Posted by sean at 170.148.92.18 on November 19, 2002 at 16:21:18:
In Reply to: One more LOTR question..... posted by discogranny on November 18, 2002 at 23:29:44:
: I don't really understand the technical aspects of dvd, so maybe it's just me, but it seems like they just wanted to put out a "4 DVD SPECIAL EXTENDED BRANCHING EDITION INCLUDING THE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF THE THEATRICAL VERSION" cuz that sounds cooler. Don't get me wrong, I've got the new release and it's excellent, I just don't know why it couldn't be 3 discs, time-wise.
It's not a branching edition. It doesn't have the theatrical version at all; branching would be if it was the theatrical version but you had the option, within the same disc, of watching the new. (Or, I suppose, vice versa.)
Beyond that, three hours seems to be, roughly, the cut-off point. Movies that are just under three seem, generally, to be one disc releases ('The Godfather', 'Nashville', 'Boogie Nights', 'Last Temptation'). Movies that are over ('Lawrence of Arabia' -- the proper release, at least --, 'The Godfather, Part II', etc.), they usually try to get it on a second disc. For compression purposes and all; pay close attention around the hour mark (roughly) on a disc ... somewhere in there, there will be a scene transition, and you can spot the layer change by the slight lack of sound, if not an actual video jump. The more they pack on, the later that switch comes, which means the lower the compression rate was, which means the worse the picture/sound is in theory (not always in practice, of course). (I haven't watch disc one of 'Fellowship' yet, but it's somewhere in the Galadriel section of disc two, and I remember it involves Frodo running and there's music underneath it, and there is a one or two second gap during it.)