Direct-to-video (also known as direct-to-DVD, direct-to-iTunes, direct-to-VHS, direct-to-digital, made-for-video, straight-to-video, and straight-to-DVD) is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats (historically VHS) without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television. The term is also at times used as a derogatory term for films or sequels of films that are of inferior quality or are not expected to find financial success. Direct-to-video releases have become something of a lifeline for independent filmmakers and smaller companies.

A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or film for several possible reasons: poor quality, lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, controversial nature, or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull the completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then generate additional revenue through video sales and rentals.

Chris Zabriskie (born March 10, 1982 in Olympia, Washington) is an American composer and musician.

Chris Zabriskie got his musical start in a noise rock duo Struggleburger, but went solo unexpectedly at a show in 2001 when the other members of the band did not show up.

In 2007, Zabriskie recorded We Were Wrong under the name lo-fi is sci-fi with Marc Sirdoreus (better known as Marc with a C). The music video for the first single, "The Script You Wrote is Terrible," won praise for its simple presentation and Zabriskie's deadpan performance.

In 2009, he turned his attention towards instrumental music, first releasing The Dark Glow of the Mountains. The album's stark electronic minimalism was a departure from his previous work. Two more instrumental albums, I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor and Preludes followed in the same year. He continues to release new ambient music on a regular basis.

Zabriskie self-releases his albums on his website and is also a vocal supporter of BitTorrent and file sharing, and has said that he leaks his own records to various torrent sites in advance of their release dates. As of March 2009, Zabriskie offers free downloads of all of his music on his website. In 2011, Zabriskie joined WMFU's Free Music Archive and changed the Creative Commons license on his music to be much more permissive and open.

Randolph Frederick "Randy" Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an American professor of computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pausch learned that he had pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was given a terminal diagnosis: "3 to 6 months of good health left". He gave an upbeat lecture titled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" on September 18, 2007, at Carnegie Mellon, which became a popular YouTube video and led to other media appearances. He then co-authored a book called The Last Lecture on the same theme, which became a New York Times best-seller.

Pausch died of complications from pancreatic cancer on July 25, 2008.

Pausch was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. After graduating from Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Brown University in May 1982 and his Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University in August 1988.^{[not in citation given]} While completing his doctoral studies, Pausch was briefly employed at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and Adobe Systems.