As the popularity of the DVD format grows, so does its potential for encountering consumer problems.
The DVD market, many think, is still in its infancy in supermarkets.
"There are sporadic customers who are renting and purchasing DVD in grocery, but I don't believe it's a widespread, mass-merchant type of market in grocery yet," said Dale Cooper, buyer for supermarket racker Movie Exchange, Oaks, Pa. "We're still dealing with people who are first-time machine buyers."
And as this market grows, more and more consumers must adapt to the new technology. Some are naturally confused and frustrated.
"Customers are uneducated about DVDs," said Craig Hill, video specialist, Harps Food Stores, Springdale, Ark. "It's not like good old VHS, with fast forward and rewind -- it's a little bewildering and overpowering at first."
Younger consumers, though, could have an edge on the learning curve.
"My 14-year-old daughter has taught me about special features and menu items," Hill said.
Some observers think consumers are adapting well overall.
"There are obviously a number of questions, but I wouldn't categorize them as complaints," said Bill Bryant, vice president of sales, grocery and drug, Ingram Entertainment, La Vergne, Tenn.
And some suppliers -- like New Line Home Entertainment, Los Angeles -- are already tackling the issue of easy navigation, trying to make sure that consumers can find all of the bonus goodies the format can offer.
Some bonuses, however -- the "Easter Eggs" hidden by developers -- will remain hard to find. These give consumers an incentive to search for undocumented rewards, like the "Gladiator"-styled trailer for "Chicken Run" reportedly stashed on the "Gladiator" DVD from DreamWorks Home Entertainment, Glendale, Calif.
Consumers, meanwhile, can find their education hindered by the lack of standardization in the platform.
Letterboxing is a case in point. This process, which maintains the image's aspect (width-to-height) ratio by shrinking the picture until it's as wide as the TV screen, preserves the theatrical image but leaves black bands above and below the image. It has never been as popular on VHS as the full-screen, or "pan-and-scan," alternative, which retains the picture's original height but lops off images to the left and right of the screen.
"We still get complaints from customers about letterboxed movies," said Hill. "People who are trying to watch the film on a 19-inch TV don't get the full effect."
"The average customer still prefers the pan-and-scan DVD version," said Bryant. "However, many high-end users consistently have preferred the letterbox version, and continue to do so."
But suppliers haven't made the situation easy. Some studios have opted to release discs with a letterboxed version on one side and a full-screen version on the other. Some have released only letterboxed discs. And some have mislabeled ratios on their packaging.
Others set the default play option to the letterboxed version, while still others -- like the Walt Disney line from Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Burbank, Calif. -- seem to prefer a full-screen default.
While few films are released on VHS in a letterboxed format, on DVD it's a prevalent -- and sometimes the only -- option. Until customers adjust (or suppliers adjust for them), they may well complain.
Complaints about some discs -- like Disney's "The Kid" -- playing imperfectly in some machines have also been reported.
"We've had a few problems with some DVDs not playing in certain machines -- most of the problems we've heard about are with lower-end players like Oritron," said Hill. "Our rental players are from [General Electric] and we haven't had any problems at all with them."
Some say this has never been a major concern, however.
"The incompatibility issues pertaining to low-end players and titles such as 'The Kid' are more the exception than the rule," said Bryant.
For those who are experiencing problems, though, a handy tool is the extensive listing of known mistakes, defects and incompatibilities posted by "DVD Review" in its Film Vault section at dvdreview.com.
A much more consequential issue is the vulnerability of DVD discs.
"We're bothered by damaged DVDs because we do find that customers are really careless," said Bill Glaseman, video specialist, Bashas' Markets, Chandler, Ariz. "We get scratched copies back."
Options to counteract this are numerous.
"There are several product types that protect or repair DVD product," said Bryant. "Protective sprays and labels are now available, which retailers may purchase and apply. Polishing machines are also available that have the ability to buff out most light-to-moderate surface scratches."
"We have a device that rubs out scratches and doesn't appear to be affecting the quality," said Glaseman.
Specialty Store Services, Morton Grove, Ill., which sells DVD polishers, also sells a protective shield for the top side of DVDs, according to Lee Gimbel, vice president of sales.
Protecting the other side of DVDs has proven more difficult.
"For the bottom side they came out with a product called Cdefender, but it turns out it doesn't work for all machines and it comes off, so it's not recommended any more," said Gimbel. "It works maybe 70% of the time but we stopped selling it because there were too many problems. It showed promise but it's not worth it if it doesn't work on the other 30%."
Specialists considering labeling their DVDs might be advised to log onto dvddemystified.com, which has a wealth of practical information about this and many other subjects. This site maintains the official DVD FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of the rec.video.dvd Usenet newsgroups, an extensive database of DVD knowledge.
The site has some valuable warnings, such as the following: "Rectangular labels and strips are a bad idea since they can unbalance the disc and cause errors, or even damage a player, especially if they peel off while the disc is spinning. It's best not to use stickers at all, but if you must, use a ring-shaped label that goes around the center of the disc. If you have to use a noncircular label, place it as close to the center as possible to minimize unbalancing. Placing a second label straight across from the center will also help."
Other Internet resources that are available to specialists include www.cdplayright.com and the "Cool Links" section at dvdreview.com.
While suppliers improve and simplify the product, it falls to specialists to maintain and protect it. And the most valuable tool for them may be education.
