Software Reviews
Dear Gary:
In 1996, I accepted a subscription invitation to Widescreen Review included in Doug Pratt’s LaserDisc Newsletter (now called the DVDLaser Newsletter, still published in New York). These two publications have pretty much been my reference manuals for North American LaserDiscs and DVDs. You both share an obsession with home video and are both small, independent publishers, now currently under threat due to a surfeit of free Internet DVD review sites and the impending economic recession.
From 1990 until 2001 I purchased approximately 1,500 LaserDiscs, and I still have them all in mint condition, stored in my basement. Most of them were selected after reading reviews in the LaserDisc Newsletter and–– subsequently––Widescreen Review. The retail price and shipping costs of LaserDiscs from the USA to Norway were prohibitive; a sumptuous Criterion Collection three-disc title could end up costing over $250 after I had collected it from the local customs office. I was a poor student and sunk every spare penny I earned in my spare time (as well as most of my student loan) into my film collection. Over the years I squandered a small fortune, while my more sensible friends invested their money in real estate and families. Nonetheless, the many hours of viewing pleasure enjoyed by my friends and myself in my living room made me feel life was worth living. Compared to the state-of-the-art video and sound systems reviewed and advertised in Widescreen Review, my home theatre was rather humble––an inevitable consequence of the high price of the software. The LaserDisc player was connected to a 28-inch CRT TV, and was also hooked up to an inexpensive Denon surround amplifier and JBL loudspeakers. In time, an RF demodulator and active subwoofer were added, taking advantage of Dolby® Digital and DTS® soundtracks (and to further annoy the neighbors). Any party over at my place was easily turned into a night to remember by firing up the home theatre and watching a film after dinner. Turning the discs over never broke the mood, as we could always use the break to refill our wine glasses. Features of home video viewing now taken for granted by subsequent generations: magisterial surround sound, astoundingly pristine picture transfers in their correct aspect ratios (compared to the alternative on VHS), commentary by the director, deleted scenes–– it was the first time any of us had experienced this. Often we were able to enjoy American releases before their premiere at the local flea pit and anyway, many of the films I purchased were impossible to get hold of in Europe at all. A further bonus was being able to see the films uncensored and undubbed: the then-draconian Norwegian censorship board hacked many violent foreign action and horror films to shreds ––our version of Robocop was a good seven minutes shorter than the R-rated American version!
After LaserDiscs were phased out, at the turn of the century, I purchased very few DVDs and gave away my home theatre hardware. I probably experienced the same disappointment with the new format as record collectors experienced when compact discs were introduced. Not only was the retail and collector experience considerably diminished with the size of the artwork and disc, but the inferior sound quality and video compression artifacts on DVDs simply didn’t justify replacing my home video collection. Illegally downloaded substandard bit-torrent versions of movies on the Internet have never held any appeal for me (likewise, I have yet to download poor-quality MP3 files from iTunes). However, I feel now that Blu-ray Discs are indeed a justification to upgrade and buy a whole new high-definition home theatre system. The boxes containing the films may be smaller than ever, but the potential viewing and listening experience matches the same thrill I had nearly twenty years ago when I first saw and held a LaserDisc in my hands.
What sets Widescreen Review and DVDLaser Newsletter apart from the numerous free Web sites that publish software reviews, is your many years of experience. I know and value this, as I’m sure your readers do. In Issue 135, you asked whether readers would purchase a Blu-ray title if you gave it a bad review. I still use your DVD and Blu-ray reviews for reference as far as quality is concerned and would find your magazine a much poorer guide without software reviews. Transferring the reviews to your Webzine would only further undermine your future as a magazine. As space is now a premium, I would advise that you drop standard DVD reviews and concentrate only on Blu-ray. This would not only make the reviews more logical (I find it hard to believe that the Blu-ray version of The Nightmare Before Christmas has an inferior picture and sound quality compared to the standard version, as it could appear from your review), but it would also cater to the readers who have always been interested in the best possible quality home viewing experience.
The Blu-ray Disc is probably going to be the last physical home video format for purchase. When it is replaced by downloaded or streamed media, then there will probably no longer be a reason to read reviews anymore, as the incentive to a collector will have disappeared. But until that happens you will be an invaluable authority for freaks like me. I hope that you are able to weather the storm and I assure you of my continued support.
Dr. Kevin Sunde Oppegaard, Hammerfest, Norway
Editor-In-Chief and Publisher Gary Reber Comments:
I agree that the Blu-ray Disc format probably will be the last physical home video format for purchase, and as such, make for a collector’s treasure chest of our visual and sonic creativity. Thus, it is important for us to continue to support and advocate for the picture and sound performance possible on Blu-ray Disc, to heighten our appreciation for quality creativity and presentation in the home.
You can E-mail Widescreen Review @ editorgary@widescreenreview.com