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Home Entertainment

Now playing everywhere

DVD has theater-quality sound and picture, plus loads of extras.

by Ellen Almer

OVER THE PAST YEAR, Geoffrey Stewart has bought about 30 DVDs, among them the sci-fi thriller The Matrix, three films by indie director Kevin Smith and, most recently, Steven Spielberg's dinosaur epic Jurassic Park. Never mind that Stewart's only DVD player -- at least for now -- is in his Special Edition I-Mac in his home office. Like millions of others, Stewart, an advertising copywriter from suburban Chicago, has caught the DVD bug. "You can fast forward and rewind, and the movie's all broken into chapters so you can skip back and forth. And the sound and picture quality are much higher," he says. "It's pretty cool."

For the uninitiated, DVDs are to the film industry what CDs were to the music industry 10 years ago. And just as CDs have almost completely usurped audio cassettes, promoters hope the 5-inch digital video disc, with Internet connectivity, will similarly replace the VHS tape. Ten million players have been sold since March 1997. The VCR took eight years to reach that 10 million-unit milestone. So far this year, about 6 million players have been sold, and many expect the holiday season to boost that figure to 9 million.

Maybe even more than that: A recent Consumer Electronics Association survey of 1,000 shoppers found one in five planned to buy a DVD player this Christmas. "The current growth for DVD is tremendous, and we expect to see the surge accelerate as we gear up for the holiday season," says Emiel Petrone, chairman of the DVD Entertainment Group.

The increasing popularity of the DVD player -- which, like a VCR, is simply a unit that hooks up to a television set -- is thanks in large part to the format's theater-quality sound and picture. While a standard VHS can display about 330 lines of resolution, a DVD provides 480 lines. And like a CD, DVDs can be forwarded and rewound more quickly and accurately than a tape and played hundreds of times without ever degrading. Also, the DVD usually provides extras: commentary by the director, footage cut from the original film, interactive elements. Men in Black: Limited Edition lists 21 extras, including an editing workshop that allows viewers to choose shots from various scenes, then piece them back together and replay their own version.

But before you run out and plunk down anywhere from $100 for a basic model to $1,000-plus for a high-end unit, a few caveats: First, the DVD player might not be the ideal gift for that aunt who just mastered her VCR and isn't into alternate endings and concept art stills. "You're never going to get rid of video, because it's idiot-proof," says Robert Wederquist, editor of DVDJournal.com, a Web site devoted to all things DVD. Wederquist also points out that recordable players, at $3,000, are not yet a realistic option for "someone who just wants to tape Ally McBeal."

Then again, for those like Stewart, the perfect gift might just be a portable DVD player. The players, from about $400 to $1,600, let travelers -- corporate frequent flyers and minivan kids -- watch films just about anywhere. "It's nice to be able to watch my own movie instead of the one [the plane is] showing," Stewart says.

Ellen Almer is freelance writer based in Chicago.

Blazing-hot DVD titles

M:I-2 If it were loaded with any more bonus material, this DVD might just self-destruct. Interviews, a featurette explaining how the "impossible" stunts were done, and an MTV Awards parody with Ben Stiller.

Toy Story Ultimate Toy Box: The digital transfer makes the computer animation look even better than it did in theaters. The DVD three-pack boasts 10 hours of extras, including a 3-D fly-around virtual tour of 11 sets.

American Beauty: "The Awards Edition" takes a fascinating look at the making. There's also filmmaker commentary and access to the screenplay.

The Perfect Storm: The George Clooney film should make some titanic waves on DVD. Contains three documentaries and an ocean of commentary tracks.

Shaft (2000): It's a baaaad DVD. Dig the making-of footage, one-on-ones with Samuel L. Jackson and John Singleton, and music videos from Isaac Hayes and R. Kelly.

Jurassic Park The Collection: Two monster hits from Steven Spielberg. Deleted scenes, home video of Spielberg jokingly inviting a herd of cows to strap on latex suits and play dinosaurs, and a hotlink to the set of Jurassic Park III.

Gladiator: It's armed with a "Treasure Chest" of never-seen-before footage, everything from an actor's diary to an hour-long special on the history of gladiatorial games.

X-Men: The promotional documentary, animated storyboards and special "Extended Branching Version" make this the gotta-have disc for the comic book's legions of fans.

Scream: The Ultimate Collection It has extras that outnumber the trilogy's body count. Outtakes, screen tests and a special feature that allows viewers to rearrange scenes with their remote.

North by Northwest: The digital restoration of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller has commentary by frequent collaborator Ernest Lehman and an exclusive documentary with archival materials.

-- Craigh Barboza