DVD is to VHS as Iceberg is to Titanic.
May 26 '01
The Bottom Line If this is the only Epinion you read on the merits of the DVD format, well then you're insane.
I am a full-fledged DVD addict freak-a-holic insane person. I was naturally predisposed to this malady, seeing as I've been a movie sponge for most of my walking years. And although I'm a fully converted DVD man now, I'd never think if denigrating or mocking the antiquated old VCR machine. That piece of hardware introduced me to hundreds of wonderful movies and easily double that in awful ones.
But times change. People grow older and earn more money. So naturally comes new technology. Seeing as I never really bought into that whole Laserdisc thing, I approached the DVD craze with some skepticism. That skepticism lasted about 9 seconds; those seconds were spent listening to a commentary track of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell discussing the production of The Thing while they were watching the movie. I had found my own personal brand of crack.
Being smart (as well as poor), I decided to wait for a sale and pick up something nice and cheap. I settled on a GE 1105P. Don't laugh. It's a darn solid machine (especially for a floor model), and I've never been one to allow the limitations of an inferior product stand in the way of my fun. (These Epinions earn me a pretty penny, and they're being written on an Apple 2c.)
So we all know Scott likes his DVDs. But what makes them that much better than VHS tapes? Surely a movie is a movie is a movie and so on until someone smacks you...right? If I want to see Barb Wire, can't I just go rent the VHS tape from any of those nasty giant BLUE stores all over the planet? Well, yes. You could. But if you're watching that movie on VHS, you're robbing yourself of such treats as:
Spanish Subtitles
Theatrical Trailers
Pamela Lee Topless Audio Commentary
French Audio Track
Widescreen Anamorphic 16x9 Enhanced DTS Pan & Scan Dolby Digital 2.0/5.1/42/huthut AudioPhonic SenSurround 1.85:1 Apsect Ratio Display
(Ok, I started out mocking Barb Wire, but somehow I ended up teasing the actual DVD features. That was unintentional.)
Simply put, DVD is the only acceptable format for hardcore (or even mildly rabid) movie fans. OK, if you're someone who can go five weeks without renting a movie, then A) your VCR is a perfect fit and B) you need psychological help.
I'm certainly no electronics or software expert, so I'll spare you my lame attempts at explaining all the hardcore terminology. But here's how I see the difference: Take a still photograph of the opening shot from The Sound of Music. You know, the one with that happy Nun freak frolicking atop a mountain, all Vista-Vision-like. Now take that photograph and slice off a good five inches from the left and right sides. Then grasp the butchered photograph firmly on the top and bottom and streeeeeetch it out a bit. Oh, then bleach out all the colors, add dirt spots, grungy burnholes and a nasty faded glare... oh, and don't forget to muffle the audio so it sounds like a mumbling beagle while you jam the musical score, sound effects and dialogue directly on top of each other. There: You've turned DVD into VHS.
The Official Scott "DVD Freak" DVD Glossary:
Anamorphic - Well, it's like when...well...the COLORS...and the shadows...are all...good and stuff. *When a disc is in anamorphic form, it means the picture is squeezed horizontally to fit the standard 4:3 rectangle of a TV, then unsqueezed during playback.*
16x9 - It equals 144, right? *Video can be stored on a DVD in 4:3 format (standard TV shape) or 16:9 (widescreen). The width-to-height ratio of standard televisions is 4 to 3; in other words, 1.33 times wider than high. New widescreen televisions, specifically those designed for HDTV, have a ratio of 16 to 9; that is, 1.78 times wider than high.*
Pan & Scan - As unpleasant as it sounds. *Pan & scan means the thinner TV "window" is panned and zoomed across the wider movie picture, chopping off the sides.*
Keep Case - What you should do whenever you buy a new DVD. These are simply the most common cases for DVDs to be packaged in. Hard plastic with a screen covering it, which holds a (hopefully cool) cover for the movie.
Flipper Case - God, do these suck. These are the second most commonly used DVD packages. They consist mainly of thin carboard held together by some clicky strips of plastic. Keep these away from soda.
DTS - Stands for Digital Tourette's Syndrome. Occurs when trying to remove the 43 security stickers attached to your 10 dollar Excalibur DVD. *Digital Theater Systems Digital Surround (DTS) is an audio encoding format similar to Dolby Digital. It requires a decoder, either in the player or in an external receiver. Some people claim that because of its lower compression level DTS sounds better than Dolby Digital. Others claim there is no meaningfully perceptible difference, especially at the typical data rate of 768 kbps, which is 60% more than Dolby Digital.*
Closed Captions - Subtitles. *Even though the terms caption and subtitle have similar definitions, captions commonly refer to on-screen text specifically designed for hearing impaired viewers, while subtitles are straight transcriptions or translations of the dialogue.*
Subtitles - Captions.
---
*Very Special Thanks to the Official DVD FAQ for the REAL definitions to these terms. If I have broken any copyright laws by re-producing these definitions here, let me just say that I'm sorry and also that I'm the only Jewish person I know who doesn't have a lawyer, so show mercy. The full DVD FAQ is available at the link below, and I fully recommend perusing it when you have a good 3 hours to spare:
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
---
All that technical mumbo-jumbo aside, let's look at this issue in a practical manner:
Say you're a huge fan of the 1984 mega-flop that was Supergirl, and it's a film you'd like to own. If you're a VHS enthusiast (Aack! What's a VHS enthusiast?), you can certainly own the movie. But if you're a DVD-head, you'll be bringing home not one but two different versions of the film, in addition to a massive amount of Supergirl-related goodies, such as deleted scenes, documentaries, trailers, press notes, cool little booklets, a lock of Faye Dunaway's hair and several audio commentaries which discuss every aspect of the film - from why Helen Slater was cast in the lead (bra size) to how much money Peter O'Toole earned for his 11-second appearance (40 bucks and some Chinese tea) to the real reason this awful film was ever produced. (Rampant terminal greed, otherwise known as Salkind Syndrome.)
Now imagine the same scenario for every single movie you love. I own John Carpenter's The Thing on VHS. I bought it about ten years ago. This is a movie I love, yet I never felt any real thrill about owning the tape. Once I got my fingers on the universally-adored DVD Special Edition, it was a whole new world. I now have a collection that would predicate a strict (and well-thought out) detour should my house ever catch on fire one night.
So I told you all that so I could tell you this: DVD is quite simply the future as far as the whole watching movies at home thing is concerned. You wanna tape Friends and Malcolm in the Middle? Cool. Keep the VCR. You want to experience movies the right way? The way the filmmakers intended? Do us all a favor and splurge.
Be sure to shop around and check those weekly sales flyers from stores like Target, Best Buy, etc. DVDs are always released on Tuesdays and the new releases are almost always on sale when they are first released. One particularly good website for finding the best deals is the aptly-named www.dvdpricesearch.com
So there you have it. Secure in the confidence that I have thoroughly convinced you to run out and buy a DVD player tonight, I will end with a list of DVDs that I'd highly recommend you start your library with:
Fight Club (Brilliant movie. Stunning DVD.)
Toy Story 1/2 (Either set is fine, although the "Ultimate Toy Box" is phenomenal!)
Dark City (Trust me on this one.)
The Thing (The commentary alone makes this one a classic.)
The Matrix (I have yet to meet a DVD freak who doesn't have this one.)
Gladiator (Just to show you how cool "Special Features" can be.)
Se7en (Make sure you get the 2-disc Special Edition! This is the crown jewel of my collection.)
Young Frankenstein (A gorgeous transfer of a truly hysterical movie, complete with a great audio commentary and a handful of wonderful outtakes. Can you tell that this is my All-Time Favorite Movie?)
...of course I only recommend the above titles if you actually like the movie itself! No amount of cool goodies will be any fun if you don't like the movie! Why do you think they used to give away copies of Lost in Space for free?
So there you have it. I've ranted long enough and my brand new Big Trouble in Little China DVD is sitting downstairs waiting for me. But before I go, here are some other required stops for the DVD fan - whether you're an anamoprhic freak like me or a Digital Neophyte:
DVD File - My favorite site for all-around DVD news, reviews and opinions. www.dvdfile.com
The Digital Bits - Another fantastic site, best known for it's ultra-time consuming 'Upcoming DVD Art' section. www.thedigitbalbits.
Deep Discount DVD - Everyone has their favorite online DVD retailers, and this one is mine. www.deepdiscountdvd.com
and I've saved the best for last:
Home Theater Forum - When I'm not spending time at Epinions, this is where you'll find me. Easily the most fascinating, entertaining, enlightening and well-behaved "Message Board" I've ever seen. But calling the Home Theater Forum a message board is like calling Matthew Lillard mildly annoying. No matter what area of the home theater interests you, HTF has a forum for it: Hardware (DVD players, speakers, hookups, etc.), software (the DVDs themselves), Movies (dedicated solely to intelligent and sometimes heated movie discussion), Polls (games, polls and all things trivial) and about 25 more. I happened across this site quite by accident last year, and I've been an addict ever since. If you're a DVD freak, HTF will suck you in. Trust me. www.hometheaterforum.com
OK, if I don't stop now, I'll just keep going. Bottom Line? You need a DVD player. Stop fighting it.
Evolve already.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
scott29
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: Philadelphia
Reviews written: 457
Trusted by: 414 members
About Me:
Passionate, opinionated, and always on the lookout for the next great movie.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.