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Batman: TAS ; Does Warner realize just how much people pay for bootleg season sets? (1 Viewer)

Nick Graham

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First and foremost, I do not condone bootlegs of any kind, nor do I own any. This is simply something that I feel needs brought to atention, especially after the previous Warner chat.

While searching eBay's DVD section (something I do frequently when the call volume at work dies down and I am bored) I noticed something that struck my attention. There are a few people selling obvious "made by fans for fans" bootleg DVD-R season sets of Batman: The Animated Series on eBay, and they are making a lot of money doing it.

What strikes me is that despite their obvious bootleg nature, bids are skyrocketing because fans of the series who know they are bootlegs bid anyways because they want the series on disc. They go for $100-150, with many, many bids.

This isn't really a Star Wars situation, with a powerful filmmaker holding out until he can gets things just as he wants them. This is simply a case of a studio seemingly unaware of a large chunk of profit just waiting for them to take.

I know Warners have the Batman series under their "family" division, but this series heyday happened while we were all still kids and adoloescents, and as adults we want box sets. I'm sure the newer generation of kids will love their themed discs, but honestly the core audience of this series are now box set seeking college students and adults, and the cash these "for fans by fans" bootleggers are pulling in is proof of that.
 

Tom Brennan

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I totally agree with you. But by looking at Warner's track record with TV products on DVD, do you really think they will ever learn their lesson?

Look how long it took them to move from releasing "Best Of" sets of shows like "Friends" and "South Park" to finally issuing full season sets. They apparently only release TV sets when they see other studios having success with their sets. They will only do it if they are certain it will turn a large profit. I am not sure they have the faith in a series like "Batman Animated" to comment to full season box sets (when we all know they would be a success).

I think you should post this in the Studio Feedback Forum.
 

William Waits

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Warner does some great stuff with some of their DVDs and I commend them when the do things right, but there are just some items that they seem content to try to shove down people's throat, without any regards to listening to the very people that they want to sell their wares to...

Items such as MAR releases for "family titles" (although Warner is BY NO MEANS alone in this), snapper cases, and non-season sieres boxed sets are just primary examples.

Concerning the snapper cases, c'mon Warner... Get with it.... You have had reps from your company indicate that you get a large number of complaints about them. Your syster companies (HBO, AOL, New Line Cinema, etc...) all refuse to use them, and in Australia, you have stopped the plague of snappers and even have issued free replacement inserts for those that want to replace snapper cases with keepsake ones. With all that is going against you on this issue, why do you persist so...?

Because the hear us, but don't care.

Also, it is your refunds and free DVD offers that I have problems with.... ONLY YOURS WARNER! After the first year or so when DVD was just being born and was in its infancy and you were giving away FREE DVDs easily, that came through OK, but since then EVERY rebate and EVERY free DVD offer has been returned for the same BS reason that the products sent did not qualify under the offer, which is a load of crap! I know how to read refund/rebate offers. I have been doing it for years, and yours is the only one that I have problems with. Columbia, Universal, Fox, DreamWorks, Artisan, and Disney all still have their act together and seem to come through, but NOT Warner... And to boot, every time I receive one of those generic "sorry, we will not honor your submission" letters, nothing is ever returned. No receipts, no UPC codes, no Tab D, no entry form... NOTHING, so I can't even resubmit if I watned to, and the phone people that you have hired for these should be FIRED, as they are rude and really show that you don't care (as they are representing your company)

On a quasi-semi related note (as it pertains to movies coming to DVD), you are the only company that requires people to send in info for Movie Cash promotions. Everyone else can seem to include theirs with the product. But NOT you....!!! And guess what...? You screw it up every time! The last was with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I won't go into details, but let's just say I got my movie cash 4 months after the movie premeired, and I sent it in 6-7 weeks before it was released.... Nice job Warner... What makes me think that you will not get me my Matrix Reloaded when the promotion started less than 3 weeks before opening day, and even you claim form says 6-8 weeks...? RIGHT!!! Why can't you include the movie cash with the product like everyone else?

I have gone on a rambling bit, and some of it off topic slightly.

I have said it once, and I will say it to my grave, Hollywood is the ONLY market when consumers will vivedly tell producers of content exactly what they want, and they in some cases that will even pay a premium for it, and that maker of content (i.e. Hollywood studios) just thumbs their noses at their customers. You would NEVER see any other maker or segment of a market do that to thier customers... Computers, automobiles, clothing, home electronics.... Could you imagine what it would be like of those makers of those products in those markets treated their customers that way...? Staggering they do that....
 

Jeff Kleist

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If you read the chats. Batman: TAS falls under the "family" division, which does not watch and read forums like this. They instead poll child focus groups and tell them they like P&S

Luckily the classic animation seems to fall under the broader WHV who doesn't have their head up a dark dark place when it comes to pleasing their older , but still a child at heart customers
 

Paul_Scott

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maybe in the next chat, someone can ask who it is we should be lobbying to get properties like this out of the hands of the family division.
 

Jeff Kleist

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Much better is to get people to write snail mail letters to them. I don't have the address, but I assume if you send it to WB's main address and mark it "Warner Family Entertainment" it'll get to the right people
 

Thomas Newton

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If you read the chats. Batman: TAS falls under the "family" division, which does not watch and read forums like this. They instead poll child focus groups and tell them they like P&S
Unfortunately, that suggests there are a number of series that will be neglected, including (but perhaps not limited to):

Batman: TAS / New Adventures of Batman & Robin

Superman: TAS

Justice League

Batman Beyond

Animaniacs

Pinky & The Brain
 

James Reader

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I am not sure they have the faith in a series like "Batman Animated" to comment to full season box sets (when we all know they would be a success).
But they have enough faith to comission and release DTV films? Such as this year's "Legend of the Bat-Woman"?

No wonder AOL-Time Warner is in such a state - their left hand doesn't know (or more importantly care) what their right hand is doing) :frowning:
 

Adam Tyner

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I am not sure they have the faith in a series like "Batman Animated" to comment to full season box sets.
I'm definitely in favor of larger, more substantial releases. However, I'm not married to the idea of season sets in the case of B:TAS, since the distribution of episodes per season is pretty scattershot, as you can see here.
 

James Reader

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All I ask is for DVD9 releases with 3-4 more episodes. Not too much to ask is it?

Of course, multi-disc sets (although not season sets - think Rhino's "Transformers" line) would be icing on the cake.
 

Tom Brennan

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I think its understood when we say "season sets" we mean a large collection of episodes in chronological order. Something like "Batman: The Animated Series - The Complete Collection - Volume One".

A set where the full capacity of the DVD format can be used...like having 8 episodes per disc as opposed to a measly 4. I could really care less about extras, I just want the episodes.

I also think the Superman animated series should get the same treatment.

I think getting it out of the hands of the family division would be great...but it isn't likely. Does Warner Bros. actually think the majority of fans are 8 year old kids?
 

David Lambert

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It might at least be wise of them to discuss marketing ideas not only with the producers (Bruce Timm is obviously available to them!) but also with the marketing people at DC Comics. The comic book guys obviously figured out a long time ago how to sell Batman to kids and adults at the same time. B:TAS Collector Sets should be marketed to the same fans, right?

In fact, getting some focus on this in the average locally-owned comic book store would be the way to go, eh? Same as with a limited-edition statue of one of the superheroes: appeal to the fanboys!
 

JonZ

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With the amount of episodes, itll take 10 years to get Batman TAS out on DVD the way theyre going.

This is a show I really love and its probally my most wanted DVD(since Once Upon A Time in America in finally coming).

Im tired of waiting for WB to release this great show the proper way.
 

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