I Miss the Heydey of DVD (*sigh*)

[Alan Smithee]

And then they wonder why catalog titles don't sell well, and assume nobody wants them.

[PatD]

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

And then they wonder why catalog titles don't sell well, and assume nobody wants them.

Oh please. "What's wrong with a Pinto? A cars a car! Stop being so picky."

Talk to the Criterion Co and ask them if their company is going tits up. They have this wacky, off-the-wall business model where they put out a product with integrity to craftsmanship and...market it to people who appreciate said quality. Econ 101.

The home video market would be in much healthier shape if the studios weren't poisoning their own well with stuff like quadruple dipped titles, doing half-assed transfers, lackluster special features despite available material, ect. But, they look at people like George Lucas, who's screwed his fan-base by doing ALL the aforementioned--and he's made a mint in the process!

Every release doesn't have to be like the 5 disc "Blade Runner", but my God...these studios have cut their own throat.

[Rinzler]

I miss the CRT days (crazy I know) when EVERY DVD looked amazing whether it be a low-budget kids show, animation, or movies. I love HD but I haven't been able to get the ideal set up (HD Audio-capable HT, larger TV or projector) so the enjoyment of my Blu-ray collection has been slightly limited. I remember when I first started collecting Blu-rays it was the best... it has slowed down. Whenever a favorite catalog title comes or a highly enjoyed film from theaters comes out the feeling comes back, and shopping at any store like FYE, Suncoast or mom-and-pop places of a similar nature and coming out with great finds is fantastic, but it's rare to even find those stores nowadays, and I often head to Amazon. I love what I find there but stumbling upon (or finally finding) what you've been looking for in a store is great. Besides new releases, Wal-mart, Target and the like rarely have enough in terms of selection. In a way, I miss the old days, but I can't wait for the future where I will be fully able to enjoy my collection.

[Hokeyboy]

I miss the December 1998 "3 DVDs for $1" promotion from 800.com.

I got Armageddon, Out Of Sight, and 2001.

The best part about that promotion was the legion of whiners bitching on the Internet about the $7 shipping fee.

[ernestrp]

Its pretty much over for me for the past 3 years. I do have the 3 stooges ultimate on pre-order but mostly I go to the public library now. I do have a rather large dvd collection bought back in the day, probably 5,000 or more, especially if you count collections by the # of discs. There is going to be one big ass dvd yard sale when I die by my relatives.

[orangerunner]

Originally Posted by PatD

The home video market would be in much healthier shape if the studios weren't poisoning their own well with stuff like quadruple dipped titles, doing half-assed transfers, lackluster special features despite available material, ect. But, they look at people like George Lucas, who's screwed his fan-base by doing ALL the aforementioned--and he's made a mint in the process!

Every release doesn't have to be like the 5 disc "Blade Runner", but my God...these studios have cut their own throat.

I think it is like any other era that is fondly remembered; time (and technology) simply moved on.

The advancement of the internet, gaming, social networking, 300 channels on TV has allowed so much content to come into our lives that things like DVDs and Blu-rays have simply been devalued.

I think the supply of things to occupy our free time has exceeded demand.

Sure, I fondly remember VHS back in the 1980s when it was so difficult to buy a pre-recorded tape.

The rental stores were the only places to buy them. Very few department stores or electronic stores sold them and they were usually very old catalogue titles.

The rental stores had maybe two or three copies of a hit title and it wasn't until after they had been rented out for six months did they sell a used copy for around $20-$25.

When you had amassed 10 or 12 titles, your friends would refer to your room as a video store!

[mrpeavey]

Originally Posted by orangerunner

I think the supply of things to occupy our free time has exceeded demand.

Very well put. This is what strikes me about the current state of home entertainment in general.

[JOE29]

DVD was exciting in the late 90's. The biggest reason was that I had so many titles to get. Fast Forward to 2012 and I have about 90% of everything that I ever wanted in DVD. When you already own most of the DVD's that you want, then there's nothing else to buy. That's the problem that i'm having now. Sure there are always new movies with new discs to buy but after I built up a lot of my stock there isn't a whole lot more to look forward too after you already buy it. And I have been changing over to bluray some of my standard discs. But that is getting old and expensive. I only change over some that I really want to blu. Im not changing them all, I can't afford it.

[walletboyniac]

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy

I miss the December 1998 "3 DVDs for $1" promotion from 800.com.

I got Armageddon, Out Of Sight, and 2001.

The best part about that promotion was the legion of whiners bitching on the Internet about the $7 shipping fee.

Wasn't the shipping free on that? Then again I thought the dvds were $1/each. Maybe I'm thinking of another crazy sale.

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by JOE29

DVD was exciting in the late 90's. The biggest reason was that I had so many titles to get. Fast Forward to 2012 and I have about 90% of everything that I ever wanted in DVD. When you already own most of the DVD's that you want, then there's nothing else to buy. That's the problem that i'm having now. Sure there are always new movies with new discs to buy but after I built up a lot of my stock there isn't a whole lot more to look forward too after you already buy it. And I have been changing over to bluray some of my standard discs. But that is getting old and expensive. I only change over some that I really want to blu. Im not changing them all, I can't afford it.

I hear you Joe! Nobody ever gets 100% of what they want, but if you're in the 90%+ range hey, you've done pretty darn good.

[PatD]

My problem as a DVD collector was that when I collected those 5-600 titles, they got ransacked about 2 years ago (arrrgggghhhhh!). Now, I live in a more secure place, but I consoled myself that if I'm rebuilding my collection, I'll upgrade to Blu.

A year later--while I adore the titles I've collected, building this collection has been more disappointing and frustrating fun.

My pet peeves:

Lack of ubiquitousness: you want to watch your Bluray on a laptop or desktop? Tough luck! You want to watch your Bluray at your friend's place (and they're not big into home theater level technology)? Tough luck!

The less likelihood of older titles being released. You want "The Iron Giant" on Blu? Don't hold your breath!

Stiffing us on special features from established DVD titles ("Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is a notorious offender).

*However*

There have been some pleasant surprises for me on Blu. "Night of the Creeps" on Bluray was a welcome edition. Or the deleted scenes in "Superman Returns", or the new special features on the "Star Wars" collection (despite GL's continued digital tinkering). The merging of all the special features of the 2 separate releases of "The Matrix Trilogy" into one release. Or "The Green Mile" and "Malcolm X" being released as a whole unbroken feature *with* all their special features included.

In a perfect world I wish they put out movies on a technology like Blu (more memory capacity and more resistant to scratches) BUT with the care and craftsmanship for catalog titles like Criterion and the golden years of DVD overall.

[outlander78]

Originally Posted by Guru Askew

Everything old is better and everything new is stupid.

No, the difference is that DVD vs VHS was a big leap forward. The difference between Blu-Ray and DVD is impressive but nowhere near the same huge change. Something as simple as not needing to rewind a DVD, or worry about physical wear and tear, or magnets, was a big improvement. Blu-Rays added things like picture-in-picture commentary, which is cool when done right, but nothing like no longer having to rewind a tape, or spend 10 minutes fast forwarding to get to a scene you want to re-watch.

[yoshimi]

Having to wait 10 minutes for the blu-ray to load is almost as annoying as having to fast forward or rewind a tape. I kid...kinda.

[joliom]

This thread would be cooler if someone added B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone" into the background.

[The Bus]

Originally Posted by joliom

This thread would be cooler if someone added B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone" into the background.

[big e]

I agree that DVD collecting now a days isn't as fun as it once was. Although, like JOE29, after collecting for over 10 years, I pretty much have most of what I wanted at this point. During my early days, I was mainly going after anime and '70's and '80's horror films. That wasn't what my entire collection was, but a good part of it was anime and horror. Now, my interest in anime evaporated over the last few years and I purged a large portion of my anime collection in the Fall of 2008, and I've been steadily removing titles ever since. Horror, on the other hand, I'm still interested in, although I can't stand a bulk of '80's and modern horror. My interests lie with pre-'80's horror, especially the Hammer films from the '60's and early '70's.

I loved going into Suncoast (and to a lesser extent fye) and looking at the movie posters and memorabilia and scanning the shelves for any new anime or horror movies to buy. Most of the horror movies I bought I was satisfied with, but I did end up with a lot of junker anime titles that I've since purged.

In the fall of 2005, I discovered this website and my eyes were opened to a whole new world of cinema. I stopped concentrating on only anime and horror and began looking at every genre of film. Collecting films throughout 2006 and 2007 became very exciting for me because I felt like I was redefining who I was by branching out into all these different genres.

When I started college in Fall 2008, my collecting took a big hit since I had to quit my part time job at a local grocery store. I did pick up a new title every now and then, but for the most part I held off on buying anything. I did join Netflix in late summer 2009, so that helped "ease the suffering" a bit.

After college, when I got a real job and had money to spend, I found myself not that interested in buying a lot of movies anymore. It was as if the collecting bug had left me during those two years I was in college. Sure, there's still movies out there I want to pick up, I haven't flat out stopped buying period. I still have an immense interest in cinema, which is evident by my steady stream of films arriving via Netflix, but as far as collecting goes, I no longer have that urge I had a few years ago to own every movie out there that I've liked. If I want to see something, I put it in my Netflix queue. If I like it enough to view it a second or third time, I'll look for it on Amazon, although usually I'm satisfied with one viewing.

[Mabuse]

The biggest thing I miss is that catalogue titles from the major studios have dried up. Not only do the majors not really release old titles anymore, but when they do they have very few features.

I recently got out the Edward G Robinson gangster film Little Ceaser DVD and I had forgotton how many features were on the disc. Commentary, documentary, cartoon shorts, the Warner "Night at the Movies" feature. Back in the day every title of even half-way importance was lavished with features. All we have today is Burn on Demand.

[dvdjunkie32]

Originally Posted by PatD

I do. Now, first and foremost I need to point out that I mainly collected (and still do) catalog titles, and I'm a major special features fanatic.

I remember the fall of 1999: the first time I saw a movie on DVD ("Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"). I rented a DVD player and some DVDs from a supermarket video rental area (which is gone now). In the first 30 seconds of the movie--I was muttering out loud--"I'm getting one of these!"
And for that moment on my love affair with not just DVDs but the art of film was forged.

Collecting DVDs was an expensive passion, but being of low means it meant I could only accumulate 5-600 titles by the end of the decade.

I miss that almost kid-at-Christmas level of excitement when an old favorite from the VHS days would make its auspicious debut on that shiny little disc. It was glorious! Finally--seeing "fill in the blank here" in its proper aspect ratio; with deleted scenes; audio commentaries; original promotional materials; new documentaries and featurettes. And of course the far more detailed and vivid picture than it's VHS counterpart. Or if it was a whole TV season--"Holy Moley! A WHOLE TV season that I can hold in my hands!" *Or* A a WHOLE TV *SERIES* in a container no bigger than a bread box (like "Angel: The Complete Series") VIDEOGASM!

"But, now there's no action anymore" as Ray Liotta said in "Goodfellas". Everything that's big or semi-big has been released (sometimes 4-5 times). Sure every-so-often they'll something like "Wings" or "The African Queen", but really what part of the archives haven't they used yet?

Collecting BluRays? It's nowhere near the same. I've collected my share. I've got a 32" full hi def TV and an upconverting BluRay player. And...it's not the same. Nowhere near as much fun. A big portion of these films have 15-25% of the special features missing from their DVD counterparts. It's a buzzkill. And frankly (with some exceptions) I can barely tell the difference on my TV--and yes, it's properly set to it's full hi def capacity.

*sigh* It was one of the most pleasant part of my 2000s. I'll always have the memories. What are yours?

The excitement of dvd collecting has faded for me for these reasons:


1. Lack of dvd retailers - We simply don't have as many options anymore to find great deals. Circuit City is gone. Deep Discount is a shadow of its former self. Gamestop stopped buying and selling used dvds. Sam's Club used to have awesome deals and twice the real estate for dvds. It was a heck of a lot more fun scouting and finding a huge bargain at B&M stores instead of waiting for online deals.


2. No more big tv releases - all the major stuff has been put out so there's nothing really to get excited about anymore. Back in the day, it seemed like we would have the ability to owe any tv show we wanted, but soon it became clear that studios would drop season releases if the sales were bad. Mama's family, for example.


3. Too much backlog - it's become more of a chore to make myself watch the movie a 2nd or 3rd time to disgest the commentaries. Back in the day, I would devour every special feature and loved commentaries. I still fondly remember buying Blade 2 which offered hours and hours of bonus content.

[PatD]

I'd love to see DVD and Blu-ray square off in a *fair* fight in the marketplace.

I mean, I know the studios are trying to phase out DVD in favor of BD.

But, I'd love to see new release DVDs and Blu rays (with no combo packs) released with the *same* special features for each title and with the best transfer as can be released for each format. *Then* we'd see how popular BD really is in a fair market place fight.

[cpgator]

Originally Posted by PatD

I'd love to see DVD and Blu-ray square off in a *fair* fight in the marketplace.

I mean, I know the studios are trying to phase out DVD in favor of BD.

But, I'd love to see new release DVDs and Blu rays (with no combo packs) released with the *same* special features for each title and with the best transfer as can be released for each format. *Then* we'd see how popular BD really is in a fair market place fight.

If someone has a BD player and HDTV, why would they opt for DVD over the BD if everything was the same?

[Astrofan]

I originally joined this forum for the tips on how to squeeze the most out of the DVD clubs--especially Columbia House. It was so exciting when that package of 4-6 discs came in the mail, you're average cost was eight or nine bucks. And then there were these huge lists of cheap fulfillment titles. What a deal!

[PatD]

Originally Posted by cpgator

If someone has a BD player and HDTV, why would they opt for DVD over the BD if everything was the same?

Obviously they wouldn't. But, there are plenty of people who still have plain DVD players and standard def TVs.

But, what I'm getting at is the studios purposely handicapped new release DVDs for the last 4 (perhaps more) years. Not to mention including DVDs with Bluray releases (combo packs). Now, why would they do that?

[Wernski]

I definitely miss the heyday... I miss the confidence that any movie you wanted that wasn't out yet was surely right around the corner in a big special edition. These days, if it ain't out by now, it's near hopeless.

[Mondo Kane]

One thing I miss is the wide variety of the store-exclusives for big releases on DVD (i.e, special packaging,figurines,books,etc)

Makes me wonder what they could've come up with for The Avengers

[ChuckWL]

Originally Posted by Mabuse

The biggest thing I miss is that catalogue titles from the major studios have dried up. Not only do the majors not really release old titles anymore, but when they do they have very few features.

I recently got out the Edward G Robinson gangster film Little Ceaser DVD and I had forgotton how many features were on the disc. Commentary, documentary, cartoon shorts, the Warner "Night at the Movies" feature. Back in the day every title of even half-way importance was lavished with features. All we have today is Burn on Demand.

I thought many of the studios release catlaogue thru their archives? In fact hundreds and hundreds so far in 2012. Warner has released over 1000 titles already and dozens of new ones are released each month. I dont recall an output of catalogue with so many releases in the 1990s and 2000's and its just not Warner, MGM and Sony are also releasing lots of catalogue as Archived titles. The choices in 2012 are endless IMO.