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Here's a letter that I just wrote to the fine folks at Warner Home Video. All you Babylon 5 fans out there,
feel free to write one yourself!
Michael Radiloff
Vice President, DVD Marketing
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
Dear Sir,
I write to you in regard to the production of the Babylon 5 television
series on DVD.
I thank you for taking the first step with the December release of The
Gathering and In The Beginning, and I want to assure you that I am in
the market for the entire series on DVD.
I am given to understand that the success of this release will
be interpreted as a bellwether for the success of the series as
a whole. From that point of view, I hope that the sales figures
totally astound you -- on the high side, of course. However, I
must admit that I don't understand the rationale of test marketing
a DVD which contains minimal features. (I, of course have not
yet seen it, but that is certainly the whisper in the wind.) A
consumer's decision to buy or not to buy is a very gross barometer
which can be interpreted in many ways; I, and I'm sure many others,
worry that buying such a thing sends the signal that a minimal
product is acceptable, while knowing that not buying it does not
communicate our point that the concept is highly desired and saleable,
but that we want it to be done right!
In any case, I have placed my advance order for this first B5
production. I have not yet even finished my first watching of the
series (currently at S4 E12), but I started some time ago keeping my
eyes and ears open for the presence of a DVD version.
As far as what I would like to see in such a product, I have two things
that I hope you could keep in mind. One, at least occasionally have
some real-value extras, for example, a commentary track by
Mr. Straczynski (which, while I'm not plugged
into any B5 subculture per se,
I believe he would be very happy, nay anxious, to provide) or others.
Two, please don't make the (in my opinion) mistake that Paramount made
with Star Trek of putting only two episodes on a DVD that could hold
four or more. Of course, you'll want to charge more, but most people
surely want to own the entire series, not pick and choose episodes here
and there, and there is no reason to make it take up more space in my
living room than necessary.
I thank you for your attention, and I await the historic beginning of
the production of Babylon 5 on DVD!
Why stop at one? I also sent this letter to:
- Mike Finnegan: Vice President, Editorial and Programming Services
- Paul Hemstreet: Vice-President Special Features/DVD
- Kristin Grosshandler: Manager DVD Special Features
B5 watch
Twelve episodes into season 4.
The year is 2261.