Ask John: Why Do DVDs Come Out Later Then VHS?

Question:
Why is it that DVD is usually a few month’s behind VHS? I don’t suppose you could shed some light on this?

Answer:
Since DVD is still a relatively new home-video format, most anime titles must have their DVD rights purchased separately from their VHS distribution rights. Older titles that came out long ago may need renegotiated contracts in order to allow for DVD release. It’s natural, then, that translation companies may want to focus their attention on acquiring and releasing new titles instead of re-releasing titles that either may not be great sellers, or have been on the market for a long time already. In other cases, some anime titles may not have been released on DVD in Japan yet, in which case the Japanese studio will not want a US DVD version produced to insure that the cheaper US version doesn’t get imported into Japan. (You may not be aware, but new anime is very expensive in Japan. A single 30 minute OAV on VHS, laserdisc or DVD can commonly cost upwards of $50 at any retail store in Japan. Recent and upcoming major home-video releases in Japan, such as the Nadesico and Utena movies, cost roughly $90 and $80 respectively, even on VHS!) Because DVD is still a new medium, there’s also still bugs to be worked out in the production area of DVD releasing. Problems with manufacturing defect-free, quality DVDs has plagued the American anime industry in the past, and currently explains the delay in the release of the domestic Evangelion DVD series.