Ominous signs for the tv on dvd/bluray market. (1 Viewer)

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Gary OS

Quote:



I see it the same way Jeff, and it's even more pronounced if we are talking b/w 50's and 60's shows. What's really crazy about the good fortune we've seen with Shout and Timeless continuing to churn out vintage shows is that even Brian Ward (producer at Shout) readily admits the classic dvd market is very slow right now. He said very little is moving, yet that company is able to keep up a pretty brisk pace of vintage TV releases. And we can thank Timeless for continuing to release oldies for two main reasons: 1) the deal they struck with Uni which has really opened the flood gates (or at least kept them open) and 2) the owner of Timeless is just flat out a huge westerns fan. Advocates in high places always, I repeat always, help tremendously!!


Getting back to the future of TV/DVD on BR - I don't see much of a future for older stuff. I'll change my tune when I start seeing releases of Perry Mason, Leave it to Beaver, Rawhide, and The Dick Van Dyke Show on BR. Better yet, if we start seeing some older classics that didn't have a standard DVD release come out on BR I'll really change my tune. If I see Our Miss Brooks or Bachelor Father released on BR then we'll be talking about something significant. But I'm not holding my breath.


But for Shout and Timeless, we'd be looking at exactly what some of us talked about last year at this time - a dearth of vintage TV on DVD. The large studios, even CBS/Paramount, really did slow down their classic releases in 2011 (some way before 2011). There's no denying that. But thankfully we had two independents step up to the plate this past year and really help us out. I shutter to think where vintage TV fans would be right now but for them.



Gary "not looking to BR to 'save' 50's/60's TV" O.

Dont forget the Warner Archive. They have started releasing some of their TV series on DVD. They have done an excellent job rekindling interest in the Hanna Barbera library.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

That's right, Warner have really shown the way to do it in the future and more studios should follow suit. But the pressed DVD's not dead yet and won't be for a long time, so people are really being way too pessimistic for the format. It's okay to worry about classic TV on the format, but even that won't die for a good while, even from the majors. I just don't understand the studios' reluctance for vintage shows on BR, the format ensures whole series (in general) would fit a single disc. Anyway, fans at large of these shows aren't going away, no matter how much we collectors and nerds predict the end of the world here. If the market is there so will the product be, one way of the other. We just don't know how exactly in the long run, and I'm not saying there won't be any streaming business happening eventually but I am saying it won't be a very popular means as jcroy suggested. People still want something to own, not merely loan.

 

[younger1968]

Hi all, I would love to see the studios move to Warner Brothers' archive it would allow me opportunity to purchase shows that may never see the light day as a pressed released dvd. I have some odd ball shows that i like to see released. 1. Serpico 2. O'Hara Treasury Agent 3. Sierra 4. Sarge 5. Operation Petticoat 6. Delvecchio 7. Carter Country 8. The Ropers 9. Three's a Crowd 10. Hooperman 11. Get a life 12. George Carlin Show 13. Petrocelli 14. The Man Hunter 15. Harry O 16. Kodiak 17. Temperatures Rising 18. Owen Marshall, counselor at law 19. Banyon 20. Moving on I welcome other people thoughts.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

At times I wonder whether popular shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc ... actually make more revenue from off-network syndication (ie. reruns on Spike, AETV, etc ...), than from selling season dvd sets. (We have no way of knowing for sure, whether this is the case). In my little corner of the world, most of the people I know offline who regularly watch shows like CSI and/or Law & Order, have no interest in buying the season dvd sets of either show. They usually just watch the CSI reruns on Spike and AETV, almost every day. Personally I only know one person (out of a sample size of around 30 or so friends who regularly watch CSI), who has actually bought any of the season dvd sets of CSI.

Oh, I completely understand and I'm almost 100% sure that syndication makes the studio a lot more money than home video, especially when both are happening at the same time. In my case, I started buying the Scrubs sets as they came out. Then, after about season 4, the episodes hit daily sydication on multiple channels across my satellite package and now, I've never had the urge to complete the collection. The reruns have saturated the airwaves to the point that I don't see the need to buy the rest of them. And I really like the show, too. I've about reached the same point with Big Bang Theory. Bought all three of the season sets before syndication happened. Now that it's rerun twice (or more) daily, I see no reason to buy season 4 until it hits bargain-basement prices.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I just don't understand the studios' reluctance for vintage shows on BR, the format ensures whole series (in general) would fit a single disc. Anyway, fans at large of these shows aren't going away, no matter how much we collectors and nerds predict the end of the world here. If the market is there so will the product be, one way of the other. We just don't know how exactly in the long run, and I'm not saying there won't be any streaming business happening eventually but I am saying it won't be a very popular means as jcroy suggested. People still want something to own, not merely loan.

I suspect it's a combination of factors: 1. probably don't want to pony up the dough to do a proper remaster from the original elements for what is seen as not much in the way of return on investment (i.e. probably won't make all their money back--let alone a profit--and the prospects of HD syndication of old shows--especially black and white ones--are almost non-existent). Shows like Star Trek and Twilight Zone are the rare exceptions where they'll take the gamble because of the built-in fan base who have bought the shows on all the previous formats (tape, laser, DVD). 2. the perception (probably a lot of truth in it) that the "old folks" who would buy these probably wouldn't shell out the extra bucks for a blu-ray and would prefer cheaper DVDs (and may not even own a BR player. Heck, my 65-year-old-mom would prefer to buy new titles on VHS).

 

[jcroy]

Oh, I completely understand and I'm almost 100% sure that syndication makes the studio a lot more money than home video, especially when both are happening at the same time.

Here's an article with some unofficial quote figures for off-network syndication of "The Mentalist" on TNT, back in 2009. http://www.tvguide.com/News/TNT-Mentalist-Syndication-1011739.aspx Purportedly, they were paying around $2.2 million or $2.3 million per episode.

 

[Duane Alford]

Hi all, I would love to see the studios move to Warner Brothers' archive it would allow me opportunity to purchase shows that may never see the light day as a pressed released dvd. I have some odd ball shows that i like to see released. 1. Serpico 2. O'Hara Treasury Agent 3. Sierra 4. Sarge 5. Operation Petticoat 6. Delvecchio 7. Carter Country 8. The Ropers 9. Three's a Crowd 10. Hooperman 11. Get a life 12. George Carlin Show 13. Petrocelli 14. The Man Hunter 15. Harry O 16. Kodiak 17. Temperatures Rising 18. Owen Marshall, counselor at law 19. Banyon 20. Moving on I welcome other people thoughts.

There's a big demand for Get A Life, I never really watched it though. The George Carlin Show is one I've wanted, could be done in a complete series set.

 

[Duane Alford]

One sign for me is I don't see myself buying TV on DVD after next year. In January I'll be picking up the last seasons of Dennis The Menace, Hawaii Five-O, and Sliders, and the complete series set of Pacific Blue. That leaves 25 shows I want that are unreleased and I don't see any of them getting released. I have 7 shows with releases not finished. Adam 12 will be done next year and so will Mister Ed. The other 5, all abandoned!

 

[nostalgic TV guy]

Outside of the upcoming DVD of "My Living Doll" in 2012, I don't have plans to buy anything elsenext year, at least of anything that's been announced so far. The 15 or so shows I would still buy have very little or no chance at all of being released. I'm sorry that the MOD output of Warner, MGM, etc. has flatlined since I had a little hope that we would at least see some things on that format that had zero chance of being on pressed DVD.

 

[Richard V]

I'll be in next year for the Next Season Sets of Laramie, ),Route 66 (hopefully), Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Here Come the Brides, practically anything that TMG releases. I don't see the death of DVD, and especially Bluray, for the near future

 

[younger1968]

i am in the same boat with many of you have over 73 completed shows now and there are some titles of like to see complete/released that probably will never happen. I am content after next year to just live with what i have in my collection. I have more and than enough dvds to spike my interest, especially when i only watch about 2 hrs of tv a night. I am busy doing other things and sitting on couch veggie is not something i can do for more than hour or so. I was active as a kid and continue that pace into my adult years.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I'm grateful for Warner Archive , Shout and Timeless Media for keeping 50's-70's TV releases alive. I do wish the quality of Timeless Western releases could be of consistant good quality like the Warner Archive releases but I understand they cannot afford to restore and remaster like larger studios can and can only release what they are provided. Sometimes something is better than nothing but after excellent quality releases like Gunsmoke and Cheyenne its easy to get spoiled.