Quoting Staid S Barr:

Quote:
I can see that a release date is interesting for a new or recent release, but why bother with release dates of 10 years ago? You can't go and sit in front of the shop to be the first to buy...
So unless the date in the database is off by months or years, why change it?

That argument can be used for basically every single field in the database that you personally do not consider important. For example: Who cares the runtime of a 4 hour movie is off by 3 minutes; who cares the case type is not set correctly; who cares if the SRP is this or that, who cares if the regions outside the DVD's locality are set; ...?

With a shared database we just have to accept every field is important even though we personally couldn't care what it contains - because it is important to someone.

Hans,

Sorry, I must not have been clear because you are completely misunderstanding what I am trying to say. I am NOT arguing that a precise runtime is no more important than the correct release date 10 years ago. It was just an example of the "is it really imporant" arguement applied on something you do apparently consider important.

What I was trying to say is that you consider this to be unimportant because you do not care about release dates 10 years ago. Fair enough (I don't really care about it either), but that does not mean the release date isn't important to other users.

If a field is not important to you and you consider updating it a waste of time, I recommend you simply ignore any discussion on it and vote neutral on any change.

why I like to have the actual release dates from the historic beginnings of dvd?? because during these first 6 months, there really were not that many releases out and i was about as fanatical as one can get to buying them, like trying to buy almost all of them... so having the actual release date correct for me means a lot, especially when i know i purchased a dvd in May 97 but the site might have it listed as released in August or even 1998. I put hours and hours of research into trying to clarify when these first release titles hit the market. As a matter of fact, last night i just found a hard cover binder under my desk (I know who knows what lurks under mens desk) that has an entire dvd printout of every title released from 1997 thru 1999 that was printed in May of 1999 with release date listed from dvd.express.com (which i purchased a ton from in that time period, now they are no more). I also found in here a printout from Home Theater Forum with Ronald Epstein (home theater forum administrator) and a mention of someone by the name OBI in regards to the actual first dvd titles to reach the market... in March 19, 1997 by Lumivision: Africa the Serengeti, Antarctica, Animation Greats, & Tropical Rainforest" (post was from 4/25/1999). And lastly some crib notes i took showing all the releases from March thru Oct. 1997. (I wrote from 7 different sources on the release dates, however stupid me did not list them but my guess prob: dvdexpress, buy.com,movieshop.com,kencranes, & probably the mgm/newwave/warnerbrothers, etc. would be my guess)
So if you ask me about a release date from a dvd title in say 2001, it is not as important to me as would be these release date from the pioneer of dvd... IT's HISTORY.... or maybe i just need some medication... 

Hans:

I am all for accuracy, as long is there is some rational documentation involved. It is weell-known and documented that back covers are often wrong when using the ACTUAL film as a baseline for data, which is what we do. It is also well documented that many third party databases are inaccurate, some are notorious for their inaccuracies. We are talking about trying to get accurate data that is 10-years-old, so the closer we can come to the distributor's press release the better. The reason I was calling the images of Widescreen Review non-specific was that they list a release MONTH not a date, there are FOUR weeks in most months, some five, that is a lot of room for error. Lex has worked pretty hard to try and nail this down and kudos to him for that.

Skip

skip, in regards to the widescreen review dvdisography showing only the month of release, you are 100% correct, however that is why i also sent the other 2 pages in cause on the first page under WIDESCREEN DVD, 2nd paragraph: it states that MGM, NewLine,WB had released titles on March 24, 1997 in New York, LA, Chicago,SF, Dallas, Seattlle, & DC. On page 2 of the continued article 2nd paragraph, it names the titles from MGM, WB, Newline that had been released upto that publication (april 22, 1997) along with actual dates for upcoming dvd titles in coming few months from Columbia Tristar, Live, Polygram, ELite, WB, MGM, & Newline. take a look at it again. So for ie. in that DVDisography for title Species it shows march release. the article shows mgm had released it prior to publication of this Issue 24 April 1997 Page 2 and from page one it read MGM released original batch March 24. Therefore, if you fit the pieces of the puzzle together you get a March 24th 1997 release.

Post a the URL to that thread here.

thanks, Mark you are the man, kinda bummed though cause Stargate got declined... not sure why... do you think it is ok to resubmit with this additional information???

Sure, why not lex.

Skip