CBS Video old packaging vs new packaging (1 Viewer)

[chadHobbick]

So is it cheaper for CBS video to put dvd-series in the new snapper-keepcase design instead of the cardboard case that we are used to? I only ask b/c I went to pick up Cheers season 9 today and it was in that clear case that contains all four-discs in the one keepercase. I don't mind them doing this w/new series coming out on dvd, but it totally throws off my display of the Cheers set. I saw from the reports that the packaging showed this, but figured that was just the promotional image, and they would make it match the previous 7 releases. Why couldn't they have kept the original design for the series that started out this way, for me Gomer Pyle and Cheers are the two that this affects me. It must be a money standpoint, but for collectors it throws it all off.

 

[Shawn_Sm]

It's actually 5 discs. I'm puzzled as to why they would add a disc and downgrade the packaging at the same time. I guess some would say that IS why they downgraded the packaging, but they had no problem putting 26 episodes on 4 discs before.
Anyway, I too am sick of the crappy packaging and ugly generic disc "art" that is the same for every series.

 

[Corey3rd]

The grey generic disc art supposedly has a lower breakage rate than 4 color art discs.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

You know what it is? It saves the studio on production costs for the DVD sets but without passing those savings onto the consumer.

 

[TravisR]

How much do you think they save on each package? I really doubt it's even a nickel so there's no way to pass on a savings to the consumer.

 

[Corey3rd]

Why should a studio ever pass the savings on to the consumer? Go down to the movie theater. Whether a film's budget was $100 million or $10 million, you have to pay the same 10 bucks. You pay $10 to see a 3 hour film or an 80 minute film. If you watch a movie that's being projected from a video source, you're not saving any cash from the studio not paying $3,000 to strike and ship a 35mm print. Nobody is giving you a cut rate at the Cineplex. Why do you expect the studios to turn on the charity when it comes to DVDs?

With this Cheers set, you're getting 5 DVDs for $30 - $6 a DVD. How cheap do you want it? If you want it cheaper, just watch it on TV. You want to "profit" from these DVDs, buy stock in the company.

Reasons I've heard for Paramount embracing the single box with the pages is that they can be stocked easier at WalMart. Plus consumers somehow don't feel hesitant about investing in a boxset when it's "normal" size.

 

[chadHobbick]

Well then they need to pull a Simpsons and let us die hard fans getting the regular packaging by sending away for it or something. The only way we will get a cohesive look is by buying the compelete series when it comes out in a few years, and of course we already know how it will be cheaper than the fans who shelled out the $30 to $40 for the initial releases thereby making a complete series possible.

 

[Ockeghem]

Yes, I believe it must have to do with money as well. I doubt very much that the consumers' best interest is at heart.

Incidentally, off the top of my head I can think of a few series I own that are affected by inconsistent (albeit not precisely what you describe above) packaging. Some of these include The A-Team, Charmed, Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C., Knight Rider, and 7th Heaven. And Walker, Texas Ranger, although keeping its packaging somewhat consistent, needs a continuity person to check the labeling of their items much more carefully. The spines are atrociously inconsistent, but I can live with that.

 

[Mark Talmadge]

It all comes down to the bottom line. Why do you think that studios still continue to use double sided DVD's in their sets? ON a six disk DVD set, say it costs the studios $10. To cut costs and increase their profit, they decide to use 3 double sided disks. They save $5 per set on production costs but don't pass those savings onto the consumer.

Studios can't save on production costs by producing a product with cheap packaging and not pass those savings onto the consumers. If studios use single sided disks for several years and then start using cheaper packaging such as the new packaging re:ala Family Ties sets, then they have an obligation to pass those savings onto the consumer.

Why? Well, if studios want to use cheaper packaging then they really need to balance the pricing on their sets. It's the same with DVD content. Lost Season 4 has an SRP of $59.99 for 12-13 episodes. That's the same price for Seasons 1-3, and they had full 22 episode seasons. Studios don't balance retail prices on their sets with the content or production costs.

 

[Corey3rd]

at the same time, the number of DVD sets sold on a series shrink with each additional season. So maybe this profit margin by using a "cheaper" packaging is what keeps the show profitable enough that the folks at Paramount keep 'em coming.

And if you don't like the prices - wait till they go on sale.

Far as packaging changes go, I was collecting vinyl of CBS's classic jazz series. I liked having the matching spines. Toward the end of the series, they went CD only. At least they aren't killing formats in mid-series.

 

[TravisR]

nevermind

 

[David Levine]

That's not correct at all.

You save space by using 3 discs instead of 6, so you might save a little money on packaging costs, but the disc price is the same.

DVD 10s (double-sided discs) are basically two DVD 5s (single layer, single sided) glued together and six DVD 5s costs the exact same as three DVD 10s.

The thing is, you still have to author it as if it was 6 discs, because each side of a DVD 10 is independent of the other. Both sides need their own sets of menus and content navigation. In fact, up until they are actually pressed, DVD 10s are considered two DVD 5s.

The only place you could possibly save money is on printing full color art vs. black and white "ring art", but even that is negligible. We pay the same price for either type of printing and most of our runs are much smaller than the average studio run.

 

[ScottHM]

I don't know, but I know it saves me shelf space, so I like it.

I wish my Andy Griffiths, Mission: Impossibles, and Star Treks were packaged the same as my Gunsmoke season one.

I don't usually sit around staring at the DVD box spines, but I do have to find a place for new purchases, and that's getting increasingly difficult.

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