Page 154 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

The DVD: Home V ew ng of Mov es Comes of Age | 1

come to be called “widescreen.” Today, most films are produced either in a ratio
of 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 (CinemaScope). In either case, reproducing that ratio on a
television required letterboxing, strips of black above and below the image on
the screen. In the early days of videotape, people objected to this, partly because
videotapes were not very sharp to begin with, and reducing the size of the image
made it even harder to see.
To get rid of the letterbox effect, videotape manufacturers utilized a process
called “pan and scan,” effectively cutting off a part of each shot, capturing only
what was deemed essential to the scene. This appalled film enthusiasts, but there
was little they could do about it aside from buying the expensive and ungainly
laserdiscs—until, that is, the advent of the DVD and, at the same time, develop-
ments in television sets that allowed for sharper image reproduction. Initially,
most DVDs were offered in both letterbox and full-screen editions, but most
viewers no longer feel the need for the larger image in the screen—and not sim-
ply because the image is now sharper. Televisions are larger and, because of the
popularity of the DVD and the desire they have sparked for seeing films as they
were originally intended, many are offered with an aspect ratio just slightly nar-
rower than that (1.85:1) of most commercial films.
Other advantages of the DVD are increased sound possibilities, the ability
to turn subtitles on and off, the ability to switch to dubbing in other languages,
and the possibility of listening to a commentary on the film or television episode
while it is playing. And, of course, there are the extras. Sometimes additional
full-length films are added, biopics of directors and actors, documentaries on
the making of the movie or television show, or even another film of the same
name (as in the case of one DVD release of the Stanley Donen film Charade).
Outtakes and deleted scenes also show up, as do music videos and a wide range
of other items—all added to entice consumers away from their videotapes.
Even with the immediate popularity of the DVD, the film studios, once again,
did not understand clearly that the DVD, like showings on television and the
videotapes the DVD superseded, augmented their films instead of replacing
them. This time, though, the evidence of the value of the DVD came quickly. By
2004, according to the New York Times, income from home viewing of movies
(including television broadcast rights, cable rights, videotapes, and DVDs) was
nearly triple that of theater showings. To the surprise of studio executives, home
viewing had become the driving engine of the movie industry.
The producers of televisions shows, however, came to an understanding of
the possibilities and advantages of the DVD much more quickly. The ability to
offer “complete season” sets of shows was potentially as lucrative as syndication
of reruns, providing an after-market with a power to extend the life of a show
well beyond broadcast runs. DVDs have allowed viewers the chance to escape
the ad breaks of broadcast television, and to watch multiple episodes at once,
and hence along with such devices as TiVo, they are revolutionizing how viewers
can watch and engage with television on their own terms.
The DVD has also provided new power for producers in their battles with
networks. The Family Guy, for example, was cancelled twice—but was brought
back each time in part because DVD sales of the shows were so strong that the