WSR Content
Dear Gary:
This is a follow-up to the on-line survey about the direction I would like the magazine to take.
First, I do not yet own a Blu-ray Disc™ player. I’m sure I will buy one eventually but I’m in no great hurry. I really have a case with Sony, in particular, as I think it used its clout to drive HD DVD out of the marketplace to the disservice of the buying public. In spite of the higher cost to replicate a disc, the moving specifications, and hardware that was not ready for prime time, money won out. I was seriously considering purchasing a Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player, if for no other reason than for its ability to up-convert standard DVDs. The only reason I did not was the lack of wide studio support and that I am building a house and will not have any displays with HDMI until it is completed (in about three months). The player will probably be an Oppo DV-983H to use with the 1080p projector planned for the media room.
Second, I currently own over 500 DVDs. The cost of software is a much more important issue to me than the cost of a player. In my library, I replaced a good number as the studios reissued them and the quality of picture and sound was significantly (not marginally, or for bonus features) improved. Widescreen Review is the only source I had to make these decisions.
Based upon the above, it is important that your magazine continue to review DVDs. My biggest complaint with the magazine recently has been the limited coverage of new DVDs, and in particular, catalog or reissues of quality movies. The majority of new releases, especially those reviewed in both formats, have not been worth buying. I’m not going to invest, regardless of picture and sound quality, if the movie itself is not worth it.
My primary interest is in watching outstanding movies of the best available quality. In that vein, the cost of a player pales in comparison with the investment in software. Thus, I am most sensitive to price and availability of studio catalog titles. Blu-ray™ is overpriced for the improvement it represents at this point (HD DVD replication might have been an advantage here), and until there is a significant improvement, I will wait. I’m sure I will purchase How The West Was Won with its Cinerama package but just wait patiently for a time to see it. As a matter of fact, before the demise of the format, I bought several HD DVDs of movie classics that your reviews indicated were a significant improvement, and when the disc became available at a more reasonable price, in anticipation of buying a player, either standalone or dual format, later.
One last comment—I think The Perfect Vision made a mistake in limiting its reviews of software, and in particular, older movies of special note. I’m sure that wasn’t why it went under, but I certainly thought it to be a move in the wrong direction. All the new electronics, connectivity, convergence, and all the rest are fun to play with, but it’s the movie itself that counts, in my opinion. I don’t care about all the rest if after viewing I wind up feeling “what a piece of junk; that sure was a waste of time!”
You have done a great job of promoting “the best that it can be” and I can live with some retrenchment in difficult times. Please just don’t forget that the movie itself is what it’s all about.
Richard Rice
Editor-In-Chief & Publisher Gary Reber Comments:
I agree, Richard. The quality of the content is what it is really all about, followed by the quality of sound and picture.
Thank you for your support in these difficult times of, as you put it, “retrenchment.”
You can E-mail Widescreen Review @ editorgary@widescreenreview.com