[1.6] What DVD titles are available?

[In the video distribution industry, a title refers to a movie or other production release, like Snow White, or Star Wars, or a boxed edition of a TV series, like Babylon 5 First Season. Titles are collectively referred to as software, not to be confused with computer software.]

DVD started off slowly. Rosy predictions of hundreds of movie titles for Christmas of 1996 failed to materialize. Only a handful of DVD titles, mostly music videos, were available in Japan for the November 1996 launch of DVD. The first feature films on DVD appeared in Japan on December 20 (The Assassin, Blade Runner, Eraser, and The Fugitive from Warner Home Video). By April there were over 150 titles in Japan. The first titles released in the U.S., on March 19, 1997, by Lumivision, authored by AIX Entertainment, were IMAX adaptations: Africa: The Serengeti, Antarctica: An Adventure of a Different Nature, Tropical Rainforest, and Animation Greats. (Other movies such as Batman and Space Jam had been demonstrated earlier, but were not full versions available for sale.) The Warner Bros. U.S. launch followed on March 24, but was limited to seven cities. Almost 19,000 discs were purchased in the first two weeks of the US launch -- more than expected. InfoTech predicted over 600 titles by the end of 1997 and more than 8,000 titles by 2000. By December 1997, over 1 million individual DVD discs were shipped, representing about 530 titles. By the end of 1999, over 100 million discs had shipped, representing about 5,000 titles. By the end of 2000 there were over 10,000 titles available in the US and over 15,000 worldwide. By the end of 2001 there were about 14,000 titles available in the U.S. By the end of 2002 there were about 23,000 titles available in the U.S. Compared to other launches (CD, LD, etc.) these are a huge numbers of titles released in a very short time. (Note that this does not include adult titles, which accounts for an additional 15% or so.) By March 2003, six years after launch, over 1.5 billion copies of DVD titles had been shipped.

See 6.3 for a list of Web sites where you can buy or rent DVDs.

A number of DVD launches in Europe were announced with little follow-through, but DVD began to become established in Europe around the end of 1998. Availability of DVD software in Europe was initially about 18 months to a year behind the U.S., but has shortened over the years to a delay of only a few weeks to a few months.

There are many databases on the Internet to search for DVD titles. Here are a few of the best:

• Internet Movie Database DVD Browser (all regions)
• Doug MacLean's Home Theater Info list (region 1, downloadable list)
• DVD Entertainment Group (region 1, searchable and downloadable database)
• Widescreen Review (widescreen-specific DVD titles)
• Most Internet DVD stores also have searchable lists (see 6.3).

DVD-Audio started even slower than DVD-Video. The first commercially available DVD-Audio title, Big Phat Band, was released in October 2000 by on the Silverline label of 5.1 Entertainment. Major music labels BMG Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music have committed to DVD-Audio titles, although in fall 2001 Universal announced that it would release SACD titles first. As of the end of 2001, just under 200 DVD-Audio titles were available. The first SACD titles were released in Japan in May 1999.

DVD-ROM computer software is slowly appearing. Many initial DVD-ROM titles were only available as part of a hardware or software bundle. IDC predicted that over 13 percent of all software would be available in DVD-ROM format by the end of 1998, but reality didn't meet expectations. In one sense, DVD-ROMs are simply larger faster CD-ROMs and contain the same material. In many cases CD-ROMs are big enough that there's no need to move to DVD-ROMs. But DVD-ROMs can also take advantage of the high-quality video and multi-channel audio capabilities being added to many DVD-ROM-equipped computers.

The following sites have reviews of at least 800 discs. Also see the list of DVD review sites at Yahoo.

• The Big Picture
• BinaryFlix (menu pictures included with every review)
• The Cinema Laser
• DigitalAudioVideo.com
• The Digital Bits
• DVD Authority
• DVD File
• DVD Review
• DVD Talk
• DVD Verdict
• The Laser Examiner
• Widescreen Review Magazine (widescreen movies only)

First, check one of the lists and databases mentioned in 1.6 to make sure it's not already available. Then check the upcoming release lists at DVD Review and Laser Scans. There's also the release list at Image Entertainment. A good source of info about unannounced titles is The Digital Bits Rumor Mill.

There are many factors that determine when a title is released on DVD. Sometimes the director or producer has control over DVD/video release. Other times it's up to the studio marketing group. Often there are issues with rights. For example, a DVD might be available in one country or region but not available in another because different studios have distribution rights in different countries. Studios do listen to customers, so let them know what titles you'd like to see (see 6.2.2).

Use one of the searchable databases in 1.6. Select the features you're looking for (anamorphic widescreen, French audio track, Flemish subtitles, and so on). If a database doesn't include the characteristic you're looking for, try a different database.

Some rental chains such as Blockbuster and retailers such as Wal-Mart originally carried only fullscreen (pan and scan) versions of movies when both widescreen and fullscreen versions were available. This infuriated many DVD fans, who could never countenance watching a non-widescreen version of a movie on DVD. There was much complaining, including an online petition with over 25,000 signatures. In early 2003 Blockbuster reversed their policy with the following statement: “We made a decision to purchase the majority of titles we bring in on DVD in the widescreen format. We try to follow our customer preferences. As DVD becomes increasingly popular, they become more familiar with the features and with the benefits of letterboxing. They've learned it's a superior format to full-frame." Wal-Mart similarly switched to widescreen versions apparently after realizing that they sold better.

See 3.5 for more about widescreen. See 1.38 for pros and cons of letterboxing.