Yes, full staging is best, but for those of us out in the "sticks," playing the DVD's on a modern TV often is the best we can do. I have some operas on cd, but a lot is missed.

The BBC Music Magazine reviews the new ones and that is a help, but I don't always agree. I think some of the new staging and story modernization is silly or goes too far, but the reviewer may have 4-5 starred it.

I sometimes end up with 2-3 versions.