I love the commentary track option and the opportunity to learn more about movies that I really enjoy. I never used to buy VHS movies, but now with the higher audio/video quality AND extra features like commentary tracks, there is a much greater enjoyment from replay. I love the commentary tracks and listen to as many as I can.

The average consumer doesn't care. That's why stuff like Gigli still sells at Best Buy.

I however do care. It's my #1 must have extra when I'm buying a DVD. When a DVD doesn't have it I usually pass on it (cause you know they'll release a 'deluxe' or 'special' version of it down the road) or reluctantly buy it (i.e. Family Guy-- I have to have em' but comeon I can understand Vol 1 not having commentaries on all the shows but what's the excuse for Vol. 2?)

I think not. But as more people enter the "DVD gene pool" as it were, if they really come to care about the films they buy they will experiment with the commentaries.

I'm kinda a mutant in this regard in that I really know a lot about films but do not listen to commentaries.

I love film and how they were made and designed and crafted but commentaries leave me cold. Perhaps it's because the first one (commentary) that I listened to was the one for Kingpin (comedy version) which may have turned me off to them.

My business partner however loves them.

the average joe buys a dvd because the movie was entertaining, but dvd fanatics buy it for that fact and because of the special features. A commentary is only watched by myself if i want to know what the director and/or actor(s) was thinking. The only case of this was Good Will Hunting, which was enjoyable, and T3, which was a waste of my time.

That's exactly how I feel.

i own 315 dvds and have listened to *maybe* ten or twelve complete commentaries. It's only something i'll spend time on if it's a movie I truly love. Otherwise, i don't really care. I hardly consider myself an 'average' collector, so i'd say most absolutely could care less.....

Picture and sound are the most important thing to me.

after that I look at features like commentaries. I listen to many of them and the more features a dvd offers the more likely it will tip the balance on a marginal dvd purchase.

^^ What he said. But for most people I know (which I think would be the average viewer), they buy DVDs for the movie, and only cares about the movie and sometimes the featurette.

I loose patience with them. and end up rewatching the movie.

I personally LOVE commentaries. it can make the difference of whether i buy a marginal movie.

my g/f is an average DVD buyer, and she loves them too.

i guess it just depends who you ask.

From watching DVD's with friends and family I've noticed that none of the average consumers even think about an audio commentary. Most people want to see deleted scenes and alternate endings, followed by blooper reels and then maybe theatrical trailers. I haven't heard anyone even mention audio commentaries

Im probably in the minority here at this forum since i just want the movie and am not concerned about bloopers,alternate endings,commentaries,etc,etc...I do like to see a good video transfer in widescreen,5.1 sound and i want the movie how it was shown in the theatre(ie big no thank you the directors cut of Bladerunner! lol).

I always wonder why they bother to put commentaries on the pan and scan versions- would anyone who chose those actually listen to a commentary??

I pretty much stick to commentaries that really stick out: Ebert doing one or Cameron on Aliens.

While most average purchasers don't seem to care that much (they tend to prefer deleted scenes and outtakes as far as I can tell), I love the commentaries, especially those done by film scholars and critics as they tend to veer away from the boring "I loved working with so and so" or "isn't this so great?" type of commentary most of the cast provide. Directors are good too though some are better than others.

I think it all depends on who's doing the commentary and how their track record is...

Some of them that I would get based on thier commentary alone is...

Robert Rodriguez (The best! Delivers the most useful information ever)
Kevin Smith (and the regular cast of ViewAskew characters)
Matt Stone & Trey Parker (especially if they're drunk)
John Carpenter with Kurt Russell (I can't wait for ELVIS)

I can't really think of anymore off the top of my head...

The average customer doesn't care about commentaries. They only want to be entertained, not educated.

Me, I love commentaries.

Most of those who post here are not "average" DVD buyers.

Having said that, I LOVE commentaries when they're good and still find them somewhat interesting when they're not.

The addition of a commentary track will sometimes push me over to the "buy it" side of the fence if I'm considering getting a particular disc or not.

I've never listened to a complete commentary. The farthest I managed to get through one was for Straw Dogs Criterion Collection. I listened to that one for about 3/4 of the way before stopping since it was late at night. I just find myself with too many unwatched DVDs and not enough time to check out every single piece of supplemental material. Bypassing the commentaries saves me a couple of hours that I can dedicate to another movie.

I love commentary tracks but they never affected my purchase of a DVD...until recently. But I think the reason for that is I'm buying with not much cash to use, and therefore am only buying movies I enjoy a lot, so I tend to like the the movie or director or actor or whoever and want to hear what has to be said. Also I think that my interest in filmmaking has something to do with it, and I've found there's plenty of revelations for filmmakers (beginners and veterans alike) on these audio tracks.

I must say, though, that if it comes down to it, the movie is the most important thing, and I want the visual and sound to be top notch.

When I started purchasing DVDs, I made it a rule to not buy a DVD that didn't have a commentary track. Don't ask why, I just did.

I don't have that rule anymore, but I still listen to every commentary track. But the truth is, I don't really find them that exciting any more because there aren't that many good ones out there. They pretty much all start sounding the same after awhile. But I do still really enjoy a good one and will give it a repeat listen at some point if it's a particularly outstanding one.

I own many titles and have NEVER even watched a second disc unless it was part 2 of the movie. I would buy movies with NO commentaries. Such as the Superbit line. Give me high bitrate and a DTS track and I will pay for it. Fancy title screens and special features mean nothing to me. Anamorphic, high bitrate and DTS are tops for me.

The average DVD buyer wants nothing more from a DVD than the feature presentation. If it looks and sounds good, all the better, but they don't care about commentaries.

Man, I remember you from another thread and everytime it's the same thing: Superbit, superbit, high resolution! You really should try out some special features if you have the time. While some suck, many really do enhance the film experience, and that includes commentaries. Just a suggestion...

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