what's your favorite distribution company?

[Navellint]

I decided to make this poll because many labels in Europe still stink in one way or another and I would like to know whether anybody cares about the quality of what they buy actually is. The above order is my humble opinion respectively.

I'll make another poll with different aspects (transfer/extra's/case) if there isn't one already (haven't seen one after search).

HF!

[LdSr]

What's the difference among them?

[wmansir]

Here's (http://www.dvdfile.com/software/distribution/abcs/) a good little write up about how DVD distribution works.

I think Criterion Collection is the best, because they usually pick good films and give them good treatments. I would have a much more favorable view of Warner Bros if it wasn't for the damn snapper cases. Their Citizen Cane release meet and surpassed Criterion standards, and they did release the definitive DVD, at least for a while, The Matrix.

[Navellint]

LdDr: never felt the urge to remember what company it says on the packet when you got a really amazing dvd-release on all aspects? Or to remember what label not to buy anymore? I started checking that on/offline when I was disappointed repeatedly by 4x3-releases that should have been widescreen (negative), and after close investigation of several Criterion-releases (positive).

wmansir: 2 brilliant releases is a bit meager don't you think? I agree about those two and then maybe some, but the rest and RCE sucks. Their treatment of 'Blade Runner' and '2001 a space odyssey' is crap: where's the 20 min interview from the original MGM-disk in any of their 3 (three!!!) releases?

Thanks for the link for dvdfile.com. Indeed I don't know much about distribution yet: is my use of the word 'label' correct? Anyway, the 'Dawn of the dead' story reminded me of the crazy stuff about 'Night of the living dead'. This is a movie without any right? Anyone who has a positive/negative print can release it? Then that's why there are so many throwaway dvds with the movie out there, of which the 30th ann. ed. sucks the hardest (color-sequences edited in and music screwed).

If Ghostbusters can't be released by Criterion (http://www.criterionco.com), then how is it that they have a disc with 'The Rock' and 'Armageddon': Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer are kindergarten friends of the Criterion board? Or is Bruckheimer trying to improve his reputation by paying Criterion to release his cash-cow-movies?

[Navellint]

gotta stop hitting the back-button...

[wmansir]

Yeah, using Label is correct also. It is confusing since one title can have several different labels for production, theatrical distribution, and any number of DVD releases.

I just rented the Warner release of 2001 last week. It's true that it lost the extras, but it did get an excellent anamorphic transfer, which I think is worth it. If I owned the MGM release I wouldn't waste money buying the movie again, but if I had a choice between the two I would definitly take the Warner version. But you are right, overall this film deserves a much better release.

Honestly ,I'm not a big Warner fan, I usually don't notice the label, but it's easy to identify their releases because of the snapper case.

Here's (http://us.imdb.com/Sections/DVDs/Labels/) a cool link to IMDB that lets you browse by label.

[Navellint]

thanks for the link!

It just hit me that Warner did just one great release for the mainstream audience (Matrix) and one for audience a little more interested in cinema (Citizen Kane). They try to leave a good taste in people's mouth i guess. Of course if mainstream audience thinks 'lets try some REAL cinema tonight, for the sake of it' then the first movie that comes to mind will be Citizen Kane, #1 in every top100 ever. But that doesn't diminish the greatness of that film.

Anchor Bay is degrading at the moment, i might add. Have you seen the Army of Darkness idiocy? AoD (2-disc limited ed.), AoD (Theatrical Version, movie-only-ed.), AoD (Theatrical Version, special ed.), AoD (director's cut), AoD (official bootleg ed.), AoD (Boomstick ed.). On top of that, there's the Universal studios version of AoD.....