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Disappointing Disney News (1 Viewer)

EricSchulz

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Nick:

Entertainment Weekly lists the top ten selling DVD's each week, the source they use is Video Business/VideoTrac. They do not list exact figures, but in about 90% of the cases of top ten movies, WS versions outsell FS. As far as the Disney thing: I work at Target and we only got in WS versions of "Pirates of the Caribean" (to the dismay of some customers...but we still sold a s***-load of 'em!). Why then did they reverse this but deleting WS catalog product? I thought with Disney pushing WS it would indoctrinate a whole new generation to the glory that is Widescreen!!!
 

WillG

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I use that as well, but they will cite some source, such as Wal*Mart that says P&S sells better. That's the problem, there seems to be no "Bible" on sales figures
 

Kevin Leonard

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Since Randy's post has apparently gotten lost amidst a series of rants on this alleged news, I'll echo his thoughts and ask:

Can somebody please post an official link or comment from a spokesperson on this story?
 

Clinton McClure

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No bad decision made by Disney surprises me anymore. I believe they are comprised of out of work human resources employees.
 

WillG

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Sadly, Disney was getting alot better lately. I read the initial post again and hope that this means that they will still make WS available, albiet for a limited amount of time. So don't procrastinate on picking up Disney Releases. Ironically, this can only boost the WS figures. But I'm betting I know which version they will not discontinue.
 

Dick

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Jonathan... You actually passed up the incredible WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT set because the 1.85:1 version appears on disc 2? Haven't we more important issues to worry about with Disney? After all, you do get widescreen on ROGER, and as long as Disney is giving us widescreen, we should support them. Boycotting that gorgeous set because you are miffed that the fullscreen version happens to appear on the disc marked "One" is only hurting you.... and the rest of us who want to show Disney we will buy when the ratio is correct.
 

Steve Bjorg

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I have avidly followed these forums over the past few years and I must say that these anti-FS release posts are getting irritating (and death wishes are unacceptable!). There is a reason companies decide to consolidate their production. With two releases the risk is much higher to have unsold inventory and planning the sales is considerably tougher. Being a fan of WS and having lived through the dearth of VHS widescreen releases, I'm not worried that things will come our way eventually. HDTV's format is 16:9 and will eventually become standard. Of course, at that time we will run the risk of classics in academy aspect ratio being stretched to fill the screen, as well as super-wide releases will still be cropped to get rid of the black bars. But that's a different fight.
I know I am in the minority, but in the end I feel you can't fault a company for doing what they think is in their best interest. Finally, watching a widescreen movie on < 32" TV set is just plain torture. At that point, I'll switch to FS if I'm given the option. But hey, it's a free country and I'm not going to tell others how they should enjoy their movies.
 

Jesse Skeen

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Does this mean if the foolscreen version sells less, they'll discontinue THAT one?
BTW 10 years ago I was watching widescreen laserdiscs on a 20-inch screen! Still better than pan and scan!
 

Jonathan Dagmar

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Sorry. I am aware that it sounds stupid. I was just being honest. Everytime I pick that box up in the store and see the fool-screen version given top billing as if it is the "real" version, and that other version for those wierdo "enthusiasts" on disc 2 it makes me want to puke. But then I am an artist, actor and filmmaker myself, so perhaps I am over sensetive.
 

Ernest Rister

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"HDTV's format is 16:9 and will eventually become standard. Of course, at that time we will run the risk of classics in academy aspect ratio being stretched to fill the screen, as well as super-wide releases will still be cropped to get rid of the black bars. But that's a different fight."

I was thinking the same thing. By 2007, 50% of all U.S. households are projected to own digital TV sets. This is why Disney ramped up their "Platinum Edition" DVD schedule to two-a-year starting in 2005 (they even blatantly said so when they announced the acceleration of the Platinum schedule) -- they want to get those titles out now, to maximize the profit to be made with standard DVDs on standard TV sets.

Then, they can start selling the titles all over again on HD-DVDs, when wide-screen theater ratios will simply be de facto...unless, of course, scope films are cropped to fill the screens, in which case, we'll have a new version of this argument, as the poster above says.

In fact, the irony is that today we complain about the cropping of wide-screen titles for standard TV sets, when in the years to come, we may find ourselves complaing about the cropping of 1.33:1 titles to make them fit the widescreen tvs. This is already happening, to a degree. I was watching the "Baby Mine" sequence from Dumbo on a wide-screen set recently. In it's proper aspect ratio, in one shot, you can see Timothy the mouse walking up to Dumbo at the very bottom of the frame, to tell him it's time to go. With the image expanded to fill the screen, depending on the mode used to make this happen, either Timothy was cropped out of the shot completely, or the image was artifically stretched, giving subtle distortions to the artwork.

The cropping of classic titles is the turf where the OAR fight will be fought in the future. Today, the arguments are over the use of letterbox.

Tomorrow, it will be over the use of window-box.
 

George Gutt

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Take note of the fact that digital television does not mean widescreen television. So there's definitely no guarantee of your future fights excluding 4:3.
 

Robert Crawford

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Please, lets discuss this subject matter in a mature manner without referencing a heart attack for a studio executive and hatred rants against others.





Crawdaddy
 

WillG

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Technically that is the idea. But, you know the "Source" is going to be non-comprehensive. I would not be surprised in the least if they went solely by Wal*Mart for the sales statistics. I'm certian they are going to propagate that P&S sells better by some ridiculous, God knows what, J6P skewed chart somewhere. Frankly, when I read this, my bullshit detector started going off. Part of me thinks that the decision has already been made to drop OAR and this statement is just a way of covering their ass when they do. I suppose P&S is being cosidered economically safer.

I know that nothing has been proven yet but I am inclined to believe this. CTHE has already been doing this, and blatanly so (There must be mental patient running things over there) OAR has really been getting kicked in the teeth lately.
 

PaulP

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Well, I watch most of my DVDs on my PC, since I have a 5.1 set-up there, and the monitor is just a 17-inch Sony Trinitron. I have a standalone player which is hooked up to a 25-inch TV. No torture that I can notice...
 

JasenP

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At that point, I'll switch to FS if I'm given the option.

I will have to disregard your judgement from here on out.
 

Lev-S

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*amidst screams of agony*

14" screen with 2.40:1 material!!!!!!!!!

SAVE MEEEEE!!!!!!:D

But seriously, remember that Disney has been doing well OAR-wise for the last year. Most of their releases have been dual, or just OAR (POTC, LK, BATB) and many of their more "adult" movies (Open Range, Kill Bill Vol. 1) are also slated for OAR-only too. And wasn't Wal-Mart the one that demanded that all the studios release "Full Screen" in the first place? If you were Disney (another mega-corporation), would you not fold before you let another corporation dictate your business tactics? Maybe this is a tactic to say to Wal-Mart, "Hey! Look! More people buy WS than FS, so we don't need to make it any more!"
 

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