Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

I just watched "It Happened on 5th Avenue". I bought the DVD off Ebay. The picture looks really good, but the only options on the menu are "Play Movie" and "Languages". Shouldn't all dvd's at least have Chapters and Trailers?

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

They should all have chapters and trailers, but extremely barebone releases are really common these days. In all honesty, minus the trailers, I'm fine with the lack of special features. Too many discs featured nearly the same exact generic EPK stuff.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Sounds like David Lynch directed that movie.

But as for your question, special features are now mostly reserved for Blu-Ray.....AND the digital copy!

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Wit all due respect, Blu-Ray's and Digital Copies can take a flying leap. I didn't invest $5,000 over the last 13 years just to go buy all the same movies over again for 10% better quality.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

It's simple: DVD purchases are WAY down from the hayday of 2004/2005 and the studios arn't that inclind to spend the extra $$$ of them as they once were. Even with blu-rays most NEW mainstream films are lucky to get a commentary and deleted scenes...

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

A lot of us have "invested" far more than you and we've moved to blu-ray. They have been releasing new movies on blu, ya know. And where do you get 10% from?

Anyway, sounds like you MIGHT have a boot there. 75% chance, at least :)

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

As long as it plays the movie, I'm content.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Or a Rental disc version.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Why buy them again? All my DVDs play fine on my $60 BD player and I get the best of both worlds. And with the BD often being cheaper than the DVD, one could argue that it is actually cheaper to go Blu.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

I realized I underestimated. It's probably closer to $8,000-$10,000. I have around 600-700 dvd's. All have a very nice picture on an HD Plasma. How can one justify buying that many movies over again especially when Blu-Ray will be replaced by the next great big thing in a year or two? Most people who are "blu-rayers" probably entered the dvd arena late in the game (maybe they were too young to buy their own at first) and started at ground zero with blu-rays, then hate on the dvd lovers like myself. The very least I see myself doing in the next few years is when my dvd players go out is buying a blu-ray player as a replacement and POSSIBLY buying my absolute favorite movies on blu-ray at marked down Ebay prices. But for the majority of my library, the dvd's are just f-i-n-e.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Trevor is right, I think I "rebought" one movie since going Blu over 2 years ago and it was Pulp Fiction for like 3 bucks. I probably still buy more DVDs than Blus, but I like having the option of getting the movie at the best price.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

It's a popular misconception that all Blu Ray players come with a contract that you're forced to sign agreeing to re-buy your entire collection. But it's just not true. DVD's play in Blu Ray players just fine, maybe even better. And you get to keep them even.

The problem is that once you see how great a favorite movie looks on Blu, you'll WANT to rebuy everything. But at that point you won't resent it, as you seem to now. You'll actually enjoy it. Trust me, I though DVD's were the shit back in 1998. But as TV's advanced to HD it's kind of silly to be watching low def content on them.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Your point of view is narrow. Calling yourself a "dvd lover" rather than a movie lover goes along with that.

Many people here (myself included) have a LOT more than you do.

Your DVDs don't stop working when you buy a Blu-ray player, sheesh. Even a cheap Blu-ray player will still play your DVDs and possibly make them even look better if you don't have an up converting DVD player for your discs now. It just gives you the option of any future purchases on that format (or still DVD). Nobody said you have to replace anything. I still have VHS and LaserDiscs that get get some playtime.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Oh, I have no doubt they look better on Blu-Ray. I even have no doubt that I want/or would want all my movies on Blu-Ray. I even have no doubt that I want all High-Def cable channels too. However, until I uncover a million dollars at a yard sale, the mere thought of paying my bills vs re-buying all my movies again (recession or not) for a little better quality is just asinine. I never bought VHS's or Laserdiscs-I was too young, but even if I wasn't there wasn't enough good stuff to warrant a 600-700 VHS collection-renting and seeing movies on tv were just fine back then. However, the leap from VHS to DVD was quantum for about a dozen different reasons. However, there's only one improvement from DVD to Blu-Ray and that's quality, some quality. That being said I am looking forward to the improvement in my current dvd's on a blu-ray machine, when mine breaks that is.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

And then the least I imagine myself doing, is buying my top 10 favorites on Blu-Ray and any movies made after the Blu-Ray/movies shot in Hi-Def era (about 2006 and later?).

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Um.... Most people who are buying blu-rays probably entered the dvd arena late in the game and started ground zero with blu-rays?

Are you HIGH?

The majority of the people buying Blu-Rays are not new to the DVD game,I'm sorry to burst your bubble. Most "blu-rayers" either buy the Blu-Rays for improved A/V quality(which there is more than "just 10%" of) or for extra features not available on DVD. I dont think even 10% of "blu-rayers" buy it on Blu-Ray "just because" its on it. And I have been buying DVDs since 2001,and still buy DVDs. I have OVER 1800 DVDs and close to 600 Blu-Rays. And NOBODY said you HAVE to re-buy every DVD you own on Blu-Ray. But you are complaining here about new releases not having special features,so why not JUST buy new releases? Blu-Ray players can be found as cheap as $80 sometimes,and anymore Blu-Rays are close enough to the price of the DVD,that price shouldnt matter either. Its not like when Blu-Ray 1st came to be,and players were over $500,and barebone catalog titles were $25+.

Just sayin....

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

You need to read up on film.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

That isn't really something that was "released now". It came out a little over 3 years ago. Plus it's an older movie and just a standard edition. Many current DVDs do come out with special features, such as animated menus and language selection.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Wow, really?

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

yeah the OP has a mega chip on his shoulder and needs some education for sure.

Technologies move on...and thankfully get better. The studios don't find it wise to invest a lot of money into DVD special features - it's not profitable anymore to them.

Like others have said...you don't need to repurchase your movie collection - but you'll be impressed after you make the switch

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

What Mister Peepers says.

I own this DVD. It's a bare-bones release. Even the "chapter stops" are simply a stop every 10 minutes. As I'm a "watch the movie" type person I really never noticed this until you asked. I don't skip to scenes unless I fall asleep during a film. Even then I'll just skip through until I find where I fell off. I don't watch "special features" with *rare* exceptions. Yes, a trailer would be nice but how many times do you *really* watch those?

Frankly, it wouldn't bother me at all if *all* films came this way. The film starts *immediately* when the disk is inserted. No "previews", no "FBI Warning", no company logo, no crappy animated menu you must sit through before you can play the film (which is typically followed by yet another crappy animation before the film actually starts). I have better things to do than sit through all that junk (watch another film for example).

Blu-ray? I don't own any now but figure I will eventually. When my current player dies I'll probably get a Blu-ray player if the price is right. While I have no plans to "upgrade" any of my DVD collection I'm sure there'll be a few I'll do because I love the films and the Blu-ray version will look better. Why anyone feels they are being *forced* to upgrade is beyond me. Any Blu-ray player will play and upconvert a DVD and IMHO that's good enough for most titles.

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

I don't mind getting a menu where I can start the movie when I'm ready to. That way I can go ahead and get the DVD started while my wife and I get our snacks together, and have it ready to go when we're ready for it. I don't even mind it having previews as long as I can skip past them if we don't feel like watching them (which is most of the time). What I hate are the previews you can't skip past. Why would they do that? The Prophecy 3 was like that. We were trying to fit both Prophecy II & 3 in one evening but it would be close as far as time was concerned. Having to sit through previews with no option to skip them or go straight to the menu pissed us both off.

I've been one to fight progress as far as blu-ray is concerned, I've been pretty vocal about it in several threads. While my entire collection is DVD, I fully understand that I don't have to convert my entire collection to blu-ray as a blu-ray player will play my DVDs just fine. However, my research (+ several people in the DVD & Home Theater Gear forum) has led me to believe that with my current TV, there wouldn't be much (if any) advantage to owning a blu-ray player, my TV is not capable of 1080p (only 1080i) and does not have HDMI capabilities. The older blu-ray players would upconvert via component cables, but they put a stop to that shit in January 2011 in an effort to put a damper on piracy (-rolleyes-), the new players are not capable of upconverting via component cables anymore which is fucking stupid. Since I'm hoping and praying my 53" Pioneer WS Rear Projection HDTV doesn't die on me anytime soon, I'm not in any hurry to buy a blu-ray player. But if my DVD/VHS combo player ever dies (hopefully not anytime soon), I'll probably buy a blu-ray player to replace it, just to ease MrSmearkase's concerns...:p -kd5-

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

Regarding the thread title, it pisses me off that the studios are cutting off alot of the special features they used to include on DVDs in favor of adding all those extras to the blu-rays. 2-Disc SE's are getting scarce because of the push to blu-ray. We're the ones paying for DVDs out here, we're noted for shelling out the extra bucks for 2-Disc SE's, but they don't want to supply our wants or needs anymore, because of the push to blu-ray! Hell, they don't even need to make quite the number of them they used to, but make them dammit! If you make them, we will buy them! -kd5-

Re: Why are a lot of dvds being released now with ZERO special features?
 

DVD-only buyers are slowly becoming those VHS holdouts, like grandma and grandpa.