Are extras overrated?

Jonesthegas

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Most DVD reviews go on about the extras and complain if theybare lacking. How many peaople really care about extras? I have about 100 DVDs and rarely watch the extras and if I do, it is once and never again.

I'm far far more interested in the quality of the visuals and the audio. When reading the comments in any review about the extras, I ignore the section concerning the extras.

Am I alone?

Martin
 
I agree completely.

Extras in some cases can be pretty good, but most just take up space which could have been used for something else. ie DTS, and are rarely watched more than once if at all.

I wonder if they hadn't included all the commentaries in the upcoming extended LOTR dvd, could they have got the whole movie + DTS and DD soundtracks on one disc?
 
I agree.

Most of the extras are those rubbish behind the scenes documentaries designed to make you see the film. Glorified 20 minute adverts that don't actually give anything away.

Another thing I hate are 30 seconds featurettes where you have to constantly use the remote.

And the DVD-ROM stuff. I never bother with any of that even though I have a DVD-ROM drive in my PC.

Commentaries are cool though but one is enough.
 
I also agree. The only time I really enjoyed a documentary was Easy rider which I thought was better than the film. I have numerous special 2 disc editions of which the 2nd disc has never seen the DVD player. The extras I mostly watch are the deleted scenes especially on films which are old favourites but even then I only watch them once yet I might watch the actual film time and time again.

I agree they should concentrate on an excellent transfer and sound mix

Darren
 
another who agrees! But this has been discussed in one for or another and there always seem to be a very good number who value extras. Personaly, if i have watched 3 hours of extras from 150 dvds, ill be surprised.

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Deleted scenes are deleted for a reason.

They are rubbish!!!!

Why would anyone want to watch them separate from the film? Either throw them away or put them back in the movie.
 
There is only one disc where i have watched the extras more than once, and that was SW:EP1 for the excellent Documentary.

I review discs for s website so have to watch the extras on those discs, and most are rubbish pre release 20 min adverts for the feature, which are just boring. But there are a few out there that are very good, but these are few and far between.
 
I totally agree. I've probably only ever watched about half a dozen extras and as for 2 disc dvds, make it one and reduce the cost, plus more environmentally friendly - less oil wasted on rubbish.

drax
 
Well since this thread is pretty much one sided (actually it's totally one sided) :) I thought I better put up my defence for extras.

They are probably the main reason I got into DVD's in the first place, since I enjoy finding out about stuff like that. I want to know how it was made, I want to know the problems, I want to know the stories, I want to know the process. It can add so much more to the film that you watch (in my opinion)

Of course I hate made-for-TV featurettes and poor extras as much as the next one, but I feel you just can't beat a well put together set of extras. I have DVD's that where bought purely for the extras (even if I didn't like the film that much)

But of course, this is all my personal preference. I'm probably not into visual and audio like the rest of you, because I only have a 21-inch fullscreen tv and 2.1 surround sound (I'm a poor student :)), so when it comes to audio/visual, my video collection CAN suffice (but of course I prefer DVD in both departments)

Hurray for good extras !

(I'm sure this post isn't the best arguement for extras, but I need some breakfast)


P.S Good extras off the the top of my head...

The Abyss documentary

The Criterion collections

The Evil Dead commentaries

MGM Special Editions (back catologue)

Kevin Smith Commentaries

Almost Famous Bootleg (the most personal DVD I've seen)

Blade 2 (for sheer amount)

This is Spinal Tap (alot of the extras are just as funny as the film)

The Usual Suspects (my all round favourite disc)

The 2 disc sets that Buena Vista are now doing.

Anything with The Charlie Rose Show on (why can't we have this show over here??!!)


Of course there are more, but Frosted Wheats await me :)

Come on, I can't be the only one who is an extra's enthusiast.

(Oooo forgot The Matrix Revisited and Episode 1)
 
This has been discussed numerous times on here. Personally I love the extras and welcome as many as possible. When I read the reviews I am always more interested in hearing about the extras than the film itself, as I alreay know about the film.

Deleted scenes are not usually deleted becasue they are rubbish, but because of time restraints, or a shift of emphasis in the story dynamic.

When I buy a dvd I want THE most comprehensive version of the film possible - top quality sound and visuals, with all the marketing material, the deleted scenes, the commentaries, isolated score, documentary etc all wrapped in a nicely designed package! :)
 
First of I would prefer no extras if it would go into extra quality. But are you assured if the extras are dropped the space will be taken up with the extra bit rate?
I do like some extras I have on the DVD’s I’ve got these are mainly James Bond ones where I like listening to the running commentaries, or looking what the actors look like today if they are on the documentaries. But once I watched them I never bother with them again.
 
Im with Lex.

I search for the most comprehensive disk from different regions not just the cheapest.

Idealy all movies would be on 1 disk with only an English Soundtrack in DTS using all available space to improve quality. They would come with an additional (opptional?) second disk for the extras.

Regards
 
agree with Lex on this one-do you seriously think that prices would drop much if we had less extras? try superbit if you don't want extras-don't give the producers an excuse to rip us off more than they do already.
 
Never watch the extra's and would prefer a cheap,quality film only disc.
Having said that,i doubt if the price would fall that much,if any ,if no extra's were included.......
 
i'm not saying I don't want extras, I do.

But the extras must be made for the DVD, not the made-for-tv features that lots of dvds have.
 
Unfortunately, leaving out extras would likely make little impact on the price and we would get ripped of more as suggested!

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Hi,

I'm with Lex and Co, on this one. For me, the "extras" count as in integral part of the DVD experience!

There are occasions when I will buy a film with no extras, but I wouldn't want that to be a common feature of a DVD, especially when 99% of companies would STILL keep the disc at full-price.

However, if more companies were to do what Columbia Tristar do, and release both regular single/double disc releases with extras, AND a bare-bones film-only version with DD5.1 and DTS soundtracks with increased picture and sound quality (ala their "Superbit" range), then that would be fine. At least that way, it's up to the consumer which version they buy. However, the two versions should be available at the same time, rather than buying a DVD like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as a regular disc, only to then release a Superbit version a year or more later! Sadly, the chances of most companies doing this, are about as likely as Warner Bros discovering the wonders of Amaray plastic DVD cases! :D

Pooch
 
If you love the film, and the extras are well put together - then the more the merrier.

With the amount of revenue a good DVD relaease can bring in, there generally seems to be more thought put into the extras these days.

The 5 minute "making of" featurettes and 8 versions of the trailer with TV spots are (thankfully) on the decline....
 
I really like extras such as directors commentaries and deleted scenes but I only got a chance to watch them when I had 20 or so DVDs, now I have 60plus I rarely get the chance to listen to a commentary all the way through unless its a film I particularly like. More often than not I will flip over to the commentary during key scenes.
 
I would have said that I don't care about extras, just give me the best possible audio/video transfer possible.

But these days, every man and his dog releases a 2-disc set. even if the extras are miniscule they are still shoved onto the 2nd disc.

This leaves only soundtracks. Recently the number of multiple language soundtracks has started to decrease, which is a good thing (I guess the local countries are getting big enough to service separately).

I'd get rid of the commentary too - put it on the 2nd disc with a low bit rate version of the movie.
 
i would love one particualr extra as standard....... the flipping soundtrack! We always get charged extra for it! It would be great if we could get it included!

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but because you and other people love it, they can charge you separately for it :)

the early Playstation one games had CD audio soundtracks, but nowadays although they are probably CD quality, they are encoded so you can't play them on a CD player. Quite annoying, but basically business.
 
so basically we should boycott soundtracks! I liked the Almost famous box bootleg which had the soundtrack, that is how it should be done!

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