Dear, Blu ray...
07-08-14 | 03:05 AM
#51
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Says the guy who watches movies on VHS and laserdisc. Give me a fucking break. VUDU looks 1,000 times better than those any day of the week.
07-08-14 | 03:12 AM
#52
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I think bitching about eco cases or labels is pretty silly. How long do you hold a case in your hands or look at the top of the disc? Less than a minute, I would imagine.
07-08-14 | 09:39 AM
#53
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Sometimes it's the principle of the thing though- crappy packaging just makes me think the studio is saying "We don't care about these anymore." If they WANT to get people to stop buying media then they're doing the right thing there, but if they want it to survive then they should be more conscious of the collector mentality. Why do you think LPs are coming back? People like the cover art! (I don't buy current music on LP BTW, but I get why some people do and it makes more sense than buying MP3s.)
07-08-14 | 10:27 AM
#54
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
These days, one can probably google up a high resolution picture of an album's cover art.
07-08-14 | 10:35 AM
#55
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Dear Blu-ray,
Your prices need to be lower,
Your default packaging needs to drop the blue bar at the top (we get it already, no need to drill it into our heads),
You need to spend money putting out catalog releases that I care about,
You need to be 100% region free,
And you need to ensure that DNR is avoided at all costs.
TL;DR: Get your shit together, man.
Love,
Dan
Your prices need to be lower,
Your default packaging needs to drop the blue bar at the top (we get it already, no need to drill it into our heads),
You need to spend money putting out catalog releases that I care about,
You need to be 100% region free,
And you need to ensure that DNR is avoided at all costs.
TL;DR: Get your shit together, man.
Love,
Dan
07-08-14 | 10:42 AM
#56
Banned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 39,239
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
6 Posts
From: Formerly known as "Solid Snake PAC"/Denton, Tx
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
No way would there ever be a region free business culture for a disc format. No way. That's just stupid for them to do.
As a fan of film... I wish they were all region free.
As a fan of film... I wish they were all region free.
07-08-14 | 10:45 AM
#57
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
For bluray, in practice it is effectively "region free" if one knows what to do.
07-08-14 | 10:52 AM
#58
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
HD DVD, which had the backing of multiple major studios for a time, was region free. However, I believe that was one of the sticking points for the studios that were Blu-ray only and thus, one of the many contributing factors to the death of the format, so your point stands.
07-08-14 | 11:05 AM
#59
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
HD DVD, which had the backing of multiple major studios for a time, was region free. However, I believe that was one of the sticking points for the studios that were Blu-ray only and thus, one of the many contributing factors to the death of the format, so your point stands.
At times I wonder, whether Microsoft's support of hd-dvd wasn't much more than an easy way of "muddying up" the hd optical disc market.
07-08-14 | 11:25 AM
#60
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
HD DVD, which had the backing of multiple major studios for a time, was region free. However, I believe that was one of the sticking points for the studios that were Blu-ray only and thus, one of the many contributing factors to the death of the format, so your point stands.
Anyway, I just want all discs to be Region A/B/C by default. Then the player just does its job.
I don't think their intentions were quite so sinister. The format had its consumer-focused benefits (region free, standard features of players, etc.), but in the end none of that mattered after Warner jumped ship.
07-08-14 | 11:52 AM
#61
07-08-14 | 11:59 AM
#62
Banned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 39,239
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
6 Posts
From: Formerly known as "Solid Snake PAC"/Denton, Tx
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Shit. I'd kill to get a fucking proper BD of Predator. Ugh. I can live with the OLD BD but it is kind of rough. And fuck that fucking abortion of a remaster or whatever that newer BD was.
07-08-14 | 12:20 PM
#63
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I'm personally interested in more films from the late 90's and early/mid 2000's. Stuff that definitely doesn't have a big following, but a basic Blu-ray with excellent PQ/AQ and no features is all I want these days. I get that there's not enough demand, so it's a losing battle, to be sure.
In terms of North American discs (not imports), I'd like:
The Straight Story
Lost Highway (the import I have is terrible, although the best option to date)
Mulholland Drive (import is nice, but a US/CAN release would be an instant buy)
Spider (one of my favourite Cronenberg flicks)
Spartan (David Mamet!)
Breach (my HD DVD is great and all, but this would be an instant purchase)
Ghost in the Shell, SAC (full TV series. Crazy expensive in Japan)
I'm sure there's more that I've simply forgotten about. If I browse my DVD collection, I'm sure I could find a bunch more.
In terms of North American discs (not imports), I'd like:
The Straight Story
Lost Highway (the import I have is terrible, although the best option to date)
Mulholland Drive (import is nice, but a US/CAN release would be an instant buy)
Spider (one of my favourite Cronenberg flicks)
Spartan (David Mamet!)
Breach (my HD DVD is great and all, but this would be an instant purchase)
Ghost in the Shell, SAC (full TV series. Crazy expensive in Japan)
I'm sure there's more that I've simply forgotten about. If I browse my DVD collection, I'm sure I could find a bunch more.
Last edited by Dan; 07-08-14 at 12:41 PM.
07-08-14 | 02:56 PM
#64
Banned by request
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Sometimes it's the principle of the thing though- crappy packaging just makes me think the studio is saying "We don't care about these anymore." If they WANT to get people to stop buying media then they're doing the right thing there, but if they want it to survive then they should be more conscious of the collector mentality. Why do you think LPs are coming back? People like the cover art! (I don't buy current music on LP BTW, but I get why some people do and it makes more sense than buying MP3s.)
And Eco cases aren't crappy. They're the same as regular cases with a little less plastic.
07-08-14 | 03:03 PM
#65
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I don't understand the "packaging" mentality, but that's me. All my discs are in binders -- CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, the works. All packaging gets tossed immediately. I began adhering to a no-clutter aesthetic years ago and it's done wonders for my piece of mind. 
And yes, I would like a cookie...
And yes, I would like a cookie...
07-08-14 | 03:09 PM
#66
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Or buy a new/mint classic copy of an LP for a fraction of the cost of these new pressings.
07-08-14 | 03:24 PM
#67
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I think they wanted to back a different horse in the war for their Xbox against the PS3. They had to rush the Xbox360 to market if they had any hope of beating Sony coming off the PS2 and their backing of HD DVD was a consequence of that choice.
07-08-14 | 03:57 PM
#68
Banned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 39,239
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
6 Posts
From: Formerly known as "Solid Snake PAC"/Denton, Tx
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I'm personally interested in more films from the late 90's and early/mid 2000's. Stuff that definitely doesn't have a big following, but a basic Blu-ray with excellent PQ/AQ and no features is all I want these days. I get that there's not enough demand, so it's a losing battle, to be sure.
In terms of North American discs (not imports), I'd like:
The Straight Story
Lost Highway (the import I have is terrible, although the best option to date)
Mulholland Drive (import is nice, but a US/CAN release would be an instant buy)
Spider (one of my favourite Cronenberg flicks)
Spartan (David Mamet!)
Breach (my HD DVD is great and all, but this would be an instant purchase)
Ghost in the Shell, SAC (full TV series. Crazy expensive in Japan)
I'm sure there's more that I've simply forgotten about. If I browse my DVD collection, I'm sure I could find a bunch more.
In terms of North American discs (not imports), I'd like:
The Straight Story
Lost Highway (the import I have is terrible, although the best option to date)
Mulholland Drive (import is nice, but a US/CAN release would be an instant buy)
Spider (one of my favourite Cronenberg flicks)
Spartan (David Mamet!)
Breach (my HD DVD is great and all, but this would be an instant purchase)
Ghost in the Shell, SAC (full TV series. Crazy expensive in Japan)
I'm sure there's more that I've simply forgotten about. If I browse my DVD collection, I'm sure I could find a bunch more.
07-08-14 | 04:00 PM
#69
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
It's been rumoured, but I haven't seen anything official (I haven't exactly looked hard enough either). For me, it's not confirmed until it's in their newsletter. 
With Eraserhead getting a release, it makes sense that Mulholland Drive is next. I really want Lost Highway more, though. That one only has shitty BDs in existence, where at least the existing Mulholland Drive is quite good. Really, I'd love a "Complete Lynch" set, but there's no way all the studios would license all of the films to CC for a single package.
With Eraserhead getting a release, it makes sense that Mulholland Drive is next. I really want Lost Highway more, though. That one only has shitty BDs in existence, where at least the existing Mulholland Drive is quite good. Really, I'd love a "Complete Lynch" set, but there's no way all the studios would license all of the films to CC for a single package.
07-08-14 | 04:02 PM
#70
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I don't understand the "packaging" mentality, but that's me. All my discs are in binders -- CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, the works. All packaging gets tossed immediately. I began adhering to a no-clutter aesthetic years ago and it's done wonders for my piece of mind.
Since I bought the Oppo back in May and started importing discs, I've sold off nearly 100 things to subsidize all the new purchases. Some books and other stuff, but most were DVDs and Blu-rays. I guess it's because so many people have been so cavalier with their property, that I can still realize value out of some of this stuff.
I would love to streamline my living space/existence...but I've always been a package guy and guess I always will be. I appreciate the packaging as an art form in itself (not just DVDs, but for almost everything...going back to old fruit crate labels). Recently I was noticing how much the steelbooks I've gotten recently have reminded me of the boxes of Super 8 films I had as a kid. Obviously the destination (disc/transfer/encode) is the most important thing here. But if the destination is worth it, then I appreciate it when the journey (packaging) is enjoyable in and of itself too.
07-08-14 | 09:08 PM
#72
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Says the guy who watches movies on VHS and laserdisc. Give me a fucking break. VUDU looks 1,000 times better than those any day of the week. Now, if it's between watching a film I already own on Blu-ray versus Netflix, obviously I'm going with BD. But if it's a movie I'm only going to watch once, and it's on Netflix, then Netflix is fine. As for the complaints in the OP, I agree with them to a point. I think bitching about eco cases or labels is pretty silly. How long do you hold a case in your hands or look at the top of the disc? Less than a minute, I would imagine. As someone who lives in an apartment, giant boxes for media are the bane of my existence. I do agree that we should be getting all the special features ported over. That stuff is just inexcusable.
As far as VHS and LD, can't blame the guy. How many releases are so fucked that the studios haven't out the mono on them or fucked up the color-timing or had shitty downmixes? Fans cutting things together in their basements are willing to spend time and money for no reward to do what studios aren't. That's a sad commentary on the releases, streaming or physical, and on the studio's practices. But when consumers don't care either way, and it's cheaper than ever to distribute, what the point of doing it right?
07-09-14 | 02:26 AM
#73
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
Dear Blu Ray,
I love your picture quality. Your sharp, detailed images are hard to beat (until the next format-that-will-eventually-require-me-to-upgrade comes along).
That being said, in building my collection of you and replacing my once proud DVD collection that was ravaged years ago, I've been underwhelmed oftentimes by you. I mean, when I collected The Twilight Zone Complete Series sets on DVD, they came in large tome-like sets with artwork that was appropriate to the content. I was proud to display them in my collection! But, my Blu ray versions of you, while they have some nice extras the DVD didn't, the whole series completely "meh" on my shelf. Sometimes large is nice. Ditto for the Superman Movie Collection.
And when rebuilding my catalog movie collection--GOD! Why can't you carry ALL the special features from the DVD sets? Does it really cost that much? Couldn't you just up the price? (You'll accuse me that I'd complain about your price. But, money is no object when it comes to fine home video!) What about the easter eggs? They were a fun little treat to so many DVDs, but rarely you don't even bother! The secret deleted scene from Bedazzled DVD carried over to the Blu ray version? Nuh uh. The gag reel from Magnolia or Boogie Nights? No dice. (In fairness, you did carry over the easter eggs to the Star Trek Movie sets so: thanks!)
And the menu selection! Oftentimes, you just don't even try to make if fun to access material with animated menus! And as far as your outward appearance goes: unless it's a special occasion like Criterion, you don't feel the need to spruce yourself up with a booklet!
I don't hate you Blu ray, your picture quality is great and I wouldn't trade you for all the streaming in the world. Sometimes you'll surprise me with something wonderful like the upcoming Halloween Collection or including Terror in the Aisles with the 30th Anniversary Edition of Halloween II. But, collecting you has been such a drag sometimes. I just wish you'd try harder and help me rekindle my love of collecting movies…
Your pal,
PatD
I love your picture quality. Your sharp, detailed images are hard to beat (until the next format-that-will-eventually-require-me-to-upgrade comes along).
That being said, in building my collection of you and replacing my once proud DVD collection that was ravaged years ago, I've been underwhelmed oftentimes by you. I mean, when I collected The Twilight Zone Complete Series sets on DVD, they came in large tome-like sets with artwork that was appropriate to the content. I was proud to display them in my collection! But, my Blu ray versions of you, while they have some nice extras the DVD didn't, the whole series completely "meh" on my shelf. Sometimes large is nice. Ditto for the Superman Movie Collection.
And when rebuilding my catalog movie collection--GOD! Why can't you carry ALL the special features from the DVD sets? Does it really cost that much? Couldn't you just up the price? (You'll accuse me that I'd complain about your price. But, money is no object when it comes to fine home video!) What about the easter eggs? They were a fun little treat to so many DVDs, but rarely you don't even bother! The secret deleted scene from Bedazzled DVD carried over to the Blu ray version? Nuh uh. The gag reel from Magnolia or Boogie Nights? No dice. (In fairness, you did carry over the easter eggs to the Star Trek Movie sets so: thanks!)
And the menu selection! Oftentimes, you just don't even try to make if fun to access material with animated menus! And as far as your outward appearance goes: unless it's a special occasion like Criterion, you don't feel the need to spruce yourself up with a booklet!
I don't hate you Blu ray, your picture quality is great and I wouldn't trade you for all the streaming in the world. Sometimes you'll surprise me with something wonderful like the upcoming Halloween Collection or including Terror in the Aisles with the 30th Anniversary Edition of Halloween II. But, collecting you has been such a drag sometimes. I just wish you'd try harder and help me rekindle my love of collecting movies…
Your pal,
PatD
07-09-14 | 07:48 AM
#74
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
In hindsight, it's funny reading old rants about Microsoft hd-dvd conspiracies. Especially alleged rants from Michael Bay.
http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum...95-DVD-Formats
http://www.electronista.com/articles....microsoft.hd/
07-09-14 | 03:52 PM
#75
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Dear, Blu ray...
I also don't care for the animated menus and fancy stuff that requires downloads or loading screens (most Disney releases) and whatnot. Give me a simple screen with readable menus that loads quickly. Same with packaging, while I appreciate the occasional boxset, I hate when they get too fancy with the packaging, especially if it ends up storing discs in cardboard sleeves or something.
I don't understand the "packaging" mentality, but that's me. All my discs are in binders -- CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, the works. All packaging gets tossed immediately. I began adhering to a no-clutter aesthetic years ago and it's done wonders for my piece of mind.
And yes, I would like a cookie...
And yes, I would like a cookie...