[Dark Helmet]

Personally I almost NEVER watch them unless it is some behind the features special and longer than 5 min.

I don't think I have ever listened to the directors commentary nor had a urge to watch trailers, cast interviews etc as you see those on TV anyway.

Out of the 400ish DVD's I own I would take amazing picture and sound over any extra.

How about you?

[Jim Paradise]

**** extra features on DVDs. They are bloody useless. Whenever I hear a commercial touting "this DVD comes with two hours of extra bonus features", it makes me want to buy the DVD even less.

[::maroma::]

400 DVD's?? Damn!

I don't watch the extra stuff either. I think the only one I've ever watched was Donny Darko just to see extra scenes and stuff.

Which is why I wouldn't mind being able to download movies, as long as the video quality was the same as "real" DVD's. Apple's current offerings are too low rez. As soon as there is a service that offers DVD-like quality downloads, I'm done buying physical DVD's.

I feel the same about music CD's too. I don't mind the AAC quality, so I have gotten all my music from iTunes for a couple years now (with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions).

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

400 DVD's?? Damn!

Well before anyone thinks I am nuts only about 180 or so are in retail packaging if you catch my drift

But ya... when I "backup" my DVD's I usually remove the extra so the best quality audio and video fit on a single layer disk. The other advantage to that is the disk just plays when you stick it in and no damn previews, warnings or overdone menus.

[Person Man]

I enjoy the extras quite a bit.

While I would never avoid a movie purchase solely on the absence of extras, but as long as they don't make the movie unreasonably expensive, then I always go for the extras.

I listen to commentaries and watch the making of specials, and the trailers, etc.

Different strokes for different folks.

I do wish that region 1 DVDs would have more language subtitles available than the usual French/Spanish/English, though.

I would take a DVD with greek subtitles and no extras over a DVD without and plenty of extras if the video were NTSC and it was a region 1 disc.

[rjenkinson]

commentaries are usually the only useful extras included.

-r.

[olePigeon]

About as important to me as not using apostrophes for plural words.

In other words, I love the extras. I love seeing the behind the scenes, production, development, cast and crew commentaries. I love it all. I also don't mind getting 2-DVD sets, one DVD that has good video/audio, the other DVD with all the extras.

[ghporter]

I like the extras, especially with older movies on DVD. I just got "Forbidden Planet" for Christmas-it's the 50th anniversary edition, and it's chock full of interesting stuff about how the movie was made, with interviews with surviving cast members (Anne Francis is still gorgeous).

I won't necessarily skip the purchase without extras, but I won't pay top dollar ($20 or so) for a movie that doesn't have them. Note that I haven't seen anywhere near all the extra stuff on all my movies, but it's there if I am interested.

[Railroader]

I usually only watch the extras for animated films or films that are a little bit more complex like "Memento".

For movies like "Patriot Games" or "Deuce Bigelow: ..." it's a huge waste.

But the "40 Year Old Virgin" extras were as good as the actual movie.

[cjrivera]

I listen to all the commentaries on The Simpsons/Futurama DVDs. They were funnier than the episodes at times

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Well before anyone thinks I am nuts only about 180 or so are in retail packaging if you catch my drift

Then I guess you don't "own" them

[Eug Wanker]

In other words, you aren't buying them.

I'm more selective in the ones I buy, cuz I generally won't buy them unless they have extras, especially commentaries if they're good. I will buy some hard-to-get movies without extras though. Or if the movies are like $8 maybe I'll buy them without extras, instead of paying $5 to rent them.

P.S. The commentary on for The Thing HD DVD was very good. The commentary for the MI:3 HD DVD was cool in that it was picture-in-picture, and it did interesting things such as stopped the movie to play a video to explain a certain point before returning to the movie, but the actual content wasn't so good. The director and Tom Cruise were fawning all over each other so much it was sickening.

[Dakar²]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I just got "Forbidden Planet" for Christmas-it's the 50th anniversary edition

I'm jealous.

[lpkmckenna]

I love voice-over commentaries, especially if there are separate ones for production, the actors, and director. (The fact that there's no actor commentary on Star Wars DVDs is really tragic.)

I love out-takes. The out-takes on Girl, Interrupted really answered the lingering questions I had, for instance. Garden State has some really good cut-scene, too.

Something I'd like to see more of: music-only "commentaries." Amadeus was fun to watch without dialog or other audio.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker 

In other words, you aren't buying them.

"180 or so are in retail packaging"

Did they fall out of the sky into my DVD shelf?

How many you "Buy"?

[BRussell]

I like the commentaries on good classic films if they're done by film experts. I haven't found the directors commentaries very interesting, and don't even get me started on actor's commentaries. But I've watched a number of films that I've understood much better after viewing the commentary of a film expert.

[demograph68]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

I like the commentaries on good classic films if they're done by film experts. I haven't found the directors commentaries very interesting, and don't even get me started on actor's commentaries. But I've watched a number of films that I've understood much better after viewing the commentary of a film expert.

Me too. A recent one being Ikiru. It gave me a better understanding of Japanese culture after World War 2.

[Chuckit]

If I respect the people who made the movie or TV show, I like to watch it with commentary. I definitely like deleted scenes — a lot of cool scenes get cut out for timing reasons. Done right, I think extras are definitely enjoyable, but they're not something I demand.

[torsoboy]

My wife and I both enjoy the extras quite a bit. If there are no extras we feel cheated... so to us it is no extras, no sale.

[badidea]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

But the "40 Year Old Virgin" extras were as good as the actual movie.

seconded!

[phantomdragonz]

I think there should be more emphasis on improving picture quality and sound quality and less on extras... or if you really want extras to include them on a seperate disc... with HDTVs and upconverting dvd players becoming popular the increased picture quality would be appreciated...

not that I have ever watched a upconverted dvd on an hdtv... soon I hope to!

Zach

[andi*pandi]

I like the extras if they are good. If it's just trailers and "making of documentaries" that are really just promo material fluff, boring. Deleted scenes, real making of documentaries, comparisons with previous versions, books, comics, special effects, interviews with cast and crew, blooper reels--all can be great.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I like the extras if they are good. If it's just trailers and "making of documentaries" that are really just promo material fluff, boring. Deleted scenes, real making of documentaries, comparisons with previous versions, books, comics, special effects, interviews with cast and crew, blooper reels--all can be great.

Sure those things CAN be interesting the question is would you still buy the movie without them or would you choose extra's over better audio/video quality?

[Goldfinger]

I never ever watch the extras on my DVDs. The only extras I ever saw out of my 200+ DVDs are the Star Wars Trilogy extras. That's it.

I'd really like all movies to be available in a with-extras-edition and a great-quality-edition for those who only care about image/sound quality like me.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Goldfinger 

I never ever watch the extras on my DVDs. The only extras I ever saw out of my 200+ DVDs are the Star Wars Trilogy extras. That's it.

I think I am the same. Out of the 400ish DVD's that I have watched perhaps 10-20 I watched some of the extras good or bad.

Only on ONE did I watch the directors commentary and it was pretty boring.

[Dork.]

Very, very rarely will we even take notice of the extras. When we do, it's normally for a "Making of" documentary for something we're really interested in learning more about (like Team America, with all the puppets) or something we've already dived into 100% fandom for anyway, so we enjoy anything associated with it (Firefly/Serenity falls into this category).

But if extras went away tomorrow, we wouldn't care. We value them at close to 0.

One exception, though, and it really doesn't count as an extra: we watch a lot of movies and TV series on DVD via netflix, after the toddler has gone to sleep. We like to turn the sound down so as not to wake the little one up, and so we like to turn on the subtitles/closed captioning/whatever they're called. Some DVD's don't have them. It amazes me that it's not standard issue on all movie and TV series DVD's, and yet it seems the audio commentary from the Key Grip is!

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Sure those things CAN be interesting the question is would you still buy the movie without them or would you choose extra's over better audio/video quality?

If I'm shopping and see a movie I like, wouldn't mind owning, but haven't seen in a while, price is a factor more than extras, nice box, etc. <$15. If it's a movie or series I really like, there has to be extras to make me put down money. I'm not likely to get HD anytime soon so that isn't a feature for me yet.

[Dakar²]

I do think deleted scenes are a necessity.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet 

Sure those things CAN be interesting the question is would you still buy the movie without them or would you choose extra's over better audio/video quality?

Personally, I don't have a 60-foot plasma TV with a full theatrical sound system. Most DVDs are good enough for me as is. Maybe once I make my fortune, I'll care more about that stuff.

[OAW]

I rarely do the commentaries. But I do enjoy the deleted scenes and alternate endings.

OAW

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

I listen to all the commentaries on The Simpsons/Futurama DVDs. They were funnier than the episodes at times

Agreed. The commentaries are great and that is why I buy the DVDs (no apostrophe) and download the episodes.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

I do think deleted scenes are a necessity.

Every time I watch them though my first reaction is "I can see why they cut that".

[Dakar²]

98% of time I agree with you.

Extended scenes are sometime useful.