We found
this article at the
New York Times website (free registration required), thanks to a reader tip.
The
Times report, run yesterday and written by Michel Marriot, discusses a new feature that will be seen on various kid-vid DVDs coming up from Lion's Gate (now owners of Artisan Entertainment).
Clifford the Big Red Dog -
whose next DVD release is on Feb. 17th - was specifically mentioned for getting this feature:
Pop-n-Play Discs Put Young Children in Control
By MICHEL MARRIOTT
Published: January 22, 2004
Americans have taken to the DVD audiovisual format like ducks to water. And with prices of DVD players dropping below $50, the boxes and the discs are increasingly finding their way into the rooms of even very young children.
One problem is that many young children find navigating the opening menus of choices on DVD's - Play Movie, Selected Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Special Features, Languages and Audio, to name just a few - overwhelming. The result is often a cry for help to a parent.
No more, says Lions Gate's Family Home Entertainment division. Beginning Feb. 17, Lions Gate will release a series of DVD's that feature "pop-n-play" technology. What this means, a Lions Gate spokesman explained, is that once the DVD is placed into the DVD player it automatically begins. Remote controls and menus are optional.
The first wave of Lions Gate's pop-n-play DVD's will include tales from the PBS animated series "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and the animated adventures of the Care Bears. Each of the discs, which have been digitally remastered, will cost $15 and run 88 minutes.
No doubt Clifford would approve of a technology that makes the DVD player more child-friendly.
That sounds terrific to us. While noone either here or at Lions Gate-Artisan is advocating the idea of letting kids use DVDs completely unsupervised, we just know it will make the kids proud to be empowered to push the button to close the tray and things will start right up!
Additionally, with DVD players becoming more and more popular in automobiles (cars, SUVs, etc.), this makes "Pop'N'Play" DVDs the ideal traveling companion for Mom and Dad to use on a trip with a no-hassle startup. As long as this defaults to a "Play All" operation - and it sounds like it does - then parents can mind the road while setting the kids up for quick and easy entertainment.
Kudos to Lions Gate-Artisan for this feature; we hope other kid-vid DVD producers take note! And we give thanks to Alicia Snowe for pointing us to the article. Look for this feature to be employed on
Team Clifford/Rock N' Roll Clifford , due in-stores on 2/17.
