The term "special edition" implies a kind of an extraordinary, rare quality. Generally used as a marketing phrase, it is intended to give a product a feel of containing something new and previously unseen; that it is somehow better, unique or more desirable than a "regular" edition. The term is frequently used on DVD movies. Traditionally, Marketing has been a term applied to the process or act of bringing together buyers and sellers. ... A phrase is a group of words that functions as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. ... In printmaking, an edition is a set of prints off one plate, composing a limited run of prints. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

Extensive use of the term and similar ones by the marketing world has considerably diluted their value. Occasionally it is the case, parallel to commercial software programming, that the first releases are found to be sub-par, and that only in the sequential "special editions" have things been put in a satisfactory state.

Another related term, "limited edition", is a marketing phrase that generally carries a sense of urgency. Items marked thus are often (but not always) released for a shorter time and in lower quantity than the "regular" ones, often with a running number printed on the products to boost the rarity feel. Such versions generally do not offer much in way of actual new material, but are often packaged more complexly and attractively.

The term "limited edition" is slightly redundant in the sense that even the plain word edition implies a finite number of articles in the pressing. Redundancy, in general terms, refers to the quality or state of being redundant, that is: exceeding what is necessary or normal, containing an excess. ... In printmaking, an edition is a set of prints off one plate, composing a limited run of prints. ...

Collectible (and disposable) popular culture widely employs these terms in marketing, releasing subsequent, improved versions of movie DVDs, music, and video games. Companies widely use special editions and incremental improvements to sell the same products to consumers multiple times. Some would argue that they purposefully leave items out in order to maintain a market in the future. Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in any given society. ...