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Twilight DVD Issues - Response from Viva Video

Hello, everyone. We just received this e-mail from Viva Video.

To TWILIGHTERS / TWILIGHT FANS:

As most of you are aware, the 2-Disc DVD Special Edition of TWILIGHT was released in the Philippines this past weekend. The 1st disc contains the full feature or movie in its entirety. The 2nd disc contains the DVD extras or DVD add-ons licensed to us by the international licensor. Such content are confined and limited to the rights granted to us by Summit Entertainment. The release of the Twilight video is in accordance with the Licence Agreement between Viva and Summit Entertainment.

As we are not privy to the international licensor's arrangements with its various licensees worldwide, we have no control over the contents and timing of their own DVD releases. Rest assured, we endeavored to bring the movie to the local market at the earliest possible time. We were the 2nd country in Asia to release the movie in theaters. On video, we released almost simultaneous with the title's US video release.

As a company engaged in video distribution for the last 25 years, rest assured that our TWILIGHT 2-Disc DVD Special Edition provides unbelievable value to local Twilighters, Twilight Fanatics, and movie fans.

Thank you for your support.

LEIGH G. LEGASPI
Label Manager- VPI Video

Essentially, they're saying that what they released is in accordance with their license agreement with Summit.

We are... uh, stumped and very disappointed. :(

UPDATE: We are continuing our correspondence with Viva and asking more questions. As usual, we will report to you guys once we get replies.

54 comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
     

    WTF?! So does it mean it was Summit's decision not to put subtitles and audio commentary in the DVD and to put just one part of the seven-part documentary?! You've got to be kidding me!

    We need to send a letter to Summit then. Ampf.

    I am disappointed. Sooo disappointed. I mean, they didn't even ask Summit to provide these features (subtitles and audio commentary)? These are standard features of a good, special edition DVDs for crying out loud!

  2. Anonymous said...
     

    so that's it then? there's nothing we can do about it now? i'm so crying right now. huhuhuhu

  3. Ronald said...
     

    @Jei: Actually, subtitles and audio commentary are features of your average, run-of-the-mill DVD. It's a wonder they didn't even think of including it, especially for a "special edition".

    And they wonder why piracy is so rampant.

  4. Anonymous said...
     

    if anyone is interested on bringing this up with summit, here is the e-add, i guess.

    summitent@earthlink.net

    i just can't get over it.

  5. Anonymous said...
     

    Dapat isumbong sa Summit. Really. Matanggalan sana ng license ang Viva to distribute the Twilight series.

    Nakakatawa na binanggit pa sa letter na isa tayo sa nauna sa Asia to release Twilight blah blah. Bakit nila "sinusumbat"? That's not the issue. We're thankful for that pero tapos na yun.

    The crappy "special-edition" DVD is the problem.

  6. Anonymous said...
     

    do the the pirate one has the audio commentary? im thinking to buy one just to watch it.hay. .

  7. Anonymous said...
     

    i hate this.. ibabalik ko na yung dvd. I mean come on? standard nayung SUBTITLES sa lahat ng DVD.. napaghahalataang, kinuha lang sa VCD yung video eh. tapos, ang crappy pa ng quality. haizzz..

    guys, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING! ASAP! masasayang lang yung P750 ko for nothing? na pinagpaguran ko!?? na instead of buying the pirated ones, i still preferred to but the original? haizzz..

  8. Anonymous said...
     

    Oh Man! We are hopeless now. At least I can look at Edward for eternity now that I have the DVD. Only Joking!

  9. Anonymous said...
     

    Hayyyy.... I guess we can't do anything about it na. I will buy the pirated nalang.

  10. Anonymous said...
     

    oh well..this just means that they will not replace/recall the "special edition dvd".

    i am extremely disappointed.

    750 will buy me a couple of pirated dvds...

    errr...

    now that Viva is aware of the problem... will they make ‘necessary changes’ to the next batch of DVDs or just ignore it just to prove their innocence?

    just wondering, i wouldn't want other people to have the same ‘crappy’ version as mine.

    btw, thanks TCP admins for always keeping us posted...it was much much appreciated

  11. Anonymous said...
     

    Maybe Viva thinks we're stupid enough to believe this BS. What, do they really think that we'll fall for this?

    I, for one, don't believe that Summit will only allow one part of the 7-part documentary to be put on the local DVD. Really, Viva? Just one?

    And the subtitles?! Oh, come on!

  12. Anonymous said...
     

    If you want to write to Summit, here's Nancy Kirkpatrick's (President of Worldwide Marketing) email address:


    NKirkpatrick@summit-ent.com


    And they do answer nicely written letters, like what she did when Laura from Team Solomon wrote her "a very passionate" letter, begging them to keep Solomon Trimble in New Moon.

    I think if we'll make a well written and thorough letter about this matter, we'll have a bigger chance of getting a response from them.

  13. Anonymous said...
     

    let's just say okay, viva was given a limited license. i wish they were transparent about it and made us aware that it doesn't have what we're looking for. then it's up to us to decide whether we still want to shell out php 750 for crap or not. i bought the dvd for my deaf son, and not having subtitles was a huge disappointment. he was asking me if viva cheated him. how can i explain?? he's even the one telling me not to buy pirated stuff and this is what he gets for original.

  14. Unknown said...
     

    disappointed!!! I asked my mom to call Viva since I'm deaf.. I wanted a refund since I won't enjoy it & I don't think I'll use it anyway, because it has no subtitles! But they said they can't because that's really there really is no problem with the DVD.. They were not licensed by summit.. WTF! Eh, I have a DVD with no subtitle since pero it's a DVD copy & I could put subtitle in it.. Pero yung Twilight, wala talaga!!! So para talagang VCD copy on a DVD.. Argh!!!

  15. TiKisokA said...
     

    well i reallyhad to hear the audio commentary
    so I bought a pirated bluray version
    and it was there! and all the subtitiles and such...
    tho di kumpleto un other features nya...extended scenes lang meron...

    too bad
    am not really a collector that's why I didnt get to order from other imported retailers like Borders...
    pero kainis yun DVD version dito sa atin...

    haaay

  16. Anonymous said...
     

    So that means, Summit ONLY ALLOWED ONE PART of the SEVEN PART OF "Adventure Begins?" is that so? This is no good. I E-mailed Summit already and linked the statemnet from Viva. I might buy off of Amazon or Target. This is just sad =(

  17. Clair de Lune said...
     

    HONEY-
    I wish you hadn't linked Viva's statement just yet until they've had the chance to answer our additional questions. We did say that we'll email them again to ask more questions, and we did. We're still waiting for the reply.

    Oh, well.

    Guys, let's not be rash in our actions, okay? We can resolve this in a coordinated and disciplined manner.

  18. Anonymous said...
     

    uh oh. I thought it's the "Official Statement" already from them. I apologized if you think that it's rash sending them E-mail (and linking Viva's statement). When I read the statement, it was like "uh okay, it's dead-end now, you can't do anything about it." I'm like thinking if Viva can't help us or (make mends somehow) maybe Summit *fingers crossed* could do that for us. But really sorry for the actions that I did, I'm just reacting like everyone else here, and I didn't say anything bad at all in the first place. and thanks TCP for the wonderful effort. =)

  19. Clair de Lune said...
     

    HONEY-
    It is technically an official statement from them. But they didn't address all of the issues kasi, so we brought up very specific ones in our email to them (e.g. the putol na documentary and the subtitles).

    Anyway, it's done na, so let's just wait for Viva's reply. :)

  20. Anonymous said...
     

    oh sure. definitely wait for the reply. I hope they will really do good here. If there are really no audio commentaries, I guess they should do the "Adventure Begins" complete, and oh the subtitles too. I'm somehow happy though, that when I checked Target, we somehow have the same extended features like them (minus of course the commentaries, and the complete Adventure Begins)

    *fingers crossed for everyone*

  21. Anonymous said...
     

    Guys I found this on borders.com just wanna share:

    About the DVD:

    The Borders-Exclusive Edition comes with these exciting additional features:

    Special Bonus Disc, Which Includes:
    • Exclusive Twilight Cast Interviews with Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Robert Pattinson (Edward)
    • Exclusive Twilight Cast Interviews with Cam Gigandet (James)
    • Exclusive Twilight Cast Interviews with Edi Gathegi (Laurent) and Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria)
    • Exclusive Red-Carpet Interviews from the Twilight Movie Premiere
    • Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Red-Carpet Footage! Includes extra interview footage with Kellan Lutz (Emmett), Ashley Greene (Alice), rock band Paramore, and Nikki Reed (Rosalie)
    • Exclusive Borders Book Club: Stephenie Meyer talks about the Twilight Saga

    • Audio commentary by Catherine Hardwicke, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson
    • Muse music video: "Super Massive Black Hole"
    • Paramore music video: "Decode"
    • Linkin Park music video: "Leave Out All the Rest"
    • Five extended scenes with director introductions
    • Five deleted scenes with director introductions
    • Seven-part documentary: "The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen"
    • Comic-Con "fandom" piece
    • Comic-Con NY sizzle reel
    • Three trailers
    • Penelope trailer

    Exclusive Photocards
    10 exclusive photocards are printed on a gorgeous pearlescent paper to give a dramatic sparkly effect—the perfect way to view your favorite vampires

    If only I had $30.00 I would buy this!!!It's got everything!

  22. Anonymous said...
     

    haay.. i don't believe viva at all. all they want is profit profit and profit! ok lets say that the features has limited licensed only they should have warn us that the dvd has no subtitle, the documentary is incomplete and no commentary included. dapat hindi na nila tinawag na special edition.

    viva is trashy company!!!! they have the nerves pa magsabi ng unbelievable features!!!!

    we should promote PIRACY!!!! buy pirated twilight dvd!!! its better than the original and special edition dvd!!! piracy rocks!!!!

  23. Anonymous said...
     

    geez? for real? I haven't watched the DVD. hayz, how sad

  24. Anonymous said...
     

    This is just one of the reasons why people STILL buy pirated movies. Bukod sa mahal, orig na nga, SUMASABLAY pa. They are taking for granted those people who have been investing in QUALITY copies of movies. Viva won't do something about those who have been expecting what was earlier promised and to those who have bought the DVD...unless this issue will be addressed with the help of the media. Nakakagago sila, they were just after the sales, the money, coz they know the franchise has a lot of fans.

  25. Anonymous said...
     

    Suffice to say, I will never buy an original DVD ever again. Their statements just doesn't cut it. Do they mean that Summit licensed them to dupe us?

  26. Anonymous said...
     

    that's unfair! does that mean viva wasn't given license to put subtitles on it?! come on! plus, my pirated dvd's have far better quality that this one! lesson learned na talaga...lesson learned!!

  27. Anonymous said...
     

    did anyone email Summit?
    WE MUST AT LEAST TRY.

  28. Anonymous said...
     

    the official statement from viva doesn't appease me. Its a lame ass way of saying "my bad". NO subtitles? No audio commentary? One of the seven documentaries? Did viva actually think twilighters of the philippines will take this QUIETLY? Write to summit and demand an explanation, shelling out P750 for a dvd nowadays is no joke and WE shouldn't be treated as one.

  29. Anonymous said...
     

    that's the reason why i bought the borders, hot topic, the regular 2-disc, and the ultimate collector's blu-ray disc. kakainis naman kasi kung minsan some of the dvds they sell here in the philippines. i bought the one viva released pero i was not expecting much. i'll get my hot topic dvd (the one with the film cell) by next week and the rest either in april or may. maybe, i should just go to the US, buy lots of Twilight DVDs there and just sell it here. LOL! hopefully, viva does something about this.

  30. Anonymous said...
     

    hi guys. thank god i had a insy winsy feeling i should check out the feedbacks of the DVD here! i ran out of money and my salary is next week. and i'm so sad you guys are ranting that it was this bad. kung isa ako sa nakabili right on the day of the release (which i planned but ran out of money) IIYAK TALAGA AKO. gosh.. edi might as well buy the VCD nalang? immona check my pirated version kung may audio commentary

  31. Anonymous said...
     

    Only in the Philippines!

    Maybe next time I will not anymore buy the original DVD. I'll just buy a pirated version or just download it on torrent or order the DVD on amazon.

    I quote what j said... "LESSON LEARNED!"

  32. Clair de Lune said...
     

    Guys, to be fair, this doesn't happen to ALL original DVDs. I bought the Prince Caspian Special Ed, which, coincidentally is also by VIVA, and it's great! I got all the features they promised, and the video quality is DVD talaga.

    I guess the lesson here is NOT to ditch the originals and buy pirated, because that's ILLEGAL. You may argue with me that buying pirated is still more value for your money, but that's not my point.

    The lesson here is, and yes, this is the lesson that I think I learned: dapat di tayo atat sa merchandise. Hehehehehe. We should wait for reviews before going out to buy -- make smart and informed consumer choices next time. This sends a message to distributors and manufacturers that Twilight fans want value for their money.

    I acknowledge that this does not absolve the distributor from all these issues na lumabas with the Twilight DVD, and everyone who bought should still get their money's worth. I'm just saying that we, as consumers, should be more careful next time.

    Just my two centavos worth (which will not buy you anything these days, but what the Hale. Hehe.)

  33. Anonymous said...
     

    nde nman siguro atat yung mga buyers. I think it's just an ordinary thing to buy a DVD on the first day of the release (lalo na at Twilight yung movie). Ang tingin ko dito, Viva just had problems siguro like they didn't double check the features or something. Let's not blame the people who buy or even reserved the DVD first hand. Neither wag din tayo mag-purchase ng pirated (kahit maganda pa yan). Para lalo tuloy losers yung mga Pinoy, kulang kulang na nga yung DVD features and worst bumili pa ng pirated (at pinagmalaki pa na bumili)

    Well, sabi ko nga choice lang yan..kanya kanyang views. If you think you had a good bargain out of a pirated DVD, go dwell on it. but for me, pirated still pirated and it's bad.

  34. Clair de Lune said...
     

    Just for the record, I am not blaming anybody here, ha. Especially not the people who reserved because I'm one of them. I'm just saying, if there's a lesson to be learned, let's try to make informed consumer choices next time we buy. I certainly can't blame people for buying on the first day. Excited tayo lahat eh. But now that we know things like this can happen, we can decide better.

  35. Anonymous said...
     

    hindi namn tlaga sa atat tayo it is just that nangako sila for a free poster pag nagpareserve ka. eh syempre fan tayo eh and walang nagbebenta ng twilight poster man lang dito sa philippines kaya natuwa tayo sa promo nila. eh wala nga tayong nabibilhan na mga merchendise dito eh taz pag umorder patayo ang dami pang babayaran na extra fees tapos kelangan pa ata dollars ung ibabayad mo. ako napagalitan pa ako ng parents ko kasi nangutang ako sa ate ko tas ito lang pala mapapala ko and the worst thing is yung poster na nakuha ko punit pala sa gitna, mga isang dangkal siguro(pero pinatry qng ipapalit sa ate ko at sa saturday ko pa makukuha).

    feeling ko tuloy ginamit nila yung free poster para maraming mag avail

  36. Anonymous said...
     

    Every single thing involve cost and money... That's how they make money... This was told by my colleague who sells DVDs, Music CDs, etc.... So, that's why, the DVDs have different version base on the region it was manufactured and the licence they were granted. Sad isn't it? Sigh...

  37. Anonymous said...
     

    we should do something about this..
    :((
    i wasted like, 1 & 1/2 week worth of my allowance. (i'm a sophie) :((
    why did they only put 1 part of the documentary when it should've been 7?! (and why didn't they include the audio commentary?!)
    ...
    what if they bring out a "new special edition" of twilight?(that includes the audio commentary,full version of the 7-part documentary and subtitles..)
    what are we going to do?buy again?
    can we just present our receipts?
    :((

  38. Anonymous said...
     

    guess what? twilight is now the number one most pirated movie. i understand a lot of us are still bummed about the DVD we have here in the Philippines but still piracy is still illegal.

  39. Tech Fatale said...
     

    I bought a pirated version. And what I got is way better than the original I bought sa Astrovision. I'm not very proud that I did pero no one can blame me. Viva gave me a crap of an item I paid for expecting I'll get the best.

    Viva didn't answer nor addressed the issues directly, they were merely making excuses for their mistake.

    Clearly, they chose to ignore our disappointment and won't accept accountability.

    So papano yun, ganon nlng ba yun? They took advantage of the fans and give us lame excuses? Kumita na sila sa atan bago pa man nila ni-release yung videos. In other words, they got what they wanted from us and then just left us hanging and disappointed.

  40. maidenveil said...
     

    Viva should have at least posted the difference between the DVD they will release and the DVDs from other countries. What happened was they let people think that the Twilight DVD here is the same as the ones that were released internationally. I believe they have known the difference from the start since they said in their statement that what they released was the one that was licensed to them, and they have obviously tinkered with the DVD they released.

    They had the opportunity to somehow prevented this confusion and disappointment from the Twilight fans. Even if it will hurt their profit, I was hoping that they will not risk the damage on their company's image. Then again..*hai*

  41. Clair de Lune said...
     

    MAIDENVEIL-
    In fairness naman to Viva, they did post the features that were included, and they never said that it was the same as the U.S. We at TCP also posted notes regarding the features in the local edition, as well as the ones in the US and Australia.

  42. Tech Fatale said...
     

    So what's taking them this long to address or at least answer the questions?

  43. HoneY said...
     

    Happy Anniversary TCP!
    Just want to ask though, what is now the reply of Viva re the missing parts?
    Thanks much! =)

  44. Anonymous said...
     

    i just wanna ask lng poh how's the issue about sa dvd?? kase i'm planning to buy the dvd these following days...

    just wanna know lang if ok n yung issue??

    reply soon:]

    eMexhie:]]

  45. Anonymous said...
     

    so... ano na?

  46. Clair de Lune said...
     

    No further response from Viva, sorry. If there was, we would've posted it.

  47. Anonymous said...
     

    is it ok for me to buy a dvd of twilight now??

  48. Anonymous said...
     

    Mukhang natabunan na yung issue ng palpak na DVD release ng Viva. Sabagay, kumita na sila sa mga fans kaya wala na silang pakialam. At mukhang wala na rin gusto mag-pursue na hingin ang paliwanag ng Viva kung bakit kulang-kulang at VCD quality yung binigay nila.

    I hope yung moderators dito i-post itong comment na ito dahil legit issue ito. Hindi dapat sila nagdedeliver ng half-baked produkto. Mainam pang bumili ng pirated na DVD. Kung ikukumpara mo yung quality nung pirated at original na galing sa Viva.

    Papano mo ma-eexplain yan? Kaya mas tinatangkilik ng tao ang pirated dahil dito. At wala ng pakialam ang Viva pagkatapos nila kumita. At wala na rin nag-follow up kung ano na ang dahilan ng Viva sa pagbibigay ng sub-standard na DVD.

    Again, sana ipost nyo ito mga moderators dahil legitimate na issue ito. Salamat.

  49. unattended004 said...
     

    is it safe to buy a twilight dvd now?

    ngpplanu pa nmn aq...
    pls. reply kayo

  50. HoneY said...
     

    aww still no response. I did buy instead of the DVD in Singapore last week when I got there and so far so good. They have those features the same with the U.S. release. Thank God.

  51. Anonymous said...
     

    Hey. This isn't Viva's fault. The supplier doesn't allow some special features to be placed in the dvd for some complicated reasons. Don't complain unless you know the problem seriously.

  52. Anonymous said...
     

    Nung March 21, nagpunta kami ng mall. I know na inilabas na yung DVD at VCD ng Twilight. Atat na kong makabili ng kopya, coincidentally, nagpunta kami ng mall.

    There are differences though: the VCD is really priced at P299, and there's no one-disc DVD. I was planning to buy the latter, but I already expected na baka full-screen at hindi widescreen ang nasa DVDs.

    Ayon, nakita ko na sa mga shelves nila, the VCD and the 2-Disc DVD. Tinanong ko kung meron na ba ng yung one-disc lang, which supposedly costs half of the 2-disc, sabi nila "wala". I don't have enough extra money at the day, kaya naisip ko either I buy the VCD, wait for the one-disc in case lumabas na the following week (baka late lang), or ask a relative to buy me one abroad. Binili ko na lang yung VCD, since atat na ko mapanood yun. The next week, wala pa rin ang one-disc, so I assumed wala talagang one-disc.

    I think sinadya ni Lord na hindi magkaroon ng P750 extra money para hindi ako madisappoint. And at least now I know the local version is worse than a cow's manure. OK na rin sa akin yung VCD, but these days I'm thinking to give/sell my VCD to one of my cousins then ask one of my relatives to buy me the Region 1 US DVD abroad.

    Oh, and about the VIVA DVDs: Yung mga Disney at saka Fox DVDs na nirelease nila before, they are OK. May subtitles, may special features, etc. I noticed lang, usually kapag Viva International Pictures ang nagrelease dito theatrically (sa sine, gaya ng Twilight), pangit talaga ang DVDs na irerelease ng VIVA.

    For example: Yung mga Saw movies na lahat VIVA ang nagrelease theatrically, ang features ng DVD usually is the full-screen version of the film, the theatrical trailer, at scene selection (tingin ng VIVA the scene selection function is a special feature, but it is not).

  53. Clair de Lune said...
     

    ANONYMOUS-

    I suggest you buy na lang the Target Special Ed. if you're going for Region 1 na lang din. It has the same extra stuff that we're supposed to have, and then some. It's the best buy among all the editions, as far as we can tell.
    http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=025192022326
    It's pricier than the equivalent of the local version (approx. 1,200 pesos, wala pang tax), but at least you know this one is guaranteed to have all the features intact.

    Also, I agree, scene selection is NOT a special feature. Sub-titles aren't either; they're pretty much standard.

    As for the none V.I.P.-distributed films like Disney/Fox... They're better, most likely because the original distributors, namely Disney and Fox, probably still control the content, and Viva just serves as manufacturer/distributor. But for other films like Saw, as you mentioned, as well as Twilight, they have control over which features/extras they will buy the license for, so... *shrug*

    Oh, well. Here's hoping the New Moon DVD will fare better.

  54. Anonymous said...
     

    Hi, ako po yung ANONYMOUS ulit na huling nagpost.

    Anyway, thank you po for inquiring me about the Target Special Ed, but sadly, my relative already bought the 2-Disc DVD (yung hindi exclusive, yung ordinary lang na 2-disc). Sayang. I don't think he will be able to buy one even if I told him. Baka hindi para sa akin. Hmmm...baka may nag-upload sa YouTube. Well, I'm happy I have a better copy than the VCD.

    Now, I want to share what most likely will happen to the NEW MOON DVDs.

    C INTERACTIVE will release the DVD and VCD of NEW MOON here, because Pioneer Films/Cinestar released the movie here theatrically. If Pioneer Films/Cinestar released a movie here theatrically, (like most of the New Line Cinema movies) C INTERACTIVE will release it on home video.

    I'm sensing the VCD is P250.

    I have to tell you though, C INTERACTIVE is the type of distributor that would release the DVDs and VCDs LATE (and by late, I mean MONTHS after the US DVD release).

    So the DVD might be released here baka by June na, and ayaw naman natin nun, di ba? We want our DVD as early as possible.

    The good side of the C INTERACTIVE DVDs are hawig naman dun sa mga Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs sa ibang bansa yung mga menus and the special features and they have subtitles. Medyo matagal nga lang silang mag-release. Let's just urge them to release the DVD as much as possible.

    Thanks po ulit about the info about the Target Special Ed.

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