DVD wisdom

MARQUEE

Looking at my prized DVD collection, I sometimes find it hard to properly recall those bad old days when one had to visit video libraries.

Heaven help you back then if you were looking for English films that were more than, say, six months old (or even the less-popular Hindi movies): the odds were that if you found what you sought, you'd get a moldy, dust-bedecked cassette that would muck up the VCR at home.

And for world cinema titles, there were practically no options available outside of the modest libraries in embassies. Even Palika Bazaar "" that bastion of rare, pirated treasures "" wasn't a great bet for obscure films from European arthouse cinema in those days.

The DVD revolution (aided by the information dissemination provided by the Internet) has changed this considerably; cinematic awareness seems to be on the upswing.

You'd be surprised at the range of titles that are now available not just in bootleg shops but in official libraries too. And there's no more worrying about bad prints. (Don't believe the advertisement with the dog and the indestructible disc, but it's true that with basic maintenance a DVD can last practically forever.)

But there's another reason why serious film buffs love DVDs: the special features that accompany most movies on the disk. DVDs of Bollywood films are still at a nascent stage in this respect "" the most you'll usually find is a half-heartedly put together collection of stills from the film, or perhaps a short interview with cast and crew members. But in major film studios around the world, the very shooting of a movie is now accompanied by planning for the extras that might go into the DVD.

As a film buff, I get annoyed by the wide lack of awareness about what makes DVDs special, or the tendency to confuse them with the vastly inferior VCDs. Reluctant friends (who protest that all they want to do is watch the film, any which way) have regularly been subjected to crash courses, so now I'll do the same for readers of this column:

Don't be a techno-phobe: An initial sense of discomfort comes with getting used to any new technology, but the long-term rewards are more than worth it. Strictly speaking, you don't even need to know the full forms of DVD and VCD (I didn't myself until very late) "" all you need to know is that the former is to the latter what a spanking new BMW is to Archie's broken-down jalopy.

Be informed: Learn about the things you can do with a DVD. The player won't bite you if you experiment a little with the remote control. Don't just insert the disc and wait for the movie to play itself out "" go to "Disc Menu", which will allows you to access scene selections and special features.

Use Scene Access: I know of people who, if they have to interrupt a DVD viewing midway and then re-start it later, will use fast-forward to get to the point where they left off. That's plain silly; you might as well still be in the videolithic age. Each disc is divided into individual tracks which can be selected with a single click. Use the feature.

Extras are GOOD: The best DVDs contain imaginatively put-together special features (outtakes, interviews and, best of all, audio commentary by cast and crew members) that are works of art in their own right.

Personally, I often prefer to watch a film with the commentary track switched on rather than the movie's own soundtrack. Of course, you don't have to go to those extremes, but if you have the time and are interested in background information, do check out these goodies. They can immeasurably enrich your understanding of the movie.