I was wandering through one of Western Montana's only shopping centers with my girlfriend the other day and was suprised when I passed a CD/Video store. There I saw a large display of DVD movies for sale. I decided to do some research into them; I figure that they must be making an impression on the market considering they've now reached the backroads of civilization....

The issue of film music releases for the consumer has recently changed from sound quality to score availablity. With records and tapes, quality and longevity was always a concern (although I know a few people who believe that a new record sounds better than anything). Then, with the advent of CDs in the mid-80's, longevity and quality became better than most of us could ever need. Often times, Dolby Surround soundtrack CDs sound better than the audio in the film itself! Soundtrack enthusiasts then trained all their attention to availability of the music they wanted. Some scores have never been released on CD, and others are "limited editions" that climb into the hundreds of dollars. So what's next for soundtrack collectors? What will the next medium be?

I'm going to go out on a limb to tackle this question. I believe that soundtrack audio CDs will be obsolete within another decade. What will surpass them? Digital Video Discs. Now wait --before you say, "but aren't they an advancement in movie watching rather than music?" it is important to remember that film music indeed has "film" in its title. We're at an odd junction of music and movies (which always makes it difficult on personality forms to decide between them when it says "choose just one"). The simple fact is that DVDs can solve the changing needs of soundtrack collectors by giving us the opportunity to enjoy the audio tracks we seek on the disc itself. To hell with the movie --turn the picture off (and the four other audio channels) and listen to THE ENTIRE score as you please!

• What is the technology?
  

  DVD is an major advancement in two areas: flexibility and audio. This would hold true no matter what type of disc comes down the technological pipes in the future --whether smaller or more versatile. Laser discs were just the beginning. I believe that the current DVD size will hold, because they are identical to CD-Roms and audio CDs in diameter.
  

  As for flexibility and audio... The DVD is flexible because it allows you to choose your aspect ratio (widescreen/pan & scan) and allows other multimedia files to be tacked on the end. The user has the choice of different camera angles, subtitles, languages, audio mixing, etc... inlcuding the ability to isolate the soundtrack channels on some players. The other major advancement is in audio. They don't offer much of an improvement in picture quality --sometimes they are no better than VHS tapes (especially those that don't offer the aspect ratio option. This is but a few, though, and they're usually the less spectacular films). But the digital audio is ten times better than that of a VHS tape. Upon listening to it in the store over headphones, it sounds even better than a regular audio CD.
  

• Why exactly would it benefit the soundtrack enthusiast?
  

  Take James Horner's Krull for instance. Everyone wants as much of it as possible, and yet there are only a few thousand complete CDs to satisfy the fierce demand. People are spending well beyond $200 for it. RIDICULOUS! (I realize that it will be up for auction soon at this site and I don't mind making that type of money off of it, but now you know why I'm getting rid of it!). Within a few years, the majority of the $100 - $200 CDs will be worthless. Those that will still be collector's items will be the compilations, like the two Goldsmith ones that are currently hot items. Since they can't have a DVD release, the audio CD will be all there is.
  

  Instead of paying your children's college money for a single CD, why not just purchase the DVD and listen to the ENTIRE score on that? If a movie as "cult" as Krull doesn't make a DVD release, imagine Braveheart instead (certainly, that will see a release). Having all of Horner's music on the DVD would have made the recent "More music from Braveheart" CD a complete flop. How about Willow? Fly Away Home? Or even Star Trek: First Contact?
  

  There's also the issue of anti-copying devises places on the DVDs. Even though this may be an issue now, I'm fully confident that recording technology will surpass this obstacle.
  

• Is DVD here to stay?
  

  Considering the massive promotion that the major studios are engaging in, I think it's the next stop along the road of home entertainment. Just open up your most recent edition of Premier or Entertainment Weekly and you'll see the double page spread ads that I'm talking about. And remember, if the technology has made it to the far reaches of the planet --or, in other words, Montana-- then it's serious.
  

• How much does it cost?
  

  Not as much as you might think. The actual DVDs are starting at $22 to $25 each, which is not that much more expensive than a widescreen VHS tape. The discs themselves are very economical. The players/equipment are still pricely, but they're in a range right now that I believe will lead to affordable prices within a few years. The cheapest are $600 and the most expensive are in the thousands. Some high-end VHS and laser-disc players cost about the same, with far fewer features. DVD machines will cover your audio and video CD needs; they can play both, so they will alleviate your need for a CD player, too. Most of the major entertainment manufacturers are already producing them and are likewise starting an impressive ad campaign.
  

• Doesn't this mean the death of the audio CD soundtrack down the line?
  

  Interesting question. No, they wouldn't die off for a very long time, so I would not suggest worrying about it. Logically, soundtrack compilations would still hit the audio CD shelves along with the other music genres. Music video discs might be another advancement (so to say) in the future that would hurt the audio CD business. Personally, I'm not going to change my buying habits for the next year. But after then, I'm going to have a very open mind about it, depending on where the industry has led us consumers by then...
  

• Is there reason to be skeptical?
  

  Of course. There are a good deal of people out there who will disagree with my opinions whole-heartedly. Many of these people own laser disc players and are still happy with them. There's always reason to hesitate when an industry shoves a new line products in our faces. But remember what happened to Beta tapes? VHS is inferior to Beta, but VHS eventually won the race because it became the only choice. This may or may not happen with movies on 5-inch discs. If it does, you can be certain that it won't happen anytime in the near future.
  

Overall, I get the feeling that these DVDs and related equipment might become affordable for the majority of us in a year or so, and it will make life very interesting for soundtrack enthusiasts in general. These "Enhanced CDs" could seem like mere child's play by then. With all the multimedia that's planned to accompany the film on DVDs, I wouldn't be surprised if a short film about some of the more famous composers and scores appears on them. That would certainly be a very nice treat for us!

Meanwhile, for the sake of common sense, please refrain from spending your retirement savings on a 32-minute "limited" audio disc! Trust me, you'll feel silly later if you do...

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Page created 10/12/97, updated 3/5/00. Version 2.0 (Filmtracks Publishing). Copyright © 1997-2000, Christian Clemmensen --He turns 22 on the 12th of November and wonders if, by some miracle of the supreme being, he'll get a birthday card this year... especially from his ex-girlfriend! All rights reserved for Filmtracks content. "Real Audio" logo and .ra are Copyright © 1997, Real Audio (www.realaudio.com). "Academy Awards" and the Oscar statue are ® AMPAS, 1996.