robertw477

This is sort of a rant but I would like to bring up a few points. I got my first DVD player in 1996 (I think) Blockbuster had about a dozen for rent. It looked great on my crappy tube tv. A few years ago the Hi Def wars started pitting Blue Ray or HD DVD. Sony used all their muscle behind the Blue Ray. The deciding factor I think was Disney. People want the Disney movies for the kids. This "battle" hurt the marketplace for a few years. Sony blew the release of the PS3. They thought that having the Blue Ray player in the machne guaranteed success for Blue Ray disks. Now all these big companies are crying. Disk sales are crashing on the dvd side. Retailers will only stock so many disks. Having two formats at the same time taking up space is probematic. Now I just got a 3D TV. Another great idea by these geniuses. Zero content on my sat provider/Dishnetwork. If I upgrade my received I can get some movies on VOD. ZERO 3D disks in stores. All are order online for the most part. Can stores stock DVDs, Blue Ray, 3D? People are buying alot less on the disk side. The consumer may want the digital file as well. Frankly I think they will have to integrate one package for most movies containing dvd, blue ray and digital. The digital can be an itunes download code. Disney does some movies like this at a higher cost. These guys need to act fast. I buy less product. Many people are digitizing their disk collection and putting them on video servers. This is the more geeky people. By the way many DVDs upscaled look so good that the Blue Ray really isnt much of an improvement. The cartoon movies do look fantastic on Blueray. Now what?

Dar

DVDs cant be around forever. Its 15 years and counting now. One day the storage media is going to be very small for movies or just digital download. My GF has gotten netflix and wont be renting or buying any dvds. Many people are doing this. They figure why buy it and store it when they can just get it from netflix or rent it for $1. Cant blame people for not wanting to buy dvds any longer.

Still going to keep my dvds though and buy rarer stuff not on netflix or reran on tv very much.

mdnitoil

I suspect that DVDs will be around for as long as people want to own a movie. There won't be very many of them, they'll be burnt instead of pressed and they'll be expensive...but they'll still be around.

smurr05

By the way many DVDs upscaled look so good that the Blue Ray really isnt much of an improvement.

This is Exactly why I will never switch to Blu-Ray!!!

Xiroteus

Digital file in 480P to 720P for $14.99-$19.99

Used Blu-Ray in full 1080P quality - $5.00-$7.50 (Even new ones are getting cheaper)

That reason alone is why I am not thrilled with digital media, they cannot get the pricing right.

SterlingBen

Wish I had jumped on that early, probably wouldn't have taken advantage of so many VHS sales there in the last few years. I still have 600+ VHS just because I hate getting rid of movies I don't have on DVD/BR. This is a sentiment that will become echoed as BR grows and DVD grinds down. But it is going to be a much slower grind this time around.

That is actually still hurting the market place, if it had never happened the transition would be much further along than it is now. Also the PS3 having BR is what won the war, so I am not quite sure how sony blew their system release.... aside from the most games not being as up to snuff.

What stores are you going to? I was in Best Buy a few days ago and say like 8 3d titles and then maybe 2 at WallyWorld last week. But yeah, they need to have those BRs just be one release with the 2d and 3d together if they want that so succeed.

We are in a recession and DVDs are a non-essential, a luxury item if you will, so one of the first things cut from most budgets. Also the market and aftermarket are a bit flooded at present.

Digital copies for people who buy the disk are mainly a pirating deterrent. They don't want Joe-Six-Pack to know just how easy it is to back up your movies and to transcode them for use on other devices. I don't think that is really working out for them all to well but parents seem easily suckered on this one.

I have been considering this for some time but it's just not the same, hunting through your collection when it has been digitized. I don't listen to near as much music as I used to once I jumped from CD to MP3, although that could be just because I am getting older...

For the most part I don't think most people will be upgrading their DVDs, unless they are old codex that look really bad or lacking in features or something that really begs for BR such as say the Alien Quadrillogy. But there is a price point for everything. If it was say $1 a title to upgrade everyone of my 2000ish DVDs I may very well do it, or at least half of them...

Go to the DVD Bargains and BluRay Bargains sub forums and feed your habit, and enjoy life to the extent your pocketbook will allow.

SterlingBen

Exactly, I have spent Around $140 dollars on my first 33 BRs and I can guarantee that the Digital copies would have cost an arm and a leg more and have lower res with little to no special features, it's no contest.

And that is for new BRs, don't buy used ones due to the whole people not watching their hands and the minute amount of fecal mater on said discs/cases.

Superdaddy

I think most observations on this topic have been pretty much covered. All technology is doomed sooner or later. Discs will still be around for quite a while but the writing is on the wall.

Personally, I cannot see myself buying downloaded video content so I am stocking up on discs. I want the physical medium. And although I mostly buy BD now, I still purchase DVDs of less popular catalog titles, many of which will probably never appear on BD.

Xiroteus

There has been one exception, Doctor Who, the digital downloads are much cheaper then their real media sets, now that is pricing down right, $9.99 for season five in 720P vs $40-$60. Otherwise it is no contest.

The same goes with digital comics, lower the price, they do not seem to get it, since it is digital people do not want to spend more on something that is less then the real media.

Regarding used DVD's and Blu-Rays, I buy a ton of uses media, however I sanitize everything and replace the cases. Many have been like new, yes, people can be gross and I take that into account, always.

Digital music is great when you only want a song or two, if I want an entire album I can spend the same and purchase the tangible media.


When well organized you van find anything in seconds, I find it very useful for television programs, move around without having to change discs. (Everything owned officially of course)

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

They do now and disc sales aren't crashing, otherwise they would have greatly reduced inventory.

Physical media isn't going anywhere. Remember how everyone was saying books would go away when libraries started going digital a decade ago? Napster introduced the world to digital media before that and I can still go out and buy CDs with ease even though they say sales are down.

That'sAllFolks

I believe that physical media will be around for a while until the generation that is used to physical media dies out. Though that may not be a sure thing since my niece (who is 13) loves to collect CDs.


As much as I like collecting physical media, there is something to be said about having your whole collection at your finger tips. Though at this point, these geeky people either have small collections or a lot of money.

kd5

I don't think that I have ever bought a used DVD from anywhere where fecal matter on the disc or case has even remotely been a concern.


Do people there routinely sell shitty DVDs?


-kd5-

GoldenWheels

I think as demand for physical media lessens you will actually see better pricing across the board on it. I expect lots of multi-packs...with minimal if any work done on the movies. Echo Bridge's recent deal with Miramax would be what I would point to.

I may come to depend on my own digital library at some point in the distant future (via hard drive, whatever) but I'll never trust a cable service's VOD or Netflix. Their rights deals are not permanent and some of your favorite programming can always just disappear. There is also the question of which version/edition/cut of your favorite movie, etc you might get access to, an issue I know matters to the types of folks here as well as myself.

Dar

Cant you just wipe the discs/cases down?? Even if you didnt the fecal matter is microscopic. What do you think is in the air when someone passes gas??? When you go into a bathroom and it smells bad that is what you are breathing up, fecal matter. I doubt discs have anymore than what is in the air already.

Restaurant menus are far worse. People walk into a restaurant, go to their table, pick up a menu without washing hands. The menus are the dirtiest thing in a restaurant. My friend never washs his hand before ,during or after. I pick on him about the fecal matter thing all the time. He doesnt seem to mind eating with germy hands.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Your own digital library isn't as safe as you think. As an example, Amazon has pulled kindle books in the past, which removed it from people's accounts. Then there was the Yahoo music store that went under. I want to say Wal-Mart had a similar issue but could be wrong.

Something like that isn't going to happen when you buy a physical product. When I go to pull a CD out of my box in the closet, I know it'll still be there and nothing on it has changed.


Like you said, it's a gas and not poop. Most people aren't pooping themselves when they're farting while sitting on a stack of DVDs.

It smells bad because there's sulfer in the gases that have been emitted.

Dar

Yes thats what makes the smell. But there are still fece microscopic particles in the air. Same when when you pass gas. You are still emitting microscopic molecules.(maybe I shouldnt have used the term fecal matter)

Either way though a used dvd is not going to have any more fecal matter on it than anything else that has been touched by human hands everyday. Unless someone is intentionally spreading their poop all over a dvd. People shouldnt worry about microscopic matter on used dvds. Again wiping them down with disinfectant works well.

That'sAllFolks

this thread has degenerated into a discussion about fecal matter.

SterlingBen

Is your friend kd5?

Dar

Sorry. Just trying to say fecal matter on dvds shouldnt be a reason not to buy them.




HUH?

smirnoffski

Essentially, people have to realize anything they download (either a purchase or rental) is a license, i.e. a right to access the copyrighted material. A license is a contract agreement, often within which you are often agreeing to a future change in the terms of that license. So even if you BUY a digital download, service provider can readily take it away from you if the need arises (of course, such an action needs to be coalesced with consumer satisfaction and business realities, but the possibility exists for such an occurrence and it has happened)

There are established legal doctrines and clearly defined rights that comes with legal ownership of physical copies of copyrighted material. e.g. the first sale doctrine, etc. These doctrines have developed over the centuries. Entertainment companies have been attempting over the years to chisel away these rights, often without much success. Thus, the digital realm is where they are trying to have their way.

The key is CONTROL. When you stream something off Netflix: you rely on MANY intermediaries: The license owner, the streaming service provider (netflix), your account with that contact provider, your local ISP, your hardware, etc. Anything happens with all the external factosr over which you have no control, you can be SHAFTED.

BUT when you buy a physical copy: YOU are in CONTROL. The only variables are having the hardware and electricity to run that hardware. And I, ladies and gentlemen, like to be in control.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Won't most of it become filtered from outer clothing and underwear? That's assuming there's no leakage.

joe_b

Where are you buying new blu-rays so cheap? Columbia House?

I'm currently averaging $9.13 for each of my new blu-rays (granted, that includes several Criterion and Disney releases) and thought I was doing a decent job with bargain hunting.

Xiroteus

I forgot about one of the biggest issues with digital downloads, no option to resell, trade, give away etc.. costs more, lower quality, less features, no control to give away, sell etc.. unless very very cheap, not worth it.

Spottedfeather

Also, with digital downloads, you don't get cool cover art, liner notes/booklet, or special features. I like having an actual case that I can hold and look at the art and read the back. If your computer or whatever you store the movies on gets corrupted, the movie is gone. I really miss the huge art you got with records. That's one of the reasons that I rarely bought cds. It's just not the same to download when you could have something physical.

Xiroteus

You always have backups, that is a given and a must, even with cheaper hard drive costs, paying that much for a digital download that is so much less along with needing a hard drive and a back up. Just cheaper 99% of the time to have the real thing.

They start having 1080P video downloads for five dollars when first released then they may have something, until then, I shall pass.