djtoell

I'm sorry to report that I cannot take that challenge, as I have never expressed the opinion that forced trailers are "a good thing." You'll have to try that challenge out on the straw man over in the corner.

It's an all too common fallacy to think that just because I don't think something is the equivalent of sodomy, it means I think it's a good thing. You avoided one trap and fell in a much bigger one.

DJ

Numes

I signed the petition also. For the life of me, I could not find a place to see the signatures or even how many people had signed the petition.

andicus

Were they aware that you meant forced advertising? Sounds like they're just referring to ads that you can skip.

sracer

So then you agree that forced trailers are a bad thing? So, then you're only point is one of degree. Got it. Taking a "no big deal" approach to things is very common among those who would rather talk than take action.

djtoell

So I take it, then, that anything you even mildly dislike, you act upon it as if it were the return of the Holocaust itself? Is nothing in your life "no big deal"? For everything you do not absolutely love, do you "take action" and organize an armed militia to invade the source of those unloved things?

Ironic to hear "those who would rather talk" from a paradigmatic thread of pure complaining. What action have you taken on the matter? What, did you sign a total joke of an internet petition? That's some big action.

Please spare me the assessments of my life based upon my take on a single situation. You have no clue about me, so give up while you're behind.

DJ

Coral

I made specific reference to the forced advertisement (GM advertisement) - to be sure they knew what I was talking about.

Chipmaker

The newest Baby Einstein release, Baby Monet, has an advertisement (for Disney/Baby Einstein's upcoming toddler line) after the Play button is pushed. This may be a new low.

Cocopugg

Legally buy a copy of the movie in question, then make a backup copy which will allow you to skip all the commercials and play only the movie.

matome

Hey, might as well get the kiddies acclimated to forced advertisements when they're young. This way they can just take all these bullshit ads as the status quo when they get older.

Al_Tahoe

No thanks. If I have to go to all that trouble, I'll just keep my money instead... and they can kiss my ass!

BigDan

In the theaters I go to, they start the commercials ahead of the posted time. So the trailers start at the posted showtime.

I guess because I tend to not go on weekend nights, I have never had any trouble showing up right at showtime and getting a good seat.

dsa_shea

With the forced advertisements and non-stop talking teenagers in the movie thetaers it makes me no longer want to go. Now I have to endure the same shit if I want to stay home and watch a movie. I don't know how many times last night I heard one teenager behind me say something to his buddy and his buddy say hell yeah. One of the guys even screamed like a little girl just to be an ass.

Peep

You think this is bad... I know of at least one major studio (not my own) that has been experimenting with placing ads in the lower "black bar" of widescreen movies being shown on fullscreen TVs. Putting ads in the bitmaps of the subtitle streams is easy, making sure that most players can't turn those subs off is harder.

You have been warned.

Jah-Wren Ryel

Some people enjoy a little sodomy now and then.

Which reminds me, the only DVDs I've ever seen forced adverts on have been the super-cheap (like the ones advertised as"$3 for 4 hours") porn. Those ads are usually for 900-number chat lines. The great thing about those ads is that once you've been forced to sit through them, you've probably lost interest in watching the actual "movie."

So, how about repurposing Jack Valenti instead:

"I say to you, that forced advertisements on DVDs are to the American consumer as the Boston Strangler is to the woman home alone!"

Al_Tahoe

That's the main reason why, even though I love movies, I only see them in the theater about once every 3 years. Last time I went the teenage girl sitting behind me had her knee in the back of my chair for a good portion of the movie. Even worse, the punk she was with was talking on his cell phone for at least 1/4 of the movie. Unfortunately, getting up and changing seats was not an option. Then there's always the joy of guessing what disgusting substance is sticking to the bottom of your shoe. Forced advertisements at the theater are about the least of my worries... but having them on my DVDs is completely unacceptable.

Legolas

The Carlito's Way: SE dvd won't let me fast forward through the three previews that are on there. I can't even press menu, pause it or press the stop button! The Shape of Things doesn't let me FF either. Talk about annoying!

dsa_shea

I'm glad I kept my original release of this flick. Thanks for saving me some money.

DivxGuy

Advertising subsidizes newspapers and magazines, but does the same hold for DVD?

djtoell

I shot this one down three weeks ago, but let's give it another go, anyway.

What else do you think studios are doing with advertising revenue? Making paper hats? Studio revenue goes into their products. Whether 3rd party video advertising has directly lowered consumer cost on the specific advertising-bearing products is unclear at this point, but, in the end, studio revenue gets used to create product. Advertising revenue -> movies. So, yes, advertising does subsidize DVDs.

And, as I said three weeks ago, what the studios do with the money is irrelevant in terms of my response to Ebert's statement. Ebert simply said, "when I pay, I expect to see only what I have paid for." He didn't say, "I expect to see only what I have paid for, unless the advertising revenue has subsidized the product and lowered the price I paid." He noted only two categories: free products and paid products. He approved of ads in free products and disapproved of them in paid products. You might contemplate the existence of a third category for yourself, but that's not what Ebert said, and that's not what I replied to.

Can we leave it at his, or am I going to have to reply to the same post in another few weeks?

DJ