PJsig08

I remember getting my first DVD player back in '97 or so, when movies like Tomorrow Never Dies came out, and it was the new, big thing. I never imagined they'd be this popular today.

So what did it? What one, single event?

I think it's gotta be when movies like Gladiator and The Matrix came out on DVD and wowed people in many ways.

Cheaper prices for DVDs and DVD players haven't hurt either....

DJariya

Extra features and improved compression.....that's what attracts most die-hard movie lovers. Although constantly upgrading movies over and over is tiresome.

spongebobkay

I don't know about a single event, but the High Definition, ease of use, & all the extra info that comes on 1 small disc is just amazing! As far as collecting, I thought I sold my soul for rock & roll, but I must have been givin a refund. I have definitly sold out for DVD's!

Brian McHale

I climbed on board in 1999. While I was intrigued by laserdiscs, the high price kept me away. When the price for decent players dropped below $300, I started getting interested. It didn't take long after that.

MasterofDVD

I bought my first player back when the advertising for DVD players was done with hour long paid advertisements. I watched that dumb thing countless times.

I like knowing a bunch about the movies coming out and my favorite ones that are released. The extras such as commentary, featurettes and special effect breakdowns really pulled me in. I remember only getting a DVD or two a month the first few months because of the small number of movies out.

The big special editions pulled me in and I did my best to spread the word. I haven't bought 1 single VHS since that player but I've stocked up on DVDs a great deal!

jaeufraser

I think it was a combination of a few things. A much improved product over VHS. Something also important to note is the fact that the DVD business model from the beginning was pricing for sale, not rental. So you had a growing film library available to people at reasonable prices. Yes, some VHS was priced to sell, but with DVD EVERYTHING was.

One must also note the introduction of some killer titles. Matrix definately being one of them that helped really start the DVD buying.

DeadLamb

Single Event? I would think it has to be the price drops.. Early players were sort of big and $$$, films were more $$ for less bonus stuff.. Slash the cost of the players and films and you have everyone buying them..

I've always thought of myself as a film fan but even I baulked at picking up a DVD player. Well, until they were down to under $200 and films were going on sale all the time.

Dammit

Price is the single biggest factor. Availability would be right behind that.

You can buy a brand new player for $25 now. They've been sub $100 for a long time.

You can buy DVD's at the grocery store and even some convenience store checkouts have them. That and the fact that the major rental outlets started stocking them put them right in Joe Consumers face every day.

Those two things more than any of the technological advances and extra features created a sure fire success formula.

ntuc

nice sound

D-Ball

I'd say it was the improved A/V quality, special features, and price. Also, you don't have to rewind dvds, and the quality doesn't deteriorate over multiple viewings like VHS.

onebyone

TV shows on dvd did it for me. Once my favorite shows like Farscape and Buffy became available on R2 dvds, I was sucked in and never looked back.

drak b

Nice sound? Excellent video? Terrific Extras? Don't kid yourself.

What did it?

Remember the rewind button?

-Shudder-

eau

No need to buy a DVD rewinder to go with it

Serious. Digital picture and multichannel sound (no degradation over time), multiple audio options and extras.

babka

I remember going into Circuit City & Best Buy & asking if they got in any dvds? They would look at me like I was crazy & say what the hell are they? The first dvd I saw on the shelf was Twister (first edition). This was in 1997.

Drexl

Although I know this isn't a reason for a lot of people (not on this board of course), one thing that really caused me to get into DVD was how almost everything was available in widescreen. Laserdiscs were too expensive and weren't readily available near me (I certainly couldn't rent them), and there weren't a lot of widescreen VHS tapes.

joesa

I believe manufacturing costs were significantly lowered by the fact DVD drives and CD drives are so similar. Plus, the dvd medium was adopted for computer and videogame usage. The disks are cheap to produce.

But the turning point in mainstream popularity, I believe, would have to be when Playstation 2 and X Box game systems came out. I'm a college student and nearly everyone I know uses them to play movies.

FuzzyBallz

As another post suggested, it's the no rewind feature. And it's easier to backup, store, and display. I mean having a LD collection just looks dorky.

DonnachaOne

The fact that I like them, and people just want to copy me.

Josh-da-man

DVD is the ultimate home video killer app.

High quality picture and sound; durable, compact format; reasonable price.

The home video market had been waiting years for its version of the compact disc. Laser disc never really took off as a consumer format because of the high prices and awkward format (large, bulky discs, chaning sides).

Drexl

Oh, and another thing:

The fact that I like them, and people just want to copy me.

Blade

The picture quality on most any TV was noticeably better to the layperson's eye. The cost was similar to sell through VHS. It looked and acted a lot like a CD which everyone was already familiar with. VHS had also laid the groundwork of giving people the idea that having full time access to your favorite movies was a valuable thing.

What cinched it was two things: players relatively quickly were repriced as consumer products vs. high end HT equip. & DVDs became the loss leader of the relatively new Internet store.

DarthVong

Amen.

LightTrinity

SIZE does matter. (agreeing with spongebobkay)
The impact of the mass acceptance of the size of CDs in the market. Laserdiscs were too big for the average person to collect.

AND compatibility (kind of agreeing with joesa)
DVD players can play CDs as well. 2 machines for the price of one. And, certainly, Blade, cheaper prices for a "dual" machine made them enticing.

PJsig08, Hmmm, does actual content make a difference? I don't know, there were a lot of good titles on LD, and VHS. And there are still some GREAT titles on LD that have yet to make it to DVD.

jaeufraser, Dammit, Most all laserdiscs were priced for sale. Some Laserdiscs retailed for only slightly more than some DVDs do today (except for the super delux box sets). Laserdisc players likewise were not THAT much more that some middle level DVD players today.

DJariya, Laserdiscs had extra features, and nice analogue pictures with no compression artifacts.

ntuc, Again, Laserdiscs had DTS and Dolby Digital, the sound features of most DVDs today. (Granted, LDs didn't have the EX channels of some of today's DVDs, but they probably could have had them).

eau,D-Ball,drak b, FuzzyBallz,
Didn't have to rewind Laserdiscs either.

FuzzyBallz, I didn't think it was dorky to have LDs. In fact, when I had them, the average opinion was that LDs were high end, and not for the common man, because of the myth of how expensive they were. Getting them from dvdplanet (KenCranes back then) for 25% off at least made them comprable to DVD prices of today. Sure, they cost a little more, but they were BIGGER! So, when public opinion changed to considering DVDs as for the common man, I think THAT made a difference.

Josh-da-man, I have to change sides on some of my DVDs today still. And, get this, sometimes I have to put in a second DVD for more material. Where is the difference to LDs? (Granted, it was universal for LDs, but is less for DVDs). Oh, and durable? A scratch on a LD was way less detrimental to a scratch on a DVD (where more information is tightly packed together).



So, what is the real difference? Size (and information storage ability). Size allowed it to enter more stores to be sold.

eddiekirk

Climbed on to DVD in May 1997. Only a few players available and 25 movies on the shelf in a few stores. No websites with reviews or release dates, had to go call or go to Tower every week. Just blind bought, some poor quality like the 1st Halloween DVD. The first year really sucked. DVD Resource, DVD Express, then the wonderful Divx. The PS2 and DVD players under $200 is what really got DVD going. And movies were cheap from the beginning, mostly $20.

Shazam

No rewind.

Chapter access.

Ultra fast fast forward (I myself love this feature).