BigStinky

Here's a thought.

One of the reasons people buy old tv shows on dvd is nostalgia. Yeah, yeah, you love the show, it was way ahead of its time, a creative work of art, blah, blah. Right, but you're also trying to re-capture a warm, fuzzy experience when you felt safer/or the world was simpler/or maybe you didn't have as many problems just a whole different set of problems that you can't remember anymore.

But that's not important, the thing is when you strip all the commercials from a tv show it's like shaving a cat. Er, it's like a Budweiser Christmas commercial without the Kleisdales and the jingly sleigh. It's like fooling with mother nature. It's like a speecy-a-spicy meatball. It's like an Aames Home Loan commercial without the fake biplanes swooshing into to scare away king kong.

It's funny to admit but some tv shows just feel strange without a commercial break. Which makes sense since the writers were aware of the effect of commercials on the pace of their story. In some cases there's this little cliffhanger moment built into the story right before the commercial break, and then a fade to black. And you expect something - a pause from the story while someone tries to sell you something.

And isn't that what television is really supposed to be all about?? Huh?! People selling things and entertaining you at the same time!!! God bless America!!! And capitalism!!

So give us the dvd menu option. Let us sprinkle a few classic commercials in our favorite tv shows.

Maybe the commercials are randomized - say you ship each show with 9 commercials. And the dvd only plays 3 of the commercials during one viewing of the show. 1 commercial per commercial break.

A fabulous idea!! I promise big dvd sales and huge profits!!

DonnachaOne

TV Land does something like this...

Michael Corvin

eh... sorta no. Decent idea to include them, but don't force me to watch them. If they were on prior to an episode (maybe 1 per show, that is 24 commercials), prior to the episode might not be so bad. But even then they would have to drop the price of the sets considerably since they would be getting mucho ad dollars for something like that. I could go for it if that meant EVERY show was priced under $30.

I would love to see some classic Nike, Coke, Apple, and Superbowl commercials. Just not during the show. That is why I buy DVD.

Altimus Prime

Yeah, sure. Include it in bonus materials, or maybe even have an option to watch the show with them inserted. Old commercials can be really interesting. I especially enjoy seeing old car commercials - you get to see the old junkers and POS cars on the road today back when they were new.

Rogue588

What Michael & Altimus said.

I remember a DVD Talker talking about Universal adding a "corporate" logo to the corner of the screen to help get Miami Vice released on DVD. I said "No", but if they did it this way, I wouldn't have a problem in the world with it.

Geofferson

Blah...I'm fine with leaving the commercials on TV Land.

El-Kabong

Some of the REALLY old TV shows I've been watching - stuff from the 50's - have had the commercials imbedded in them. Smoking ads, westinghouse washers, keen stuff like that. I do have to admit that old stuff like that is cool because it's a time capsule of an era long past.

I also lament the lack of commercials on the GI Joe and Transformers sets. I would love to see some old toy ads for these guys.

But in the show? Normal commercials that we see every day? No for me thanks.

the narrator

I"m not too fond of that idea.....seems like it wouldn't be too long before at least one of the company got the idea of filling all DVDs with even more and more commercials

BasiaMille

Corvin got me thinking (damn you, Corvin!):

I would love to see the famous directors's commercials, like Spike Lee's entire Mars Blackman Nike ads (Hey Criterion--or whoever! Put them on the long-awaited She's Gotta Have It DVD!); Ridley Scott's 1984 Apple Ad (put it on the Blade Runner ultimate edition!); and the Kevin Smith (did he direct these?) Panasonic ads of late, narrated by Christian Slater (Should go on the Clerks anniversary set, not the Jersey Girl DVD)

They missed the boat with DS9, but they should put all the Avery Brooks IBM ads (Flying Cars!) on the DVD of A Man Called Hawk or, failing that, Spenser: For Hire.

But as extras always, not in the shows.

BOMM,

CS

Any other famous directors doing commercials?

nightwing82

Not me. If a show is entertaining, it is entertaining. I'm not trying to recapture anything but laughter if I thought certain episodes were funny and would like to view them whenever I please.

I would pay extra to have commercials NOT on TV DVDs, old new or otherwise.

If you want commercials, pray of a classic commercials compliation DVD.

SuprVgeta

Ditto.

RevKarl

Exactly!!! I can see some studio arguing that it would allow them to lower the prices on TV box sets...just like projected commercials have lowered movie ticket prices... heah, that's the ticket!

matome

As bonus features? Sure.

resinrats

Maybe for more dramatic effect add 1 or 2 seconds of black screen where a commercial would be but don't put commercials in there.

While old commercials are fun to watch on TV land, most people gernerally want to watch it once and not every time you play the disk. I might like the Coke ad but once I've seen it, I don't want to watch it over and over. Leave it in the extras area but only if it makes sense to the show as stated above.

Isn't there some DVDs out that just have old commercials on it?

littlefuzzy

I have some old Abbott & Costello tapes (ya know, those clunky black plastic boxes?) with the old commercials included, and those were always fun.

Kimiakane

Definitely as extras, I would love them! Many of the shows I am collecting were made before I was born so my motive would not be nostalgia but for the for the historical aspect especially since I am from Europe and our commercials were completely different from what ran at the time these shows originally aired.

BassDude

Yes..I was thinking the same thing. I've picked up a few 70's Shows and when I've been watching I've said to myself "that would be cool if they had some of the old ads in here."

Seemless branching of course, ya don't want to HAVE to watch them, but they would be a kick when friends come over and ask ya to throw these classic shows in. The commercials would add to the fun. (Not ta mention maybe give some studio$ more incentive to get shows out!)

Someone said not the ads we see every day. I agree, but even shows from the 70s and 80's would be interesting. These are ads we DON'T see everyday anymore. But who knows, maybe in 20 years we'll wish we had ads on the Law and Order sets, and can look back and say 'Ha..people used ta think minivans/SUVs were cool!"

Upper pylon 3

I say go for it. If this would lower their costs so that shows like WKRP and the Wonder Years could get released i'm all for it. It would be a great tie in with the Wonder Years. They could include commercials from the early 70's when the show took place, and the early 90's when the show originally aired. I agree that they should only be included as extras or at least we should have to option of having them within the show.

ThatGuamGuy

He did indeed direct these. He also directed the ones with the midget, which got protested, and he also directed a commercial starring Mike Starr a few years back, though I don't know what it was beyond that (I just know that's how Starr wound up getting cast in 'Jersey Girl').

I'd definitely be interested in the Coen brothers' commercials; I saw a great one which was for Coke (or Pepsi, maybe), and, of course, the investment one which played last year looked good enough, and the Gap one was great.

I definitely think these commercials should be included with films by those directors ... though I don't know if we're following through on the topic of the thread ... When I was in film school, we took a class which was, essentially, practical things you could do with your degree (since, logically, most of us wouldn't be directors), and directing commercials got discussed a little, so we saw a bunch of different directors' commercial reels. Ridley Scott did several really, really good ones, not just the 1984 one.

As to the topic itself, the companies wouldn't pay to put the ads on unless they were forced, if even then. I actually like the idea of being able to see classic commercials, but the only way I think it would be valid on DVD would be with seemless branching and, in that case, why would the companies pay for it? Sure, free might be okay, but why pay when most people will clearly [based on advertisers complaints against Tivo] choose not to watch them?

majorjoe23

The Ed Sullivan Beatles DVD has the original commercials from when they were broadcast.

El-Kabong

Oh - one other problem to consider: the liscening. A bunch of ads from one company, say like in the case of Transformers or Joe. One company, one clearance fee. But to put say the Mean Joe Green coke ad, the Wendys "Wheres the Beef" and the Energizer Bunny is going to be more work and a LOT more money.

And you can bet that those costs will get passed along to the consumer.

Michael Corvin

^^ not really. The studio could charge the companies money to have their ads on there. I mean it is still an ad right. So the movie company would be making money from companies like Nike & Coke to have them on there. An ad is an ad. Doesn't matter how old it is. Then they could take this revenue they make and pass it on as savings to the customer, i.e. lowering the costs of sets to below $30, as mentioned previously.

RKillgore

Bad grammar aside...

You can usually find this at Best Buy for about $8.