What a great week for DVD that was, don’t you think? Finally we have been seeing some really “classic” and highly anticipated releases. MGM have just released “Gone With The Wind” in a completely new, restored version. Universal have dropped “For Whom The Bells” tolls on our desks earlier this week and next week we will see the release of “Casablanca”. These are some serious films and certainly films, many people have been waiting for. Not only DVD owners will be excited with these releases, but also those who have been sitting on the fence, waiting to see what happens to the fledgling format. One of the major weaknesses of DVD since its introduction has been the lack of really big, classic titles, the movies the general audience wants to see and enjoy, and finally these days a number of them are seeing a glorious new light of day on DVD. Still, many people are undecided, what to make of this new technology. It still has a very elitist image that has not changed very much since its introduction about 18 months ago.

Only last night we went to a party where we met a number of interesting people from the movie industry, one of them was a young actor who starred in “Titanic”, and yet, one of his first questions was “Is DVD really that good?” I think this has to be the most commonly asked question I hear these days when I talk to people. Slowly the general audience seems to become aware that there is a new video format that comes on a shiny silver disc thanks to a number of TV commercials and other media coverage, but we have not yet managed to communicate to them, what makes it so special.

Another myth has manifested itself in people’s minds, and that is the belief that they would need a new, widescreen TV set to enjoy DVD. Most people have become so used to the inferior quality of TV broadcasts and VHS video that they have trouble believing their standard TV set could be capable of more. If these enhanced resolution capabilities have been slumbering inside an ordinary TV set, the TV industry would surely made use of them ealier, right? It usually takes quite some time to convince these people that indeed, even their 7 year old 27” TV set is capable of displaying a higher resolution image than VHS ever will and that it would be absolutely sufficient to allow them enjoy and recognize DVD’s superior quality. While it is certainly not pushing the technology to the limits, I am sure we all agree that you can see the improvement on any TV set, no matter how small or old it is.

I have noticed that many DVD fans get completely entangled in talking about those great Special Editions, all the additional material that can be found on those discs, the widescreen transfers or even the disc’s anamorphic capabilities when they try to sell the format to someone. However, they forget one thing in the course of it. Chances are, you are just about to turn someone off the format. I cannot point out too many times that the general audience is not interested in these things and can in fact be frightened by its implications. The fact that many people believe they need a new TV set to enjoy DVD, is clearly a result of inadequate anamorphic propaganda. Someone told them what a cool feature of DVD it is, without really making sure they understand what it really means, and most importantly, that it is backwards compatible. The same can happen when we talk about director’s commentaries. Someone uninitiated might think he now has to watch a film wile the director is talking all the time  doesn’t that make it a little hard to understand what is going on in the film? Again, it is easy to plant the seed within people’s minds that they might be forced to watch a film in a way they are not used to, and I believe this is where most of the insecurity comes from. People are afraid that with this new technology and its possibilities the films wouldn’t be the same. So, the next time you try to sell your parents or friends on the format, don’t try to tell them how great anamorphic discs look like or how your house shook during the attack scene in “Godzilla” due to the hot 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack. Tell them how great “Gone With The Wind” looks in this newly restored version and how DVD’s color reproduction an a regular TV set brings this film to new life. Let them know that they can see “Spartacus” without a single interruption and maybe just let them know that “Casablana” is still in black&white on DVD, but without the noise and speckles. Sometimes it is the simple things that make people believe and although DVD is growing at a healthy rate, we still need a lot more believers to make it the leading home video platform.

That’s it for this time. Take care and enjoy your DVD.

 November 15, 1998

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