My first DVD purchase was motivated by the release of Ghostbusters, a DVD that rocked videophiles with some awesome, never-before-seen bonus materials, including using one of the subtitle overlay tracks to create an interesting MST3K commentary silhouette. At the same time, my wife picked out Con-Air, a DVD release that had nothing. The comparison between the two was instant. They both looked cool, but what was the purpose in picking up a DVD without bonus features if I already had the movie on VHS? My DVD purchasing strategy was formulated that very weekend: no DVDs that didn’t have something to offer beyond the movie.
I guess studios picked up on that buying strategy pretty quickly, because it suddenly became the trend to pad DVD content descriptions. Things that should have been normal inclusions, surround sound, subtitles, alternate language audio tracks, suddenly became special features on a DVD. Even worse was when “interactive menus” became an offering. Keep in mind, any DVD menu that has you press a button to start the movie is interactive. It may not look good, but it’s interactive. Saying that was a bonus offering was a clever way of padding a menu that took quite a few people some time to see though. Yes, I honestly heard people in stores saying, “Hey look honey, this movie has interactive menus,” a phrase that usually included a butchered pronunciation of “interactive.”
Keep in mind, this was all when DVD was relatively new. As VHS was phased out and DVDs became the primary purchase point, studios managed to get away with putting less on discs without having to pad the menus. After all, if it’s the only game in town, you don’t have any choice but to pick up the DVD, even if it is a bare-bones release. I can’t help but notice that the menu padding has started up again. Even worse, we’re not just getting a menu padded, but the new trend means describing a DVD release as having more discs than it actually has as well.
Digital Copies: Useful feature or package padding?
It used to be that a two or three-disc DVD set meant something really special. Extra discs meant extra space for another cut of the movie, or a ton of bonus materials, and usually these releases had the absolute best contents (see releases like Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Ultimate Edition DVD for a comprehensive movie making school, The Abyss: Special Edition or Clerks X for awesome presentations of alternate versions in one package, and, of course, the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions - possibly the most complete DVD sets ever put out). The more discs, the more space for content, and the more entertainment to view.
Unfortunately, a new trend has started that is adding to the number of discs a set can brag about having, without actually adding new content: the digital copy. Using the digital copy, movie fans can (legally and legitimately) copy the movie of their choice to their laptop, iPod, or other portable accessory, and have a movie available on the go. It’s a nifty feature, but I have to wonder just how often its used, and if it’s really worth the bragging rights most DVD producers are laying claim to.
I have both a laptop and an iPod, but I rarely use either to watch full length movies. Sure, when I’m traveling cross-country or for an extended period of time I’ll put a movie or two on my iPod, but they wind up taking up space for longer than they get used. Typically I won’t put epic scope movies on their either. The small screen just doesn’t lend itself to epic storytelling like The Dark Knight or Wall-E. So my use of digital copies is pretty limited, making it close to useless as a bonus feature.
I like the idea of a digital copy, especially one offered legally. The tools have been around for years to rip a copy of your favorite movie for replay on your iPod or laptop, but I’ve always been a proponent that honesty is the best policy, and that the tools should serve as a message to studios that something like digital copies are what consumers want. Once studios are offering that legally, I think it’s only right to take advantage of that.
Should a digital copy really be counted toward a disc’s bonus materials? Absolutely! It’s a nice offering that still isn’t offered with every movie. Until it completely becomes status quo, I completely understand counting it among the pros of picking up a DVD. Should it count toward a release’s disc count and bragging rights? That’s where I take issue with the studios’ strategy. You see, as much as I love my copy of the three disc version of The Dark Knight, the truth is it’s only two discs of actual content. The third disc is that digital copy - a copy that may never get used by many people, and technically just repeats the exact same material that’s on disc one. It just lets you watch it through a different medium.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the idea of offering a digital copy is a grand concept and I applaud studios for continuing it. I frown upon the marketing bragging rights its giving certain releases though. Should anyone think they are buying a Two-Disc Special Edition if both discs only hold the movie and nothing else? It’s just as deceptive as “interactive menus.” Unfortunately, it will probably take just as long for the average consumer to realize they are getting conned by the label, and that the disc they just bought doesn’t have as much as they think it does.
How about you? Are digital copies worthwhile enough to give releases added bragging rights, or is this interactive menus all over again?
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