Ot: Dvd Durabilty

[Ray Pointer]

It should come as no surprise that everyone here shares a tremendous passion for animation, attested by the many exchages about "what's in your collection." And the emergence of DVDs has helped further our discovery and enthusiasm. Interestingly, when this new medium was introduced, there was a lot of information being offered by "experts" who promised a great deal about a medium that had not been fully tested. As a result, the public was told that the best quality DVDs are those manufactured in factories, pressed from Glass Masters. Adding to this was the idea that anything other than pressed DVDs such as the R format was inferior and amateurish. This was
an industry myth developed to "Straight Jacket" producers into laying out
thousands of dollars to produced discs in many thousands of units in order
to meet the demands of this new "Consumer Media Format." At the same time the industry disguised the fact that mass produced factory pressed DVDs are an imperfect medium, subject to occasional glitches, and most of all vulnerable to scratching, causing "freezes," and making the discs unusable.

An interesting issue has sufaced from NetFlix, which states that its DVD rentals last up to 10 to 12 rentals. After that they have to purchase replacements. While the producing companies see this as an advantage, companies such as NetFlix are loosing money, and are raising large complaints that could result in the elimination of standard DVDs as we know them--due to their inherent fragility. This is something the industry was aware of from the beginning, and is one of the issues that is pushing the concept of Blu-Ray discs. Aside from the HD performance, by necessity, Blu-Ray has to be
manufactured on a scratch-proof medium since standard DVD discs do not seem to be able to perform at the requirement level aside from their obvious
vulnerability.

For five years, TDK has been one of the companies promoting the idea of a scratch-proof disc that could be used for DVD production. This disc has proven to be the standard used for Blu-Ray. We have found that it also performs excellently in the production of DVDs produced in the -R format. In fact, factory test have proven that DVDs produced on this "scratch-proof" medium termed "Durabis" actually perform at a higher level than standard mass produced DVDS, and actually extend the life of the player. This is because glass pressed DVDs create a magnetic field that attracts dust to the laser beam head. They also conduct more heat. DVDs in the -R format recorded on the Durabis stock do not do this, and the image quality, definition, compression issues, etc. that pressed discs are measured at equal and surpass these standards. At the same time, laboratory tests prove that the stabilty of the encoded information is a good as the pressed discs with a claim of a life of 100 years. So the issues of impressed digital information verses dyed is not an issue of concern. And considering the delicacy of pressed DVDs, this makes the entire process seem impractical, unnecessarily time consuming, and most of all, an unnecessary expense.

The idea that -R discs are not real DVDs is simply not true. The difference between one that is a "homemade Jerry Rig," and a professionally produced disc is in the use of media and the engineering, as well as the quality of the program material going onto it. Accordingly, many professional organizations including The Television Academy, and industries with In-House media departments are using the DVD-R format because it serves their purposes of small volume special subject production. This eliminates the added expense of making thousands of discs, representing a huge inventory that has to move to recoup the expense outlay. And if they are give aways, this becomes an even larger expense that is never recovered, with many thousands of discs left over, only to be disposed of into some landfill. The plastic is not biodegradable making this process inefficient and wasteful.

For these reasons, we have been making all of our DVDs on the Durabis "Scratch-proof" medium for the past year. As a result, we have been getting the highest performance and reliabilty we have ever had since we started releasing DVDs four years ago. It goes without saying that everyone here
wants to have a product that they can depend on, and enjoy for many years. That's why we've taken the plunge, being one of the very few independent producer/distributors to offer "scratch-proof" DVDs. And when the demand for Blu-Ray becomes great enough, we will be ready to make the shift because we are already using the media required for it.

[Matthew Hunter]

Anything can last a long time if properly cared for. Rental DVDs change hands and machines so often it's a wonder they last as long as they do! But I suppose anything to make them more durable is worth a shot.

and other than being supposedly more durable, what IS a "Blu-Ray" anyway? Is it supposed to have a clearer picture or something, or is it a ploy by the studios to get people to buy stuff a second time?

[Sogturtle]

Anything can last a long time if properly cared for. Rental DVDs change hands and machines so often it's a wonder they last as long as they do! But I suppose anything to make them more durable is worth a shot.

and other than being supposedly more durable, what IS a "Blu-Ray" anyway? Is it supposed to have a clearer picture or something, or is it a ploy by the studios to get people to buy stuff a second time?

Matthew~

"Regular" DVDs are supposed to look pretty bad on HD TVs, so the invention of "Blu-Ray" (and its competitor) is meant to give superior video quality... But yeah it is also something of a ploy to get us all to buy the same material that we already bought on DVD, and videotape and laserdisc... :rolleyes:

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Anything can last a long time if properly cared for. Rental DVDs change hands and machines so often it's a wonder they last as long as they do! But I suppose anything to make them more durable is worth a shot.

and other than being supposedly more durable, what IS a "Blu-Ray" anyway? Is it supposed to have a clearer picture or something, or is it a ploy by the studios to get people to buy stuff a second time?
Hi Matthew,

I just got a Sony Blu-ray player recently. It's a High Definition player (it's main competition is HD-DVD) that plays Blu-ray discs and standard DVD discs. It gives a higher resolution than regular DVD player would. (You'd have to play it on an HDTV -- one with 1080 lines of resolution to get the full effect.)

The picture is clearer and sharper, without the moire pattern effects or artifacting that happens on Standard Definition DVDs and TVs.

As for rentals, I remember back when VHS was the choice of video rental stores. They lasted a long time, despite repeated viewing. Only exposure to extreme heat, or the occasional tape getting stuck in the player, damaged the tapes. After a number of years the tapes would exhibit video "drop out" at the top of the screen. But they were much more resiliant than today's delicate DVD discs.

[Ray Pointer]

Hi Matthew,

I just got a Sony Blu-ray player recently. It's a High Definition player (it's main competition is HD-DVD) that plays Blu-ray discs and standard DVD discs. It gives a higher resolution than regular DVD player would. (You'd have to play it on an HDTV -- one with 1080 lines of resolution to get the full effect.)

The picture is clearer and sharper, without the moire pattern effects or artifacting that happens on Standard Definition DVDs and TVs.


The basic trouble with HD DVD format as I've been told is that is that it's not compatable with Standard DVDs. The Blu Ray player can play Standard DVDs without a problem. It would be the same resolution, but it can convert well enough to be acceptable. Paramount has made a commitment to HD DVDs, which I don't believe are going to be the way of the future. Disney and I believe Warners are putting out some Blu Ray discs. Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARABEAN series for one is on Blu Ray.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

The basic trouble with HD DVD format as I've been told is that is that it's not compatable with Standard DVDs. The Blu Ray player can play Standard DVDs without a problem. It would be the same resolution, but it can convert well enough to be acceptable. Paramount has made a commitment to HD DVDs, which I don't believe are going to be the way of the future. Disney and I believe Warners are putting out some Blu Ray discs. Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARABEAN series for one is on Blu Ray.
Backward compatibility is available with HD DVD players. In fact, some HD discs are hybrids, using HD for the movie and SD for the extras.

Sony and Apple are backing Blu-ray, while Toshiba and Microsoft are backing HD DVD.

[ohmahaaha]

Matthew~

"Regular" DVDs are supposed to look pretty bad on HD TVs, so the invention of "Blu-Ray" (and its competitor) is meant to give superior video quality...
Sogturtle: Couldn't you just adjust the resolution on your screen to deal with that situation, or would the HD DVD player not work on the lower resolutions? i.e. my set can go anywhere from 480i up to 1080i.

I daresay that even if they don't last forever, our DVDs would certainly last longer than VHS tapes - right?

[Sogturtle]

Sogturtle: Couldn't you just adjust the resolution on your screen to deal with that situation, or would the HD DVD player not work on the lower resolutions? i.e. my set can go anywhere from 480i up to 1080i.

I daresay that even if they don't last forever, our DVDs would certainly last longer than VHS tapes - right?

Ohmahaaha~

Thus far I've never read of any successful attempts at rectifying the situation... I'd LIKE to think that there would be one, and that it would indeed be a simple solution. Your suggestion would theoretically work, but even if does then you'll of course have people saying to you "but, but the resolution is no better than on my conventional TV and DVD player":rolleyes:

And like you, I want to believe that my piles of DVDs will last nearly forever...:) . BUT with "DVD-rot" a reality we're now in a position of having to periodically check our disc-collections to see if any of them are starting to show signs of that dreaded malady. There are now warnings out that home-made DVDs can go bye-bye in as little as 3 (THREE) years!:eek: So for any of us with mountains of THOSE we'll in the near future be thrown into a duplicating frenzy to save our valuable collections of cartoons, photos, and research data.:eek: :eek: :eek:

The "lower-tech" videotapes like other magnetic media are indeed at some risk, mostly due to simply wearing out (i.e. hundreds of playings) or damage from magnets or bad storage. I'm sure that cheap tapes are at a maximum risk.
But just for comparison I have tapes from the beginning of the home-video era (nearly 30 years ago) that were still running fine the last time I checked them.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Sogturtle: Couldn't you just adjust the resolution on your screen to deal with that situation, or would the HD DVD player not work on the lower resolutions? i.e. my set can go anywhere from 480i up to 1080i.

I daresay that even if they don't last forever, our DVDs would certainly last longer than VHS tapes - right?
I'm not sure if this answers your question, but both HD DVD and Blu-ray players "upscale" the resolution of regular DVD discs. The Blu-ray player I have has several settings to coincide with one's TV; everything from 480 to 1080, either progressive or interlaced. Also, an HD player can work on a regular tv. It would just be pointless, that's all. (Plus standard TVs can't take advantage of the HDMI cable input that HD players come with.)

The real trouble with tapes versus DVDs isn't so much which format will last longer (they both have longevity problems), but with the fact that high definition progressive scan TVs will eventually replace all interlaced tube televisions in the near future. And videotape does not look good when played on HDTVs. (Network broadcasts will supposedly go HD digital by 2009. The image will look terrible on standard tube TVs. Most retail electronic stores stock more LCD and Plasma TVs nowadays, too.)

[Ray Pointer]

I'm not sure if this answers your question, but both HD DVD and Blu-ray players "upscale" the resolution of regular DVD discs. The Blu-ray player I have has several settings to coincide with one's TV; everything from 480 to 1080, either progressive or interlaced. Also, an HD player can work on a regular tv. It would just be pointless, that's all. (Plus standard TVs can't take advantage of the HDMI cable input that HD players come with.)

The real trouble with tapes versus DVDs isn't so much which format will last longer (they both have longevity problems), but with the fact that high definition progressive scan TVs will eventually replace all interlaced tube televisions in the near future. And videotape does not look good when played on HDTVs. (Network broadcasts will supposedly go HD digital by 2009. The image will look terrible on standard tube TVs. Most retail electronic stores stock more LCD and Plasma TVs nowadays, too.)

I work with a CG Effects man who also manufactures my DVDs. Here is his
response to these issues:

Both formats are backward compatible. HD produces a 2 sided Disc. One side has HD the other standard DVD. Major problem is HD cannot be burned. The DVD's I have seen on HD TV's have looked great. But who knows what kind of settings and variables some of these people are using? Also, these people who claim to take pristine care of DVD's should note, Durabis has fewer dropouts. Dust is in the air everywhere. Durabis repels dust.
All it takes is one piece of dust to fall on a DVD and picture quality is affected.

[geekzapoppin]

As a librarian in a public library with a sizable collection of DVDs, I have to tell you that the reason that Netflix needs new discs all the time is most likely the same reason that we are forced to repurchase discs all the time. It's because the average person uses DVDs like frisbees. They either A) think that they're somehow indestructible or B) don't care how they treat them as they never had to pay for them in the first place. People turn in discs that look like they've been run over by a car and are mad because they won't play anymore. In addition, Netflix has to deal with their discs being sent through the mail in envelopes that aren't exactly Military Spec. I can't tell you how many discs I've had arrive in pieces from them.

On a personal note, I've never had problems with well-cared-for discs except for a few from the early days of the format. Now whether those malfunctioning discs that I do own have been caused by manufacturing defects inherent in most early products or by degredation of the discs, I have no way of saying for a few more years. I think a lot of the DVD rot hoopla is left over from the Laserdisc days when there really was a problem with discs pressed at a particular manufacturing plant degrading over time due to faulty construction.

[Ray Pointer]

As a librarian in a public library with a sizable collection of DVDs, I have to tell you that the reason that Netflix needs new discs all the time is most likely the same reason that we are forced to repurchase discs all the time. It's because the average person uses DVDs like frisbees. They either A) think that they're somehow indestructible or B) don't care how they treat them as they never had to pay for them in the first place. People turn in discs that look like they've been run over by a car and are mad because they won't play anymore. In addition, Netflix has to deal with their discs being sent through the mail in envelopes that aren't exactly Military Spec. I can't tell you how many discs I've had arrive in pieces from them.

On a personal note, I've never had problems with well-cared-for discs except for a few from the early days of the format. Now whether those malfunctioning discs that I do own have been caused by manufacturing defects inherent in most early products or by degredation of the discs, I have no way of saying for a few more years. I think a lot of the DVD rot hoopla is left over from the Laserdisc days when there really was a problem with discs pressed at a particular manufacturing plant degrading over time due to faulty construction.

We have a special line of educational titles that are sought after by schools and libraries. Knowing that they will experience heavy use, we have sold those titles on the scratch-proof disc for these very reasons. This has become an attractive feature, and buyers have been willing to pay the extra
cost as an "insurance" that the discs they buy will stand up to years of use.
This is "value" purchasing.

[sumnernor]

I have a friend who has DVDs lying on a table - perhaps it makes a good drink coster!http://www.goldenagecartoons.com/forums/images/smilies/mad.gif Needless to say, I will not loan him my DVDs.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

As a librarian in a public library with a sizable collection of DVDs, I have to tell you that the reason that Netflix needs new discs all the time is most likely the same reason that we are forced to repurchase discs all the time. It's because the average person uses DVDs like frisbees. They either A) think that they're somehow indestructible or B) don't care how they treat them as they never had to pay for them in the first place. People turn in discs that look like they've been run over by a car and are mad because they won't play anymore. In addition, Netflix has to deal with their discs being sent through the mail in envelopes that aren't exactly Military Spec. I can't tell you how many discs I've had arrive in pieces from them.

On a personal note, I've never had problems with well-cared-for discs except for a few from the early days of the format. Now whether those malfunctioning discs that I do own have been caused by manufacturing defects inherent in most early products or by degredation of the discs, I have no way of saying for a few more years. I think a lot of the DVD rot hoopla is left over from the Laserdisc days when there really was a problem with discs pressed at a particular manufacturing plant degrading over time due to faulty construction.
People definitely do not take care of things they haven't purchased for themselves. Most rental discs I've seen were scratched. Considering that one only has to remove the disc from the case and place it in the DVD player (and vice versa) I wonder where on this simple route people find a way to scratch the disc?

As for Laserdiscs, I used to own over 200 LDs and rented several more. In all that time I've only seen 3 discs with laser rot. (Unfortunately I owned 2 of them. The 3rd one was a rental.)

[Studio Toledo]

People definitely do not take care of things they haven't purchased for themselves. Most rental discs I've seen were scratched. Considering that one only has to remove the disc from the case and place it in the DVD player (and vice versa) I wonder where on this simple route people find a way to scratch the disc?
Really, either they haven't graduated from LP's with confidence, or there's still too many tykes out there that like to do it without supervision!

As for Laserdiscs, I used to own over 200 LDs and rented several more. In all that time I've only seen 3 discs with laser rot. (Unfortunately I owned 2 of them. The 3rd one was a rental.)
Still, it was a pretty dependable format. I stll have a player and some discs left.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Still, it was a pretty dependable format. I stll have a player and some discs left.
Me too. Mostly they are cartoon boxsets that aren't available on DVD yet -- like The Compleat Tex Avery, Happy Harmonies, and the Definitive Betty Boop.

[sumnernor]

I don't have a modern PC yet. Can one buy "blank" Durabis "Scratch-proof" DVDs and burn one owns data?

[cpdavison]

I don't have a modern PC yet. Can one buy "blank" Durabis "Scratch-proof" DVDs and burn one owns data?

Well, if you live in the UK, you can order some from HERE (http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1071&prepg=).

It also looks like they're available HERE (http://www.superwarehouse.com/TDK_Scratchproof_DVD-R_Storage_Media_%285_Pack%29/DVD-R47HCDS5/p/720178).

Hope that helps.

Craig D.

[Chow Hound]

Considering that one only has to remove the disc from the case and place it in the DVD player (and vice versa) I wonder where on this simple route people find a way to scratch the disc?I've been wondering that same thing for years now. Between work and home, I must have handled over 4,000 DVDs and CDs, and I've managed to drop exactly 3, 2 of which became scratched as a result (unfortunately, one of them was my Complete Goofy disc 2, fortunately it still plays fine). That's about a .075 % droppage rate. I don't see how people manage to scratch up rental discs so badly.

As for Laserdiscs, I used to own over 200 LDs and rented several more. In all that time I've only seen 3 discs with laser rot. (Unfortunately I owned 2 of them. The 3rd one was a rental.)I've seen a lot of laser rot, unfortunately. Only on LDs I've bought used on eBay though, but I haven't checked my collection in awhile since it's been mostly replaced on DVD. I bet the high rate I've seen is due to people viewing eBay as an easy way to dump their defective discs. I only buy new discs and tapes from auction sites now.

[frizfrelengfan]

I've never had a problem with a deteriorating DVD.

The only time I ever had a problem with a DVD was one that I rented from Blockbuster. About halfway through the video started jumping and stalling. When I returned it, the clerk admitted that it was rather scratched up and gave me a credit.

I have no plans to go to either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this time. The prices have to come down and the format war has to end.

[cabe624]

For as long as I've had Netflix, I've never recieved a DVD from them that was smashed to pieces. Some had some nasty scratching, but once wiped with a cloth or maybe some disc cleaning fluid, and they're ready to play.

I have a pretty sizable collection of DVD's, some over 7 years old, and not one has exibited laser rot, which happens when the disc becomes "oxidized" - when oxygen penetrates the glue holding the disc together.

I own some CD's that were some of the first ones that came out in the mid-80's. They still play great and are exhibiting no sign of CD-rot. So, as long as you don't treat your discs, whether DVD or CD, poorly, then you should have no real problem with this.

Lots of players today have lasers that can read damaged discs better. I have a nice lower-end Sony that has very fast chapter search and has barely ever skipped, even on badly damaged discs.

Standard-def DVD's also look pretty good on HDTV's... as long as they're upconverted. There are DVD players out there that do this, plus all of the Blue-ray and HD-DVD players have this feature as well.

[Chow Hound]

I have no plans to go to either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this time. The prices have to come down and the format war has to end.Me neither, but that's not going to happen for the forseeable future. In fact, it just got worse. Believe it or not, there's a THIRD Hi-Def disc format on the horizon called VMD that falls somewhere between HD and BD in terms of data storage and tranfer rates. TVShowsOnDVD has an article on it here (http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=8019). Unbelievable.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Believe it or not, there's a THIRD Hi-Def disc format on the horizon called VMD that falls somewhere between HD and BD in terms of data storage and tranfer rates. TVShowsOnDVD has an article on it here (http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=8019). Unbelievable.
Must...buy...

These formats are all probably going to be obsolete pretty soon. I think in the future people will just download a feature movie on their computers -- similar to music stored on ipods -- and not deal with all the storage space needed for DVDs.

Anyone here remember that prescient scene from Back To The Future II? When Marty and Doc first arrive in the future they land in an alleyway filled with boxes of old laserdiscs and CDs left in the trash.

[Chow Hound]

Must...buy...

These formats are all probably going to be obsolete pretty soon. I think in the future people will just download a feature movie on their computers -- similar to music stored on ipods -- and not deal with all the storage space needed for DVDs.That's just what Microsoft is hoping for, and why they just bribed Paramount and Dreamworks to the tune of $150 Million to stop supporting BluRay and go HD-DVD exclusive. By splitting the studio support for the 2 big next-generation formats roughly in half, they hope to prolong the format war until such time as downloading of HD-sized movie files is feasible. I guess they figure there will be much more of a market for downloaded HD movies if nobody's got a huge library of the things on disc already. M$ must be overjoyed at the prospect of a third player in the HD on disc arena to muddy the waters even further, and they didn't even have to pay for it themselves (to my knowledge). I don't know that DVDs will become obsolete though. There's a lot to be said for having your movies close at hand and offline. You don't have to worry about accidental erasure from the hard drive, or HD failure, or not being able to download it when you want to because of network outages, etc., etc. I remember reading somewhere recently that although music downloading has really taken off, most music is still purchased on CD. And this despite a format war for the next generation of that media too (SACD vs. DVD Audio). Sooo bringing my little ramble back to the topic of the thread, I think the DVD format itself will be rather long-lived, in addition to the physical discs themselves.

Anyone here remember that prescient scene from Back To The Future II? When Marty and Doc first arrive in the future they land in an alleyway filled with boxes of old laserdiscs and CDs left in the trash.As an avid LD collector at the time, I found that scene rather chilling!

[J. J. Hunsecker]

As an avid LD collector at the time, I found that scene rather chilling!
I have a nostalgic fondness for laserdiscs. The packaging and cover art were better than those on DVDs. (Same with records compared with CDs.) They were geared at collectors, and far above VHS in terms of quality and extras. (they certainly felt special at the time.) Everything we take for granted on DVD had its genesis in LDs.

I've sold most of my LDs, except for some special cases like if the content is unavailable on DVD. (Is Magnificent Ambersons ever coming to DVD, for example?)

[Ray Pointer]

Must...buy...

These formats are all probably going to be obsolete pretty soon. I think in the future people will just download a feature movie on their computers -- similar to music stored on ipods -- and not deal with all the storage space needed for DVDs.



Since the push for large screen televisions has been to more closely approximated the movie theater experience, computer downloads is going backward. We already have the same thing with Pay per view on cable systems. There are some systems where a movie can be ordered up for viewing. In either case, there will still be those who wish to have the film on a medium for playback. This is particularly of interest for educational applications where the film is expected to be viewed many times.

[Matthew Hunter]

For as long as I've had Netflix, I've never recieved a DVD from them that was smashed to pieces. Some had some nasty scratching, but once wiped with a cloth or maybe some disc cleaning fluid, and they're ready to play.

I have a pretty sizable collection of DVD's, some over 7 years old, and not one has exibited laser rot, which happens when the disc becomes "oxidized" - when oxygen penetrates the glue holding the disc together.

I own some CD's that were some of the first ones that came out in the mid-80's. They still play great and are exhibiting no sign of CD-rot. So, as long as you don't treat your discs, whether DVD or CD, poorly, then you should have no real problem with this.

Lots of players today have lasers that can read damaged discs better. I have a nice lower-end Sony that has very fast chapter search and has barely ever skipped, even on badly damaged discs.

Standard-def DVD's also look pretty good on HDTV's... as long as they're upconverted. There are DVD players out there that do this, plus all of the Blue-ray and HD-DVD players have this feature as well.

Believe it or not, my parents still have their CD player they bought over 20 years ago. It works great to this day...but it won't play some modern CDs, and if you try to play a burned CD on it...forget it. (I got the Bruce Springsteen folk-song CD for them as a gift one holiday last year, for example, and sadly they can only play it on their DVD player.)

[Ray Pointer]

Believe it or not, my parents still have their CD player they bought over 20 years ago. It works great to this day...but it won't play some modern CDs, and if you try to play a burned CD on it...forget it. (I got the Bruce Springsteen folk-song CD for them as a gift one holiday last year, for example, and sadly they can only play it on their DVD player.)

This was the case with the first DVD palyers and the R format. Later, less expensive palyers became more versatile. I bought a $40 Zenith that will even play PAL discs I received from a customer in Australia. I believe that this was part of the prejudice against the DVD R format, and why some people have mistakenly assumed and publically announced that it is an "unprofesssional" format. As I stated before, it is being used in many professional circles for the reasons cited above.

[Chow Hound]

I have a nostalgic fondness for laserdiscs. The packaging and cover art were better than those on DVDs. (Same with records compared with CDs.) They were geared at collectors, and far above VHS in terms of quality and extras. (they certainly felt special at the time.) Everything we take for granted on DVD had its genesis in LDs.I feel the same way. The larger covers were more conducive to artwork. That may be why most current DVDs' cover art seems to have degenerated into nothing but actors' headshots. :mad: The uncompressed soundtracks on LDs were better too, but I think that advantage has evaporated on newer DVDs. I also get nostalgic about the way I used to buy LDs. I had to go to a physical store about an hour away that had an amazingly large selection and thumb through the shelves looking for the titles I wanted. They had a used bin where you could get them at half price or less and usually in pristine condition, and I'd usually find an OOP treasure or two there every time I went. This was pre-eBay of course. Now it takes a fraction of the time and money it used to because I buy DVDs online, and the selection is even better, but most of the fun has gone out of the actual act of purchasing them. The thrill of the hunt is gone. The only aspect of shopping that didn't get any cheaper with DVDs is the hunting down of out-of-print titles. The price gets run up too high on eBay and Amazon markets, and I did much better in the old used LD bin.

I've sold most of my LDs, except for some special cases like if the content is unavailable on DVD. (Is Magnificent Ambersons ever coming to DVD, for example?)It's supposedly coming in 2008, according to this (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/barriemaxwell/maxwell031907b.html) site. But if you can't wait and have a region-free player, you can buy the German version that also has an English track, at least according to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Magnificent-Ambersons-Region-2/dp/B00004T8EQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-3894904-4868418?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1189438592&sr=1-2). The only things I've got left on LD that I haven't been able to replace is The Nude Bomb (a.k.a. The Return of Maxwell Smart), The Family Dog complete series, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World that has a few more scenes than the DVD version, and the Flintstones cigarette ads that are on the Flintstones LD set of the first 13 episodes. Haven't got around to selling all my replaced LDs on eBay yet though, and I wouldn't expect there's much of a market for them now.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

It's supposedly coming in 2008, according to this (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/barriemaxwell/maxwell031907b.html) site. But if you can't wait and have a region-free player, you can buy the German version that also has an English track, at least according to Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Magnificent-Ambersons-Region-2/dp/B00004T8EQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-3894904-4868418?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1189438592&sr=1-2). The only things I've got left on LD that I haven't been able to replace is The Nude Bomb (a.k.a. The Return of Maxwell Smart), The Family Dog complete series, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World that has a few more scenes than the DVD version, and the Flintstones cigarette ads that are on the Flintstones LD set of the first 13 episodes. Haven't got around to selling all my replaced LDs on eBay yet though, and I wouldn't expect there's much of a market for them now.

That website states that they "found new elements" for The Magnificent Ambersons. I wonder what those elements might be? Could it possibly be they found the film for some of the scenes that were edited from Welles's cut? Including the original ending? (I have the Criterion laserdisc, and it has the script with storyboards for the missing scenes.)

The laserdiscs I plan on keeping fall into two catagories: Cartoons and Criterion Collection. Several Criterion titles have special features or commentaries not available on other DVD versions (Taxi Driver, Bad Day at Black Rock). Then there's The Compleat Tex Avery, Happy Harmonies, and the Betty Boop Definitive Collections. I also have that Flintstones LD with the John K art on the cover. (And I can't bring myself to give up The Golden Age of Looney Tunes volumes I own.)

[Chow Hound]

That website states that they "found new elements" for The Magnificent Ambersons. I wonder what those elements might be? Could it possibly be they found the film for some of the scenes that were edited from Welles's cut? Including the original ending? (I have the Criterion laserdisc, and it has the script with storyboards for the missing scenes.)I don't know, I've never actually seen the film. I was planning on renting it when it came out on DVD along with The Complete Mr. Arkadin.

The laserdiscs I plan on keeping fall into two catagories: Cartoons and Criterion Collection. Several Criterion titles have special features or commentaries not available on other DVD versions (Taxi Driver, Bad Day at Black Rock).Are you one of those lucky few that own the Goldfinger LD with the "banned commentary"? I've never been able to ascertain why the commentary caused the disc to be pulled and re-released, nor who gave the commentary (Connery?)
Then there's The Compleat Tex Avery, Happy Harmonies, and the Betty Boop Definitive Collections. I also have that Flintstones LD with the John K art on the cover. (And I can't bring myself to give up The Golden Age of Looney Tunes volumes I own.) I'll probably keep the Flintstones just for the art and the insert too. The GAOLT discs aren't completely obsolete yet anyway. I never picked those up, thinking at the time that the WB cartoons would always be around in the medium of the day, and in any case they were always on TV and had been for 30 years. If I'd known they'd be yanked from the airwaves, MIA on DVD for five years, and then only released at a snail's pace, I would have sprung for them when I saw them in the used bin. I've been regretting it, but less so each year as more of their contents become available on the LTGCs. Do you have the version with Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips on it, or the post-recall version?

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Are you one of those lucky few that own the Goldfinger LD with the "banned commentary"? I've never been able to ascertain why the commentary caused the disc to be pulled and re-released, nor who gave the commentary (Connery?)
No, I don't own that one. I'll bet a friend of mine does, though. He seems to have all the rare discs. (Whereas I had about 200 LDs, he had about 2000.)

Do you have the version with Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips on it, or the post-recall version?
Unfortunately, the post recall version with Racketeer Rabbit in its place. But I do have the videotape TGAoLT "Bugs Bunny by Each Director" with the offending Nips cartoon.