Universal Vault Series - Amazon.com exclusive DVD-Rs - Page 8

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce 

I don't know. Netflix instant view service, which is available on a large number of DVD and blu-ray players, not to mention the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 couldn't be much simpler to use. The movie starts playing in about 5 to 8 seconds. Faster than most blu-rays load. Some TVs are now coming out with this service built into them so you don't even need a player. Blockbuster now has an instant view service too. The quality is remarkably good, particularly with the films in HD, and they have thousands of films available now. My guess is that optical media has about 5 years left before it is seriously on its way out.

At that point I think this kind of service will be the only way you can watch movies in the future. Soon I don't think you'll even be able to download a movie, it will be streaming only. Honestly I think owning a physical copy of a movie is on the way out, which is exactly what studios want.

Doug

 

Originally Posted by Point-Blank 

I don't know anyone who is actually looking forward to streaming as the new standard, I'm certainly not, but I do believe Doug's forecast seems quite prescient, whether we like it or not.

Originally Posted by montag 

I have a book called THE PICTORAL HISTORY OF THE TALKIES by Daniel Blum. Looking through it I found some titles I thought would be good for Universal's Vault series.  Some are early Paramounts that Universal may have the rights to. Assuming none of these end up preferably on pressed disc.  The titles are:ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MARY BURNS,FUGITIVE, THE JUNGLE PRINCESS, SING YOU SINNERS, THE BUCCANEER ('38),NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE, REAP THE WILD WIND, FLESH AND FANTASY, CHINA. DARK MIRROR,THE GREAT IMPOSTER, ROMANOFF AND JULIET, THE JOKERS and TOBRUK to name a few.

Originally Posted by ahollis 




Reap the Wild Wind is available on DVD from Universal now.  Amazon has several copies.
The Buccaneer is still owned by Paramount.  It was not sold to MCA since DeMille was interested in a remake.
All purists are hoping for a pressed discs of Island Of Lost Souls and North West Mounted Police.  We would more than likely rise in revolt on an announcement of a DVD-r on either of these films.

The rest of the list are all I would buy. Good suggestions.

PS- I have the book too and it is pure enjoyment.

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford 




Really, how do you speak for all "purists"?





Crawdaddy

 

Originally Posted by ahollis 




Your right I don't, I guess I speak for myself and a few friends. I would be disappointed if the two films showed up as DVD-r's and not pressed, though I am a full supporter of both Warners and Universal MOD's and have own many that I know I would not have if they were not MOD's.  I am not a fan of MGM's attempt.

Thanks for putting me straight and getting my nose out of the air. 
 

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford 




Hey, I want them on press discs too with some work done on the film elements, but at this time, it doesn't look good for those prospects.






Crawdaddy
 

Originally Posted by Gary OS 

     Quote:

I have to agree with this, unfortunately (like Walker, I'm not looking forward to it, but it seems inevitable).  A friend I know who is a Sony rep basically told me the same thing about streaming being the future just last month.  He also said he was surprised to see how well some streaming content looked coming thru a device attached to a large screen TV.  I would have thought anything of this nature would have looked pretty poor compared to Blu-ray, but from the anecdotal evidence I'm privy to that's not necessarily the case.  So yes, I think Doug's forecast is probably spot on correct.


Gary "I do think we'll have access to dvd and blu-ray players for at least another decade or so, but I'm not as sure we'll see films released in either format 10 years down the line" O.

Originally Posted by Van594 

I have my doubts., though they keep saying DVD/BlueRay sales are down they are still a very good revenue stream(pun may or may not be intended).  Look at all the people just on the forums who have large collections...with streaming only I know I for one will not be buying not even close to what I do now. The appeal just won't be there...unless they offer a download along with it so I can at least burn a copy then forget it. I'll just cut way down on what I see...fact is most people just collect and they sit on the shelf till they get around ot it if ever...well those sales are gone if they do streaming only...no time to watch everything we have so why would most buy a steaming look at a movie...who has the time to watch as many as we buy not to mention keeping up with watching new releases. Back catalog titles will wilt and die so why would the studios just let the revenue go...if they don't at least offer some sort of download then they are just plain stupid. 

From what I am reading they are doing pretty well with the burn on demand stuff so I don't think they will stop offering  that anytime soon...even with pressed, when WB says they make a 2 million dollar profit on the Esther Williams collection...Yes Esther Williams..I have to believe in some form there will be an avenue for collector's to still collect. They aren't that stupid.

Originally Posted by ahollis 




Reap the Wild Wind is available on DVD from Universal now.  Amazon has several copies.
The Buccaneer is still owned by Paramount.  It was not sold to MCA since DeMille was interested in a remake.
All purists are hoping for a pressed discs of Island Of Lost Souls and North West Mounted Police.  We would more than likely rise in revolt on an announcement of a DVD-r on either of these films.

The rest of the list are all I would buy. Good suggestions.

PS- I have the book too and it is pure enjoyment.

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce 




I don't really care what the delivery method is as long as the film is watchable. I would prefer some kind of clean up process, but with many of these film I'm not going to complain to much as long as I can watch them.

I'm not convenience that a pressed DVD is really all that much more durable than a DVD-R. I've had a fair number of pressed discs go bad on me.

Doug

 

Originally Posted by Nebiroth 

Streaming is great.

If you want to watch something once in crap quality that is.

Never mind "I'S WATCHIN' MOVIES ON MAH IPHONE, INNIT"

It's somewhat ironic that everyone seems to be looking forward to rushing into what is, in actuality, the archaic mode of delivery that was subscription cable TV movie channels, which VHS and then later DVD liberated us from.

The sole sifferences being, you choose when you watch rather than the broadcaster, and the content comes over the internet rather than broadcast.

Other than that it's exactly the same.

And equally rubbish for movie collectors.

 

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce 

I
Actually the MOD DVD-rs are exactly the same technology as home burned DVD-r. The only difference it they have the ability to do regular maintenance on their writing equipment which most people at home don't. I suspect that they also buy the highest quality blank discs, which if it is the case they should have a 100 year or more life span.

Doug
 

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce 

Yes. A DVD-R is a DVD-R. They are the same thing you can buy in the store and burn yourself. It just uses light from a laser to write to a dye that is in a layer of the disc. The only real difference it probably the robust build of an industrial burner.

Doug

Edit: Oh and of course the Archive and Vault discs have a screened label on them rather than something you might do in an inkjet printer.



 

Originally Posted by Nebiroth 

I don't know why you would assume that.

The MOD programs all have the hallmarks of minimum outlay. I have absolutely no doubt that these things are produced in a roomful of PC's each of which has seven or eight bog-standard DVD writer drives in it; the main difference between home burning and this is the scale, and they'll be using software that permits making many copies simultaneously across a network of many machines and drives rather than the one-to-one process you use at home (in much the same way that software can be used to clone an operating system disc across many machines in a network, rather than having to run the installer on all of them one at a time). We should also remember that in digital reproduction, you're just making a copy of the ones and zeroes so quality becomes less of an issue. Far less than it would in an analogue system.

It will all be off-the-shelf kit, for there is no reason for it not to be. The interview claims that "these aren't like home burnt DVD's" which is true considering the way they are made, but fundamentally they are no different.

DVD recorders are a different kettle of fish, because that starts to involve the authoring and encoding rather than simply reproduction and in those areas the WA is probably superior; the master copy will be better.

There is no reason to assume "top quality", any more than the studios used top-grade VHS tape - or indeed, top grade recorders for reproduction. It was basically a warehouse full of cheap VHS machines recording onto inexpensive tape!

The main difference between cheap and quality DVD media is the failure rate - of the initial write and also how long it remains readable.

There is one way to tell; start sticking WA DVD-R's into disc checkers that will give you the media code. From this you can tell the exact brand of the disc, the dye used and where it was made.

If they are top-quality they'll have good quality dyes like Taiyo Yuden, and they'll be made in Japan.

If of the shall we say less expensive variety they probably got churned out by CMC Magnetics.

Brand names are not always that informative, since many "quality brands" use quite cheap and nasty rebadged media.
 

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce 

Yes. A DVD-R is a DVD-R. They are the same thing you can buy in the store and burn yourself. It just uses light from a laser to write to a dye that is in a layer of the disc. The only real difference it probably the robust build of an industrial burner.

Doug

Edit: Oh and of course the Archive and Vault discs have a screened label on them rather than something you might do in an inkjet printer.