SUBMITTED BY Lynnith

May 29, 2002 — DVDFile.com recently sat down with Paul Hemstreet, Warner Brothers' director of DVD programming, about putting together the recently released Harry Potter DVD. Here's a snippet of the interview:

DF: This is just my perception, but it seems at the beginning the majority of ROM-enabled titles were geared towards the adult, such as The Matrix or Columbia's Men In Black. Now, there seems to be a push towards really adding ROM and web-enabled features to children's titles, such as Harry Potter, which is obviously a huge family film. I don't know if it is a trend, but...

pH: I think a couple of things have happened. There are so many more homes out there now with DVD players, I think we've seen a tremendous growth in families seeking more entertainment. I think in the initial days of DVD it was primarily early adopters who tend to be a much older audience, but now the format has really established itself as a family entertainment medium.

Second, children are exposed to working with computers and games at such an early age now, they are already used to the experience. Kids also seem to enjoy repeat experiences with the titles that they love. So, when you offer different interactive features and games it allows them to go back and enjoy the title for a long time to come.

Check out the rest of the interview (3 pages worth!) at the link below.