Boom Dot Bust DVD!

Rhino Records (DVD Release Date: 12/19/2000)

Boom Dot Bust DVD

This is the first DVD release for the venerable 4 or 5 (by Rhino.com, though, as of this writing they still don't have it for sale or advertised on their site!). They mixed Boom Dot Bust into 5.1 digital channels of surround at the same time they mixed the stereo master.  The DVD also has various pictures and video content if you're lucky enough to have gotten a DVD-Audio player for Xmas.  The DVD-Audio players are curently $600 and up, so it'll be the selected few who can see the video extras.  You can, however, still here the digital remix on your standard DVD player.

The price (on the web) currently ranges from about $18 at DVDexpress to $24 elsewhere.  While the promo says "Includes Dolby Digital (AC-3) and stereo mixes playable on all current DVD players.", there's no mention that you need a new DVD-Audio player to get the "extras".  A bit miss-leading to say the least.

Extra video content includes (from Andrew Thomas):

• A Proctor & Bergman interview on "5.1 Audio"
• A fully animated version of "That Billville Sound"
• A behind-the-scenes video shot during the recording of Boom Dot Bust
• A photo gallery that offers a tour around places of interest in Billville
• A second photo gallery of personal photos spanning several decades, and,
• A section called "Script Scraps" that features the original script pages used during the recording, most of which are marked with spontaneous scribblings from the guys (edited dialog, omissions and additions) as the pieces evolved in the studio

This also from Andrew:

More importantly, the extra features -- video segments, behind-the-scenes photos, script pages, scenes from Billville, etc. -- are locked-out and inaccessable for any machine other than a DVD-Audio player.

If you don't have a DVD-Audio player, you will enjoy nothing more than what is on the CD: a stereo version of BDB.  The plan is to encourage people to purchase the DVD-Audio disc now and enjoy it like a CD, then unlock the real fun stuff when you finally plunk down a good deal of money on a brand new DVD-Audio player and the six required speakers.

The odd thing is that if you put the DVD-Audio disc in a DVD-Video player, you will not have access to the main menu which lists all the extra features, videos, etc. Not knowing what you're missing seems counter to encouraging listeners to purchase new, expensive equipment.... which has generally been unavailable for purchase in most electronic stores.