TheMovieman

Which do you guy's prefer? Is it worth the extra $5-10 for the same special features we got only a couple years ago (especially in the case of the upcoming Harry Potter release)?

I might be missing a couple, but here are the studios that are doing this now:

• Disney (Chronicles of Narnia)
• DreamWorks (War of the Worlds)
• Fox (Walk the Line)
• Lions Gate (Lord of War)
• Universal (Jarhead, King Kong)
• Warner Bros. (Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, HP4)

Is this going to become the norm for DVD releases? Is it already?

Personally, as someone who enjoys the special features, I don't like it and it's getting to the point where I will just buy the 1-disc edition and rent the bonus stuff from Netflix (which I'm thinking about doing with HP4, but I'm still on the fence).

Drexl

I've mostly been getting the single-disc editions. I don't like having the prices go up compared to what we used to get (and with some titles still do), especially with HD around the corner. With the ones that have extras such as a commentary or two on the first disc, the decision to get the single disc is a lot easier.

Now, for something like KK I might be inclined to get the 2-disc, but then again, why should I when I'll want the extended edition too?

Dubya

I have always liked extras on sets, but at the same time, unless it is one of my absolute favorites, I rarely watch the bonus features. I refuse to pay an extra $10 for something I will watch once, if at all. It appears this has become the norm for new releases.

Novasonic

What pisses me off is that it used to be there was just one version when the movie came out. If it was a 2 disc, it was still $14.99. Now they make you pay like $10 extra.

tonyc3742

Yeah, I don't like paying extra for it, when they used to sell the single release "SE" for 14.99 on release day. I usually still buy the 2-disk, just because I like the extras [depending on the extras of course], but I'd either buy it on release day, if it's a lot cheaper, or wait for a price drop. Or, of course, not buy it at all, because by buying the single-disk, I'd feel like I was getting shorted. So yes, in the long run, I think this practice is losing them sales.
Of course it depends on the price difference--if it's say, 4 bucks or less, I don't have a big problem with it. 5 bucks or more, and it's getting scary.

Raffurar

This trend is definitely getting on my nerves, but I'm addicted to extras. There are a few films that I can deal with a single disc release, such as Batman Begins (even though it's an excellent movie), but many of the films released in this fashion seem to be coming from filmmakers and franchises who have proven to be top sellers because of their special features. The extra price wouldn't bug me if many of these weren't wasting disc space. Most culprits of this trend that are family friendly films (ie. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, Narnia, etc.) fill up a huge chunk of the second disks with games and worthless trivia for kids. Most of the behind the scenes features that end up on these sets could probably fit on the movie disc a la releases from two years ago!! DTS sound on the feature for 2 discers wouldn't hurt either. While this has been happening more and more, there are a lot of dvds where I just don't understand the lack of DTS.

Now, I think that kids enjoying supplements to movies is a great thing, but when you're paying more than another version for it, that's crazy. Disney features have all of these games as well as great informational documentaries, but they have yet to release multiple versions of the same film on the same day, barring boxed sets. I just wish that if they are going to go through with multiple releases, that we could get a collector's edition single disk with adult features and a different version with family friendly features. Either that, or they need to make sure the double disc set is packed with special features that the film enthusiest will think is worth the extra scratch.

This is why I'm not really upset about how King Kong is being released. While I hope I can get a good deal on it, I know that the production diaries will be well worth owning, unlike a sing-a-long feature that could easily be achieved by turning on the subtitles on the feature disc of some musical. Anyway, I just wish that these studios would go back to their old strategy of releasing a great double disc release at first, phasing it out, and double-dipping a repackaged first disc for people who didn't love the film enough to catch the first version. Rant over!

Drexl

Well, they do have those gift sets for the fall Platinums, but the good thing about how they handle them is that you can still get all the DVD content by buying the standard edition.

Raffurar

Sorry, I wasn't clear there. I was applauding how Disney has been handling their titles. While their MSRPs tend to run high and never depreciate as they all eventually go OOP, they only have one version of a film in print at a time (aside from box sets and the gift sets you mention, which are limited). They usually spend time to make excellent special features for viewers of all ages, and I have always been able to get the best (only) version for a very affordable price. Not to mention that even though a copy of Bambi from a year ago might still run you $19.99 at most places, that's still less than the 2 disc Goblet of Fire will be on release day!

matome

This new "pay for extras" pricing scheme doesn't really affect me much since I rarely bother with extras as my DVD's-to-watch list is way too long already. Now if they start pulling crap like putting things like a DTS track on only the 2-disc sets (e.g. Lord Of War) then I will get pissed.

T1000

I was in the same kind of predicament with Pirates of the Caribbean. It was 2-disc vs 3-disc. I opted for the 2-disc, because there wasn't enough on the 3rd disc to make me pay more.

marty888

I guess it really depends on what the 2nd-disc extras might be. After watching literally hundreds of F/X docs, my need to see blue screen/green screen/morphing etc. explained has diminished to the point where I really don't give a damn "how they did it", so unless there are other types of extras, the 2nd disc is no longer a plus.

Damed

beats the old "single disc" release with a "Special Edition" 2 discer 3 months later. At least you're getting the choice right up front.

Simpson Purist

While I'm glad to see studios using this "two-tier" pricing for standard and deluxe editions of a movie as opposed to the "double-dip" theory, it does make me scratch my head a bit to see superlative DVDs like Revenge of the Sith and The Incredibles are at half the price of a "fluffy" 2-disc edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

As for me, I'm mostly gonna go after the single-disc release unless the extras are truly worth the merit of getting the deluxe package. I enjoy watching DVD extras, but they're starting to become less "special."

Count_Zero

Depends on the movie.

If it's an all-time favorite movie or something by a favorite director I definitely go for the extras. But if I'm going to buy Malibu's Most Wanted or Sleepless in Seattle, I really couldn't give a rip about how the movie was made or what the director/star/producer/caterer thinks of it all.

I usually don't bother with these type things either since they almost never have any extras that are worthwhile. Wal-Mart is notorious with this type of thing -- why would I pay an extra $5.00 for an extra disc of PR/EPK bullsh*t (i.e. the "exclusive" discs for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The Island, etc...)?

mdc3000

I always pick up the deluxe editions, and sadly, I usually only skim through the extras on most...usually I like the cover art better for the deluxe editions. I sometimes buy DVDs used, but the video stores etc. don't stock the 2 discs, so this trend has gotten me to buy a few more "new" dvds than I have been of late (mainly because my buying has slowed considerably in anticipation of next gen).

Harry Potter I'm still on the fence about though, as I prefer the 1 disc cover and the HP extras are notorious for sucking...

MATT

AnonomusBob15

I think a lot of those two disc releases aren't that good. It is becomming harder to find quality extras.

Also, what really pisses me off is the taking the commentary off of the first disc on the single disc releases. That is the only reason I picked up the Walk the Line single release is because it retained the commentary. If not, I would have been an unhappy person because I would have to shell out an extra ten bucks.

paulringodaman

Yeah I hate this...the only way I get the two discs for the same price as the one is by waiting for sales or used

MEJHarrison

Actually, that's exactly what Disney used to do. I remember two versions of The Emperor’s New Groove and two versions of Atlantis. I know there were a few more where they did the same thing. It was around the time of Lilo & Stitch that they dropped the whole Collector's Edition thing and went to a single release per movie.

As for Harry Potter, I'm going for the single disc version unless I read something in the reviews that changes my mind. Their bonus features have all sucked on the Potter series.

TheMovieman

I was all set to buy the 1-disc for $14.99 until Amazon dropped their price to $19.96, which means a $5 difference... However, I think I need to make the $20 price tag a ceiling for how much I'll pay for a 2-disc edition in the future (like Narnia).

lamphorn

While this is a legitimate preference, the thing that pisses some of us off is that you AREN'T paying less for just the movie than you used to. They just didn't charge EXTRA for the second disc. There would be one release with the special features for the 19 dollar price. Now, anything with extra features is closer to 30 dollars. If they would DROP the bare-bones price, say, down to like 12. dollars, then it would seem fair, but we're actually paying the same price for less content.

What also bugs us is that the 2-disc set used to be normal, and a "Deluxe" set meant 3 or 4 discs, while now what's "normal" is bare bones, and "Deluxe" is two discs and some pamphlets stuffed into an artificially thick cardboard box. They're charging us more for paper and cardboard that we don't really want, and acting as if we forgot that it's just a 2-disc set that we're paying 40 bucks for.

The effect this has had on my DVD buying is that I don't buy as many DVD's as I used to. They're losing money from me because I will not buy a bare-bones disc unless that's all there is, but whereas I used to be willing to pay 19.99 for a movie just out of curiousity, I have a much higher bar if I have to spend over 30 dollars. And, really, I refuse to spend more than 25.00 for a single movie unless it's a Criterion disc.

scarredgod

i used to always buy the 2 disc, now i dont really care about anything other than the film itself anymore. so if its the same transfer and version, i go single.

visitor Q

I'm all about the film, rarely interested in extras. However, I'd consider myself a collector - at least these days - and would prefer to spend the extra $$ to have the two (+) set for a later period as I do not intend to repurchase the film in the event a so called better set comes down the road (unless it's a film that I absolutely love and I will have multiple copies). And I don't have that "impulsive" problem. Ergo, I can wait for the better set down the road from whichever region.

The other main reason is film quality. With extras split off from the film disc, there is obviously more available space on the film disc for a better A/V quality result - hopefully.

Alan Smithee

Extras used to be cool, but having them on EVERY movie has really gotten old. Before DVD, such material appeared on laserdisc if the filmmakers wanted to include it and was considered worth including. Nowadays it seems like a lot of this stuff is included just because they feel like they HAVE to. I was really impressed with "Fight Club" since that was one of the first DVDs to have a ton of extras, but once you've seen how some things are done you don't really need to see it on every movie. I think the extras on Star Wars Episode III pretty much spoiled the movie too, since it shows that most of it was done on a green soundstage with the backgrounds added in later. I'm REALLY sick of things that just show a bunch of clips from the movie, which you've already seen, with people talking about how great the movie is. "When I read the script, I knew I HAD to work on this. I also had to get So-And-So to play the lead role, and I wouldn't have done the movie at all if we didn't get him. Thankfully, we did." Cut to the actor saying "So-and-so is the greatest director working today. I would do any role that he asked me to do."

A 15-minute in-depth look on how they did a segment in the movie that lasted last than a minute is really pushing it too. Then there's deleted scenes that were deleted for a good reason, followed by behind-the-scenes footage on those deleted scenes and storyboards of the deleted scenes!

What cracks me up is that so few people seem to care about the end credits of a movie, at least in theaters they'll be quick to leave instead of sticking around for less than 5 minutes, but then we have people who will watch this stuff that sometimes takes longer to watch than the actual movie! Again, some of it is interesting, but not every movie deserves it. Of course since I'm a completist, if I buy a disc that has this stuff I'll have to watch it even if I find it boring.

I'm REALLY sick of 2-disc sets too where each disc is 1-sided. They had to do this in the beginning since DVD-18s hadn't been perfected yet, but I think now they do it just to make it look like "more", and because some people bitch about not having pretty artwork on the discs. Terminator 2 had all the bonus material on side 2, so no extra disc to worry about. It's really not impressive to hear "2-disc set!" advertised when the content could really fit on one disc- give me two 2-sided discs and maybe then I'll be more excited, if the material on them is actually worth watching.

Jay G.

DVD-18s still haven't been perfected yet, if all the troule people have with Universal's DVD-18 discs is any indication. Also, aside from the faulty discs, there is the issue that slot-loading DVD drives can scratch these discs up, and that people with DVD changers are more inconvenienced than if it was a 2-disc set, while people with single-disc players still have to get up and eject/reload the DVD player whether it's a DVD-18 or two DVD-9s. Add in the factor of pretty artwork, and that a 2-disc set can fit in the same standard-size aramay case as a DVD-18, and there's a few reasons aside from "perceived value" for have 2-disc single-side sets.

brooke789

I have been thinking about this lately and I hate that many 2-disc releases are $10 more than the single disc. It really seems that for the quality of the extras on some of these sets that $10 is a bit much for an extra disc, I think that a difference of maybe $3-4 is more reasonable.

I used to always try and pick up the 2-disc deluxe editions when there was a choice, but lately I've been picking up whichever version I can get cheapest, which usually means the 2-disc if it's available from Columbia House or the single disc if I'm buying it previously viewed.