Actually, that’s no longer the question – after much trial and error, the verdict is ROM elements add to the DVD experience, as long as they’re not too complicated and there aren’t too many of them.

When launching the first major DVD title with ROM elements in October 1998, New Line Home Video went for the big blastoff.

Lost In Space arrived in stores with ROM enhancements such as script-to-screen capabilities and a link to the feature film’s Web site. Industry insiders didn’t cry, “Danger, danger,” like the Robbie the Robot, but studied consumer reaction with curiosity.

“We wanted to exploit the parameters of the medium,” says Mike Mulvihill, v.p. of content development for what is now New Line Home Entertainment. “ROM content can be a principal component of DVD, and we wanted to make a strong effort in that area. When we announced Lost In Space, we also announced future ROM content for Blade and Rush Hour. We made it clear this was not a one-off, but represented the beginning of a new basic standard.”

ROM, which stands for read-only memory, is content that can be showcased only on a computer. It allows for Internet access to sites sometimes not available to anyone but the DVD owner, access to features that often can’t be duplicated on the television set and extra elements that simply won’t fit on an already crowded disc.

Children’s titles use DVD-ROM elements for games, education and interaction between child and parent. Documentaries use ROM for further exploration of in-depth subjects. And while many big-name DVD titles use ROM elements in simple ways, others push the technology to new creative heights, titles such as DreamWorks Home Entertainment’s Shrek and Paramount Home Entertainment’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. In both cases, users can view the video on the top half of the computer screen, and enjoy interactive experiences matching the characters on the bottom half of the screen.

Things have changed since Lost in Space got it all started.

“We were first looking to create more of an online presence,” Mulvihill says. “We developed a basic architecture, with screen features, the theatrical Web site and portions of all of the disc linked to online components.”

New Line took another step forward when introducing its Infinifilm brand last summer. The initial titles offered ROM links to an Infinifilm site, where consumers could access exclusive in-depth features even beyond the already impressive content on the titles Thirteen Days, 15 Minutes and Rush Hour.

“The ROM elements unlock an online environment exclusive to viewers who access it that way,” Mulvihill says. “The ROM elements act as a key to the online environment, and consumers have said repeatedly they enjoy exclusives and like the idea of using tools to open things they haven’t seen before.”

Thirteen Days offers transcripts from recent events at the United Nations, while Rush Hour 2, scheduled for Dec. 11 release, offers exclusive access to an online casino. When the indie title Hedwig and the Angry Inch hits stores Dec. 11, DVD-ROM content will include an interactive jukebox playing the music from the quirky film.

“Our feedback has been that special features such as ROM content do have an impact at retail,” Mulvihill says. “If one product has special features and the other doesn’t, consumers will go for the extras. The key thing is that the public wants the product to look and feel like DVD, not VHS, and extra elements such as ROM features solidify that feeling.”

ROM elements went beyond the stratosphere again in the Oct. 16 release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The elements include an Internet link to a trailer for the new Star Wars installment, available only with the DVD. 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment has a short, solid history of providing ROM elements, seen on special edition versions of The Abyss and Alien, as well as DVD versions of “The X Files” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“The thing with DVD-ROM is that you want to be careful not to put in too much content,” says Peter Staddon, senior v.p. of marketing for Fox. “You don’t want to get the user frustrated and you don’t want a situation where the user can’t access the content. But if you use the content wisely, these elements can be very enjoyable and popular.”

The challenge to studios and suppliers, Staddon says, is finding ways the DVD experience can be enhanced even more.

“The Star Wars trailer is a good example,” Staddon says. “It’s exactly the kind of material this demographic is seeking. You make DVD the key to unlocking the site. The thing about DVD-ROM is that you can update the material, so as the trailer is updated, those using the ROM elements will be aware. The updating and upgrading of material is essential to building consumer interest in future product.”<

Some titles are better suited than others to DVD-ROM elements, Staddon says.

“If you take something like ‘The X-Files’ or Planet of the Apes, the demographic is into technology,” Staddon says. “’The X-Files’ has a big Web fan base, and people buying titles are very likely to have access to both DVD Players and ROM drives, whereas if you are dealing with something broader, a title with a less techno-savvy audience, you want to make elements as accessible and simple as possible.”

Fox research shows that most consumers don’t mention DVD-ROM as an essential aspect when purchasing a DVD title.

“It’s safe to say, though, that a vast number of consumers do enjoy ROM elements, and those who view DVDs on their PCs feel the ROM portions are valuable,” Staddon says. “Extras are always good. What you don’t want to do is put the crown jewels of a DVD title on the ROM portion. That’s the way to frustrate people who sit down and put the disc on a DVD player, then don’t get what they need. Not all people want to get up and go to a different room.”

With television sets and computers entering a new era of convergence, the ROM experience will ultimately change. As technology evolves, Staddon says, it’s important to continue improving quality.

Innovation is evident on the recently released Shrek, on which the ReVoice Studio allows users to record dialog for the characters in the user’s voice, then play back the scene.

“It’s a great opportunity in terms of allowing people to interact with a movie they loved,” says Kelly Sooter, domestic head of DreamWorks Home Entertainment. “I think we were really lucky to cut new ground on this title, and in terms of DVD-ROM at large, this content helps us look at the broad picture, how we can extend the consumer experience in different ways.” DreamWorks had previously included ROM elements on Chicken Run, The Road to El Dorado and American Beauty, among other titles.

“With American Beauty, ROM users are allowed access to an award-winning script,” Sooter says. “With family titles, you get the opportunity to extend the property. Families get attached to favorite characters, and are exposed to other commercial ventures – clothes, toys, pillows.”

While promoting product, Sooter says, makers of ROM elements must find new ways to generate consumer excitement.

“We need to keep challenging our previous innovations,” she says. “There’s always more room.”

InterActual Technologies is charged with helping develop those innovations. The company provides software allowing for DVD-ROM elements and works closely with studios on new ideas. InterActual has been a major player in the format since its inception.

“We created the de facto standard,” says Todd Collart, InterActual president and c.e.o. “We work with all the studios and several music labels and attempt to maximize the format.”

DVD-ROM content can be online or offline, Collart says.

“Ultimately the consumer doesn’t care what the media type is, as long as it translates to entertainment and provides a seamless integration,” he says. “If you look at the total installed based of DVD households, half are PC-based, so if we can provide unique features that target that consumer base, the format will continue to sell.”

And when computers and television screens are one?

“Absolutely, that’s the direction,” Collart says. “These ROM features are going to migrate into the living room.”

When that happens, Collart says, younger viewers will be keen on DVD-ROM because of early pioneers such as Shrek, while a slightly older audience will push the market.

“There are definitely two sweet spots to the long-term possibilities for DVD-ROM. Those are the younger viewers and the 18- to 30- year-old demographic, typically male, that was the early adopter of other formats,” Collart says.

This is the demographic that was gung-ho for DVD-ROM elements on The Matrix, one of the best-selling DVDs of all time.

”We’ve been aggressive on DVD-ROM, not just providing links, but in exploring different features,” says Paul Hemstreet, Warner Home Video’s v.p. of special features, DVD.

Like other studios, Warner offers live chats with actors and filmmakers through links using DVD-ROM and pursues other creative avenues for ROM content. On its Cats & Dogs title, users can place photos of their own pets into scenes from the movie.

“Our ROM elements include alternate endings, deleted scenes and things that couldn’t fit on other areas of the DVD,” Hemstreet says.

On Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories From the Kindertransport, the Oscar-winning documentary telling the story of how Jewish children in Easter Europe were safely sent to England before the Nazis could capture them, DVD-ROM elements are essential.

“It’s a way for people to learn more about this era and what happened to those children,” Hemstreet says. “It’s a fantastic resource for educators.”

Getting more than usual appears to be the ticket for DVD-ROM consumers. Those who use ROM elements on The Matrix can unlock features concerning the upcoming sequel.

“There is simply going to be more and more interaction between Internet and film, and DVD is going to play a role, often through DVD-ROM,” Hemstreet says. “The experience is becoming richer and there’s more progress to come.”