History Main / DVDBonusContent

UsefulNotes/{{DVD}}, HD-DVD, UsefulNotes/BluRay and other modern optical media might have the advantage of better longevity, improved picture quality and top-notch sound, but all many ''really'' care about is the bonus content that comes with their movie (aside from being able to watch these any time they want of course).

[[OlderThanTheyThink This trend did not begin with DVDs]] -- for years, video cassette releases would feature things like documentaries and alternate endings after the film's credits had rolled ([[MontageEndsTheVHS many also had trailers for other releases and/or other products at the beginning and/or end]]), though the more obscure UsefulNotes/LaserDisc format's nonlinear abilities allowed the viewer to watch these snippets much easier, and also originated various interactive features like alternate cuts and commentary tracks. DVD's popular success finally heralded the advent of typical [=LaserDisc=] features for the masses.

DVD, HD-DVD, [=BluRay=] and other modern optical media might have the advantage of better longevity, improved picture quality and top-notch sound, but all many ''really'' care about is the bonus content that comes with their movie (aside from being able to watch these any time they want of course).

From trailers to [[DVDCommentary commentaries]] to {{omake}} to documentaries to PC minigames to dull cast biographies that nobody reads, modern home video is often packed with bonus features, to the point that some have more minutes of footage in their extras than they have in the film itself. Occasionally a bonus may be hidden as an EasterEgg. Come the age of streaming in TheNewTens, with services such as Creator/{{Netflix}} offering untold convenience in watching television shows and films, bonus content would be seen even more as a major feature that those platforms lack, and thus a core reason to why this form of media still thrives.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. Keep in mind this was before the rise of the Website/IMDb, Wiki/TheOtherWiki, [[Wiki/TVTropes us]] and other online sites where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

[[OlderThanTheyThink This trend did not begin with DVDs]] -- for years, video cassette releases would feature documentaries and alternate endings after the film's credits had rolled, though the more obscure [=LaserDisc=] videophile format's nonlinear abilities allowed the viewer to watch these snippets much easier, and also originated various interactive features like alternate cuts and commentary tracks. DVD's popular success finally heralded the advent of typical [=LaserDisc=] features for the masses.

From trailers to [[DVDCommentary commentaries]] to {{omake}} to documentaries to PC minigames to dull cast biographies that nobody reads, the modern DVD is often packed with bonus features, to the point that some have more minutes of footage in their DVD extras than they have in the film itself. Occasionally a bonus may be hidden as an EasterEgg.

[=DVDs=] are also a prime format to use for finding all those little in-jokes written on newspapers or signs that would [[FreezeFrameBonus normally be on screen for such a short time]], you wouldn't be able to read otherwise. Although things like [=TiVo=] allow one to pause live video, too, before either pausing a VHS would cause the screen to get too blurry to read things.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. Keep in mind this was before the rise of the Website/IMDb, TheOtherWiki, [[Wiki/TVTropes us]] and other online sites where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. Keep in mind this was before the rise of the Website/IMDb, TheOtherWiki, [[TVTropes us]] and other online sites where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

[=DVDs=] are also a prime format to use for finding all those little in-jokes written on newspapers or signs that would normally be on screen for such a short time, you wouldn't be able to read otherwise. Although things like [=TiVo=] allow one to pause live video, too, before either pausing a VHS would cause the screen to get too blurry to read things.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. Keep in mind this was before the rise of the Website/IMDb, Wikipedia, TVTropes and other online sites where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

If the DVD has no bonus content it may be a VanillaEdition. Sometimes, the studio strips out the extras so they can encode the feature at a higher bit-rate so it'll have better visuals and audio. If it has mountains, it may be a LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition. If the bonus content is primarily scenes that were supposedly too hot for the cinema, it'll be an UnratedEdition.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. This was before the rise of the Website/IMDb, Wikipedia, and other online sites where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

Note that the lowest of the low in terms of bonus content is the "interactive menus", which really ought to come as standard: presumably the alternative is auto-play, but one still wonders what "non-interactive menus" would be: a list of scenes from an entirely different movie? Only slightly above them are the "animated menus", which at least show a bit of effort was put into the whole thing, even if having to sit through the same animation over and over to navigate the menus is tooth-grindingly annoying.

Some early-release [=DVDs=] had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a [[WallOfText text biography]] of each actor and a list of the films they had appeared in. This was before the rise of the IMDb, Wikipedia, and other place online where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

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Some early-release DVDs had what today seems like rather pitiful bonus content when the format was first taking off in the late 1990's and early 2000's, listing things like a biography of each actor and a list of films they had appeared in. This was before the rise of the IMDb, Wikipedia, and other place online where people go these days to learn about actors and the works they have appeared in.

This trend did not begin with [=DVDs=] -- for years, video cassette releases would feature documentaries and alternate endings after the film's credits had rolled, though the more obscure [=LaserDisc=] videophile format's nonlinear abilities allowed the viewer to watch these snippets much easier, and also originated various interactive features like alternate cuts and commentary tracks. DVD's popular success finally heralded the advent of typical [=LaserDisc=] features for the masses.