New 'Super' DVD Releases Hit Retailers' Shelves
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/22/2001
Hollywood gave the surging DVD video market a booster shot this month, with the release of a handful of interactive or specially enhanced titles that merit blockbuster status.
Perhaps the most noteworthy release is Paramount Home Video's long-awaited "Godfather DVD Collection" series that is available only as an all-in-one package containing three discs — one for each movie in the trilogy — and a special bonus disc with an exhaustive behind-the-scenes documentary on the creation of the films.
Also added is a graphic section charting the Corleone family tree, a Godfather timeline and a full slate of standard extras including trailers, bios, photos, storyboard sketches, and scenes deleted from the final films. The director has even included the Academy Award acceptance speeches.
The movies themselves are offered in widescreen, 1.85:1 format and include Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Along with each of the film discs is a full-length running audio commentary from director Francis Ford Coppola, giving stories behind the sequences.
The package, which carries a street retail of about $75, has already proven in Internet pre-order sales to be one of the most successful DVD releases.
As for the movies themselves, the newly restored images look very good, although the graininess of the original film stock is evident, especially when compared to newer productions. It was also more evident when compared to a handful of discs just released by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, which has just launched its new Superbit DVD series that boasts of optimized video quality.
Because Superbit adds extra picture data — and because the studio opted to include both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound tracks on each disc — the newly processed titles omit the interactive extras found on their alternate standard DVD versions.
The difference in picture quality from standard version discs is not dramatic — despite the fact that the Superbit encoding process uses double the normal bit rate. This is not HDTV, but owners of digital TVs and progressive scan DVD players will enjoy a marginally better picture. The discs will also play on all standard DVD machines, but the advantages will be harder to discern.
Currently, Columbia TriStar offers five Superbit titles, each with a $27.96 suggested retail price. These include: "The Fifth Element," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Johnny Mnemonic," "Desperado" and "Air Force One." The studio also plans to release in December "The Patriot," "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Gattaca."
Already being hailed as one of the greatest DVD releases to date, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" recently hit the streets from Disney. The two-disc package, which has seen street pricing of under $25, includes a bounty of extras. On disc one viewers will find The Magic Mirror on the Wall animated guide to the features. Disney has created new animation for this portion of the feature.
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