OTHER TECH

1. The War (PBS/Paramount, 6 discs). Nobody does docs like Ken Burns, and this set provides 11 hours worth, as well as a thoughtful making-of featurette, commentaries, and more. The greatest generation, indeed. 2. Letters from Iwo Jima (Warner, 2 discs). Colors are intentionally ratcheted down, but image detail seems to go on forever. And the Oscar-winning sound is subtle at times, bombastic at others, and always in service of the story. 3. The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (New Yorker Video, 2 discs). The movie and the hours of great extras present a comprehensive and highly compelling look at one of the 20th century's great artists. 4. Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show (Sony, 4 discs). Helping to illuminate the 23 episodes that star Garry Shandling chose for the set is one of the best collections of extras ever presented on DVD. That's a total of 8 hours of extras, including a feature-length making-of documentary, copious interviews, deleted scenes, commentaries, and footage of Shandling dropping in on guest stars. 5. Pan's Labyrinth (Platinum Series; New Line, 2 discs). Simply a feast of exotic, well-reproduced imagery and ambitious sound design from beginning to end. One of the most beautiful films I saw last year. 6. The Departed (Warner, 2 discs). A powerful set, due mostly to the gravitas of Martin Scorsese and his work. You get a 2004 documentary on the director, another half-hour feature on the old Warner Bros. gangster films that influenced his oeuvre, and Scorsese personally introducing a handful of deleted scenes. 7. Blood Diamond (Warner, 2 discs). Not a classic film, but rousing and beautifully shot - and impressively rendered on DVD, especially the image quality of the African locales. Best extra is a documentary feature on the diamond trade and the murder and mayhem it engenders. 8. Apocalypto (Touchstone). Say what you will about director Mel Gibson's politics, but he's a great filmmaker. The DVD transfer has vivid colors and exceptional image detail, and the sound is awesomely designed with great effects. 9. Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition; Sony, 2 discs). Love it or hate it, Francis Ford Coppola's movie is undeniably entertaining. Fine shadow detail lurks in the darkness of the color palette, and the tons of extras should pacify this movie's legion of hardcore fans. 10. The Last King of Scotland (20th Century Fox). Forrest Whitaker in a tour-de-force performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, juiced-up colors with no distortion, and extremely thoughtful surround-channel effects that punctuate the action without overwhelming it make this a winning DVD experience.