Product Details

• Actors: Mars-the Red Planet
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: DVD International
• DVD Release Date: October 12, 1999
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000JYXB
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,487 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The word "interactive" gets bandied about quite a bit in the DVD world, but here's a disc that simply wouldn't work without interactivity. While there is an "Entertainment Mode" on the disc that lets the viewer passively experience a 90-minute presentation of video clips, the real indispensable part is the "Interactive Mode," which contains a wealth of information on the Red Planet that any self-respecting Mars aficionado will crawl, beg, or steal to possess. Detailed information on NASA missions abounds, including video clips and simulations of some missions. Views of Mars, in 3-D (glasses included) or not, provide a 360-degree panorama from landing several sites. Even the famous Face on Mars is featured in a section called "Martian Coronae." But the most valuable section of the disc is its "Interactive Maps," allowing the user to hop around the planet and zoom in on any area of interest. This feature alone could cause any Mars-lover to lose track of time. Also included is an art gallery featuring artists' conceptions of Mars, along the lines of what it would be like during colonization. Accompanying the many videos and views of the planet is an electronic version of Holst's The Planets, performed by Ryan Shore. With all this and DVD-ROM features to boot, it would be exceedingly hard to get bored. A must-have for anyone interested in Mars. --Jim Gay

Product Description

Mars: The Red Planet takes DVD viewers where they've never been before: on a personal, guided tour of one of the galaxy's long-standing, and greatest mysteries. This 90-minute program; which includes 80 minutes of 5.1 Channel Dolby Digital music performed by Ryan Shore; features an array of video, still images, interactive maps and historical spacecraft graphics. Advanced DVD features include multi-angle video, multi-track audio, 3D video and still images, informational subtitles, dual operational mode, WebDVD support, and a Windows 95/98/NT screen saver.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Product for Demonstrating WEB-DVD Technology, October 25, 1999

By	James A. Philp "Alex" (Missoula, Montana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unlike the previous reviewer of Mars: The Red Planet, this is a fantastic product! Not only does it provide a great deal of fantastic video, but the web interface is the key to an emergent technology that will revolutionize home education and entertainment in the early-twenty-first century. Soon DVD players at home will be embedded with a chip that allows home users, connected to the Internet, to bring a web interface onto the home monitor or display and bring real-time imagery and data directly into their home. Titles such as Mars: The Red Planet will be constantly updated with new information making these dynamic documentaries and encyclopedias of information and imagery.

So bottom line: As an example of the future of value-added entertainment and education titles, Mars: The Red Planet should not be missed. For now, enjoy the power of exploration on your DVD-ROM connected the Internet. Tomorrow, get ready for the future of interactive multimedia like never before.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Neat idea...poorly executed, May 5, 2003

By	Ethan Logue (OKC, OK United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This DVD really had me excited. A giant DVD packed with info, pictures, and video of Mars! Wow! Well, the idea is a novel one, it's just not all that great in reality. The menus are a confusing mess of links and you can easily end up really frustrated trying to figure out where you're clicking and what the icon you clicked on means. The DVD is seperated in two categories, operational and interactive. From what I've seen though, both basically have the same content. The interactive branch just offers more easter eggs and a more or less hands on approach to accessing the materials. This is where the DVD went from cool idea to being tossed into the island of misfit DVDs. The content should be easy to navigate through. It is not. You never know how to get to anything! Why couldn't they just categorized the pics and video into single menus listed as video and pictures?! They pretend to use this approach but the execution is far more nefarious. The DVD was obviously made to allow the user to "uncover" secret video clips or info but this approach just lead me to turning the thing off. The information is entertaining and educational but even the info is more or less abrupt, giving us the cliff notes version of Mars missions etc. The box also suggests that there is over 2,000 photos and something like 200 video clips. Yeah right! More like a hundred photos and a dozen video clips. I'm sure there are more in there somewhere but finding them becomes a thankless and unfun effort. This could have been a great DVD and while alot of what's on this disc is good to have, it's just not worth buying. Save some money and go to the library and rent some books on Mars instead.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Novelity, December 16, 1999

By A Customer

I just want to say that the view from Germany must have some sort of player problem because the disc works wonderfully.

This is a great disc to show how DVD can "REALLY BE USED" in a way that is just not playing a movie with better video and sound. This title shows how you can use DVD as a educational source. The title has great video, great menus, and great ideas in it. We need more like it.

Take my view and the other who gave it a fair shot that if you are a Space or Astronmy buff, you'll like it.