kstublen

Part of my thing about physical media has always been that I can watch it without needing cable or the internet. All I need is some sort of power supply, whether it be battery-powered or electricity. I never have to worry about lag times or the internet going down, etc. I'm in control of what I want to watch, when I want to watch it and I could, in theory, watch something at any point in time for the rest of my life. Not so with this streaming or cloud nonsense where things could up and change on a whim.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Physical media isn't going to die unless TVs start becoming something people stop buying and internet providers stop capping their internet and that's not going to happen. Also take into consideration internet service in other countries, such as Australia.

bossman284

I like this idea but I don't see it working. The cost in producing these sets is not in replication, but in prepping the material for disc, so I'm not sure they would think it was worth spending that money for a limited return

Mike86

Al Jean said that they're still going to do commentaries and find a way to get them on The Simpsons World app. Even if the discs were barebones though while not ideal I'd rather take than nothing at all.

Bluelitespecial

Well I have been collecting The Simpsons on dvd since season one. But I have fallen behind (I still haven't bought 15,16, or 17), I will buy those on bluray, and hope there might be enough of backlash that FOX might change their minds. Or another studio might pick up releasing other seasons even if it goes back to just dvd only.

milo bloom

Unfortunately it's not a surprise. Even a collector like myself (nearly 1300 DVDs and Blus) has been taken in by the allure of streaming.

I'm still keeping my physical copies for certain things (MST3K for starters), but Star Trek? Somebody's always going to have that on streaming. Adventure Time? Either on Netflix or Itunes.

Even this morning, my wife woke up to tell me she dreamed that I had bought a complete TV series DVD set (with soundtrack CDs included) and she was so mad she ran off to the jungle with Russel Brand. If she had her way, all TV shows and movies would be on streaming and all books would be on Kindle.

Does seem odd that a flagship series like this wouldn't get an exception, but maybe someone like Shout! could pick it up.

rmw650

Don't discount Olive Films either as they are about to finish off King of the Hill on DVD by the year's end. So that's another option that might happen.

Mike86

I doubt that the licensing rights to King of the Hill were as much as the rights for The Simpsons would be though. I am glad that Olive Films stepped up and finished the job that Fox abandoned with King of the Hill though.

mike1977

Exactly!

PatD

Someone should organize a paper-mail petition drive to Fox Home Video. Get all Bjo Trimble on their asses.

mythmaker18

Or, indeed Gene Roddenberry (according to the Solow/Justman book).

Honestly, I don't think a letter-writing campaign would help that much in this case. Here, we have a studio who are trying to sell subscriptions to their self-owned "Simpsons World" website. What better way to drive people to this product than to make it the exclusive outlet for all remaining episodes (as well as the ones already released)?

I feel if they weren't trying to make money with that website, the DVD releases would have probably continued in some form.

Alan Smithee

While I'm too lazy to look it up again right now, I read that the DVD decision IS because of Simpsons World. Just all the more reason not to use that- let it blow up in their faces.

davidh777

Here's something along those lines. It's a fan rant rather than official confirmation, though.

http://www.examiner.com/article/no-p...e-to-low-sales

Mike86

If it would actually work I'd be totally willing to do this. It always seems like petitions fall on deaf ears though.

hanshotfirst1138

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Well, Fox has gone full-scale in their abandonment of physical media. And if this wasn't a title that'd sell, nothing will. And I have a feeling that they're not going to be the last.

Josh-da-man

Yeah, it's pretty much known that most people will sign a petition demanding something and never follow through.

Josh-da-man

Food for thought, but Fox was one of the last studios, along with Paramount, to embrace the DVD format.

As such, it shouldn't be surprising that they - along with Paramount (who recently licensed out to Warners) - are the first studios to start dropping their support for discs.

kstublen

When there was the backlash about the change in packaging from Seasons 1-5 (box) to Season 6 (plastic head) not only did FOX offer a mail-in program to get a box package for Season 6, but from then on out they released plastic head packages and standard box packages and later continued this for the molded head packages too.

So we're talking about a company that actually listened to its fanbase and offered a solution. I find the decision to halt production on these releases all the more confusing given their past actions.

Alan Smithee

Ironically they were the FIRST major studio to license movies for VHS and Beta in 1977. But I do remember they supported DIVX over regular DVD, and then their first DVDs were ridiculously overpriced as their laserdiscs had been before.

When they put out good product at a reasonable price, I buy. If they don't want my money, I'll find someone else to give it to.

Alan Smithee

As has been mentioned before, most of the people who ran the home video departments back then are no longer working. It seems to get that job now you're required not to care much about it. Funny that I could probably do a better job, generate more sales and accept lower pay than those people. Heck, they could almost get away just paying me with free product!

rmw650

Mike, you just never know as crazier things have happened with regards to this industry so hoping Olive Films or even SHOUT steps up and continues onward with this show (Simpsons, that is) starting at Season 18 and 19.

joltman

I think it's safe to say sales aren't the issue (or at least not entirely), and they just want to push people to FXX and the website, meaning if they aren't releasing it themselves, they aren't farming them out either.

TerryW

And this is why we steal from corporations like this.

morriscroy

If you (ie. Alan Smithee) truly believe in your own abilities, then have you thought about starting your own home video bluray company? Or have you already started your own home video bluray company already?

Chad

There's currently a Facebook group doing just that, but at 140+ members it's not exactly setting the world on fire.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643530482546429/