DVD's Have they Lost their Luster? (1 Viewer)

[Jack Shappa]

[homer]Mmmmm... Doritos.... *drool*...[/homer]

- Cryo

I just got back from a 9-day vacation and really missed my HT... I just love movies, and almost never watch the extras... I'm not burned out after a year with my HT, and enjoyed going to the movies a lot before then so I don't anticipate suddenly losing interest as long as there are films I haven't seen...

 

[Walter Kittel]

My sympathies to those of you who feel that DVD has lost its luster.

With all of the great catalog releases of the last few years, including some of the big holdouts finally hitting the format, the incredible Warner Bros. SEs, the Fox classic lineup, Universal finally releasing some older catalog titles, the upcoming Marx Bros. set, the upcoming film noir series from Fox, reference quality transfers on many new releases, region free players and world cinema, etc., etc. this is a great time to be a film lover. More titles, better presentations - yeah life is tough.

I love DVD!

- Walter.

 

[Heinz W]

Good points Walter. DVD is still undeniably the best thing to happen to home video since the VCR.

I too buy fewer DVDs than I did say 2-5 years ago but that's because I have many of the catalog titles I want, and I may buy 3-5 new titles a year now. Like many others, now that HD-DVD is only a few years away, I am less willing to buy the DVD unless it's a must have title.

It's apparent that DVD is becoming the new "VHS" (or the common, popular format) and the forthcoming hi-def format will be the new "laserdisc" (or niche format), at least for awhile. Folks like us will be the early adopters, and the public at large will be content with DVDs for several more years. In three years we'll all be back to an era like the early days of DVD where every new release is a big deal. I personally can't wait. Hopefully this HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will be the last format we need, but somehow I doubt it!

 

[Michael Elliott]

Am I the only one who thinks HD-DVD won't take off many MANY years?

 

[ChrisKe]

Michael - you're not the only one.

Maybe when large screens become the norm then the masses will start to clamor for something better than SD-DVD. My opinion? SD-DVD will become like the CD - something that the content producers would love to get rid of but that the consumer insists on keeping going...

(To keep this post on-topic, I don't believe DVD has lost its luster, I intend to stick with SD for the next 4 to 5 years and hope to crack the 1000 title mark in that time - currently at 480 titles!)

 

[Todd Robertson]

I think some of us allow the thrill to be faded. just because you can run into the local Jerk'n Squirt and grab a gallon of milk and a dvd...does not mean it's gone to hell in a bucket. it may be all over the place...but it's still an individuals library that matters. it's all that matters.

I'm at an all-time high right now, as far as weekly additions to the library. I average 7 to 10 dvds a week, including imports. I'm sitting at 1,500 titles now and will top off at around 2,000...except for new releases.

there is a ton of life left in dvd...even after it's dead. I will not be replacing every title on the next format. I'll be buying selected titles only...but will look forward to buying them. my current copies of The Blood Drinkers and She-Devils On Wheels will be well preserved for many, many years on dvd. no need to upgrade those to a better format, if they would even ever make it to a new format .

 

[Francois Caron]

Also, the 5" disc format will still be used in whatever high definition platform will be made available later on, and will most likely be reverse-compatible with all previous technologies. We won't be left stranded without a player that can play the "old" stuff as was the case with Laserdiscs. Once that format died, no more players were made for it.

 

[Rob Lutter]

I'll still be buying around 100+ anime titles this year... so DVDs haven't lost their luster for me!

I could see how if you just buy regular DVDs they could though. Anime still has Limited Edition boxes, soundtracks, plushies, cards, pencilboards, hats, and t-shirts bundled in with many editions that make it more fun to open than a regular disc. Plus *gasp* they still have inserts!

< BLATANT SARCASM >
Everyone here just needs to stop buying regular films and buy anime... thats the answer you're all looking for. Problem solved

*scurries back to the HTF Anime Discussion thread*

 

[Rob Lutter]

I also think a lot of it has to do with LDs weighing more. Carrying a 20-lb LD-box with 10 discs, a soundtrack, a book, and a cool box that cost you $300 out of a store just feels much cooler than carrying a mini-sized DVD-box that cost you 20% as much. The price also makes it viable to buy more DVDs, which means that the novelty value goes down.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I feel the same way as the thread starter and I've not also stopped collecting, but am selling off the vast majority of my collection. This is compounded by the following factors:

1. Music is my primary hobby and non-work or human love. For financial and storage reasons I've decided to allow myself one hobby that involves collecting and choosing music was easy because I love it the most and it has the most re-use value. Unlike a film or a book, I can and will listen to a CD many, many times.

2. The Netflix factor. With 5 DVDs out at one time, I always have something to watch. I was curious to see all the films in the Criterion collection and buying them meant I could only see one or two a month. Now it's twice that many per week, in addition to expensive TV sets I can rent and spend the $50-$100 per set to buy. Netflix is, right now, allowing me to see Battlestar Galactica (watching to get the geek references), catch up with Farscape, plough through the Criterion collection, and take out films for people in family that they want to watch.
Before, I was spending around $100-$200 per month on DVDs. Now it's only $30. Those savings go to pay off debt and/or my CD collection, which hasn't lost its luster to me.

I'm keeping only some music titles on DVD, Babylon 5, Lord of the Rings, Monty Python, and Mullholland Drive (that movie totally infested my brain and I can't part with it for some reason).

 

[stewart borland]

The only bit of the format which I guess now switches me off are the extra's, yet at the beginning (Dec '99 for me) I loved them and watched everything, on every disc.

I just watched the final Matrix disc on Wednesday, enjoyed the film and then 'forced' myself to pop in disc two for the extras. Found myself fast forwarding through a lot of it, and finally just packed it in altogether.

Maybe that's not the best example because I've seen pretty similar stuff on the previous 2 discs but extras are definately not so 'shiny' for me :frowning:

 

[MarkHastings]

That's true too. Many of my more 'Prized" DVD's have lifted my spirits, but some of the lesser valued movies don't do too much for me as far as extra content goes. A lot of the documentaries start sounding the same and all I hear is "Blah, blah, blah, blah" after a while.

Here's another point. Ever since I've gotten to the point where I've bought everything I want on DVD (i.e. I only buy newly released DVD's), it seems like I was buying movies just because they were new. My craving to buy more DVD's was so strong that I would buy anything that sounded interesting. This definitely made my enjoyment fall significantly. This is what I meant by the format getting "diluted". I had too many discs to watch, and I'd found that once I got the movies on my shelf, there were some that I had no real interest in watching because the 'newness' had worn off and they were now movies that I realized I don't care if I watch them or not. So there have been a few movies that I watch and feel like I'm watching them because I have to...

Now, I try hard to buy only the movie I know I'm going to watch because I want to and not because it's new. Yes, I fell into the DVD abyss, but I'm slowly pulling myself out of it. Kind of like credit card debt. I was in over my head, with nothing to show for it.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Mike I'm starting to Rediscover my CD Collection as Well. I dj'd for about 15years and had amassed quite a CD Collection, but I really never listened to them other than the ones I played at my Gigs. I've retired from DJ'ing so Now I'm setting up a music server to Distribute my CD Collection via Lossless WMA. Ripping the disks I'm listening to stuff I had'nt heard in Years and am really enjoing it. I guess time is being taken up by other things besides movies... gaming..music etc

 

[Paul.S]

Dave (et al.):

Thanks for your candor, Dave. I can relate to much of what you're saying, and I'd distill my issues down to two broad categories, one personal and the other commercial: time and the behavior of the studios.

After carving 50+ hours out of the week for work, commuting (and my commute is mild compared to many Angelenos I know), working out three weeknights and Sat. and Sun. afternoon, plus the time needed for Saturday afternoon errands (all the things there's little/no time for during the week like grocery shopping, going to the dry cleaners, etc.), there's not a whole helluva lotta time left. I like to go out with friends for dinner and to see a movie on Fri. or Sat. night. Sunday evenings I try to spend some quiet time reading, preferably books and catching up on the h.t. mags I subscribe to which still can present some information (i.e., write ups of conferences and test bench-inclusive reviews of equipment) better than most other sources.

So on a weekly basis there's maybe a window of time on Fri. or Sat. evening for watching DVDs. And by the time that narrow window rolls around--preferably Sat. night--when I hopefully am both not tired from the work week and don't have to wake up early the next morning, I want what I call "The Calgon Factor." I'm sure some remember the TV ads showing the stressed out working woman surrounded by a rising cacophony of annoyances and demands on her time (kids, work, phones, etc.). Finally she exclaims, "Calgon take me away!" Anywho, it's a bath product and I'm using it as a metaphor for my desire to experience something transportive when I sit down with time to myself in recent years. I have become less interested in the somewhat academic exercise of listening to even a very interesting commentary or watching a production documentary and more interested in experiencing a hopefully damn fine movie for the first time. So I find myself much less voracious when it comes to DVD supps these days compared to, say, in 1998.

Perhaps the biggest factor in the cooling of my ardor for DVD has been the frustrating missed opportunities, delays, "WTFs?!" and sometimes just asinine choices by the studios in connection with their DVD releases. There are plenty of examples and many of us have our favorite axes to grind/crosses to bear. But the bottom line for me is that it has simply taken way too long for too many titles to get the kind of treatment that they deserve.

Of course I'm happy about the anamorphic remasters coming this year alone of titles such as The Thing and Born On the Fourth Of July. If Di$ney would kindly re-announce (a) new street date(s), I'll be excited about the anamorphic remasters of Crimson Tide and Enemy Of the State. But why has it taken so long for Par to do an SE of Top Gun, the movie which invented sell through? Why no SE of Braveheart? Where's an anamorphic Abyss? Already mentioned in this thread, don't even get me started on Titanic. Some of these titles are being help up for strategic reasons, not because of rights clearance issues. If you pay attention to R2, it's obvious that 'games' are being played WRT to what gets released to what market. I could go on and on but many of these titles should have been released properly while the iron was hottest and DVD was exploding in about 2001. Many industry analysts are forecasting the leveling off of the (standard def) DVD market in the next two years or so.

I've got over 70 titles on my Wish List but another significant reason I've slowed down my buying is my having fairly closely watched the development of hi def DVD formats in recent times. Today's announcement by Tosh/NEC of HD-DVD being in stores by early next year makes me wonder if both some of the less popular (MGM's Reckless with Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn anyone?) and some of the fairly significant/high-grossing films I'd like to see released/released anamorphic won't ever see the light of SD-DVD.

-p

 

[Keith Paynter]

It's come to the point that while the great catalogue titles are being mined, the big problem now is that there is just so much of it being pushed now. The $5.00 Wal-Mart bin has added insult to injury - so much over-pressed inventory that it has to be cleared out.

To a collector, the phrase "Fullscreen Collector's Edition" is a contradiction in terms (like "hamburger steak", "military intelligence" and "happily married" ). So many special features are superfluous one-offs (mini-docs that might be watchable once), and we've even come to the point of saying "commentary x" is boring.

It's no different than the evolution of the compact disc. It was new and exciting once, now it's just product. It's just a matter of how much we're (often) willing to pay for it (Crossroads $32 CDN, and no useful bonus features, just a promo for an upcoming film and a special edition trailer for Silverado - boy those get old fast. Mind you this is Columbia Home Video we're talking about).

 

[MarkHastings]

Super - Bit.

 

[Scotty_McW]

It's been almost six years now since I bought my first player and movie on DVD. The only aspect of the format that has lost its luster for me are the extras. Every once in a while I'll watch them on titles I'm particularly interested in. For the most part, however, I'm just interested in the film having the best audio and video presntation possible.

At this point in my life and career, I'm at a point where I can purchase more movies than I ever could before. Right now, this is the high point for me. In the early days, almost every purchase had to be justified for me; whether by the amount of extras or if I really loved the film. Now, if it's a film I want, I can just buy it.

For me, DVD has not lost any luster. I try to watch one movie a night. Wheter it's something new from Netflix, or an old friend I'm revisiting for the first time in a few years. Any way you slice it, for film fans, there has never been anything as good as DVD.

 

[Jonathan_Clarke]

For me it's not that the medium has become boring or that the extras are repetitive.

It's that I have what I need.

In 1998 when studios were just starting to roll out titles I would dream of my favorite movies actually being released on dvd.

Now they have. Honestly, there's not a lot of titles that haven't been released anymore. And how many new movies a year will I want to buy? 2? 3? I try not buy any movie I won't consider classic or important to me personally.

My buying is up but I'm getting less movies. it's all tv lately and most of it is further seasons of series I've already started. But I don't mind because I've got a full collection. And next month when I buy my first plasma screen, it will give me an excuse to watch everything all over again!

 

[Jean D]

I feel like DVD is not progressing any. Most dvd releases now have too much crap on them. not to mention they do this in hopes of the masses double dipping. why release a title once, when you can sell it twice? I prefer to rent dvd's now, unless its one of those titles I must own like Fight Club or Clerks X. For the most part I rent because its cheaper, my shelves dont have enough room as is. Even cheaper than that is borrowing title's from a freind, cause we all know people who spend lots of $ on dvd's. Hell, I didnt buy any soprano's sets and I saved enough money for This . But my friend however bought those Sopranos and I can borrow them whenever I want to watch them. Part of my reasoning for that in particular is the overpricing of it all. But to each his own. Thats where I stand on this issue.

Side note: I rarely go to the movies anymore either. I wait for the dvd to come out. 6 months average now, no lines for tickets, no annoying people getting pepper sprayed, and its more comfortable and looks better at my house, I can pause for bathroom breaks, and $4.00 rental fee is cheaper than an movie ticket. The movie industry has lost its luster.

 

[Tim_C]

I love this quote.

Being a pretty new DVD collector, I haven't really suffered this "burnout" yet.

Sometimes I buy a movie just for the sake of having the "best ever collection." Right now I'm trying to get every Best Picture winner out there, even though several of the movies I've ended up buying were ones I was pretty confident I wouldn't ever watch more than once ("The Greatest Show on Earth.") Of course, tastes do change, the movie I hate today could be the one I'm dying to re-watch tomorrow, so I like having a wide variety of DVDs in my collection. Sometimes I really want to watch a musical, and I have a few, other times I may really want to watch a stupid action flick, and I do have (some.)

If I ever did run out of money, I think I have enough DVDs now to last me a long, long time. I still haven't watched some of them once, and some of my favorites I feel I could watch any number of times without getting tired of them ("Vertigo," "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, "2001: A Space Odyssey",) not to mention some of the discs with lots of great extras.

I like the fact that so many people nowadays own DVD players and DVDs. Just the other day I was able to borrow one of my friends' copy of the 2-disc "The Bridge on the River Kwai," (a movie I loved and am looking forward to buying) and after I first read the "Harry Potter" series a year or so ago I borrowed the first two DVDs from another friend.

I'm not worried about HD-DVD either. I have a 27" TV in my room and a 56" or 57" downstairs (they're both hooked up to two speakers) and the difference in picture and sound quality between VHS and DVD was very noticeable on both of those (especially the larger one.) With HD-DVD I don't think the picture and sound quality will be improved enough on our (relatively small) screens. By the time I graduate from college and (hopefully) get a well-paying job I plan on getting a nice home theater system - but that's pretty far in the future. At that time I'll probably get an HD-DVD player (or whatever the format happens to be at the time,) but I think I'll only replace the movies that will truly benefit from it. I don't really believe that a high-definition version of "It's a Wonderful Life" will look much better than it does already on DVD.

I don't mind the animated menus or anything like that. The only thing I hate is having to double-dip. I always wanted the highest quality version of a film possible for my collection. I for one like good commentaries and interesting documentaries (and especially) theatrical trailers on my disc. Good extras can, in my mind, enhance a movie, if it helps me understand it more or appreciate it more. If a special edition is said to have pretty boring extras and little upgrades to the sound and picture quality of the film I can usually pass it up. But if a film I like, even if I already own it (or sometimes a film I don't like) gets a really good, extra-special release (like the "Alien Quadrilogy") I really want it. I think great extras can be good for "reference and research."

In some cases, like "Kill Bill," I'm not even sure which edition I'm ever going to buy (if any.) I like getting "The Lord of the Rings" Extended Editions and the Warner Brothers 2-discs, Fox's Studio Classics line, and most Criterions, because I can be pretty confident those will be the best versions of those films we ever have available (on DVD.)

I still come to a few movie sites every day, hoping for one of my favorite movies to be announced as a special edition or, in a few cases, to be released on DVD at all. I'm still anxiously awaiting "The Crowd" and "Wings" and "Pickpocket" and "The African Queen" and "King Kong" and "Bringing Up Baby" and many others to be released on DVD. I'm personally excited to see the results of the Warner Brothers' poll (aren't the results supposed to be announced this month?) Though I've never seen it, I'm hoping for a release of "Greed" because I've heard how great it is and would love to see a two-sided disc (or something like that) release with both versions of the film. It's stuff like that I love having in my collection.