New Article mentions HTF. But are we being marginalized? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Krapf]

http://www.hive4media.com/index.cfm?...=2&newsid=3365
Towards the end of the article, a common Studio friend of the HTF is quoted...
Peter Staddon, SVP of marketing at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, said some sites’ authority is waning.
“They don’t touch as much of the audience as they used to,” Staddon said. “When it was an early adopter market, their reach was much greater.”
Their major weakness, he said, is that they’re “a little bit inclined to be fanatical and intolerant about anything that isn’t a perfect solution to their requirements.” Still, they continue to keep the DVD developers “honest,” he said. And they help studios keep tabs on consumers’ DVD buying habits and desires.
Having no illusions that nothing lasts forever, I do hope that HTF remains among the TOP DVD/HT forums.(Call me nostalgic and protective.)
Anyway, what do YOU think?

 

[John Berggren]

It's an interesting quote. It'd be interesting to hear it in context of the interview, as many people's quotes can be appropriated from a larger picture that's been discarded in favor of the article.

It's unfortunate if that's the view, but not wholly inaccurate. There are times when people can fly off the handle here because we are passionate. So far Fox has provided high quality DVDs and OAR on all releases, I look to their releases to prove how much they care about us here at the HTF.

 

[Jack Briggs]

This is a rather positive affirmation of the influence of the larger sites, of which Home Theater Forum is the star player. And the executives interviewed still acknowledge the importance of the larger, more established sites. Even Mr. Staddon acknowledges that we, the early adopters and staunchest adherents to high-quality home theater, purchase more product than the mass-market consumer.

I see this as a very positive article--and to be expected. Of course things were destined to change once DVD-Video became a mass-market entertainment medium. Our influence is still strong.

My reaction to the piece is very much on the upside.

 

[gregstaten]

Matt - you left out the last part of Peter Staddon's quote:

“It’s up to the studios how much attention they pay to the feedback,” Staddon said. “It may be becoming smaller, but they’re still the heaviest consumers of our product. They buy more DVD and entertainment software than any other group out there.”

In other words, "They bitch and moan but they buy a ton of product. And, therefore, they are worth listening to."

I agree with Jack, this is a positive article.

-greg

 

[David Lambert]

Even if you choose to view these quotes in a negative light, here's the bottom line as I see it:

The studio execs can think about me and say about me whatever they want to. They can call me a raving friggin' loony fanatic all over the place.

As long as I still get great titles on DVD in their original theatrical presentation, at prices that make sense for the content.

Give me that, and I won't care much what they say in interviews about my obsessive purchasing habits and my exacting "requirements".

 

[Matt Krapf]

Hi guys.
Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't have pointed out the article if I wasn't proud of seeing Ron quoted and the HTF mentioned.
I guess I wonder how the market and studios will go forward, if a Vocal and Influential advocate of quality DVDs(like HTF) loses the ear of the studios? Will we continue to see less commentaries? Less Scripts stored on the DVD? More EPK's? Lower Bitrates? etc.
Just wondering. In the meantime, it's nice as ever to see this place giving Ron and Packy the good publicity that is deserved.