Hollywood Reporter on the possible resurrection of blu ray and DVD (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/b...7201981dc9293499dab478de71f49d39a764448be70a3

 

[JamesSmith]

Well, I hope it's true. What I want? What I really, really want are more never before released tv shows, specials and films out on DVD. Shows never available before on any medium. TV shows like the Farmer's Daughter, Twelve O' Clock High, etc. Children's specials like the early seventies The Enormous Egg and Papa and Me. Criterion doing one of their editions for Richard William's A Christmas Carol with various commentaries.

More obscure titles please.

--jthree

 

[Robert Crawford]

More like wishful thinking! If the studios are cutting costs by reducing the number of titles available to streaming, why would they expand disc releases which are more expensive to produce and release?

 

[Bernard McNair]

I would love to see DVDs make a strong comeback but I don't think it will happen via the major studios. Many of us are grateful for the efforts of Kino, Mill Creek, and others to assist those who love catalog titles. (IMHO Kino is remarkable in terms of volume and quality of output). Hopefully, more major studios will lease titles to those physical media companies who want to publish titles. That may be one way the DVD/Blu-Ray market can build again.

 

[Robert Harris]

I would love to see DVDs make a strong comeback but I don't think it will happen via the major studios. Many of us are grateful for the efforts of Kino, Mill Creek, and others to assist those who love catalog titles. (IMHO Kino is remarkable in terms of volume and quality of output). Hopefully, more major studios will lease titles to those physical media companies who want to publish titles. That may be one way the DVD/Blu-Ray market can build again.

Who will cover scanning, clean-up and color costs?

 

[willyTass]

does kino do compression / colour correction in house ?

 

[Kevin Antonio (Kev)]

I can see physical media having a brief surge especially with the rising cost of streaming, but wanting obscure titles or shows over 40 and 50 years old is a stretch. I would be fine if studios simply released some shows or movies in whatever condition they are in, because some things deserve to simply be seen and don't have to be perfect.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I'll believe it when Disney release their live action films and those from their Fox library.

 

[Robin9]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/b...7201981dc9293499dab478de71f49d39a764448be70a3

Thank you for that link. As I don't stream, I'm ignorant about this statement:

When Netflix launched its streaming business, you could find everything you wanted, from every era of film and TV, available at all times. Everyone else followed that strategy — but now things are changing again.

Was that ever true? Could you find on Network obscure movies from the 1930s and 40s?

 

[titch]

"This year has been a melancholic one for collectors of physical media".

Um, let's see....I've purchased 171 blu-ray and 4K UHD titles (including box sets) so far this year and have another 34 on my "want" list of forthcoming releases before the end of 2023. I built new shelves last year for my library and - again - I will soon have to build some more.

I don't think anyone who knows me would say that I have been melancholic about the current physical home media situation.

This is written by someone, who hasn't the faintest idea of who a collector of physical media is. The day The Criterion Collection or Arrow Video pack it in, we can say that the end of physical media is in sight.

It's fun going back to read doom and gloom posts from seven years ago on this forum:

Personally, I think 4K Blu-ray is going to be another bust

So far, I am coming to the conclusion that 4K Blu is going to be another failure like 3D was and for much of the same reason. The reason being these studios are completely out of touch with reality on pricing. The studios are repeating the same mistake that they did with 3D Blu releases. They...

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[YANG]

well kudos to the software... how about the hardware?
only when we see new hardware then, the news will be legit-ly... with hopes of lights.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

More like wishful thinking! If the studios are cutting costs by reducing the number of titles available to streaming, why would they expand disc releases which are more expensive to produce and release?

I am with you on this.

Listen, I hope that there is a resurgence in physical media. However, it does sound like wishful thinking.

Right now it seems like we are in a state of uncertainty. For the past few years, there has been an emphasis put on streaming services and digital content.

Only as of late, have we seen Disney either announce or release a couple of titles to 4k (Cinderella, Snow White, Aliens, True Lies, The Abyss), but it kind of seems like they are throwing stuff out in hopes it sticks to the wall.

Looking in my own immediate circle outside of my own bubble, I don't see any friends or relatives interested in physical media. Their entertainment lives are devoted to streaming content.

Personally, I have no more space for physical media and despite the fact I think it's the best way to view a film, I am still happy to support digital delivery simply because it's simpler, almost comparable, and it saves shelf space in my home.

That being said, streaming is far from perfect. Every single day I read complaints about non-unification as far as where you can buy and store one studio title vs. another. There are also complaints about titles being listed as being in 4k one day and then HD the next.

Granted, I am not as heavily invested in digital as many of you are, but as an outsider looking in, it seems like the industry needs to get its shit together if they want customers to feel more confident in embracing the future of digital delivery.

I think the writing has been on the wall. It's more expensive for the studios to produce and replicate discs than digital delivery. It seems to be the direction they want to go. And this wouldn't be the case if physical media was doing well for them which apparently it is not given how many retailers have given up shelf space for it.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Good discussion with Bill Hunt and Midnight's Edge about the state of physical media.

 

[Chip_HT]

Granted, I am not as heavily invested in digital as many of you are, but as an outsider looking in, it seems like the industry needs to get its shit together if they want customers to feel more confident in embracing the future of digital delivery.

Movies Anywhere is a start, but the studios and stores need to work together to create a digital landscape similar to the physical one. With physical media, I don't care what studio puts out a movie or what store I get it from, because it all goes on my shelf.

 

[Capt D McMars]

I can see physical media having a brief surge especially with the rising cost of streaming, but wanting obscure titles or shows over 40 and 50 years old is a stretch. I would be fine if studios simply released some shows or movies in whatever condition they are in, because some things deserve to simply be seen and don't have to be perfect.

In this arena is where I see these Boutique lables picking up the studios slack. If it hadn't been for Olive, I don't think titles like Jack Lemon's "How to Murder your Wife" or Yul Brynner's "The Buccaneer"might not have seen the light of day!!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Movies Anywhere is a start, but the studios and stores need to work together to create a digital landscape similar to the physical one. With physical media, I don't care what studio puts out a movie or what store I get it from, because it all goes on my shelf.

That's certainly the advantage of physical media.

As far as digital is concerned, I feel like its just another format war where one distributor hopes to dominate the market over another.

I don't buy anything from VUDU. Sure, it's just as easy opening up the VUDU app to access films I buy, but I would rather have everything under one single umbrella and so far, iTunes/Movies Anywhere has the biggest advantage. In addition, I enjoy the auto 4k upgrades from my HD purchases.

In this arena is where I see these Boutique lables picking up the studios slack. If it hadn't been for Olive, I don't think titles like Jack Lemon's "How to Murder your Wife" or Yul Brynner's "The Buccaneer"might not have seen the light of day!!

Boutique labels will continue to thrive.

Right now, based on all the titles announced in Q4 this year, I don't see any slowdown from the studios. One would think 4k and Blu-ray physical media are thriving.

It's a head-scratcher when you see all these titles being announced but stores are pulling back on inventory.

I don't quite understand it, but I still believe that we are going to continue to see a huge shift toward digital delivery by the studios. If there's a resurgence in physical media offerings, I am going out on a limb to say it will be brief. I think there's a lot of testing of the waters going on at the moment.

 

[BobO'Link]

Thank you for that link. As I don't stream, I'm ignorant about this statement:

When Netflix launched its streaming business, you could find everything you wanted, from every era of film and TV, available at all times. Everyone else followed that strategy — but now things are changing again.

Was that ever true? Could you find on Network obscure movies from the 1930s and 40s?

Not from what I saw when visiting my son (who dumped his physical library and had Netflix early on). I generally prefer the early eras of movies and TV. Netflix had very, very, few tiles, from the early eras, focusing mainly on the more high profile titles from the past 20-30 years. During one Christmas visit I couldn't even find any of the more popular 50s Christmas Classics and only 2 or 3 1960s TV series I like.

When NetFlix first launched video streaming they had ~1000 titles, then licensed Starz product, dropped that (when Starz declined to renew as it cost them more than they earned on the deal), and then started individual deals with various studios. I've checked what they have to offer just about every year for the past 15 or so years and they've never had enough older content for my taste, much less "obscure" titles.

 

[Capt D McMars]

That's certainly the advantage of physical media.

As far as digital is concerned, I feel like its just another format war where one distributor hopes to dominate the market over another.

I don't buy anything from VUDU. Sure, it's just as easy opening up the VUDU app to access films I buy, but I would rather have everything under one single umbrella and so far, iTunes/Movies Anywhere has the biggest advantage. In addition, I enjoy the auto 4k upgrades from my HD purchases.



Boutique labels will continue to thrive.

Right now, based on all the titles announced in Q4 this year, I don't see any slowdown from the studios. One would think 4k and Blu-ray physical media are thriving.

It's a head-scratcher when you see all these titles being announced but stores are pulling back on inventory.

I don't quite understand it, but I still believe that we are going to continue to see a huge shift toward digital delivery by the studios. If there's a resurgence in physical media offerings, I am going out on a limb to say it will be brief. I think there's a lot of testing of the waters going on at the moment.

Agreed Ron, but whatever the factors are that will continue to offer a flow of titles to those wishing for a disc format over streaming format is my happy place. I say, "Test away".

Listening to Mr George F in the recent Extras episode, continues to show me that there is a market for these titles in various formats, inabling all to aquire the movies and shows that we love, in the formats that we love...

 

[Robin9]

Not from what I saw when visiting my son (who dumped his physical library and had Netflix early on). I generally prefer the early eras of movies and TV. Netflix had very, very, few tiles, from the early eras, focusing mainly on the more high profile titles from the past 20-30 years. During one Christmas visit I couldn't even find any of the more popular 50s Christmas Classics and only 2 or 3 1960s TV series I like.

When NetFlix first launched video streaming they had ~1000 titles, then licensed Starz product, dropped that (when Starz declined to renew as it cost them more than they earned on the deal), and then started individual deals with various studios. I've checked what they have to offer just about every year for the past 15 or so years and they've never had enough older content for my taste, much less "obscure" titles.

Thank you. If streaming doesn't provide access to rare and old movies, it's not much use to me.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

There was a lot of old and obscure stuff on Netflix when they started.