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Friday, January 22, 1999
L.A. is a great big freeway... Our sincere apologies for dropping the ball on today's news -- but hey, we'll make it up to you... We were in Hollywood schmoozing with the good folks at Laser Pacific and New Line and of course, we got stuck in traffic for our return trek to San Diego (insert heavy sigh here). Be looking for a full report, including candid interviews with Leon Silverman, Executive VP with Laser Pacific and Michael P. Mulvihill, Executive Director of DVD Development at New Line in the next few days... We'll also provide a never-before-seen glimpse into the inner-sanctum of Laser Pacific (i.e. lots of photos), where some of the most challenging DVDs are being authored with aplomb. Here's the short-take. We felt like Charlie visiting Willy Wonka in the Chocolate factory -- only we weren't handed the keys to the joint at the end of the tour -- but man, was it sweet. We'll catch up on the rest of the news this weekend. Now if you'll please excuse us as we sort through the 73 e-mail pieces that arrived while we were out having fun!

Thursday, January 21, 1999
9:33am PST - Don't worry, be happy... We suppose you've heard the news that Divx has announced ANTZ for a February day and date release with VHS. Not to worry, folks. We've spoken at length with Dreamworks this morning. The open DVD version is in the works -- it's just that the open DVD version is going to be so loaded with cool extras (unlike the pan and scan Divx) that the crew at Dreamworks simply needs more time. Keep in mind that when features (like the running director's commentary that's already been laid down) are suggested, they have to be approved by committees, etc. With Divx, Dreamworks just drops a pan and scan master in their lap, Divx slaps five layers of copy protection on the discs and they're done. Again: It's not that Dreamworks doesn't want to match the street date with their open DVD version or is conspiring with Divx to give them an "edge" over open DVD. it's just that they simply need more time because of all the extras that the open version will have. But rest assured, when ANTZ arrives on REAL DVD (presumably in March sometime), it will have been worth the wait.

6:54am PST - Has ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT withstood the test of time? Or does the DVD look as though it's been through World War I? Bob Banka takes aim at this Hollywood war classic in his latest review for The BIG Picture.

6:53am PST - Expect tomorrow's news to be of the "late edition" variety. We'll be in Los Angeles most of the day visiting with key players from New Line and Laser Pacific. Speaking of which, if you have a question for NL or LP, e-mail them today and we'll try to get the answer for you.

Wednesday, January 20, 1999
5:02pm PST - Is a storm of controversy brewing, or just more HYPE from Divx to try and stir interest in the fledgling pay-per-view format? The DVD File reports a nasty rumor (partially substantiated by Divx's ubiquitous Josh Dare) that Buena Vista may be gearing up to provide animated titles on the Divx "Gold" format in the Spring. As far as we're concerned, no big thing so long as Disney also provides these titles on open DVD, thus giving consumers a choice of the formats. But given Disney's overall lukewarm support of open DVD, we're perched on the edge of our seats. Despite the fact that Disney.com is one of our most frequent visitors (2,974 visits per month, so far), we've had a terrible time getting their PR person to return our messages to confirm or deny any of this. In the meantime, MGM has released some nice animated classics on open DVD, including JET PINK (9 Pink Panther cartoons) and THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN. So remember, if you need an animation fix, there are other alternatives.TBP applauds MGM's committment to bringing more "family" programming content to DVD.

3:25pm PST - Dark Horizons (a cool film site) has the inside scoop on the upcoming MALLRATS and CLERKS DVDs. Thanks to the DVD sPy who came out from the cold to share the news -- and the link! This site is worth exploring regardless of the nice little DVD tidbits.

2:42pm PST - The Good Guys! remain mum on Divx sales performance in reporting quarterly losses.

2:20pm PST - The Official BIG Picture DVD Studio Wishlist has a new, permanent address. Be sure to stop in and post a few titles that you'd like to see on DVD!

1:49pm PST - This aint your father's Guess Who's Coming To Dinner... Read Jeff McNeal's review of Spike Lee's controversial (and what Spike Lee movie isn't) JUNGLE FEVER.

Tuesday, January 19, 1999
10:50pm PST - Is bigger necessarily better? From ShowBizData, "Disney is planning to produce the most expensive film in its history -- and perhaps in Hollywood history, a $200 million dinosaur movie, created from beginning to end with "groundbreaking" photo-realistic special-effects technology, the London Express reported Monday, without citing sources. Although it was known that Disney had set up a special unit at the former Lockheed Martin aircraft plant in Burbank to work on the film, titled Dinosaurs, the scale of the project had not been previously reported. Unlike Jurassic Park and other special-effects films, the newspaper said, the entire Disney movie will be computer generated, including scenery. According to the Express, the film is being directed by Eric Leighton (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year."

10:46pm PST - From TWICE: Both open DVD and Divx claim victory in aftermath of CES.

10:36pm PST - High Definition DVD moves one step closer to reality today with the announcement that a Japanese inventor has perfected the elusive "blue laser". Thanks to reader "Norm" for alerting us to this story in the NY Times, which reads in part: "Marking a development that could result in the early introduction of high-definition video discs and cheap digital cameras among other devices, a Japanese inventor has succeeded in developing a new type of short-wavelength laser and has begun shipping samples to companies interested in developing prototype products, the New York Times reported today (Tuesday). The newspaper noted that such short-wavelength lasers, in the blue and violet part of the spectrum -- which can quadruple the amount of information that can be stored on a DVD -- have been the goal of many top electronics giants in the U.S. and Japan. Commenting on the work of Japanese inventor Shuji Nakamura, Bill Lenth, of the IBM Almaden research lab in San Jose, CA, told the Times: "I'd call it a piece of technical work that is absolutely remarkable." Click here for the full story.

12:15pm PST - This article explores the warm and fuzzy relationship between Divx and Sun Microsystems. And here is another warm and tender embrace between Henninger Media and Sonic Solutions, cheek to cheek, as together, they face the bright glint of the morning sun during the dawn of increased DVD production. Ah! The rapture and glow of being in "the right place at the right time".

Monday, January 18, 1999
7:43pm PST - Here's a site trying to establish an Internet petition for DVD software standards. They also have a link to an alternate petition. Given the scatter-shot approach to DVD authoring these days, we're all for establishing a set of guidelines that studios should adhere to to stem confusion and further promote the format. Pages like this are a good start.

7:12pm PST - A sigh is just a sigh... and CASABLANCA is one heckuva great looking and sounding DVD. Read the review. Here's looking at you, kid.

1:00pm PST - Reason number 234 for rejecting Divx loudly and clearly: The freedom to buy and listen to music is now at stake. If the Divx model succeeds, don't be surprised if the music industry follows suit.

12:54am PST - If you can't stand the heat... make anamorphic transfers and not excuses... Apparently, Criterion has been stung by their rebuke of anamoprphic transfers. The link we provided (below) now finds a page in which their weak explanation for skipping an anamorphic transfer of ARMAGEDDON has been excised.

of 10:19am PST - Suggesting that this may be one of Spike Lee's best films to date, you should check Bob's review of CLOCKERS. We'll have The BIG Picture review of CASABLANCA up later today, also.

2:05am PST - Isn't Paul Brindze getting tired of putting his wing-tipped foot in his mouth? Here's one of his most recent quotes: "More people will end up watching movies on Divx discs than on other forms of DVD discs in the long run.'' Read the rest of the article that slams Divx against the ropes, courtesy of the link provided by Special Field Correspondent Dana.

1:48am PST - Your mother should know... Wonder why Criterion didn't do an anamorphic transfer of ARMAGADDON? They're afraid that many new DVD owners lack the intelligence to undertand their own equipment, let alone the difference that a 33% increase in vertical resolution can bring to a widescreen enhanced title. In other words, Criterion is dumbing-down their own product; more interested in playing to the lowest common demominator; seeking to make their titles "idiot-proof", to the detriment of the format itself. As much as we detest their extremely short-sighted line of thinking on this important issue, we begrudgingly appreciate that Criterion has at least tried to explain their misplaced rationale, unlike Disney, Fox and Paramount, who have left videophiles twisting in the wind with no explanation whatsoever, wondering why...In the wise words of marketing expert Jay Conrad Levinson (Guerrilla Marketing), "Don't underestimate the intelligence of your target audience... they're as smart as your mother."

John Travolta, Mel Gibson and The BIG Picture rejoice... Remember those El Cheapo DVD's that look like they were produced in some Indonesian sweatshop by poor, dirty, six year old children with no shoes? You know, the ones that Suncoast seemed to always have a lot of in stock for less than ten bucks? Essex, The DVD producers that flooded the market with substandard content in the cheapest possible packaging that could ever be conceived is gone. All titles have been discontinued. No more "Boy In The Plastic Bubble" or "Tim". Score this as a victory for those concerned with DVD QUALITY. For more details and to see other recent title announcements, street date changes, etc., check the Image/Laserviews News page.

Another Versadisc in the making? Or something different? The same folks who brought us Short Cinema Journal have launched an ambitious new company called BroadcastDVD, melding DVD-ROM, e-commerce, programming content and the Internet.