Random Thoughts Thread

[marurun]

A lot of those exciting menus were crap, though, you have to admit. Only two options, one blue and one green. If you tap up or down the green turns blue and the blue turns green. Which option is selected, blue or green? Trial and error is your only clue. Those DVD menu designers knew nothing about basic usability affordances. Of course, digital usability wasn’t really much of a thing then, but there were designers in the physical world already thinking about such things, who had been thinking about such things for decades.

[RCBH928]

I agree but its a little bit like saying records in 1904 had awful sound quality, who cares ? It works! I would say DVDs were a luxury up until around 2002 or so.

[PretentiousHipster]

Recording a black lodge-esque scene this weekend. Even practiced today speaking my lines backwards

[marurun]

I agree but its a little bit like saying records in 1904 had awful sound quality, who cares ? It works! I would say DVDs were a luxury up until around 2002 or so.

I don't agree. A bad DVD menu design can actually make a DVD harder to use than a VHS tape, and VHS tapes were definitely good enough at the time.

[RCBH928]

I agree but its a little bit like saying records in 1904 had awful sound quality, who cares ? It works! I would say DVDs were a luxury up until around 2002 or so.

I don't agree. A bad DVD menu design can actually make a DVD harder to use than a VHS tape, and VHS tapes were definitely good enough at the time.

Any thing is good enough if you are satisfied with it. I never had an issue navigating a DVD menu.

[PretentiousHipster]

What about the unskippable ads before the menu whenever you started a DVD? At least with a VHS you can fast forward.

[marurun]

I agree but its a little bit like saying records in 1904 had awful sound quality, who cares ? It works! I would say DVDs were a luxury up until around 2002 or so.

I don't agree. A bad DVD menu design can actually make a DVD harder to use than a VHS tape, and VHS tapes were definitely good enough at the time.

Any thing is good enough if you are satisfied with it. I never had an issue navigating a DVD menu.

Consider yourself lucky. There are some BAD menus out there where trying to determine which option you are selecting is basically trial an error.

[Gunstar Green]

Early DVDs were cute but I don't miss the extravagant menus when I just want to get to the movie.

I do wish they still put the same amount of effort into special features as they used to, I like to at least have a director's commentary track and these used to be a pretty standard inclusion but have gotten pretty rare outside of pricier special editions.

[PretentiousHipster]

This was always the best DVD commentary. NSFW though

[ElkinFencer10]

Maru's right about bad DVD menus. I'll take the fuzzy low resolution of a VHS tape over the obnoxious menus that accompany some DVDs.