dvd5000

My name's Sean (aka dvd5000). I'm 18 years old, and I've got autism. There's something I'm curious about: what year were the first DVDs sold and / or rented in United States retail stores, both in - store locations (like Blockbuster Video, Wal Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, Kmart, etc.) and online stores (like NetFlix, Amazon, eBay, etc.)? Because I have to admit, I really liked VHS tapes. I know they didn't last long as DVDs and Blu-Rays do today, but it really brought back memories for me. When I was little, I had a selection of Disney VHS tapes like the classics (such as Snow White, 101 Dalmations, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Sword in the Stone, etc.) and the recent hits (such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story, Pocahontas, Hercules, etc.)

Thanks,
dvd5000

mdnitoil

It might've been as early as '96 but definitely by '97. I jumped in around spring of '98 and I was by no means an early adopter. Rentals took another year or so to catch on.

kstublen

The first DVD ever released was in 1997. The movie, Twister.

EDIT: NetFlix was founded that same year.

dvd5000

You're right, kstublen and mdnitoil. According to Wikipedia, the DVD was launched in the United States on March 1, 1997. The first DVD titles were released on March 19, 1997. And like you said kstublen, NetFlix was founded in 1997 (Actaully, the exact date is August 29, 1997).

orangerunner

I seem to remember one of the first titles released on DVD were "In the Line of Fire", "Single White Female" and "Jumanji".

I still recall Universal releasing "Backdraft" using a CD jewel case for their packaging before the Amaray cases became the standard.

Alan Smithee

The definitive info is somewhere on the net- this has been brought up several times. Twister was targeted as the first DVD title, to be released the same day as the VHS and laserdisc, but the format wasn't quite ready yet so it came out a few months later in the first batch of Warner titles. The first DVD players were in stores several months before any discs were available for purchase- a Panasonic demo disc played continuously in stores- here's the main segment from it:

<embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=1857939952175832390&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:500px;height:426px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed>

Some who really believed in the format bought players and hooked them up and had nothing to play on them for months. The first titles available were some IMAX films put out by the now-defunct Lumivision label. Warner, New Line and MGM had their first titles only in "test" areas for a couple months before they were available nationwide. The first Sony and Universal titles were available both in Amaray and CD-sized jewel cases- the Universal jewel cases had cardboard sleeves that went around the outside of them but I never got around to picking up any of those. The first discs from Polygram and Image were in odd plastic cases where the disc-holding portion slid out from the bottom. These were disliked and and not used for very long.

Polygram had this 'sampler' on most of their first DVDs (go to YouTube and select High Quality to get this in stereo and without the stupid logo over the picture)
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cbzVmUkEfEc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cbzVmUkEfEc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

The first batch of Sony titles had this intro: (Again, go directly to YouTube to see this without the stupid logo, though this should at least play in stereo here)
Note that it shows Close Encounters although that wouldn't be released for a few more years, as well as Ghostbusters which didn't come out til 1999:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pJhzc2iweHI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pJhzc2iweHI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I honestly thought DVD was going to be awful and wasn't fully convinced until I finally tried it out at home. I would have bought more of the early discs had I known how wrong I was.

Zen Peckinpah

Yeah, I distinctly remember these hitting in early '97. There was a Wiz in the local mall that had a whole display for it, I remember thinking how weird the snapper cases looked* . I remember Batman, Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, In the Line of Fire, Twister, Rocky, and GoldenEye were among some of the launch titles they had.

I also remember the nearby Blockbuster started renting out DVD's in early '99.

And I distinctly remember the Universal jewel cases when they first came out. Never had any of them though.

* - Did I mention that I also had no idea how they opened when I first saw them?

The Infidel

And by the way, since no one has offered it yet, welcome to the forum!

nateman

Welcome to the forum Sean (dvd5000)!

starseed1981

Ditto!

jeffbase34

I seem to recall dvds becoming big at Walmart and Best Buy when the Matrix came out on dvd. I can still remember the display stand video talking about the amazing video and audio quality. Now I get tired of that same looping video at Target about blu-ray.

paradicelost

I just remember when i joined netflix in 98 it was $4 a disc and you could keep it for a few days which was a little than blockbuster or other rental stores since they had a bigger selection and you could return to any mailbox. I think it was a few years before they started the keep as long as you want.

E. Honda

I worked at Sears electronics in summer of 1997. In July our Pioneer rep brought us a demo DVD player. It came with a DVD of Goldeneye. Monkey Ward's at the other end of the mall had a larger DVD display, with a disc playing demos of panasonic players I believe, with footage of beaches and mountains playing. Our manager said DVD would be a flash in the pan and wouldn't sell. He even told us not to bother demonstrating it to customers. VHS and Laserdisc, he said, would last another 25 years. Hah.

I took the Goldeneye DVD with me when i quit that crappy job!

Travis McClain

The Numbers shows Anaconda released 20 January 1997 in widescreen and full screen editions, a full two months ahead of the previously mentioned assortment.

http://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/schedule1997.php

Alan Smithee

That list isn't complete or accurate. Sony's first batch of discs were all 1-sided and widescreen only except for Matilda and Fly Away Home which were foolscreen. From what I'd read in magazines then, it seems like they sent out a lot of sample copies of Jumanji- some writers were sick of that movie after watching it so many times on different players.

beebs

From Digital Bits:

beebs

There's a sniplet from the DVD FAQ about initial titles, btw:

I think that's the oldest list of release titles I've seen.

danwiz

Well, for DVD release dates you can go here: http://www.hometheaterinfo.com/dvdlist.htm and download the "full list" and then go through that and sort all 3 Excel sheets on the "DVD_ReleaseDate" column and then take a look at that information.

Just looking at what was released in 1997 is quite a surprise, but too many titles to try and look at here. Here is January through June 30, 1997.

TITLE DVD Release Date

1. Tai Chi For Arthritis (Tai Chi Productions) 1-1-1997
2. Return Of Boogeyman (Boogeyman 3) 2-1-1997
3. Red Heat (Canadian) 3-2-1997
4. Poltergeist (MGM/UA) 3-10-1997
5. Africa: The Serengeti: IMAX (Lumivision) 3-19-1997
6. Animation Greats!: NFB Of Canada (Lumivision) 3-19-1997
7. Antarctica, An Adventure Of A Different Nature: IMAX (Lumivision) 3-19-1997
8. Tropical Rainforest: IMAX (Lumivision) 3-19-1997
9. Bonnie And Clyde (Pan & Scan) 3-25-1997
10. Exorcist (Warner Brothers) 3-25-1997
11. Fugitive (1993) 3-25-1997
12. Goldeneye 3-25-1997
13. Interview With The Vampire 3-25-1997
14. Twister (1996/ Warner Brothers/ Old Version) 3-25-1997
15. Wizard Of Oz (1939/ MGM/UA) 3-25-1997
16. Color Purple (Old Version) 3-27-1997
17. Couples Guide To Great Sex Over 40, Vol. 1 & 2 4-1-1997
18. Couples Guide To Great Sex Over 40, Vol. 1: Adding Spice To Sex Over 40 4-1-1997
19. Couples Guide To Great Sex Over 40, Vol. 2: The Mind/Body Connection 4-1-1997
20. Dare To Bare: Erotic Shaving And Sexual Pleasures 4-1-1997
21. Tantric Guide To Better Sex 4-1-1997
22. Young Duke: The Fugitive / On The Run / Next Of Kin 4-1-1997
23. Black Tulip 4-16-1997
24. Corsican Brothers 4-16-1997
25. Eva Braun 4-16-1997
26. Last Game (1995) 4-16-1997
27. Sex Crimes 4-16-1997
28. Sports Bloopers Encyclopedia 4-16-1997
29. Tale Of Two Kitties 4-16-1997
30. This Metal Mind 4-16-1997
31. Titanic (1996/ Simitar/ Documentary) 4-16-1997
32. JFK (Director's Cut) 4-27-1997
33. Fly Away Home (1996) 4-29-1997
34. Fly Away Home (1996/ Jewel Case) 4-29-1997
35. In The Line Of Fire 4-29-1997
36. In The Line Of Fire (Jewel Case) 4-29-1997
37. Jumanji (Jewel Case) 4-29-1997
38. Legends Of The Fall 4-29-1997
39. Legends Of The Fall (Jewel Case) 4-29-1997
40. Tornado Run 4-30-1997
41. R.E.M.: Road Movie 5-14-1997
42. Eric Clapton: Unplugged 5-20-1997
43. Madonna: The Girlie Show: Live Down Under 5-20-1997
44. Hidden (1987/ Special Edition/ Lumivision) 5-21-1997
45. Princess And The Pirate (1995) 5-27-1997
46. Boy And His Dog (Lumivision) 6-4-1997
47. Ring Of Fire: IMAX (Lumivision/ Large Format) 6-4-1997
48. Rock 'N' Roll High School (Lumivision/ Special Edition) 6-4-1997
49. Dumb Luck In Vegas 6-10-1997
50. Long Knives: True Stories Of The U.S. Cavalry's Fight To Win The Old West 6-10-1997
51. Magnificent Seven (1960) 6-10-1997
52. National Parks (1989) 6-10-1997
53. Thinking Big 6-10-1997
54. Playboy: Video Centerfold: 1997 Playmate Of The Year: Victoria Silvstedt (Old Version) 6-11-1997
55. Mars Attacks! (Old Version/ 1997 Release) 6-17-1997
56. My Fellow Americans 6-17-1997
57. Reservoir Dogs 6-17-1997
58. Stargate 6-17-1997
59. Substitute (1996) 6-17-1997
60. Total Recall 6-17-1997
61. Cutthroat Island (Old Version/ 1997 Release) 6-18-1997
62. Ken Burns' America: Empire Of The Air: The Men Who Made Radio (Dist. by Warner Brothers) 6-18-1997
63. Caddyshack (Old Version) 6-24-1997
64. Cool Hand Luke 6-24-1997
65. Fargo (PolyGram) 6-24-1997
66. Four Weddings And A Funeral (PolyGram) 6-24-1997
67. Fourplay: Fourplay (Audio-Only DVD) 6-24-1997
68. Original Three Tenors In Concert 6-24-1997
69. Short Cinema Journal #1:1: Invention 6-24-1997
70. Usual Suspects (PolyGram/ Special Edition) 6-24-1997
71. First Emperor Of China: IMAX (Lumivision) 6-25-1997
72. Desperado (Special Edition/ Jewel Case) 6-26-1997
73. Desperado (Special Edition/ Old Version) 6-26-1997
74. Jerry Maguire 6-26-1997
75. Jerry Maguire (Jewel Case) 6-26-1997
76. Sleepless In Seattle 6-26-1997
77. Sleepless In Seattle (Jewel Case) 6-26-1997
78. Stephen Bishop: An Introduction To Stephen Bishop (DVD/CD Combo) 6-27-1997
79. You're Hired!: Employers Give Tips For Successful Interviewing 6-30-1997

Hope this has been helpful.

danwiz

Giles

first bought:

# Exorcist (Warner Brothers) 3-25-1997
# Fugitive (1993) 3-25-1997
# Goldeneye 3-25-1997
# Interview With The Vampire 3-25-1997
# Twister (1996/ Warner Brothers/ Old Version) 3-25-1997

no idea which dvd I rented first thought.

beebs

Wait, you can rent them?

Warner released rental packages early on, btw. I remember those.

Alan Smithee

Reading that Digital Bits quote about Sony is very ironic now, considering a lot of the titles mentioned were later re-issued in foolscreen-only versions and they certainly didn't "take the time to do it right" with many of their later titles.

Chrisedge

Eraser was the first title I saw in Ken Cranes as soon as DVD launched. They had it playing on a big screen with the same laserdisc playing right next to it. This was VERY early on, before many discs were out. I'm sure it was in the first month or so of DVD...