Race to Witch Mountain DVD & Blu-Ray Discussion

[drfsupercenter]

And you're not using the term double-dipping correctly. To double-dip is to rebuy something that you already have (example: buying the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Princess Bride even if you have the Dread Pirate Edition, Buttercup Edition, Special Edition, or original barebones DVD). You can't double-dip on a new release. What are you doing, buying the single-disc, then going back to the store later to buy the concurrently-released two-disc-with-digital-copy

Yeah, I know what double dipping really is... It's the same concept though, they're forcing you to pay more for something you don't really need, such as buying another edition of a movie you already have.

No, I don't buy the single disc and then the double one... So far I haven't bought ANY Disney DVDs since Pinocchio... so it's irrelevant to me. (Though my sister bought HSM3's two-disc set, and that's how I figured out the evil marketing)

With over 6,000 DVD's in my collection I don't need to be doing any double-dipping, that is where I draw the line. And I am still very picky about what movies I will buy on Blu-Ray as opposed to standard, because I was smart enough to have my LCD HDTV calibrated so when a movie is upconverted you can hardly tell the difference - "is it Blu-Ray or regular?" - With all the technology out there today, most movies are digitally transferred to the disc and an upconversion will be as close to 1080p as you can get. And I am happy with that.

Same. Except I have a plasma - they just looked less pixelated to me up close - and since it's in a basement, glare is no issue.

But yeah. Upscaled DVDs look just about as good as HD content most of the time from where I sit - so the only ones I buy on Blu-Ray are the ones that either had bad DVD transfers, really really great Blu-Ray transfers, or both.

[dvdjunkie]

Okay, here it is, the full definition, according to me, about 'double-dipping'.

If you already own the movie, and can't live without the latest re-release because it has something different as an extra, you are 'double-dipping'. You already have the movie, and if it is a decent transfer and is Anamorphic Widescreen with the best sound, why waste the money because the new edition has some little tidbit that your copy doesn't. If we all stop doing this, then maybe, just maybe, the film companies will get wise and start issuing the 'complete' version of their movie one time only.

I refuse to be suckered in to spending money on an up-graded version of the film because it now has a "new featurette on the making-of". That is money I can use to get something else that I don't have.

Believe me, I am just as picky as the next guy about what movies make it to my collection. I don't want to ever have to say to someone who chooses a movie to watch out of my collection - "Oh I don't feel like watching that, let me choose one!" There is not one movie in my collection that I will not watch at any given time. Don't know how many of you can say that about your collection. (And I again remind you that I have a total of over 6,000 DVD's, standard and Blu-Ray in my collection. The Blu-Rays only account for just a little over a hundred of that total.)

[drfsupercenter]

Well, that's why I usually just buy it once and then if they ever make an extra disc, I'll copy it and stick that DVD+R in the case of the other one.

[Escapay]

It's the same concept though, they're forcing you to pay more for something you don't really need

No, you're still not getting it. They're not forcing anything. It's a new release, and there are two versions: a barebones version and a special edition version (digital copy or not). You're given the choice: either get one or the other. If you want the special features, buy the one with the special features, even if it costs more. It sucks, but studios have been doing it this way for the past few years now, and unfortunately we're stuck with it. It's still not considered double-dipping if you're buying it FOR THE FIRST TIME.

You can gripe all you want about the jacked-up price for the special edition (again, digital copy or not), but that's the whole point. To pay more to get more.

Okay, here it is, the full definition, according to me, about 'double-dipping'.

If you already own the movie, and can't live without the latest re-release because it has something different as an extra, you are 'double-dipping'. You already have the movie, and if it is a decent transfer and is Anamorphic Widescreen with the best sound, why waste the money because the new edition has some little tidbit that your copy doesn't. If we all stop doing this, then maybe, just maybe, the film companies will get wise and start issuing the 'complete' version of their movie one time only.

Exactly what I said (well, in not so many words) in the previous page, Bill.

to rebuy something that you already have

I refuse to be suckered in to spending money on an up-graded version of the film because it now has a "new featurette on the making-of". That is money I can use to get something else that I don't have.

Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for the double-dip, as I always enjoy bonus features, and if I feel they're really worth it, I'll get the film again. Plus, in some cases there is the improved audio/video stuff. Still, there are a few double-dips I've done that I'm glad I did:

The Ten Commandments - I double-dipped from the Special Collector's Edition to the 50th Anniversary Collection because it was the only way to acquire the 1923 silent version. So to avoid calling it a double-dip, I like to think I really just paid $20 for the silent movie and got the two-disc 1956 version as a bonus.

Now, Voyager - probably my favourite Bette Davis film, I had bought it on its own early in 2005, before I heard anything about a new Bette Davis boxset that would be coming in the summer. As it was the only Bette Davis film in my collection at the time and I wanted the others, I elected to buy the boxset (which at $40 meant it was only $8 a movie). I've since given the original DVD to my best friend.

When Harry Met Sally - the original Special Edition was really good (director's commentary, 30-min documentary, trailers, deleted scenes, music video), but it only had player-generated subtitles in French and Spanish (although there were closed-captions for English). When the new Collector's Edition came out, player-generated subtitles in English were finally included, along with a new commentary and featurettes (although the old stuff wasn't included, giving me a reason to hold on to the original DVD).

Well, that's why I usually just buy it once and then if they ever make an extra disc, I'll copy it and stick that DVD+R in the case of the other one.

albert

[drfsupercenter]

Jeez, replace my use of the term "double dipping" with "ripoff" then if it bugs you that much.

The only two I have legitimately double dipped on are The Day After Tomorrow (it was my favorite movie for a long time - and I just had to have the collector's edition) and Casino Royale (Who DOESN'T want a 3-disc set with an awesome container?)

[ajmrowland]

And of course, it has Fast Play.

Will the uselessness, i mean "usefulness" never end?

[dvdjunkie]

drf wrote:

Well, that's why I usually just buy it once and then if they ever make an extra disc, I'll copy it and stick that DVD+R in the case of the other one.

Let us know your new address when you get caught breaking the law about copying discs. That is what that FBI warning is about. Pirating discs is against the law and helps keep the prices up for those of us who want a quality copy of the film and not some rip-off.

[schoollover]

I didn't see this but i'm looking forward to. Thats what I wanted to say, bye

[drfsupercenter]

Let us know your new address when you get caught breaking the law about copying discs. That is what that FBI warning is about. Pirating discs is against the law and helps keep the prices up for those of us who want a quality copy of the film and not some rip-off.

Aren't you the one who said you had not one, but two bootlegs of Wolverine before it came out?

Trust me, what I do is not nearly as bad as others - I generally only copy stuff for my personal use... the people selling bootlegs on eBay are the real criminals...

[Escapay]

Jeez, replace my use of the term "double dipping" with "ripoff" then if it bugs you that much.

Why should I when you are using the term incorrectly?

Will the uselessness, i mean "usefulness" never end?

Aside from being a complete insult to the viewers' intelligence, I find there are some practical uses for FastPlay. If I'm making a sandwich before the movie starts, I'll put the disc in, let it FastPlay itself, and make my sandwich. Plus, I found that the average amount of time between the FastPlay menu/previews and the movie is just enough time to drag a dead body down the stairs and put into the freezer.

albert

[goofystitch]

I don't get all of the complaints that Fast Play gets. I actually really like when the feature is there. Know why? Because before previews start, it asks if you want to go to the main menu, which I do. It is not at all inconvenient. You would have had to have pushed the menu button at some point either way. So who the hell cares?

[UmbrellaFish]

My thoughts on FastPlay-

It's not a inconvience, but it's rarely a convience. When I'm cleaning my room, pop in a DVD, and then hurry over to whatever I was working on, I get too concentrated (and perhaps a bit lazy), so I don't want to move over and get the remote once it's reached the main menu.

On the other hand, it bugs me that they reserve FastPlay for the kiddie releases. This movie, as well as Enchanted and Disney Platinums, were targeted towards families, and they recieve FastPlay. On the other hand National Treasure 2 and the POTC sequels didn't have the FastPlay feature. So you can see Disney doesn't think FastPlay is a necessity for their DVD releases, only ones they think kids will buy.

[goofystitch]

Correct. The whole point of Fast Play was so that it would be convenient for busy parents to simply pop in the DVD and leave the room. I remember as a kid, my mom would put the VHS in, press play, and I had to wait through the previews. With DVD, parents had to wait for the unskippable content to finish, then skip through the previews (or press the menu button) and then press play to get the movie going for their kids. Fast Play eliminates that hassle. Since the technology was intended for parents setting up movies for their kids, it makes since that Disney wouldn't use it on their movies that aren't suitable for kids too young to work a DVD remote, such as National Treasure and the Pirates movies.

[drfsupercenter]

You know what would be a lot better than FastPlay?

DVDs that just go to the menu when you insert them :O

Is it such a concept? I think not. Look at older DVDs - before they started plastering 15,000 FBI warnings and trailers before them. (Or how about anything from the Criterion Collection - same thing there.)

[Mollyzkoubou]

...doesn't FastPlay automatically run a couple previews before going into the movie?

[goofystitch]

Yes. Fast Play starts with 3-5 previews, then goes straight into the film, vs. the old way that Disney used to do it where they would play 3-5 previews and then go to the main menu. To get a movie started for kids, parents had to skip through the previews, get to the menu and press play. While I don't think this was that big of a problem, Fast Play gives you the option of just popping in the disc and walking away and letting Disney do the rest, or to just skip everything and go to the main menu.

With Fast Play, you get previews, then the film, and then either a "selection of bonus features" automatically plays, or if there are no bonus features, the rest of the trailers on the disc usually play.

[Escapay]

More from BBFC:

Category
WHICH MOUNTAIN?
Video Feature
Classified 11 May, 2009 .
Run Time 7m 58s

You'd think for a Blu-Ray exclusive, the featurette would be longer.

albert

[drfsupercenter]

Yes. Fast Play starts with 3-5 previews, then goes straight into the film, vs. the old way that Disney used to do it where they would play 3-5 previews and then go to the main menu. To get a movie started for kids, parents had to skip through the previews, get to the menu and press play. While I don't think this was that big of a problem, Fast Play gives you the option of just popping in the disc and walking away and letting Disney do the rest, or to just skip everything and go to the main menu.

With Fast Play, you get previews, then the film, and then either a "selection of bonus features" automatically plays, or if there are no bonus features, the rest of the trailers on the disc usually play.

But as I said, a truly remarkable concept would be just popping the disc in and the menu shows right up. You could still watch previews - but they'd be under Special Features where they belong.

And really... a lot of people just press Play from the menu. Not sure why that works (As I know quite a lot about DVD authoring, and NOTHING in it says you can activate stuff with the play/pause button), but even if you don't have a remote... you just stick the disc in and hit play.

Is that hard? Some VCRs you have to press play too.

So if you're TRULY an imbecile and can't wait two seconds for a menu to pop up, and then press a button, you don't even deserve to be watching movies. You assume the TV will also magically turn itself on when you use FastPlay, and also tune itself to the DVD player's channel/input? And the volume will be just perfect?

My point here is that you can't just be lazy when it comes to watching movies. FastPlay may be nice if you have a 2 year old kid who can't understand the concept of an enter/play button, and you're just in such a hurry that you don't have the time to make sure the movie starts (And for that matter, shouldn't you be watching your kid?!!!)... but it's really just an inconvenience, even having to sit through the previews and copyright warnings... I like discs where it just goes straight to the menu, no questions asked.

[ajmrowland]

Don't all Disney DVDs have the menu button enabled during the previews? What's so hard about that?

[goofystitch]

I agree with you, drfsupercenter. It would be much more convenient as a consumer to just have the menu appear first. However, as a business major who understands marketing, any studio would be stupid to do that. While it doesn't take a genius to hit the menu button and skip all previews to get to the movie, there are people out there who are either to lazy or who simply just don't know that they can skip the previews. So they will watch them and be informed on what else the studio has to offer in the next few months. It's a marketing opportunity that virtually costs nothing, aside from the cost of producing the add. Its the same principle behind sticking flyers in the cases to advertise releases as well.

I remember the early days of DVD when indeed, most studio DVDs started the movie automatically, before even taking you to the menu. In fact, the oldest Blu-Ray I have, Disney's Dinosaur, does the exact same thing... that disappointing Blu-Ray doesn't even have a menu. It has a pop-up menu that you have to use to change any settings or to access bonus features.

Escapay wrote:

You'd think for a Blu-Ray exclusive, the featurette would be longer.

That would be nice. To be honest, the Blu-Ray exclusive features that Disney puts on their simultaneous releases are typically pretty short, although they usually are also the best bonus features on the disc, with the exception of major releases like the Platinums and 2-disc sets like Wall-E and Prince Caspian.