very good (for non-anamorphic), while sound has generally been excellent.

Paramount

If you thought bonus features on Disney's discs were sparse, check out some of Paramount's! These guys took forever to come to DVD, and now that they're here they've been releasing film-only DVDs. Their first batch of DVDs were anamorphically enhanced, but for some reason only known to those with big foreheads in high places, change their tune with subsequent DVDs. How many others out there are disappointed that The Truman Show wasn't a special edition? Especially considering that for each take we saw on screen, Peter Weir allowed Jim Carrey to do an "improv" take. You can't tell me there isn't some great supplements available!

Dreamworks

The house that Stephen, David and Jeffrey built took a long time to come to DVD, but once they arrived they did it in a big way. They released excellent DVDs with unsurpassed picture quality, brilliant sound, great supplements and some of the best menu screens I've seen to date. If these guys can keep this up, they'll have DVD owners wrapped around their little fingers. One strike against them, the DVD replicating facility they're using seems to have a quality control problem. Every single copy of Small Soldiers I've seen has suffered from severe laser rot, and as a result there are several players out there that simply won't play this fun movie.

MGM/UA

MGM has consistently released some of the best DVDs on the market. Picture quality is typically excellent, sound is good and supplemental content is usually quite extensive. A few small strikes; releasing two editions of Tomorrow Never Dies in one year was not cool (although the special edition is amazing!), and having the supplemental content on Ronin only (easily) available to DVD-ROM drive owners is not a great idea either. The on-line "event" didn't really do anything that hasn't already been done in regular supplements.

Universal

These guys just can't get a break. They've had a rough couple of years, with major flop after flop (Babe: Pig In The City, Meet Joe Black, Psycho 98) and only a few hits which could hardly be considered "classics" (Patch Adams). Still, Universal's back catalog is one of the most sought after in the world (Back to the Future, Jurassic Park), and they've been releasing excellent editions of their movies both new and old to DVD. I look forward to Back to the Future: Special Edition, and I can hardly wait for a bunch of their other titles to come to DVD. Avoid the earliest of their releases, though, as they were released in a CD-style jewel case. They've since corrected this, going to the plastic keepcases we've all become accustomed to.

Warner Brothers

I'm absolutely convinced that Warner Brothers is the reason DVD has taken off in such a big way. Right from day one they released big movies day and date with their VHS counterparts, and have always strived for not only excellent picture and sound, but supplemental content as well. Bravo, guys! And keep up the good work! Now if only the film division would release more movies people actually want to see (what the hell was the deal with Lethal Weapon 4???)

Columbia/Tristar

Another early and big supporter of DVD (not a big surprise considering their parent company is one of DVD's creators, Sony). These guys have consistently released DVDs with absolutely great picture and sound, and have had some editions with beautiful supplements as well.

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

I know, I know, they're library has been bought up and they don't really exist anymore. Still, they supported DVD early on and had supplements on even the earliest of their discs (The Usual Supsects, etc.) I'm a little disappointed that The Game didn't have any supplements, but at least the menus were cool! I'll miss these guys, they had some of the quirkiest stuff out there (look for What Dreams May Come soon!)

Alliance

Alliance is the Canadian distributor responsible for releasing the majority of the Miramax content here in Canada (which is handled by Disney south of the border). They've done a bang-up job of showing how bad a job Disney is doing. Most of the Miramax flicks are still not anamorphic (owing to the fact that the transfer is supplied by Disney), but they almost always add some supplemental content to the American releases. See the Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction discs for prime examples of how much better their releases are than the US ones. Also, apparently the editions of The Sweet Hereafter and Good Will Hunting released Stateside are not anamorphic. I can't believe some companies get away with this stuff...

Madacy

I have only one DVD from these guys, and it's the aforementioned Three Stooges disc. This disc sucks. The cover is deceptive, and the quality of the content is marginal at best. It looks like it was taken from a bad VHS dub. The only good things are the pathetic trivia game supplement, and the fact that it won't wear out like a VHS tape (although maybe that's NOT a good thing...)

Rhino

The only DVDs I have from these guys are the South Park discs, but I have to say that they're excellent. They understand that DVDs are cheap to produce, and so they put four episodes on one disc instead of two like on the VHS tapes. Plus they added the intros by Trey and Matt, and the Comedy Central commercial is kind of fun as well (at least for those of us in Canada who don't actually get Comedy Central).

Well, that pretty much wraps up the Studio round-up for the moment. Maybe in a year's time I'll give them all a new report card and we'll see if any of the lacking studios have improved. And to the guys like WB and Columbia, keep up the great work! There are people out here who appreciate it!

Until next time, go watch a movie! (on DVD of course...) 

Stanley Kubrick

In a terrible piece of news, acclaimed film director Stanley Kubrick has died at the age of 70 years.

This is a huge loss to film lovers everywhere, as Kubrick was easily one of the greatest filmmakers to ever walk the planet. While I haven't seen all of his films, I can say that I have always admired his work. Some of the films that he made have sat on my favorites list for a long time.

I first became familiar with Stanley Kubrick around the time 2010 came out. I was a big fan of the book 2001: A Space Odyssey, and in order to prepare for the release of the movie, I decided to rent 2001. I hadn't been born when the movie first hit theaters, so I've never actually seen it on the big screen. I did however, find the movie fascinating to watch on video (and can only imagine and envy what it felt like to see this magnificent epic on a huge scale). Needless to say, I now own the DVD.

After seeing something I had never seen before, I decided to seek out some other work by Kubrick, and came across A Clockwork Orange. This movie has stuck with me ever since I saw it. It was completely unlike anything I'd ever seen before, and had me completely dumbstruck the whole time I was sitting there. I didn't need any of those little eyelid gizmos to keep my attention, that's for sure.

Still, I craved more, and I suppose that's what Kubrick's magic was. He always kept you wanting more because you never knew what was going to happen next. I saw anything I could find, Dr. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining.

Still, I love no Kubrick movie more than his grand epic masterpiece, Spartacus. This is a huge (and I mean HUGE) movie, which moves you in huge ways. It doesn't attempt to move you with epic shocking battles, or huge set pieces, though. Those are merely backdrops for great characters, and beautiful acting. Only a master like Kubrick could have put together a film this amazing. For anyone who hasn't seen this movie, I urge you to run out and buy the DVD right now. This is one of the greatest films ever made. Period.

This July, Stanley Kubrick's final film will be released. Warner Brothers executives had their first taste of it last week. Eyes Wide Shut starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise is one of the most widely anticipated films of the year, trailing only slightly behind Star Wars: Episode I with fans. I can't wait to see this movie, but at the same time I dread reaching the end of it. I can't believe that once I've seen this movie, I will never see a new Stanley Kubrick work, and somehow, no matter how good the movie is, I suspect it'll be bittersweet. Like finding a last letter from a dead relative, or a great last book from a brilliant author. It's nice to find it, and to read it, but it's incredibly sad to know that you'll never hear from them again.

I apologize if this little ramble seems disjointed. I had to take a few breaks while writing it, because it choked me up so much. I doubt that there are many filmmakers who have influenced me as much as Kubrick.

So, until next time, go watch a Kubrick movie. You won't be sorry. 

A Great Film Which Could be Overlooked...

Every year, December 31st comes around, and every year a whole bunch of critics and pundits and moviegoers and average joes come out and claim "movie XXX was the best of the year!". I've always been one to spend some time reflecting, because I believe recent memories tend to taint views (which is why the Oscars barely ever recognize a movie which was released in January unless it had a limited LA release before the end of the previous year). I've had almost two months to mull over what my favorite movie of 1998 was, and the result may surprise you. It's a small Canadian film (US $2 Million budget) written and directed by Don McKellar called "Last Night". It's about how a group of characters spend the last six hours on Earth.

Don says it best, so I'll let him speak for himself:

"The world is ending once again. But this time, in my movie, there is no overburdened loner duking it out with the asteroid, no presidents, or generals turning the tables on extra-terrestrials. Those heroes are out there, somewhere, one hopes, but I was interested in the rest of us suckers -- hapless individuals who, with limited access to nuclear resources, would have to come to terms with the fast approaching finale."


The movie hasn't been distributed in the States yet (although I believe Lion's Gate will be distributing it there sometime this year), and I certainly hope it gets the attention it deserves. It has been shown at a number of festivals around the world, has received national distribution in Canada and has received outstanding reviews. Roger Ebert said, "a quiet rebuke to the overwrought end-of-the-world dramas like Deep Impact." At Cannes it won the Prix de la Juenesse, it was named best film by the Toronto Critics Association, was nominated for 11 Genie awards (Canadian equivalent of the Academy Awards), and McKellar took home the Jutra Award, which is given to the best new film director by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Since it hasn't been released Stateside yet, the only category it could have qualified for was Best Foreign Film (and it didn't get nominated). All I can say, is I hope it gets nominated for best picture next year. Needless to say, it's a critic's darling, but it could also be an audience darling with the right marketing.

Now, I'm not one to fall for a film simply because other people tell me to. I went to this movie hoping for something good (which is what I always do), and came out blown away. The movie stuck with me, and it's a testament to its staying power that it is now five months since I've been able to see the film, and it's still with me. I can remember every detail, every frame, and every touching line of dialogue. I can't wait to see it again! This movie lingers for a long time, and really makes you think. With only six hours left, what would YOU do?

In Canada the film was distributed by Odeon films (the distribution arm of Cineplex Odeon, known down south as Loews Odeon, I believe). In the US I understand Lion's Gate will be distributing it, but I could be wrong. Let me say this now so you don't miss it: If this film comes to your town, go see it. You will not be sorry. It is 90 minutes of the most moving, emotional drama I have ever seen on the big screen.

Now, I realize that this little push for a tiny film hasn't really had anything to do with DVD as of yet, but it will now. To Don McKellar, Lion's Gate, Odeon Films, anyone who'll listen, PLEASE, for God's sake, do a special edition DVD for this film. It deserves it, and there's so much that could be told. I can just imagine Don McKellar's audio commentary describing how you manage to make it look like a thirty story building is burning on a two million dollar budget (or maybe he just got lucky, and there was really a fire in the building?). I can already see the rough storyboards, and I'd love to see the trailer again! This is the kind of movie that invites commentary, and I'm sure that you could get some great interviews from the cast for the featurette. Put it all together, and this movie will receive the following it deserves. It will attain classic status, for now and eternity.

Until next time, go see a movie! (And I hope it's as good as Last Night) 

Issue #1

In the tradition of people writing for web pages it always seems the best way to start out is to introduce one's self. In that tradition, my name is Ken Pierce, and I'll be a contributing editor here at dvdfuture.com. I hail from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where DVD and CD prices are the best in the world. It's probably because the weather has a tendency to get cold, and that means people stay indoors. My background is in computers, with a minor in entertainment junkie. I've always loved the entertainment industry, and particularly the film industry.

I became enamored with DVD a few years back when I heard it was coming. I had begun seriously thinking about a laserdisc player, because VHS tapes just weren't cutting it for my home video needs. As I started doing research on laserdisc, I came across several articles about the new format "in the pipe", DVD. I decided to hold off on the laserdisc player until I could see what DVD had to offer. I had no idea DVD would be so late, but in the end it was worth the delay.

I decided not to purchase one of the first generation of DVD players, knowing full-well what first generation technology can be like. I also could see that there weren't a lot of titles on DVD yet, and I wanted to be sure that the format would gain at least the laserdisc-style niche following before laying down my hard-earned cash. After all, who wants to dump money on a format which could be the next eight-track?

I had a good idea what features I wanted in a DVD player. First and foremost was component video outputs, because I knew I'd be purchasing a High-Definition Television Set at some point down the road, and wanted to have the best possible signal to put into that set. Other features which were nice, but not necessary, included a Dolby Digital decoder with analog outputs and of course the pre-requisite excellent picture and sound quality. I eventually decided to go with the Toshiba SD-3107 DVD player, which was one of the top players at the time. In a textbook example of Murphy's Law, about a month after I purchased my 3107 the SD-3108 with DTS sound appeared. Oh well, can't win 'em all. The 3107 offered most of the features I was after, including the component outputs. It doesn't have a Dolby Digital decoder built in, but that wasn't a prerequisite because I didn't have a Dolby Digital-Ready receiver anyhow. That just means I'll have to pick up a DD receiver at some point down the road.

Overall, the Toshiba SD-3107 has proven to be a very good player for me. The jog shuttle on the front is handier than I thought it would be, especially when looking for that elusive frame with the "flub" in it. My only complaints would be with layer changes, which seem a little slow on the player. If anyone has any suggestions for calibrating this like you can on the Sony players please feel free to email me.

On the movie front, I immediately began a DVD collection. I picked up three DVDs with the player, The Crow, Scarface and Dante's Peak. Upon getting the player home, the first thing I did (obviously) was hook it up, and my wife and I sat down and watched The Crow. The picture and sound were amazing, and this isn't even a DVD that really takes advantage of the format. Needless to say, we were hopelessly hooked. Since that day, our collection has grown to its current 46 titles, with an average of a title a week being added to that. The format has proven good enough that we're replacing favorite titles we already own on VHS with the DVD version, including movies like Trainspotting, Scream and Pulp Fiction.

In future, I'll be submitting articles on a number of different subjects, including a close examination of some movies and their DVD editions, the state of the DVD industry, DVD publishing, DVD problems, the studios and their DVDs, and many many more subjects. I'm a person who is known for having an opinion, and trust me, I'll be posting it. Also, Calgary is a bit of a hotbed for film productions these days, and if I can swing it I hope to get some interviews from various people in the film industry regarding their feelings toward DVD and where they'd like to see it go. Anyhow, until next time, go watch a movie!