On 17th May 2004, www.dvdfile.com released this breaking news feature , excerpted here :

Released on February 3, 2004, New Line Home Entertainment's Secondhand Lions made DVD history by being the first title released with MCE enhancement. Not that the most consumers would know it, however - with little fanfare and no mention made in any of New Line's promotional materials (nor any logo or indication on the packaging), the release can be best seen as a test run for future titles, as well as placing New Line once again at the forefront of studios willing to explore the latest in cutting-edge DVD technology.

A Look at 'Lions'

What is new with the MCE experience? On Secondhand Lions, the PC-enhanced content is considerable and makes extensive use of image, graphics and text in ways that is not only impossible on the DVD-Video side, but often plays better in a "10 foot" environment.

The most venerable of all DVD extras is the audio commentary. First pioneered in the days of laserdisc, the feature has seen little if any advance in technique or application until now. The "Commentary Digest" is the kind of idea that seems so obvious in hindsight it is shocking no one thought of it sooner. Not only do you not have to watch the entire movie again to get the highlights of director Tim Canlies' commentary - which also makes the digest concept perfectly suited for younger viewers, who often have shortened attention spans - but here you can also access a copious amount of the director's personal notes, from the casting to blocking to other assorted production info.

Another DVD standard that one would not think could be greatly expanded upon is the still gallery. The MCE-enhanced version on Secondhand Lions disproves that theory. Some of the many oft-heard complaints DVD enthusiasts continue to make against typical DVD-Video-based still galleries is their small screen size, hard-to-read text, lack of musical accompaniment and concessions that have to be made to accommodate both 4:3 and 16x9 aspect ratios. (In most instances, studios elect to format galleries for 4:3 dimensions, leaving nothing but wasted space on both sides when viewed on a 16x9 display.) The MCE-enhanced gallery on Secondhand Lions minimizes or completely eliminates these problems. Image quality was noticeably improved, the use of music far better implemented and thanks to MCE's support of 16x9 displays, no wasted screen space. I also reveled in the vastly superior access time versus a set-top DVD player; navigation was far smoother, with none of the annoying pauses and hiccups the user has to suffer through with your typical DVD-Video still gallery.

But perhaps the most unique innovation on Secondhand Lions are the "Scene Medleys." More than just highlights of scenes, they are more akin to a "movie within a movie," where a technological innovation facilitates new perspectives and narrative approaches to a film. For example, "Hub's Adventures" highlights Secondhand Lions' fantasy sequences, while "Who are These Guys?" offers different perspectives on the mystery surrounding the film's two stars (think Rashomon for the young adult set). This type of interactive experience is just too clunky when attempted as a standard DVD-Video feature, as anyone who has suffered through the "enhanced viewing mode" on many a DVD title will tell you. DVD-Video access times are too slow, which prevents extended branching from being seamless. But while the small screen sizes of most PCs and laptops have prevented many from taking advantage of speedier access times and navigation, by utilizing InterActual's StoryDriver technology, MCE now removes that barrier. And even if your current home theater setup is modest, it is likely still far preferable to the average 17-inch computer monitor or small laptop screen.