Discussing the old school DVD’s that still sound and look great in the era of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technology.
If you’re like me, then you have an old pair of jeans or shoes that need to be thrown out and replaced. But for the love of God, you just can’t bring yourself to do it.
There is too much of an attachment.
That’s how it is for me and the DVD. I’ve never double-dipped or upgraded a DVD in my collection. First of all, the original release still sounds and looks good enough to…keep. Second, I just can’t bring myself to spend the money to replace something that still works.
Whereas those old jeans have a hole in the knee or the soles of your shoes are worn down, giving you blisters, these “old DVD’s” still work — and work well.
Believe it or not, I still have the original releases of:
- The Alien Trilogy
- Black Hawk Down
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula
- Cliffhanger
- Gladiator
- Fellowship of the Ring
- The Matrix
- The Patriot
- Saving Private Ryan
- Sin City
I’m sure there are more that I’m forgetting.
Keep in mind that I’m only talking old school DVD’s here. Don’t even get me started on replacing a movie you’ve already bought 2-3 times to get it on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD format.
That’s a whole other conversation in and of itself.
So is a new commentary and featurette worth replacing an old version of a film? Not for me.
I rarely listen to a commentary the entire way through. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever done it — although I really should sit down and listen to the entire commentary on my favorite films, starting with The Godfather trilogy.
However, when we get into picture and soundtrack upgrades on double-dips, then it becomes another issue. I begin to consider it, even though, I have never upgraded a DVD in my collection.
Would I like to get the Extended Edition of Fellowship of the Ring to go along with the Extended Editions of The Two Towers and Return of the King that I currently own?
You bet.
Do I want to spend another $25 on the DVD and then throw out or give away the original release?
Nope.
It’s kind of like fines in professional sports. Joe Horn getting fined $50,000 (or whatever it was) for pulling out that cell-phone after scoring a touchdown was chump change for him. He wrote a check and it didn’t even make a dent in his savings account.
However, ask Joe Horn to push a $50,000 Mercedes-Benz SUV off a cliff and he’ll think twice about it.
The same theory can be applied to DVD’s.
Take Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for instance. It’s one of my favorite cult movies. I simply adore what others consider to be a deeply flawed film.
This is also one of the rare cases where I want some featurettes, a commentary and some trailers for that film. However, I can’t get any of that. I only get to choose between the original bare bones release (which I own), or the Superbit edition, which comes equipped with better picture and sound — but no extra features.
I’ve agonized over replacing this DVD in my collection. But the version I own still has a decent Dolby Digital 5.1 track and an anamorphic widescreen picture that is clear enough for me to enjoy the film over and over again.
But even if I went through with upgrading and getting the Superbit edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, what do I do with the original release? Throw it in the trash? Give it away to a friend who couldn’t care less about the film?
Push it off a cliff?
