John Zois

1. When did you first get interested in DVD and why?

I first read about DVD on the net long before any part of the technology had arrived in Australia. I patiently waited some 8 months before the single first DVD player arrived in Australia for demonstration. It was all in Japanese (including the movie) but I was hooked and eagerly awaited the arrival of the first generation players to arrive to our shores. For me DVD was light years ahead of Laserdisc which although better than VHS never excited me that much. I ordered my first 3 DVDs from the USA (before I even owned a player!) as at the time there was only one title in the R4 market available (Evita).

2. Did you ever expect DVD to become as popular as it has now?

Well I knew it would become popular but I have to say I did not expect such large market penetration and awareness in such a short time. I recall walking into my local JB HiFi in the early days and asking the manager when they would be bringing in DVD players. He looked at me and confidently said "Nah we won't be brining in any, they're not going to take off". He was adamant that the format was just a gimmick which most people wouldn't bother with. Walking into the same store now a few years later, there are dozens of DVD players and a large portion of the floor space dedicated to DVD discs. How things change...

3. What are some of your favourite movies and some of your favourite DVDs?

One of my favourite movies is The Rock. Unfortunately it never received a great treatment on DVD, especially in R4, with the Criterion edition of R1 being good but still not as great as I would have liked. Other movies that I love but which also have never received a super special treatment on DVD include, The Hunt for Red October, Crimson Tide. Other DVDs that I particularly like include the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition, MIB, From the Earth To the Moon TV series, Star Wars Episode II.

4. Which 'not so good' DVDs would you never want ruining your collection?

Well these days there aren't many so called "bad" dvds quality wise and thankfully flipper DVDs have become almost extinct. Flippers were a big turn off for me and I flatly refused to buy any if there was no good reason for them to be a flipper in the first place. The Right Stuff was the only film I ever owned as a flipper. Nowawadays I usually keep films that I loathe out of my collection rather than because of their poor quality.

5. Which DVD(s) not yet available are you looking forward to most being released?

Probably the same ones that millions of other DVD fans are eagerly awaiting. Indiana Jones trilogy ranks right at the top, followed by the original Star Wars trilogy, a new extras packed The Rock, Lord of the Rings-The Two Towers. It is quite dissapointing to see such delays in the release of Indiana Jones and one can only hope that they receive an exemplary treatment after such a long wait.

6. Have you ever gone to extraordinary lengths to satisfy your DVD addiction?

Hmm I drove around town in the early days of DVD just to see the demonstration players up close and personal. I would sit staring at them for ages and be amazed by how little the staff in the stores hosting them knew about DVD. Dedicating almost 4 years of my life to run this website pretty much sums up how severe my DVD addiction is :)

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