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[Douglas Monce]

If the studios do not want you to own movies hasn't that Genie been removed from the bottle many years ago?  They sell multi Billions of $$ in home video every year and I see them hardly complaining about making these sales.  Studios will continue with their plans for rental AND sell thru in the future weather it be physical or digital media. Also for example why would Warner Create the Warner Archive to sell you a movie if the didn't want you to buy their movies? That just doesn't make since.

The studios NEVER wanted you to be able to own a movie. Thats what the whole Betamax case was about. Yes the genie was out of the bottle, and as long as it was, and there wasn't anything they could do about it, they were going to play along. but with the popularity of streaming, it looks as though they have found a way to put it back in. Doug

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce :

Sony

“The third-quarter numbers were an indicator that our business is on track for a strong performance for the rest of this year and into the future,” added David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “A strong upcoming slate of highly anticipated new releases like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, as well as franchise titles like Men in Black III, the new Spider-Man and the new ‘Batman,’ promise an even stronger 2012.”

What does 2012 hold in store? Powered by a strong slate of product in the pipeline as well as the promise of 3D, packaged-media sales are expected to once again post year-over-year gains, while digital, spurred by UltraViolet, will grow “exponentially,” as Sony Pictures’ Bishop puts it.

“UltraViolet will prove to be a major game changer and will be an important complement to physical product,” Bishop said. “I am confident that as our industry satisfies consumer demand for great entertainment and provides convenient digital and physical distribution, our business will continue its robust performance.”

or Disney, seems sell-thru happy to me:

Walt Disney

Lori MacPherson, EVP of global product management for The Walt Disney Studios, said 2011 saw unprecedented synergy between technology and choice.

“As entertainment consumption choices are proliferating, 2011 was about harnessing technology to create innovative entertainment experiences for consumers wherever they enjoy our content,” she said. “From applications like Disney’s Second Screen that provide an immersive experience, to multimedia combo packs that offer the ultimate in functionality and convenience, to 3D, which provides yet another way to engage viewers, we’re continuing to explore ways to enhance the consumer experience.”

“In 2011 we saw steady growth for Blu-ray and the launch of Blu-ray 3D, which provides unique opportunities for new release and catalog programming,” added Disney’s MacPherson.

Disney’s MacPherson also is looking forward to the new year.

“In 2012,” she said, “we’ll see greater consumption of Blu-ray and the many digital offerings, new and compelling 3D applications as well as the emergence of even more ubiquitous consumer access to our content.”

and Paramount who will be 100 next year!!! praising Blu Ray and Electronic SELL THRU:

Paramount

“2011 showed that home entertainment continues to excite and enthrall consumers,” added Dennis Maguire, president of worldwide home media distribution for Paramount Pictures. “Blu-ray and EST continued to surge, and new delivery systems and devices offer viewers more and more opportunities to enjoy our content, expanding demand even further.”

Paramount’s Maguire also believes “this upward trend” the home entertainment industry saw in the tail end of 2011 will continue, “as entertainment centers in the home get more sophisticated and the consumers who own them become more appreciative of high-definition, 3D and other enhancements.”

“We’ll also see continued growth in digital delivery,” he added, “giving us multiple ways to provide and monetize our content.”

My good friends at Lionsgate are also talking about sell thru. Dont seem threatened or like they are putting the genie back in the bottle:

Lionsgate


Lionsgate president Steve Beeks agrees.

“We don’t view the home entertainment landscape as an either/or proposition between our traditional and digital media partners,” he said.

“We believe, instead, in the continued need to enhance the packaged-media experience through incorporation of new technologies — and, at the same time, capitalize on emerging opportunities to monetize our content through social networks, electronic sellthrough and myriad apps that enrich the home entertainment and mobile viewing experience.”

The plethora of new viewing options made managing windows more important than ever, Beeks said.

“We believe that it is important to listen to the consumer, and the consumer is telling us that they want flexibility and they attach premium value to sequenced windows with pricing based on convenience and availability,” he said. “The addition of sequential windows has historically enlarged the size of the home entertainment revenue pie, and we believe it will continue to do so. We will continue to explore new models and tailor availability to individual films in the premium-VOD space.”

Or Universal they are mentioning how their retail partners are adding space for their sell thru, they dont seem to be stuffing the genie in the bottle?:

Universal

“Blu-ray had a remarkable year, with the format showing significant growth and bolstering overall home entertainment consumer spending for the first time in three years,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

“New releases benefitted tremendously, with female-targeted comedies like Bridesmaids hitting the masses and surpassing industry expectations. Catalog also saw impressive gains, as evidenced with the stellar Blu-ray debuts of such huge fan favorites as Scarface, Star Wars and The Big Lebowski.[/B]

With the number of Blu-ray homes exceeding 30 million and growing — and with more than half of first-week sales of physical products now credited to Blu-ray — the consumer appetite for high-def movies has never been more palpable.”


“We were very encouraged this year by all of our largest retail partners, who clearly reinforced their tremendous commitment to our category,” said Universal Studios’ Kornblau. “Not only did they significantly grow their home entertainment footprints in stores to include expanding the space in the main aisle and adding new releases fixtures at the front of store, but they also excelled in successfully leveraging the industry’s biggest movie releases to drive greater store traffic.

As a result, we saw some of the year’s biggest successes, such as our own Fast Five and Bridemaids, benefit substantially from the heightened level of excitement and increased purchase activity.”

Fox seems pretty upbeat on sell thru:

Fox

“2012 will extend growth for Blu-ray, and it will continue to drive the high-definition revolution in American homes,” said Mike Dunn, president of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Other studio presidents agree.

[url=http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968]http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968


Again the studios are pleased as punch circa 2011 to sell you their product or are all of these executive quotes from ALL the major studios wrong??

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


I didn't say that the studios would stop making CD, but that stores such as Walmart and Target would stop carrying them. I believe I read it in USA today about 2 months ago, but I haven't heard anything about it being reported as not true.
Doug

I cannot locate any source that mentions this, tried searching the internet (google is my friend!) Something like this would have been HEAVILY reported in the media with Walmart being one of the largest retailers.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


I stream 2 or 3 movies or TV shows a night, and I've never gone past about half of my monthly data cap.
Doug

Are these High definition films i.e. BD quality? I purchased a HDTV and that is what I like to feed it (HD). High definition materials in my neck of the wood will (and have) destroyed my monthly bandwidth and data caps.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

Big Box stores started using DVDs to get customers in the door, and everyone else had to follow suit. As long as everyone was buying DVDs that model worked fine, but the world is changing and people are no longer buying everything the studios put on disc.
Doug

Again, Universal seems pretty happy with the selling floor at the stores in this new article published this week:

“We were very encouraged this year by all of our largest retail partners, who clearly reinforced their tremendous commitment to our category,” said Universal Studios’ Kornblau. “Not only did they significantly grow their home entertainment footprints in stores to include expanding the space in the main aisle and adding new releases fixtures at the front of store, but they also excelled in successfully leveraging the industry’s biggest movie releases to drive greater store traffic.

[url=http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968]http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968


Hard to dispute Mr Kornblau PRESIDENT of Universal Studios.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Are these High definition films i.e. BD quality?  I purchased a HDTV and that is what I like to feed it (HD). High definition materials in my neck of the wood will (and have) destroyed my monthly bandwidth and data caps.

Yes 1080p 5.1 DD+ through my PS3. Obviously not the bitrate that blu-ray delivers, but VERY good quality and perfectly acceptable for casual viewing. Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

Again, Universal seems pretty happy with the selling floor at the stores in this new article published this week: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968 Hard to dispute Mr Kornblau PRESIDENT of  Universal Studios.

He can say what ever he wants in a press release, but I know that the Walmart and the Best Buy near me have DVD sections that are about 1/4 the size that they were about 5 years ago (and now more than half of that is Spanish language), and catalog titles are no where to be seen. Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

You are talking about Betamax and movie studios circa 1970's and 80's a much different world today for sure.  I think its exactly the opposite now.  The studios would rather you purchase a film than to stream it on Netflix for all you can for $7.00 or whatever cheap price each month. If they are putting the Genie back in then why the support of Ultraviolet by all the big movie studios (Disney is also supporting their own version).  With Ultraviolet it was originally just streaming at the beginning but now I can download my own copy of the movie. Why would they give you that option? The studios are supporting the current ownership model (optical disc) and they are making a new one in Ultraviolet downloads. If the studios are not interested in selling their movies why the all the SELL THRU and Catalogue praise in this newly published article this week?  http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968 Warner seems to be praising recent catalogue sales and seems eager to sell you their movies: OR how about Sony they dont seem to be revisiting the Genie : or Disney, seems sell-thru happy to me: and Paramount who will be 100 next year!!! praising Blu Ray and Electronic SELL THRU: My good friends at Lionsgate are also talking about sell thru.  Dont seem threatened or like they are putting the genie back in the bottle: Or Universal they are mentioning how their retail partners are adding space for their sell thru, they dont seem to be stuffing the genie in the bottle?: Fox seems pretty upbeat on sell thru: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/market-analysis/year-turnaround-25968 Again the studios are pleased as punch circa 2011 to sell you their product or are all of these executive quotes from ALL the major studios wrong??

There is no doubt that blu-ray sales are growing, but they are part of a market, physical media, that is quickly shrinking. The growth of streaming services is far out pacing the growth of blu-ray. I don't really like it, but that is where we are going. As for Ultravioliet, with as little as I hear about it, I suspect it will be gone as with as little fanfare as it arrived. Again I suspect that with in 5 years DVD will be all but gone, with blu-ray left as a high end collectors market. Doug

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


He can say what ever he wants in a press release, but I know that the Walmart and the Best Buy near me have DVD sections that are about 1/4 the size that they were about 5 years ago (and now more than half of that is Spanish language), and catalog titles are no where to be seen.
Doug

Yes my Best Buy has a smaller DVD section as well but an increased BD section. I noticed they have also increased their 3DBD section as they become more popular.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


There is no doubt that blu-ray sales are growing, but they are part of a market, physical media, that is quickly shrinking. The growth of streaming services is far out pacing the growth of blu-ray. I don't really like it, but that is where we are going.

I understand that you enjoy streaming but not everyone wants or will stream. Downloads and Media will be there for those people as well who want to own the content. If your talking about stream services like Netflix they are expected to be operating in the RED next year. Stock down and bad PR, I dont expect to see cheap streaming at Netflix much longer if they want to survive.

As for Ultravioliet, with as little as I hear about it, I suspect it will be gone as with as little fanfare as it arrived.

UV is in its silent roll out right now. Most major holiday releases had UV or digital download codes. Expect a larger rollout in a few weeks at CES. They are exhibitors this year and plan a few big announcements. Amazon is rumored to become a UV seller.

Again I suspect that with in 5 years DVD will be all but gone, with blu-ray left as a high end collectors market.

Gone in 5 years? Probably not but very few releases...yes. I still see programs like Warner Archive sticking around though and as Warner is a big UV supporter they will to support.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce


Yes 1080p 5.1 DD+ through my PS3. Obviously not the bitrate that blu-ray delivers, but VERY good quality and perfectly acceptable for casual viewing.
Doug

That's where serious improvement needs to take place because the quality of those downloads/streaming are nowhere close to Blu-ray quality, both video and audio-wise.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford



That's where serious improvement needs to take place because the quality of those downloads/streaming are nowhere close to Blu-ray quality, both video and audio-wise.

Yes they really need to make many improvements. Also outside forces come into play with downloads and streaming. You need a good internet connection which many communities here in the US lack. Where I live Mid America is not ready for Blu Ray quality downloads and streaming.


Again, while streaming is popular and becoming more popular its not going to be the end all and be all of home entertainment in my opinion. There will continue to be additional ways to get your media, weather you decide to purchase or rent. Both options will still be there.

 

[TravisR]

Again I suspect that with in 5 years DVD will be all but gone, with blu-ray left as a high end collectors market.

I know you're just venturing a guess but I think it's nearly impossible that physical media will be gone in 5 years. I can't imagine that any ISP is going to spend millions of dollars to update their equipment just so their customers can stream Netflix and download movies (and that would be the only reason why the vast majority of customers would need it). I'm not living with my head buried in the sand, I know that downloading is the way of the future but I think about 10 years is a much more realistic timetable for the end of physical media.

 

[ahollis]

Warner posted on their Facebook Archive page the following as an answer to a post concerning the possibility of a Blu-ray produced of a film that is not presently in the archive collection. Their answer caused me to pause and re-read it again. I think you may think the same thing.


Here it is.


Poster Question: Though it's not an Archive title, any chance for a remastered Blu Ray of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939)? The old DVD is very watchable, but being an early release, there's room for improvement. A new audio commentary and digibook would be well deserved for this monumental classic.



Warner Archive Collection Probably at some point down the road, this would be a very viable title to revisit for BD. With overall BD sales way up, and player penetration into more households. we hope that this will mean greater support for classic films on the format, and HUNCHBACK is an excellent candidate for the upgrade.


Now what cause me to pause and think is what is in bold. This is the first time a company has indicated in print that BD sales are way up and that they are considering more classic films in the format. The talk in this thread is against what Warner is indicating. Interesting.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by ahollis

Warner posted on their Facebook Archive page the following as an answer to a post concerning the possibility of a Blu-ray produced of a film that is not presently in the archive collection. Their answer caused me to pause and re-read it again. I think you may think the same thing.


Here it is.


Poster Question: Though it's not an Archive title, any chance for a remastered Blu Ray of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939)? The old DVD is very watchable, but being an early release, there's room for improvement. A new audio commentary and digibook would be well deserved for this monumental classic.



[url=http://www.facebook.com/warnerarchive] Warner Archive Collection Probably at some point down the road, this would be a very viable title to revisit for BD. With overall BD sales way up, and player penetration into more households. we hope that this will mean greater support for classic films on the format, and HUNCHBACK is an excellent candidate for the upgrade.


Now what cause me to pause and think is what is in bold. This is the first time a company has indicated in print that BD sales are way up and that they are considering more classic films in the format. The talk in this thread is against what Warner is indicating. Interesting.

Ahollis, Please read my post #82 in this thread. The studios dont sound unhappy with current sales of their movies. In fact take a look at the President of Warner Bros quote:

Warner

But it was packaged media’s comeback-kid performance in the tail end of the year that has studio executives looking forward to even better times ahead.

“We started out the year with tough year-over-year comps to box office, but have made steady gains throughout 2011, with an especially strong third quarter,” said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video.

“We seem to be getting some momentum in the sellthrough space, with catalog being a particular bright spot. Black Friday was very strong this year and also bodes well for a strong finish to 2011 and good momentum into the first quarter of 2012."


“Consumers are stepping up their purchases of Blu-ray, and we see this continuing into 2012,” said Warner’s Sanders. “The connected BD devices are selling at incredibly compelling price points this fourth quarter, and hardware sales continue to be very strong.”

Yes opposite of what some in this thread are telling us?

 

[Paul Penna]

BUT, what really gets me is the concept of Limited Run/Collector's Edition. Movies are for the masses. To be shared by all. If the makers of these movies (producers/directors/writers/crew/performers) knew that in the future only a small handful of people would be able to view these in the best possible way, they would be shocked and probably quite upset. Calling something a Collector's Edition is not a positive, but a negative (IMHO). David

I think it's far, far more likely that what would really upset the makers of classic films would be to see how awareness of their works, along with that of so many other parts of our past cultural heritage, has evaporated to the point of near-invisibility in today's popular consciousness. It's an inexorable trend, and the fact is that things are never going to be for the masses ever again. The fact that some are finding ways to keep them in circulation at all I think would thrill them.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I understand that you enjoy streaming but not everyone wants or will stream.  Downloads and Media will be there for those people as well who want to own the content.  If your talking about stream services like Netflix they are expected to be operating in the RED next year.  Stock down and bad PR, I dont expect to see cheap streaming at Netflix much longer if they want to survive. UV is in its silent roll out right now.  Most major holiday releases had UV or digital download codes.  Expect a larger rollout in a few weeks at CES.  They are exhibitors this year and plan a few big announcements.  Amazon is rumored to become a UV seller. Gone in 5 years? Probably not but very few releases...yes.  I still see programs like Warner Archive sticking around though and as Warner is a big UV supporter they will to support.

I agree, that on demand services like Warner Archive will survive. Those kinds of services are the only area of DVD that is a growing market. But it is also a fractional market, meaning that is appeals to a small segment. I think we will see more and more of the home video market break up this way, not unlike television with the coming of cable TV. I think the downturn of Netflix is very temporary, as a result of the clumsy handling of their switchover from DVD as their primary product to streaming. They will bounce back. Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

That's where serious improvement needs to take place because the quality of those downloads/streaming are nowhere close to Blu-ray quality, both video and audio-wise. 

But the vast majority of people don't care. It looks pretty darn good, and a hell of a lot better than the TV they were watching 5 or 10 years ago. Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

I know you're just venturing a guess but I think it's nearly impossible that physical media will be gone in 5 years. I can't imagine that any ISP is going to spend millions of dollars to update their equipment just so their customers can stream Netflix and download movies (and that would be the only reason why the vast majority of customers would need it). I'm not living with my head buried in the sand, I know that downloading is the way of the future but I think about 10 years is a much more realistic timetable for the end of physical media.

Possibly, but I doubt it. Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

Warner posted on their Facebook Archive page the following as an answer to a post concerning the possibility of a Blu-ray produced of a film that is not presently in the archive collection.  Their answer caused me to pause and re-read it again.  I think you may think the same thing. Here it is.   Poster Question:  Though it's not an Archive title, any chance for a remastered Blu Ray of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939)? The old DVD is very watchable, but being an early release, there's room for improvement. A new audio commentary and digibook would be well deserved for this monumental classic.      [COLOR=0066CC]      Warner Archive Collection[/COLOR] Probably at some point down the road, this would be a very viable title to revisit for BD. With overall BD sales way up, and player penetration into more households. we hope that this will mean greater support for classic films on the format, and HUNCHBACK is an excellent candidate for the upgrade.                  Now what cause me to pause and think is what is in bold.  This is the first time a company has indicated in print that BD sales are way up and that they are considering more classic films in the format.  The talk in this thread is against what Warner is indicating.  Interesting. 

Yes blu-ray sales are up, but relative to what.....to previous blu-ray sales. I don't think anyone is suggesting that DVD sales are slumping because blu-ray is replacing it. I just don't see the numbers suggesting that. Another way to read that might be the suggestion that the Warner Archive will branch out into BD-R to release films on demand in HD. Doug