DVD's Have they Lost their Luster? (1 Viewer)

[Gordon McMurphy]

"The things you own end up owning you."
- Tyler Durden, Fight Club

Awful film, great quote.

 

[Yee-Ming]

I too have slowed down in my DVD buying, having lots of unwatched discs, and just too little time. But just last night, I found some spare time and watched another episode of DS9 (S2) -- I had never watched DS9 before buying the DVDs -- and thoroughly enjoyed it; once again I was thankful that DVD has allowed me to buy these sets, and even if they have to sit on the shelf for a while pending me finding some time to watch them, it's comforting to know they are there, available whenever it tickles my fancy.

In some ways, these things had better survive the next 40 years, because when I finally retire I just want to spend the whole day watching DVDs!

On a separate note, I hadn't watched my Star Wars Definitive Collection since a marathon in 1999 to warm up for Phantom Menace (as well as to show my then-girlfriend [now wife] the SW movies which she'd never watched uninterrupted). In a sense, the mindset "it's there and available whenever I feel like it" had set in, so even when I got a new (audio) HT setup, I hadn't given it a spin. Now that I'm in the final stages of deciding on a new plasma, I figured I should set it up in anticipation of having another marathon with the new plasma (when I finally buy) together with the "proper" HT (last time I watched was on my old HTiB).

To my dismay the LD player (which has been sitting idle all this while) doesn't work properly anymore. So I've been trying to get some recommendations as to repairs, and alternatively I'll have to think whether I want to blow the dosh on buying another player solely to play back this collection (I don't have any other LDs...)

 

[Dave Scarpa]

With the HD Dvd format being based on WM9 I'm not too sure what to expect. Microsoft and hollywood want you to download a key everytime you go to view the disk you bought. So the new player will have to be connected to an online source. I never could get T2 to work from the extrem edition, however I just recently downloaded a Hi Def version of the Dawn of the Dead trailer in this format and getting the key now is painless, it contacts the site and then gets the key. And the trailer did look nice, but there's no way JSP is ever gonna latch onto this connect to the internet technology... oh well back to the topic...

 

[Steve Christou]

What a downer of a thread! The entire thread could be regarded as a threadfart on this forum. For myself I'm still just as excited about digital versatile discs as I was when I first got my dvd player years ago and that first bunch of discs, and am really looking forward to the many exciting dvds on the way this year.
For those who have lost interest in dvds there's always reading, or knitting.




THIS POST ENDORSED BY THE DVD ASSOCIATION.

 

[JonZ]

I rarely watch the extras as well.

Id prefer if the commentaries and such were left off and they used the space for video and sound.

 

[Dane Marvin]

You said it, man. I've purged nearly half my collection recently (sadly) in order to buy a new laptop, but I found myself absolutely unwilling to part with any Warner 2-Disc Special Edition or box set like Looney Tunes GC, Gilligan's Island season 1, The Flintstones season 1, etc.

Going through what I was going to sell and what I had to keep was like a scene from "Sophie's Choice". But I didn't sell DVDs because I no longer like them; it was because I have nothing else... all my money goes toward DVD purchases! I love this format, and that won't change soon.

 

[PerryD]

I think the novelty of buying DVD quality movies for under $15 is what is wearing off. I came from the laserdisc side, spending around $35 on average per movie. When DVDs first came out around $20 each in 1997, I couldn't help but buy them in quantity. Then Reel.com came along, and I was was getting new DVD releases for $8 to $10, around 10 per month on average. But with prices drifting back up to around $16-18 for a new release, and Blockbuster and Netflix offering unlimited rentals for a little more than one movie per month, it's hard to justify owning something sight unseen like before.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I would'nt view it as a threadfart, It's just a reflection of Being in the hobby for so long, I still love Home video and I've been involved with it from the Day that "Star Trek II" become one of the first Priced for Sellthru Beta Titles. Maybe I'm a bit disillusioned by some things in the World of DVD that's all.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

While I've stopped listening to commentaries except for things I'm really interested in hearing more about, I'm still avid about collecting DVDs. It just got to be so much being released in pointless SEs that I just treat them as being barebones and ignoring the bad extras. There are more people recording commentaries than really should--the cast commentaries on American Pie 3 sent me over the brink.

I have a lot still in shrinkwrap, but they're waiting for me and no rule says I have to watch them right now, immediately. They're there when I want them should the studios stop releasing stuff I'm interested in (which is the case with most of the material so far this year).

 

[Jordan_E]

I've slowed WAY down on my DVD buying over the past year and I do think it's DVD burnout, as I've been at this almost literally since the format began. I was an LD Guy, had a large collection and then began hearing something on the wind about movies that can be put on a disc the size of a CD!! Yes, I love the great movies coming out, but the passion for the format has dried up. Myself, I think it's the 'Joe 6-Pack Effect.' I like being someone with the new toys, and DVD has gotten too everyday for me, I think. The Wow! Factor is gone. But talking my wife into going into the next format is going to be tougher than talking her into DVD, I think.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Interesting thread but I'll give my opinion.

On another board I started a thread asking if DVD had killed movie talk and I think the majority of the people thought it had. Most of the threads were fighting over the AR, sound mix or the lack of extras. People would bash studios because their favorite films weren't on DVD but when the films were announced the fans would get upset because it didn't feature enough extras or didn't feature a new DTS track. In fact, I know someone who is going to "boycott" his favorite film, James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN, because of the lack of 5.1 or DTS.

On that level, I think some of the fun has been ruined by DVD because I still think the movie itself is the most important thing. Of course, it's always great getting your favorite film in a 2-disc SE form but I think we should understand that not everything can be released this way. Some blame "J6P" for hurting the format but I personally give them a lot of praise. If people weren't buying cheap players at Wal-Mart then I'm not sure we'd have as many titles on the market.

I jumped on DVD back in 1999 and I think it keeps getting better and better each year but I think this will depend on the viewer. I personally don't care for extras so I don't mind a studio like Paramount who delivers wonderful V/A but usually skips the extras including trailers. I'm going to watch HUD at least once a year so that makes the price worth owning it. I would watch the trailer once, if that, so the lack of a trailer doesn't bother me. A documentary, commentary or featurette would have been nice but the movie is still the most important thing.

My DVD buying has picked up over the past two years and it's rather scary because of what's NOT on DVD yet. I've bought 15 Warner titles this year and from now until the end of May I've got another 30 titles on order. The scary thing is that Warner owns at least 200 more titles that I want to own and this doesn't include stuff I would try as blind buys. The upcoming Hammer titles are stuff I want in my collection but then there's the Tarzan set, which will be a blind buy. I love classic films so I enjoy seeing what new (to me) classics will be released each month.

So to me, DVD is at it's highest peak for me. I'm getting stuff I want (Val Lewton, Days of Wine and Roses, Chaney) and at the same time I'm getting to see other classics that I hadn't been able to buy previously. All of these wonderful classics are being released yet we haven't even seen the "big" titles of Tracy, Cagney, Stewart and many other legends. So, I've still got their "big" titles to buy and the lesser known stuff I haven't seen yet. My biggest problem with DVD is that too much wonderful stuff is being released, which is causing me to work 20 hours of overtime each week.

DVD might have become "boring" when it comes to talking about AR, sound and extras but the wonderful films being released is what keeps me coming to these forums each day. I might sound like a dork but I find it exciting coming here and learning of new releases. I can't wait to check these forums for studios monthly releases hoping that a favorite will be released. I enjoy hearing about other's favorite films and learning of films I should check out. THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVE. was a film I had never heard about but after reading Herb's review and hearing Ron's opinion, I've got this on my buy list for next week. So, I get something I want (Sunshine Boys) as well as learning of a new film (Second Ave.) I should check out.

In the end, there are so many wonderful films being released each week with hundreds of others waiting for a release that I can't help but fall more in love with this format. Extras are nice but watching a film you love or discovering a new favorite are a lot more important IMO.

 

[JohnRice]

I think Peter Overduin and Michael Elliott both touched on part of the issue. Oh yeah Peter, it's spelled "anamorphic". :p)

The excitement and "newness" is gone. DVD is old hat and virtually everyone has a DVD player and a few discs. Now, all we're left with is the damn movies. We can't even feel special about our knowledge of DVD anymore. Every one of those damn J6P has one and is destroying the format and our personal feeling of uniqueness by actually buying DVDs. Not very exciting, is it? We have eternal classics like Gone with the Wind, but hell, it's been out for at least 5 years on DVD so anyone who has it is tired of it by now. Indiana Jones has already been out a few months and we all need our latest fix.

It's about time the entire concept of DVD, and movies for that matter, be pronounced obsolete so we can move on to our next hobby.

 

[Hans M.]

I don't know... all I have to say is consumerism isn't what DVD collecting is all about. One should not forget their personal vision for their collection and give in to sales and hype. Also, I still believe huge collections are unwieldy and excessive. Selling off and buying new stuff always keeps my collection interesting.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

If you are constantly turning over your collection, selling disks off and buying new ones then what is the point of owning them at all, just Netflix or Blockbuster it.

 

[Chuck L]

DVD started out for our house like a wave in the ocean. Sometimes it was out to sea and other times, it was crashing against the dock. Meaning...

The first year that we got into DVD, back in 1999, much time was spent getting titles that really interested us. From movies that we loved or upgrading from VHS.

Then 2000 came. If memory serves me correctly, it was like there were few titles that were announced that we were eager to have.

Then 2001...the wave was back into shore and were buying things right and left.

2002...low tide hit really bad and it was like we really didn't care what was coming out, we didn't buy that many.

2003 and three on...the wave have been defying the powers of the moon and has been constantly hitting the shore. I believe that what was different was finally the studios were interested in going into the vaults and started really releasing films for the Golden Age of Hollywood. This was also when television product started coming at such a fantastic rate that we have had to start keeping a spreadsheet updated almost weekly to keep track of street dates.

Still believe that this is the best format ever to arrive to the home market, yet I believe it is the studio's that have made it challenging to really be at one with the format. While there are many studios that in the past year that have churned out the classics and giving the fans what they want like WB and Fox with their lines of classic titles, other companies like Paramount still don't seem to know just how much information that you can put on a disk. Meaning, when you are lucky to get a trailer, the transfers of the films are usually great, but unless it is a modern film (with really Paramount has a current film in the past three years that we have knocked ourselves out for)as far as extra's, you just might as well be SOL.

 

[Frank@N]

After three years of hardcore DVDing, I also share a mild case of burnout.

Other hobbies have been pushed aside, both in terms of time spend and cash allocated.

The format's move into the mainstream has created some annoyances, but the lower prices are welcome.

I'm not exactly proud to say I have a to-be-watched rack (yes, a rack).

The possibility of a bad disc (new or used), creates some sense of urgency to screen titles asap, but it doesn't typically happen.

With the flood of used and clearanced software, titles can accumulate faster than I have time to watch them.

Today's catch: The Peacemaker (1998, $5.50 Walmart) and Identity (2003, 8.99 used).

I'm also expecting some Ebay shipments: Sopranos S4 (new $36) and DS9 S2 (used $65).

I currently find myself less and less interested in new releases and more interested in burning off my backlog or watching an old favorite.

But with the crap on TV today, I wouldn't have it any other way. Without DVD, I'd be real bored.

 

[Jerome Grate]

For me, I was never really into the extras, it was the movie and the sound for me. That part of the luster is still there. I do remember the anticipation of every release and I was a frequent customer to Reel.com. Shoot I was getting a DVD or DVDs once a week. Then there was the fact that so many titles we knew would be great on DVD but not released yet like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indy Jones Trilogy.

I think the sign of the times of what the movie industry is like has certainly put a damper on the enghusiasm. I also can share that with the birth of my two children, it's hard to really enjoy the movies the way I use too.

 

[m.cellophane]

Rather than saying that it is DVDs that have lost their luster, it could be said that, for some people, their interest in DVDs has lessened.

That's fine.

I think that DVDs have improved over the years and my interest in them has grown.

That's me.

Some, like Chris Cooper's character in Adaptation, go wild with a hobby and then burn out and move on to something else.

But that shouldn't mean that the hobby is dead but rather that one's interest in that hobby has waned.

 

[John Watson]

Yeah, of the movies that have already been made, I could settle for another 30 or so movies that haven't yet come to disk, then I'm done.

And I HAVE started buying books again

 

[Max Knight]

Every time I think the hobby has dimmed, something comes along and reinvigorates me:

- Upgrading to a front projector made me very excited to watch my favorite films again on the BIG screen. I realized that many of these I had never seen on anything larger than a 32" tv!

- Getting a region free player and delving into world cinema has been fantastic. There's a whole lot besides region 1 out there!

- Finding cheap Hong Kong online sellers. $5 a disc shipped? At that price I'm willing to take a lot of risks on blind buy items that will never make it into Blockbuster or Netflix. So far, very few have disappointed!

Every weekend is full of movies at my place, and I wouldn't have it any other way!