Is "Superbit" the future?
 

Im having second thoughts about colelcting DVD's currentyl as perhaps i should just be waiting for them on superbit?! Is superbit going to be the next standard? What do you all think?

No, too many people choose extras over better a/v quality.

And of course, some type of HD-DVD format (which ever eventually wins out) will be the future and these discs will have enough space for great a/v quality and extras.

I doubt it, as it looks like Best Buy is currently trying to blow out most of their Superbit stock at bargain prices. That could mean the Superbit titles weren't selling as well as expected. Also, a number of DVD retailers don't even stock Superbit titles (unless it's the only version available).

Superbit was a niche market for people that only cared about audio/video quality and not any sort of extra material... and with leaving the extras off the discs many people did not purchase them.

First thing... welcome to the forum! :wave:

Second thing...you do realize that SuperBit is a Sony marketing scheme? Plus only a select number of their movies get the Superbit treatment.

This would severely limit your buying options so you might want to re-think this strategy.

I'm one of those people who care mostly for audio/video quality and could care less about extra bellas and whistles. I hate to think of that kind of DVD enthuiast being part of a niche market.

I concur one hundred percent.

I also agree 100%. To me, It's all about the very best picture and sound. I really could care less about the extras.

Same here.

But I won't mind if they would just place the extras on an extra disc and make it a multi-disc release :)

gonna disagree...why i love the idea of superbit deluxe...and other dvd's that follow form with higher bitrate. I have passed on several superbit titles for lack of extras....i would much rather hear commentaries on the guns of navarone, from here to eternity, and so on...Dvd is all about the total package for me. Picture and sound, docs, commentaries, trailers...

but I like production info, and obsess over behind the scenes details. A good movie deserves a good treatment all the way around.

I'm also going to disagree with what seems to be the majority. I'd much rather see the film's trailer, promotional materials, interviews with the people responsible for making the film, an entertaining and informative commentary, documentaries (especially in the event of a film being based on a true story), and so forth...than get better A/V quality. I guess I'm in the minority (on these forums, though definitely not the minority of DVD buyers) in that I don't have a multi-thousand dollar HT set-up.

As long as the presentation is solid enough to not be distracting, give me extras instead of improved A/V any day of the week.

-JP

There are still a huge amount of people who buy dvds but still have a regular little tv. At 20-25 inches, you don't see a major difference a lot of times between a superbit and standard release. This being the case, a lot of these people would probably just prefer to get a standard quality with the extras.

:up:

I just want anamorphic transfers and digital sound (full bitrate DTS would be nice) when applicable. If we can get less compression by removing self-promoting EPK's and interminable animated menus, all the better.

The problem is, to most people's eyes and ears, Superbits don't sound or look noticeably better. You really have to be a diehard audio/videophile and know what to look for to tell the difference between a Superbit and a good sounding and looking regular DVD.

I would certainly take a Superbit over an extra's packed DVD that had a poor transfer. But the fact is 99% of DVDs look great and I can't tell how Superbits look or sound any better on my system so I'll go for the extras and the good enough looking transfer and sound.

They also probably think that the videophile and audiophile crowd will buy the dvd for a movie as it is the best quality out there and then they can release the superbit and that same crowd will probably buy it again.

I'm for two disc sets myself. Get the high quality on one disc and the supplemental on the other disc.

I watch my DVDs exclusively on DVD-ROM. I can't watch DVDs now on a regular TV; to me, it's such a drastic drop in video quality. On DVD-ROM, I can easily see the difference between, say, the old Scarface disc and the 2003 re-release. To Live in Die in L.A., for example, has a pretty good transfer but with a lot of pixelisation due to compression, which shows that too much (the film and a retrospective doc) is packed onto one disc. As I've commented before on a Superbit thread, the original Desperado release looks really off, and I noticed it immediately.
As I notice these things, I'm a bit disappointed. However, I do like special features, but I find that the only ones I'm really interested in are making-of docs or retrospectives.

I'm all for this.

superbit will never be the standard....they STILL have those damn black bars at the top and bottom of the screen!

I agree.

rotfl I sure hope you are joking

As for the future? Superbits have been around for a few years now...It's nothing special, marginal video/audio quality on most movies....I have a bunch

He is. See MGM and Warner DVDs' definition of "standard."

Hook, line...

;)

Well...although I own all the Superbit versions of the movies I like, I often wonder why ALL the space on the disc isn't used up as their little diagram shows. I've often wanted to take my discs and show how much of the alotted 8.5GB is used on the SB's I have.

Those darn black bars. Its gotten to the point where FS looks weird to me. Even when I'm watching tv or tv shows that never had WS. I think my mind is slowly beginning to ignore that portion of the screen.

Claims sell better than actually doing?