I've always wondered about "The Criterion Collection".
I've seen the dvd's for sale and couldn't figure out why they were so much more expensive than regular dvds, sometimes 3X the price.
I haven't seen any thread here that talks about people's experiences with these dvds.
Are they really worth the extra dough?
Like to hear your thoughts.

Ham.Clan

I have about 30 of their titles and they are generally well worth the extra cost. The older ones (by Spline number) may not be as technically advanced in their reproduction as some newer releases of the same titles but they always represent the state of the art at the time of production and their extras are always created by someone who loves the film rather than some marketing hack

Traditionally, and I mean going back to LaserDisc and the early days of DVD, Criterion was noted for releasing a lot of classic/art/foreign films that were not always available in the mainstream.

Their releases were also generally remastered/restored versions of the original and usually included a bunch of extra material not always found on the commercial release, if it even existed.

Both of those facts will tend to increase the cost (low volume, high production cost) so that explains a lot of it.

The studios have largely caught on to this in recent times and now release special/extended editions and director's cuts of their own blockbusters so there's less of a market for those but for less populist movies, they are probably still a good bet and the quality should be top notch.

Thanks for the replies.
So if I understand, Criterion created a name for themselves by offering content on DVD that was largely targetted towards the afficianado. Not based purley on image quality, but on obscure title availability and (at the time) deeper extras than were commerically available.
I was really asking from the viewpoint of a new HDTV owner viewing dvds through my kids xbox and component cables. The quality is actually quite stunning compared to my stand-alone dvd.
If Criterion dvds really "looked" that much better, then I would start purchasing them.
But I'm not big on the extras anyway.

I find the Criterion movies money well spent but at the same time, the DVDs that I buy from them are for movies that simply don't exist anywhere else.

Criterion continues to improve themselves as well with their new releases. The new Seven Samaurai edition is amazing and they are re-releasing Yojimbo and Sanjuro early next year with similar audio/video enhancements.

Don't get me wrong the Audio and Video quality are the best available at release time but an older title like Silence of The Lambs quality has been surpassed by subsequent studio releases. I have both of their versions of Seven Samurai and the quality can't be beat.

The movie that really drew me toward Criterion in the first place was "Sid & Nancy".
It's now OOP, and from reading up on it on the Criterion website, it was only dolby 2.0 sound anyway. A crime considering this is arguably one of the greatest soundtracks of the '80's. The movie is great anyway, but the music makes it.
I have made the leap and bought the Criterion edition of Spartacus off ebay. Kirk is THE man.
Can't wait to fire it up and hear Anthony Hopkins dub Laurence Olivier in the "oysters and snails" speech.

Spartacus came out on HD DVD this week. It should be in my mailbox when I get home.

The only Criterion DVD I have is: A Night to Remember.

Spartacus came out on HD DVD this week. It should be in my mailbox when I get home.

I hope you post back on the quality of the HD-DVD Spartacus.
Love to hear about it.

Not a problem though a professional review will show up on the web soon enough.

I'm also testing a new projector which I could have tonight as well.

Watched tonight. Not bad but the older movies don't look as good as the newer ones in HD.

Really?
Too bad.
Still looked pretty good I bet.

I find the quality of Criterion DVDs to be high though I have never compared them to conventional releases.
I buy them on-line when on sale, usually Deep Discount in the States.

Bought "Short Cuts" from them for $23.88.
Other Criterions in my collection:
The Rock
Armageddon
Charade
Straw Dogs

I have mixed feeling about Criterion releases. In Canada they are very expensive at the local DVD stores; it's not just exchange but must have something to do with too many middle-men in the distribution arrangement.

There is not a single title which has disappointed in terms of video quality but, for the money, I find there are frequently less "extras" than I'd like. Still, each has ample evidence of being produced with care and loving touches; it's a good feeling to spend money with those who appreciate the art -- as well as who are trying to make a buck.

So for Criterion I generally go online, including e-bay and criteriondvd.com itself. BTW, this week -- Apr 7 through 12 -- all online orders ship FREE to Canada. They do this quietly a couple of times a year and that's, generally, when I buy direct from them.

I'm just curious, how much are you paying on average for duty on the shipments that come directly from Criterion? Or are these shipments not being charged duty, like the Amazon orders from the US?

It's hit and miss. The post office charges a flat $5 handling fee and then GST is paid based on the declared value. PST is not charged. This is why "free shipping" tips the balance -- if you figure you're going to pay GST/PST anyway at your local video store, what's the difference? The mail order houses are often either cheaper, or carry stuff you just can't get locally.

All else being equal, I much prefer to buy from my local dealer but ... when the local price is way out of whack (Criterion being a good example), or titles just aren't available, I have no problem shopping online. Some things are cheaper locally -- I bought most of the Fox Film Noir series around Can$10 per title in Toronto; no way I could match that online. And by shopping locally, the dealer kept stocking the sort of stuff I like.