Home Theater Forum - View Single Post

Ockeghem · 04-16-2008, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Savelkoul

4/16/2008

An Open Letter to MPI Home Video:

Now that all of Dark Shadows is out (or nearly out) on DVD, I have a suggestion for a future release. Why not re-release the series on Blu-Ray Disc? This new high-definition disc can hold up to 50 gigabytes of information per disc, which is almost six times the capacity of a dual-layer DVD. Meaning you could fit many more episodes onto each disc.

Since Dark Shadows was shot on video and not film, there would be no reason to release a high-definition version of the product, as video tape resolution is 480 lines of resolution, with no original film source to go back to for a high-def transfer. Rather, your company could include the product in standard definition on the Blu-Ray discs. It’s just important to label it as such on the packaging (so consumers know they are getting a standard-def product).

Given the capacity of Blu-Ray, each year of the program could be contained on five or six Blu-Ray discs, with plenty of room for extras (which could be ported over from the existing DVD release). It would also save on a lot of shelf-space for the avid movie/television collector.

If you re-released the series, it could be structured like so:

Dark Shadows: Year One 1966-1967 Episodes 1- 245
Dark Shadows: Year Two 1967-1968 Episodes 246 - 490
Dark Shadows: Year Three 1968-1969 Episodes 491 - 735
Dark Shadows: Year Four 1969-1970 Episodes 736 - 980
Dark Shadows: Year Five 1970-1971 Episodes 981 -1225

I also think the hardcore fans have all bought the DVDs already and, should your company proceed with a re-release on Blu-Ray, it should be targeted at a more casual fan with a lower price point.

I, for example, would pay about $99.00 max for a season of Dark Shadows on Blu-Ray. You could set the price point at about $129 for each release and then Amazon and other retailers could apply their usual 30% discount or so, leaving you with a product that would sell-through to a market that fondly remembers the show but may not have thousands of dollars or the shelf-space for over 30 DVD releases. This is similar to the pricing strategy used by Paramount for their various Star Trek series.

Please take my suggestions outlined above seriously – I think it would be a good move for the company and *would* allow MPI to get much more additional product sold and into the hands of the consumer.

Thank you,

Matt Savelkoul
Casual Dark Shadows Fan

Matt,

That's not a bad idea.

I own the Dark Shadows Collector's Series (vols. 1-54) (VHS), the Original Series (vols. 1-200--yes, even vols. 1-8) (VHS), the Dark Shadows: The Beginning (vols. 1-6) (DVD), and am in the process of completing the Original Series (DVD) (vols. 1-26). I also own another three or four DVDs (Bloopers and Treasures, Reunion, Special Edition, etc.) that have been put out recently by MPI Home Video. I won't be purchasing anything beyond this, but if you or others want to do that, I think it's great.

I speak to representatives at MPI two or three times per month. They are always cordial and their service is excellent. (I even had mentioned in passing that I had a mixed set of DVD cases for the series, and they sent along every thinline case that I needed, complete with labels, in order for my DVD collection cases to be consistent.) Let me know if you want me to send along your letter to them, unless you're already on that.

BTW, since we're on the topic of Dark Shadows--

I received a nice letter from Kathryn Leigh Scott about a week ago. I had approached her about possibly taking on (publishing) a book I am working on at the present time, having nothing at all to do with Dark Shadows. Although she was very pleasant in her letter, she mentioned that Pomegranate Press is no longer publishing, and that they are trying to unload their backlog of titles. I wished her well. Sometimes, it's great to know that 'stars' will read your letters and get back to you!