I appreciate the new content, but feel like they are milking the fans to death

I've only recently started buying DVDs, and yes, I always feel like I'm looking right down the muzzle of the industry's money-making machine. They do seem to make a conscious effort to trick you into buying a version you don't want (non-widescreen, non-anamorphic, non-director's-cut) in order that they can sell you the version you do want six months later.

OTOH, I wasn't even slightly disappointed with the extended Lord Of The Rings: I thought it was brilliant. Mind you, I didn't pay the extra £15 for some naff bookends, and I didn't buy the original DVD (because Slashdot etc were saying even then that the extended one would be out later). One poor guy here at Empeg bought the original DVD when it came out, and didn't get round to watching it before we watched the extended one on Tuesday.

Peter