Anyone Starting to get Sick of Standard and Deluxe DVD Releases? (1 Viewer)

[Scott_F_S]

The studios are allowed to release product as they wish and to take advantage of what the market will support.

As for me, I buy those products I want and I don't buy those products I don't want.

Simple formula, really.

 

[James Reader]

But what's happening on the above example is that the shops are selling the single disc releases as a loss leader because they think more people are interested in buying the single disc release.

You can't blame the discount levels on the studios - its the shops who are setting the percentage discount they offer. If the shops thought the double disc sets would sell more, they'd order more, get a bigger discount from the studios and be prepeared to sell them as a loss leader.

 

[Ed Moroughan]

I'm not really "sick" of the double (or more) dipping of releases. I haven't bought that many DVDs that have been reissued in some way, but I do hear and see what the studios do for titles others buy. I made a rule sometime after starting my collection, it was "I'll never buy a reissue unless the a/v is SIGNIFICANTLY improved." I've not broke it I think but I bent it somewhat, ie Black Hawk Down Deluxe and X-Men 1.5. On both I decided that the overwhelming coolness of the features was a just cause for purchase. I skipped Planet of the Apes recently just on the basis that I've seen the doc on it and since I don't have a 16/9 set the anamorphic is useless to me. Still the studios want your buck right, and they'll do a lot to get it.

 

[Frank@N]

Going back to M&C SE, you now have to buy the premium edition just to get deleted scenes.

Somehow, I just don't feel this is right.

Deleted scenes should be included on disc 1 since they are part of the original production.

Not a fan of bare disc 1 releases, with standard extras costing more.

This kind of thing has been done before (Fight Club, Close Encounters).

Higher prices will result in fewer people seeing the 'extras edition', resulting in less appreciation for films in general.

Film extras are educational and should be included in the standard release so that more people can be exposed to them, even if that means a slightly higher price for some releases with more extras.

That would be better than creating a dual release/price system that delivers important films into a vacuum.

 

[Kevin Grey]

A lot of people have been complaining about the "dumbing down" of extras in an effort for mass market appeal. I see these new, premium-priced SE's as a potential remedy for that. Three of the recent, more expensive deluxe editions (TCM, Panic Room, and Master and Commander) are getting rave reviews for their extras. If studios start seeing these Deluxe Editions as a niche product for a niche audience then they are more likely to design the extras to appeal to this audience instead of those who are purchasing the mass market edition for $15. The result may be much better SE's than we've been seeing for the past few years. If an extra ten bucks nets me quality SE's like those above then I'm all for it.

 

[MarkHastings]

Kevin, good post.

That's kind of what I was getting at with the car examples. The more expensive SE's seem to be more engaging to me than the $18 SE's which just have the same 'cookie cutter' documentaries, or the crappy extras that repeat the same information.

The 'extras' that really seem like a waste are the ones that basically highlight the film and intercut with the actors talking about the film (like those "Canned Ham" specials on Comedy Central). It's almost like a sales pitch. I've already seen the movie, so there's no need to sell it to me again. They provide no more insight into the film and aren't worth the $$, so that's why those SE's are cheap.

 

[Jonny P]

It is an interesting topic...

The "completionist" in all of us wants the "ultimate or super cool no holds barred" edition of every movie because it somehow makes a collector feel inadequate when they don't have it.

A couple of months ago, a buddy of mine rented "Seabiscuit." He'd never seen it in the theater, but enjoyed it at home and went out the next day to buy it.

Instead of purchasing the "regular" version which had a number of extras, he went for the Collector's set that had more documentaries and newsreel footage.

He was pretty proud of his purchase. You have to understand that Mike isn't a guy who buys a lot of DVDs. They have maybe 45 or so in their collection.

He looked at it as being a good movie that he really liked, and wanted to pay more. Most prices show the Collector's set to be $15 or so more than the regular version.

I am willing to pay a premium for certain movies, too. With others, it really doesn't matter so much.

"The Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" films both are films that I am willing to pay more for. In most cases, the "collector" sets are discounted during the first day/week of release, so fans can get good deals on them.

Personally, I made a vow last fall to cut down on my collection and purchases. It sits at ~320 discs, and frankly that is too many. I simply don't have the time to realistically watch that many movies...not to mention the toll it takes on my pocketbook.

I have been limiting my purchases to only the movies I really want. It has saved me a lot of money and means that if a "special edition" comes out along side a "regular edition" that I will more realistically consider it.

I -- like many of you -- have made a lot of "blind" purchases over the last few years. Sometimes I was pleased, and other times I wasn't.

 

[WillG]

But at least if you bought the single disc Fight Club, you got the commentaraies. What I don't get is why the studios are going through the trouble of actually stripping whatever extras were on Disc one of the SE for the Single disc release. Isn't that actually going to increase costs slightly, because now the studios have to press a 3rd disc? (unless the commentaries and such mean the difference between using a DVD-5 and and a DVD-9)

Universal has been doing this dual release for awhile but at least with them when you buy the single disc version you are getting the whole Disc One of what would be the larger set.

As for a choice, I would like it better if the studios released the two Disc SE at a, for the sake of arguement, we'll call it a regular price. Then release a stripped down version at a later date for a lower price. Like what Dreamworks has done for "Gladiator" and "Minority Report"

 

[MikeFR]

I dont know if its just me but my dvd purchasing has been cut down significantly mainly due to this practice. I generally pass on most dvd's now because chances are pretty good that they will release it again, and probably with improvements, in the future. Why should I bother buying a dvd when I can just rent it for a couple bucks? Ive passed on so many disks lately, I mean the last one I bought was the Indy trilogy.

Maybe Im just disillusioned with the whole dvd scene right now, I dont know.

 

[MarkHastings]

I'd assume that the slight increase in cost is worth the larger amount of sales due to the masses who will buy the "cheaper" version.

And to some degree, I see what you're saying...The studios are taking ALL of the extras off the bare-bones editions so that we (the ones who like the extras) won't be interested in that version. Of course, the real addicts will buy every super-duper edition out there, but there are even some of us here who may pass up a $30 SE if there is an $18 non-SE with at least a commentary.

The way I see it is, if they did put out better non-SE's, then only the hardcore DVD addicts would buy the SE's (at $35)...heck, I've even passed on the more suped up SE's because the non-SE's were "Good Enough" and THAT's what may drive away the SE's (due to low sales).

This stripping the bare-bones completely to ensure that the majority of us definitely buy the SE's, is good business prcatice that will ensure good SE success.

 

[WillG]

Yeah but at a higher cost to us. As I've said, it's not the bare bones being offered at a discount, it's the SE becoming more expensive. I may end up having to live with it, but I think it's kind of weak. As some people have pointed out, if the higher cost leads to better quality supplemental features, I may change my mind some, but I guess that's still to be determined. And I really do hate it when it is nearly impossible to find the SE on store shelves.

 

[MarkHastings]

But that's what I was trying to show you with the cost of CD's and TV's.

There's 2 ways of looking at the price increase:

1.) Your perspective: The price of DVD's is staying where it has been the past few years. The bare-bones are taking on the 'regular' price and the SE's are being offered at a 'premium' price.

I can't say I agree with that...

2.) My perspective: The price of DVD's is going up. The price of the SE's is the 'regular' price now and the bare-bones are coming out to keep the masses still buying DVD's by providing a 'cheaper' alternative.

IMO, It's not that the SE's are becoming more expensive because of the bare-bones, it's the fact that the SE's are increasing due to the economy.

As I said above, the studios are putting out bare-bones editions to keep the mass market still in the market...they can't afford to raise the price of DVD's and have people start jumping ship, so they found a way to raise the prices and still keep people interested.

So instead of looking at the cheap bare-bones as the regular DVD's (in price) and the SE's as the premium, look at it as the SE's are the regular DVD's (in price) and the bare-bones are the 'cheap' knock offs they are throwing out there. Just like I showed with the TV's. The price of TV's had to increase, so instead of just raising the prices of the TV's (and making people upset that they can no longer buy a $300 tv), they introduced 'cheap' tv's that would fit the $300 category so people would still have something cheap to buy.

Once you've gotten people used to a cheap price, it's hard to just increase the price without scaring people away. They start thinking "Hey! DVD's used to be $20, now they're $30!" and they stop buying DVD's.

 

[WillG]

I have not bought ever 2-Disc SE on the market, but I do own more than a few and I have never paid upwards of $30 for one. I've probably paid as much as $25 and as little $10 and some odd cents, new. So I find it hard to be convinced that the Premiums that we are now starting to see on the SEs are the "regular" price, and the $18 some odd dollars for the bare bones is a "Cheap" version.

I also do not see why the prices have to increase, last time I checked DVD was an enormous business and studios aren't exactly losing money over it. I would expect incremental price increases on DVDs over time for inflation but not having to pay upwards of $30 for the SE when you could previously buy them for less than $20 on release week at many stores. You have mentioned you $300 TV with stereo inputs story. You went back one day and found out that the $300 price range was now reserved for the featureless models and for the equivalent of what you had before you would have to have paid a couple of hundred dollas extra. For one, there is no two ways about it. It is raising prices. A customer who only wants to spend $300 is now getting less for that same $300 that he would have if he had bought earlier and you are forced to pay more for the features you had originally paid $300 for. The question is, if the manufacturer wanted to offer a cheaper alternative, why not keep selling the Stereo TV for $300 and offered a featureless TV for $200. Do we know if that TV manufacturer was in danger of losing money and said we need to start selling more expensive models so now we will make the stereo model $500, we'll keep a model at $300 for a cheaper alternative, but we're going to remove the features, or is it just trying to squeeze out more money? And if that is the case, it's like a bait and switch thing going on here. I'm sure it happens in business all the time, but it's kind of weak.

I suppose I made a mistake when I titled this thread because it not the fact that two versions are being release on some titles (except for the fact that is makes the SE version sometimes hard to find in stores). It's more the fact that all of a sudden SEs are becoming significantly more expensive. I would certainly invite a moderator to change the title as seen fit.

We're probably not doing a great job of convincing each other, so we should try to wrap this one up soon.

 

[MarkHastings]

Actually, I wasn't going to really post any more examples because I'm really posting on my speculations (which aren't always correct) and by what I've experienced with other media.

It would be interesting to hear if people have any hard evidence as to why DVD prices are increasing.

 

[Doug_L]

WillG, you're right: we should wrap this up because we're not doing a good job of convincing you, but I'll try one more time.



Because they can.

 

[WillG]

"Just when I think I'm out...they pull me back in!"



When did I say anything about running a charity, or just breaking even? From all accounts I have seen, Studios are making a ton of money off DVD so I am not sure what the reason is for the raising of prices. If it really is a matter of the studios not making all that much money and this is becoming a necessary business model, then I accept that. Maybe other divisions aren't doing as well so they need to bring in more revenue from DVD to sustain themselved, Fine. But if the reason is simply "Because they Can" then that is the very thing that has been irritating me all along. But I suppose that is my problem. Admittedly it is me not wanting to have to pay more for what I enjoy and I probably shouldn't be airing my grevances here, but I really did think that more people would have felt the same way.

 

[Kevin. W]

Just give me a version that has the best video and audio available on DISC 1 then stuff all the extras on DISC 2. Can't be any easier than that.

Kevin

 

[Mark*Will]

Hi WillG. You're not alone on this. It is a disturbing trend.

Example: Normally, I would probably make a blind buy on Master & Commander. However, I would not be willing to pay the "normal" price for a bare bones disk on such a purchase knowing about the great extras on the special edition. At the same time, I'm not willing to pay that much for a blind buy.

Partly due to that, and to make my small statement to the studios that I do not wish to pay premium prices for most special features that we've come to expect... I'll be sitting this one out.

 

[MarkHastings]

You're talking to people who had to pay Top-Dollar for this kind of stuff in the past.

I don't mean this personally Will, but I'm not one to side with people who complain about the price of things. We all know that prices change...as long as the increased price is still reasonable for what you get, I don't have any reason to be upset with the price.

Again Will, nothing personal, and I'm sorry if I'm lumping you in the wrong group, but I know lots of people who expect DVD's to all be priced under $10 because they can not afford to buy too many at the current price. I just don't see affordability (for those who don't have a lot of money) to be any reason for the price not being able to increase.

 

[WillG]

Right, that's totally not my message here. I'm just getting a bit perturbed because I am noticing the beginning of a trend for a product that averaged around $20 to go up to $30. Now, that may not seem like a ton of money, but it is somewhat steep percentagewise. On the other hand, I was only in my lower teens at the beginning of the laserdisc days, so my point of view is different. But you could say the reason why LD was high in price was because it was a very niche market, which DVD is not anymore. You would think that more people who buy DVD players and discs, the more the prices could come down. That is the case for the hardware, but the software may be going up. I guess that is part of the plan though, it's the software that makes the money and not so the hardware.

When I bought the Indiana Jones trilogy, I paid somewhere in the low 40s. That was for 3 films that needed restoration/Digital cleanup and new audio mixes. On top of that a full length documentary was produced for the bouns disc. In contrast, it seems hard to justify, from my end, charging nearly $30 for a 2 Disc SE of one film with special features.