Digital bits sinks to new low (1 Viewer)

[Joshua Lane]

Some thoughts on the matter at hand...


1) I don't blame site owners/webmasters for putting up ads to help cover the costs associated with running their site (I've done it myself).

2) I don't blame people for leaving a site if/when the ads have become too intrusive (I left IGN for this very reason).

3) I don't blame advertisers and ad-selling agencies for creating these new "in-your-face" ad types to sell their products (they always want more "bang" for their buck).


I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this post, but there's always a reason for something and it's not like Bill (or anyone for that matter) sits around thinking "hmm, how can I make extra money while at the same time completely alienating all my visitors".

 

[rockinricky]

I just tried to go to the Bits, but I got an error box saying "www.thedigitalbits.com could not be found. Please check the name and try again." I hope it doesn't disappear for good, I love that site.

Edit: I STILL miss DVD Resource.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

For Bill:

When I first got a DVD player in January 2001, I started really getting interested in the format which caused me to do an internet search for DVD reviews, which led me to your site. From your site, I learned a great deal about my new favorite format, including the differences between fullscreen and wide screen and why they are important, as well as when some of my favorite titles were coming out, and not to mention some great columns, reviews, and special features. It was from reading your site that eventually caused me to join the HTF. Maybe I don't visit as often as I used to, not because I don't like your site or anything but having less time to surf the internet now days, but I'm still thankful for all the work that you and your staff do.

The same is true for the owners and moderators of the home theater forum. I've had a lot of great discussions and learned a lot of interesting things from reading the HTF. I am one of those that would probably pay a yearly fee if it ever came to that point, but I am thankful that you are doing everything you can to keep that from being an issue.

Keep up the good work, and I must say that I learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes of the bits and HTF from reading this thread.

 

[Diallo B]

ditto. that was the first site to get me started in this hobby.

thankyou to tdb, htf and dvdfile for the amazing amount of help you have given all of us home theater buffs.

 

[Phu Vo]

Heh, I find the topic and intent of this thread to be quite absurd.

 

[Seth--L]

Since everyone else is chiming in, I might as well.

I've been a daily reader of both the Bits and DVDFile since I purchased a DVD player in fall '98. A lot of people don't realize how much these sites served as a voice for consumers in the early days of DVD. They were among the few websites that had any information on the evils of DIVX, and the goodness of anamorphic widescreen.

Anyone complaining about the wonderful FREE service they continue to provide needs a big cup of STFU.

 

[Tim Glover]

Yes, kudos to DVD Resource. I think our fellow HTF member Steve Tannehill founded that site? It was also my first online source for dvd info back in the day.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Why'd it go down? Honestly, I barely remember the site - I know it was big back in the day but can't recall much about it. (That's not meant as a negative comment - I just can't remember it too well.)

And BTW, since this thread has ended up as a TDB/DVD File/HTF lovefest, I would like to remind folks there are OTHER sites out there with valid opinions as well! At least for reviews - I agree that the three I mentioned are the gold standard for news. But at the risk of sounding self-aggrandizing, I think the sites that don't draw the numbers of TDB/DVD File/HTF get ignored too much and too often regarded as suspect, like somehow only the biggest sites can tell the truth and the rest are just glorified fanboys. There's a lot of good work out there beyond the biggies...

 

[Tim Glover]

Not sure why it closed. I think Steve wanted to do other things?

And yes Colin, there are certainly other valuable dvd sites to choose from. Yours, DVD Movie Guide is a good one and one I'll pay closer attention to. Another good site that just does reviews is DVD Authority. I have them on my favorites list. They're remodeling their web site but will be back on soon.

 

[Seth--L]

These sites have been around so long, providing truthful reviews, accurate news/rumors, that they've earned our trust. I don't doubt that there are a lot of other great sites out there, but I've never felt a need see what other people offer.

I used to be a reader of DVD Review too back in the late '90s, but stopped for for a few reasons. Sometimes it seemed liked reviewers didn't actually watch the DVDs (there was one instance -- I forget the DVD it was so long ago -- where a disc had major audio problems, and the reviewer gave the audio a rave review). Their news seemed to always be a day or so behind the Bits and DVDfile, and the site's quickly thrown together look just got on my nerves -- it was so unprofessional. But what really turned me off as a DVD Review reader were rants by the site's creator Guido Henkel. I forget when it started, but he began constantly ranting about how expensive it was to run the site, and how all of us readers were freeloaders eating up his bandwidth, sticking him with the bill. After essentially saying that bankruptcy was imminent, there was a brainstorming session on his forum of how to save the site. Almost everyone flatly said that they would not pay a subscription fee, no matter how low the cost. Either Guido or someone else came up with the idea of launching a DVD Review DVD store where Guido would get a small percentage of the sales from all the DVDs sold there. So Guido went and launched the store. No one purchased any discs from it. The store was a total flop. Why? His prices were basically MSRP. Totally uncompetitive. So back at the message board Guido let out this major rant, saying that he did what people wanted (few people in fact said they had any intention of ever purchasing DVDs from the store), accusing everyone of back stabbed him, claiming we were all jerks for using his site and not helping to foot the cost. It was just unbelievably ugly. So after reading it, I posted on the forum that if you hate me so much for eating up your bandwidth, then I'll just stop visiting your site. And I did. Even for the internet his lack of tact and respect to his readers was shocking.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Colin, I completely agree, there are a lot of other sites I check for reviews and such and so it is not just limited to the Bits and HTF and DVDfile.com that's where I got started but is certainly not the extend of my searching.

Actually now days if I want a review of a DVD, I'll go to DVD Basin and search for it and get links to several different reviews and I read as many as I can stand in order to get as informed of an opinion as possible.

 

[george kaplan]

It was ground zero for the fight against divx.

 

[Brendon]

Ever felt like you've happened across the HTF version of It's a Wonderful Life ?

Brendon

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Thanks.

- Steve

 

[Robert Spalding]

Here here. I loved DVD Resource from back in early 97! Steve, bring it back!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Personally, Steve, I think the climate may be
right for DVD RESOURCE to return -- that is,
if you are up to devoting your time to something
like that again.

 

[Scott Kimball]

I was a regular reader of DVD Resource back in the day... that's how I was lead here, originally.

-Scott

 

[Tino]

Has this thread backfired on Greg M or what?

It's great to see something positive emerge from such an inflammatory beginning.

BTW, where is Greg??

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’ve not made a post in this thread, as there seemed to be plenty of people who understand that no one is getting rich running any of these forums and are actually struggling to keep their standards and afloat all at the same time.

Three are many great and many annoying things about the Internet. The great advantages far outweigh the annoying items. For me, one of the big disadvantages of online access is separating out what is sound, valid and long-lasting (whatever that means in this changing world) from what is spurious, inaccurate, ill-informed and transitory.

Once I am able to identify sites and forums of merit, such as TDB and HTF, I have no trouble putting up with advertisements. Anymore than I do with the New York Times, which I just happened to check their online edition for an article today and almost immediately got a popup ad.

The NYT, TDB and HTF are all free. And are all great resources.

Would that there were not popup ads, but free and good, is free and good.

A good thing.


Thanks to Bill, Ron and Parker and the mods for their efforts.

(I know that by now, this is a redundant post, but no one ever got too much love)

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I still fondly remember DVD Resource too. It got me started in this goofy hobby, lo these many years ago. I would be much richer in cash had I never found it, but since I did, I am much richer in the friends I have met through it indirectly.