On Demand Movies vs DVD's
 

Hello all,

I recent purchased a dvd player/recorder. This past week I used our local cable service's On Demand feature and I purchased Walk The Line and Cinderella Man. I was able to make one dvd with both movies on it. I paid $3.99 for each movie and now I own both great movies. Yesterday I was at a local B&M store and they had both movies for $19.99 EACH. My question is why on earth would anyone want to pay $40 for both movies when you can have them for $8 from On Demand? I honestly wonder if I will ever purchase a dvd in the stores. Yes I know the store dvd's have extras but if you just want to own the movie why buy it for full retail price? Same goes for tv shows, why buy big box sets for the Soprano's for example when you can get them for free by having HBO? Comments please!

Isn't it illegal to do that?

this might get closed.

Illegal to make a copy for yourself? I was under the impression it was ok to make a copy for yourself. If On Demand did not want us to copy their movies wouldn't they scramble them? I hear they do it for certain sporting events so I know they can do something to prevent it. Also we have digital cable and the cable box has a hard drive to record programs, how illegal can it be?

I was just under the impression that it is copyrighted, like a dvd is. Why wouldn't the movie be copyrighted in another form?

My big problem with "on demand" is that most movies are NOT presented OAR. I'd rather pay more and have the movie the way it was intended to be seen.

(I'm also a big fan of commentary tracks, so that's one more reason why "on demand" has little appeal to me.)

Actually, if it's "Fair Use" or "personal use" to "timeshift" a program onto a vHS videotape, why is not the same to do on a DVD? Now, purchasing On Demand is a little different--there might be fine print somewhere saying you can't duplicate it. But burning a movie off of HBO, which you're paying for, and just sticking it on your shelf for personal use, how is that different from VHS timeshifting? [Certainly making multiple copies, or selling/broadcasting the copies, is wrong/illegal.]
The argument that "DVDs are better quality, you're more likely to sell/trade them" is fallacious, I think--you could certainly trade/sell VHS copies aswell.

DVRs are a little different--as long as the thing is still on the DVR, first, it's transient/temporary/limited; and if it's a cable company DVR, it's still "theirs" since it's on "their" machine. I'm not sure how a purchased Tivo would affect that argument.

Anyway, I have never paid for On Demand. I've used the free HBOOD and SHOOD, and enjoyed it; but the odds of OD having a movie I want to see, when I want to see it, are negligible; and I won't/can't burn a copy of every movie I "might want" to see. I'll just stick them on my BBO queue and get them to send the title I want to see when I want. Plus, as has been said, OAR and extra features. And a DVD you can resell to recoup some cost if you want.

I was recording pay-per-view movies onto VHS 20+ years ago... how is this any different? If you ordered a PPV, you hit 'record' on your VHS; who didn't?

Again, I was under the assumption that it was illegal to copy rented copyrighted materials.

Doesn't it say this on the back of DVDs?

If the movies are able to be recorded off the air/cable I don't think there's any problem in making a copy for yourself. I believe that fits under the "fair use" category.

You cannot copy a DVD due to having to crack the digital encryption that's used which is a violation of the DMCA. Copying rented media is probably a copyright infringement as well.

I don't think it would impact DVD sales if people made personal copies off of TV of pay per view movies any more than it hurt VHS sales when people just taped stuff off of TV. And I have found that those who tape and record alot more tend to buy a lot as well, so it's all good.

Personally, I would never bother spending 20.00 on ANY new movie when 80% of them drop to ten bucks in three months anyway and the majority of them go down to less in even a few more months. Why take the time to record a movie on to an ugly looking purple DVD-R with my hoop-d writing all over it in marker for 3.99 for the movie and a dollar so or so for the blank DVD when for a few dollars more I can just own a legit copy in a few months with the factory pressed DVD and original artwork included? As a collector, the latter appeals to me more than a spindle full of burned DVDs. And not to mention the time involved in doing that? Geez, shoot the lock off your wallet and just buy the legit copy already.

So, I don't understand, is this the argument that we are having, or not?

1. Better picture
2. Better sound
3. Original aspect ratio
4. Collectibility factor
5. Extras
6. Convenience
7. Not everyone has a DVD burner

I don't think so.
This indicates he recorded them off the cable, not off the DVDs.

Yeah, I guess I am just so confused on the matter since there are so many fine lines. I was thinking rented is rented, whether it be a DVD or rented on PPV.

I think rented cable/satellite is like broadcast, but I'm not positive. It's hard to distinguish a pay-per-view rental from something like renting HBO by the month.

To answer the original question, there is just something about actually having the box and the inserts when you get a DVD. Take a look at some of the DVD's Criterion puts out such as Short Cuts, Slacker, My Own Private Idaho, etc. with really incredible packaging. Short Cuts came with a 150 page book of short stories and the other two had liner notes over 60 pages long with all kinds of essays in them.

I agree with jackson Browne, and a couple of the other people on this postboards. For years I used to record my favorite tv shows on VHS and later DVDR, and yet I still bought the complete season Boxes when they came out, even though I had my VHS/DVDR copies. Today I still record 'sweeps' episodes from TV (as well as first seaosn shows), but I will still buy the official sets when (if) they come out. The reason being, the quality is much better, the extras, and weirdly enough the packaging...

Hey, if you're happy with the quality of recorded movies, then I guess there is no reason to buy the DVDs. Certainly people have different ideas about how much quality they want and how much they're willing to pay. It's not unlike eating cheap generic food instead of the (arguably) better-tasting name brand food.

I mean, I don't understand the appeal of spending thousands of dollars for a piece of jewelry, but many people who would get the jewelry would wonder what the big deal is with HD.

The copyright issues are complicated. Arguing by analogy to the Betamax case (about time shifting) only goes so far in an age of perfect digital copies. If VHS/Betamax had made perfect digital copies, that case would have gone the other way. Suffice it to say that the law here is currently not settled.

Regarding the DVD/VOD issue, obviously people on this forum will be among the last to embrace VOD. But if huge numbers of people want VOD and physical media stop being profitable, then DVDTalkers will be dragged kicking and screaming into the new age. It's just an empirical market question.

Fuck it, I really don't record off TV anymore, but if someone wants to? Oh well, his loss.

I will record some movies off On-demand or ppv if its something I would never buy, but wouldnt mind having on hand if someone else wants to watch, or I may want to revisit. But if its something I like, I would much rather spend the money to have the superior copy + the other stuff as well.

I sometimes record stuff that is not available on dvd. For example, Into The Night with Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer and David Bowie is on Encore Mystery next month. I'll record it and if it later gets released I toss the dvd-r in the trash.

I never bothered to record things off my DVR. I know my ON DEMAND does not have HD programming....maybe if they did , I might record something.

I prefer DVD's for sure. You can rent them just as cheap through netflix/blockbuster.

Walk the Line

# DVD Features:

* Available Subtitles: English, Spanish
* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.1 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.1 Surround)
* Disc 1:
* Widescreen Feature
* Commentary by co-writer and director James Mangold
* 10 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by James Mangold
* Trailers: Love Me Tender Special Edition
* Theatrical Trailer
* Disc 2:
* 3 extended music sequences featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon: "Rock and Roll Baby," "Jackson" and "Cocaine Blues"
* "Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line," featuring interviews with Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crowe, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Kid Rock and more
* Featurette "Folsom, Cash and the Comeback"
* Featurette "Ring of Fire: The Passion of Johnny and June"

etc.

Also, if a movie comes on Turner Classic Movies in widescreen but the dvd is fullscreen I will record it. Ex: Charley Varrick, White Lightning, Gator.