Page 1 of Whats the first thing u look for when considering a dvd

I know 5.1 sound is expected but that is almost standard. The main extra that i look out for is deleted scenes and alternate ending as i love seeing what could have been. Some can be s***e (scream 3, frequency, etc) but some are awesome. The deleted scenes from mallrats were great and sometimes better than the film. I heard some of the galaxy quest del scenes are like this as well. The alternate ending in Die Hard 3 and Final Destination is worth watching as they are pretty good.

I don`t really buy it for delete scenes, I like music videos, commentries (some good, some bad), making of Doc.. If the film is a director`s cut then it`s more of a chance of me buying it, DTS is also a bonus, and a good packaging is also very tempting.

However, I got to like the film in the first place. Nothing can make me buy Battlefield Earth, no matter what extras they put in it. But if I like the film, I`ll buy it regardless of the extras, as long as it`s Widescreen and has a good transfer. Otherwise, what`s the point of DVD? In fact, I have ordered Almost Famous bootleg edition just because of the extras. Why? I want to see the extra 30 mins and because it`s a director`s cut. But I already have the normal version, but I love that film.

This item was edited on Saturday, 13th October 2001, 19:36

The film being uncut with a good true to the original transfer is what I look for.
If the audio was originally mono then I don`t care if it stays that way, rather that the often poor simulated 5.1 that has made itself onto some discs. Sometimes I like a director`s commentary, these seem to be better on older films when he/(she?) remembers what happened and puts things in context, rather than the commentary being made at the same time as the film.
Alternative endings made especially for DVD seem pointless, I feel that deleted scenes should be put back into the feature if they are of good quality. I like the language options that dvd has to offer, making of`s are often watchable (though rarely more than that).
As said though, the main thing is the film itself. I look to dvd as a medium to, hopefully, provide a definitive version of the movie (something that couldn`t really happen with vhs.)

It`s gotta be a decent uncut print at reasonable aspect ratio (1.85:1 will do, but prefer 2.35:1) and anamorphic goes without saying.

Deleted scenes & extra material are OK, but mean nothing to me without a good, reliable film transfer.

As for back-catalogue films, I know its expensive but clean `em up! No point in putting rc[at]ypp filmstock on almost perfect playback media! Who`s gonna buy it? Certainly not those of us replacing VHS copies - wot`s the point?

And as for `Collector`s` packaging - well, leave it to those who think they`ll make a mint from it in 5 years time! :-)

SN

Some good points here. Good picture and sound goes without saying as does a good range of features (if available), and lastly but not leastly...I want to make sure the version I get is the best currently available! R1, R2 etc.

I`ve got an A-list and a B-list of films to get, and there`s a lot of stuff being re-issued that I can wait for next year (like True Lies 5-star!)!

:-)

True Lies 5 star???? Cant wait. Any date been set yet?
I was thinking about buying the normal edition on region 4 but now i know. Cheers.
Same thing happened in this forum when i was looking to get Die Hard on dvd at Aprilish time and then someone on this lovely fantastic forum told me about the five star so i waited. It was so worth it. I also have independence day five star and am looking to get the french connection. Fox really have outdone themselves with these fantastic releases. Others should learn from them and follow. I especially dont like many WB transfers as well as the snapper cases Where do u get all this info about forthcoming disks Anil? Cos i would like to see what is coming

There`s always news to be had reading DVD websites and forums for news!

I have to admit though that I can`t find news of True Lies 5-Star Collection, so not sure if it`s rumour or what anymore. :-( But there`s so much other stuff to buy in the coming months, that I`ll hold off True Lies, I think there should be a 2-disc set anyway since it`s a fab movie. Who knows? If you`re really desperate for it, then buy the R4 version.

:-)

First of all it has to be a film that I like or one so rare that the only chance I`ll get to see it is by owning the DVD. Sound has to be good but it`s not that important for me (I have a deaf ear so cannot hear stereo, which is a pity...). The film has to be in its original aspect ratio and have good picture quality.

Extras depend on price. I do wish more vanilla discs would be released at £12.99. I sometimes feel that we pay over the odds for two disc sets, especially when the extras on the second disc could easily be accomodated with the main film. I think the worst example of this is probably "The Simpsons" box set where all the extras on the third disc (and indeed the episode) could have been comfortably accomodated on a two disc set. However the US price was so reasonable that this didn`t matter. I just think that we get too excited about the two disc set phenomenon, I mean who wants a rumoured 10 hours of associated material for Jurassic Park 3, an OK-ish glossy B movie which will soon be forgotten? IMHO of course!

Got to love the film, good transfer would be nice as well ( not always the case as we know ).

Extras shove them up your arse who cares what the director thinks!...ect

"Extras shove them up your arse who cares what the director thinks!...ect"
I do care. Some movies are classic and collectors editions so big fans of the movie would want to hear what the director has to say. I must say i love kevin smith movies and love his commentaries. I sold my region 2 dogma as it had none and now i am after the region 1 version. Directors are a key figure in the movie production. I think its important to hear what they have to say about scenes they wish to comment on.
Kevin Smith Commentaries are both interesting and funny. U get to hear about behind the scenes stuff and troubles which they overcame during the production.
I was pretty dissapointed that a great film like the matrix does not have a commentary. Clearly it needs a special edition. I have also listened to the john hughes commentary and that is also very interesting. Im not saying that all films should have them but major films and classics should have them.