gcribbs

It seems strange to still have Dvd bargains as the main bargain forum.

I understand that this site is called Dvdtalk, but I still think dvd's time has passed and you might as well make the switch in the forums.

MrSmearkase

I think there is more discussion in DVD, rather than BR, though.

gcribbs

Some of that is due to common deals that are both Dvd and Blu-Ray are usually posted in dvd bargains so the posts are shifted to that forum.
So if Blu-Ray was made the main forum those posts would now be posted there instead of Dvd bargains.

Pizza

What's the difference? I admit that I'm more on the lookout for deals on BR rather than DVD but I'd imagine there are still more folks looking for DVD deals.

gcribbs

When you first get to Dvdtalk and look at the pulldown to see what forums they have it only shows Dvd bargains. In fact if you were new and had never seen the place before you might think it was some old site that was all about Dvd's only.

Blu-rays are mentioned no where in those pulldowns of forums.

Dvd Talk
Dvd Reviews...

It just makes the website look out of touch. They can not change the name obviously. I just think moving these forums around would at least let a first time person know the site has stuff about Blu-rays also.

I guess they could change the pulldown off the main page so that it showed more than the main forums when you pull down the list would help a ton also.

milo bloom

I would like to see the DVD and HD and Review (and the covers and inserts sub) forums combined into one "Software" forum. The traffic is nowhere where it used to be a few years ago, and they could all benefit from some cross-synergy.

Chad

Or why not move Blu-ray Bargains from the current sub-forum to its own forum, but keep DVD bargains as is? Both should have "main forum" status, IMO.

Adam Tyner

Just speaking for myself, I think I'd hate that. I would personally rather see a few forums that get a reasonable, readable number of posts a day than have to scroll through one huge one.

kefrank

In my opinion, this is a much better idea than anything else suggested in the thread so far.

kd5

-kd5-

Trevor

This.

arminius

I think most people think of dvd as comprising both dvd and blu-ray, they just think of them as the shiny disk movies as opposed to tape.

Dan

Also yes.

NoirFan

How about incorporating the International forum into the DVD one? The former gets even less traffic than the latter, and would likely only add a handful of threads to the DVD forum's front page. As long as we're contemplating some spring (summer) cleaning, why not ditch the 'DVD Reviews and Recommendations' thread entirely? There are literally four new posts in the last two months!

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Anyone else notice that HD Talk has been more active than DVD Talk for awhile? A good chunk of activity also seems to be with the challenges.

I'm wondering if people are just not posting as much about DVDs because there isn't that much to talk about, leaving the forum altogether, moving to HD or some combo of the three.

thetao

If there's going to be some house-cleaning, I think combining the "DVD Talk" and "HD Talk" forums would be a good idea, given the reduced traffic in the former. The only issue would be if the combined 3/4 of a million threads would have a negative effect on the database. Perhaps archive all posts prior to 2012 (2010?) and move the remainder to the combined forum?

Promoting "Blu-Ray Bargains" to the same level as "DVD Bargains" also gets my vote. I bought a BR player just recently, and sometimes overlook "Blu-Ray Bargains" given its lesser stature. At the same time, I think "DVD Bargains" is better left alone.

I know some people still use "DVD Reviews and Recommendations", but for me it's worthless since you offloaded review feedback to Facebook (which I consider a fool's errand, but figure you'll come around in a few years when Facebook goes the way of MySpace and AOL).

I also suggest keeping "International" as-is. It doesn't generate much traffic, but I think combining it with anything would be uncomfortable for all involved. Regular "International" users would have trouble finding threads, and I fear for a repeat of the acrimony that (purportedly) existed before "Covers and Cases" was spun off. Out of curiosity, I wonder how many users here have a region-free player and regularly shop internationally?

NoirFan

God no! The last thing the HD forum needs is a bunch of redundant and outdated DVD threads mucking it up.

Adam Tyner

1) Essentially no one used the old review response system
2) Despite #1, it was a technical issue that prompted the switch

Since newly-posted reviews get the vast, vast overwhelming majority of the traffic, changing comment systems every however many years shouldn't have any meaningful impact.

If user comments were to veer away from Facebook and back towards the forums, it'd need to be a new system somehow 'cause the old one was terrible. I'm okay saying that since I'm the one who wrote it, although I made it something like 10 years ago when I didn't really know what I was doing.

I agree that the DVD Reviews forum has no real reason to exist anymore.

fumanstan

I don't like the idea of combining DVD and HD Talk, I pretty much pay zero attention to regular DVD's at all now so i'd rather not see that information.

Blu-ray Bargains as a separate entity seems like a good idea.

X

The mods are discussing putting both bargain forums at the same level.

flixtime

With regard to the call for feedback posted in the International Forum...well, maybe it's time...all good things must come to an end. The lack of protest (or general feedback) seems to indicate a general apathy towards whatever decision is ultimately made. It seems a safe bet that most past and current users of International now rely on another site as their first forum of choice.

milo bloom

For as long as there have been DVD forums, I have always thought that the ghetto-ization of other region DVDs to their own forum only helped to perpetrate the problem. If the forums had pushed for greater exposure of how other regions would get better extras, transfers and even the entire movie, it might have pushed the studios to be a little more aggressive in bringing it to region 1.

PhantomStranger

The site should definitely consider re-focusing the forums. The target audience for this forum (hardcore DVD consumers) have largely moved on to Blu-ray as their preferred home video format.

kd5

Regardless of what some people are saying about phasing out DVD-related forums in favor of blu-ray, IMHO I think DVDTalk should remain true to its origins. Sure, showcase the new technology as it emerges, but we're still first and foremost DVDTalk.com. And while some are citing the waning interest in DVDs, there will always be a home for us who remain true to the origins of digital media. I, for one, appreciate the existence of DVD talk at DVDTalk.com. I agree that we should give at least equal time to blu-ray as that is what's currently popular, but what happens when the industry has moved on to the next new technology? DVDTalk.com needs to be flexible as well, without abandoning its origins.

Just my humble opinion for what it's worth, -kd5-

Michael Corvin

Definitely. VHSTalk remains a hotbed of activity. The main DVDtalk forum is nearly as exciting as BookTalk.