PHE Press Release: It’s A Wonderful LIfe (4K/UHD) Digital Only? (1 Viewer)

[Mark-P]

It sucks because the majority of film collectors prefer physical media where a UHD film could sit on their shelf with other UHD films in their collection.
People like you are bad for home video and killing physical media quite frankly. Labels like Kino, Shout Factory, and others are keeping physical media alive. No thanks to you of course.

Don't know who that's directed at, but my goodness, such sour grapes.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It sucks because the majority of film collectors prefer physical media where a UHD film could sit on their shelf with other UHD films in their collection.
People like you are bad for home video and killing physical media quite frankly. Labels like Kino, Shout Factory, and others are keeping physical media alive. No thanks to you of course.

Stop such accusations right now! Don't be shaming anybody as to why the home video market for physical media is dying. It's dying because all kinds of people across all demographics that like to watch movies, but don't want to collect discs for a good number of reasons. I'm not going to get into those reasons in-depth because we know what they are, but just to name a few. There are income budgets limitations such as fixed incomes or not enough discretionary funding, lack of room for disc storage or simply no desire to re-watch films enough to justify such disc purchases.

It really doesn't matter the reason, but we need to stop the blame game. It's the market place and that's all to it. Frankly, the core principle we all need to remember is the basic economic term of "supply and demand". There is a lack of supply of discs because people/general consumers as a whole are not demanding enough of physical discs. There is no boogeyman or person(s) to blame, there is only the market and the market reacts to our spending habits.

 

[MatthewA]

It's times like this I honestly wish the film had stayed public domain.

I hope paramount releases this title and War of the Worlds in UHd blu ray.

I would buy both.

No sale on digital copy only.

Guess I'll be watching it on laserdisc this year.

 

[Tino]

Guess I'll be watching it on laserdisc this yea

Why Laserdisc? Why not the Blu Ray or at least the DVD?

 

[JQuintana]

It's times like this I honestly wish the film had stayed public domain.



Guess I'll be watching it on laserdisc this year.

Or in HD on NBC.

 

[Tino]

I think most of us agree that we would prefer an actual 4K disc. But for many of us this is the next best thing. Perhaps Paramount will reconsider if digital sales are great. Same for WOTW.

 

[Worth]

It sucks because the majority of film collectors prefer physical media where a UHD film could sit on their shelf with other UHD films in their collection.
People like you are bad for home video and killing physical media quite frankly. Labels like Kino, Shout Factory, and others are keeping physical media alive. No thanks to you of course.

Ultimately, my interest is in the movie, not the platform used to deliver it. I started buying VHS, then shifted over to laserdisc, DVD, blu-ray and now UHD and digital streaming. In the same way I bought machines to play those tapes and discs, I've now upgraded to gigabit internet to take full advantage of streaming. Admittedly, I'm much more likely to rent than buy a digital title, but if the price falls below a certain threshold, I'll bite. Personally, I'd prefer to have the option to buy films I want to own on disc, but if things seem to be moving towards digital only, so be it. I'm not going to cut my nose off to spite my face.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Given their War of the Worlds precedent, what makes you think Paramount will be releasing a disk of any kind?

Shouldn't this be in the streaming forum?

I've moved the thread as there is no indication of any physical media release after consultation with Ron Epstein.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I'm going to play devil's advocate on this issue. Consider the following:

• The majority of classic titles are being released physically by licencees or by boutique divisions of labels;
• There is a degree of consumer fatigue with certain classic titles, as in, "How many more damn versions are they going to release of title X?"
• Space considerations of consumers; and
• The constant downward pressure on physical titles reducing profit margins, Disney notwithstanding [on this issue, I note that Disney's digital titles tend to drop in price faster than physical titles, perhaps suggesting an incentive to those with digital libraries to pursue that course]

I say this as a physical media collector. I love my discs, but if the price is right on a digital title, I will pull the trigger, since many digital titles replicate the extras contained in physical releases on Google Play and iTunes, for example. OTOH, sometimes, I just want the movie, and if the digital release is $5 or less, I'm in. Similarly, if a film is given a limited release, or is hard to find physically, I weigh the pros and cons of physical vs. digital and act accordingly, which often results in either a digital rental or purchase.

 

[MatthewA]

You're not paying to own it. You're paying for an extended rental that they can legally take away at any time.

Why Laserdisc? Why not the Blu Ray or at least the DVD?

I gave up the DVD for the Blu-ray (that's how I deal with space considerations), and the Blu-ray is a DNR-riddled mess like a lot of early Paramount Blu-rays, so I decided to go back two formats. And it wasn't just laserdisc, but the Criterion CAV laserdisc. That was the gold standard in the pre-DVD days when the movie's ubiquity on TV became such a punch line that Married With Children did an episode about finding something else to watch during the Christmas season … the same year someone actually claimed the copyright and gave NBC the broadcast rights.

I cannot imagine a mindset where a user of 4k, which is as much a niche now as HD was 15 years ago, would want to stream it but not have at least one means of playing UHD discs. Personally, I feel they are trying to force the issue by making it a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Sumner Redstone = Mr. Potter

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

I've moved the thread as there is no indication of any physical media release after consultation with Ron Epstein.

Wonder if Paramount will offer a colorized 4K Edition Of IAWL?
Have the color Blu-ray and rather like it.

 

[JQuintana]

As much as I love and adore this movie, I'm very content watching the NBC "HD" DVR cut of it I keep and watch only during Xmas time. This isn't one of those movies I pull out multiple times a year. It's a 4:30 black and white movie with mono sound. I can live with what is offered on NBC during the holidays.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

While I'd prefer a 4K disc, I hope Paramount will also release their 4K restorations of A Place in the Sun and Romeo and Juliet (1968).

 

[Mark-P]

...It's a 4:30 black and white movie with mono sound...

You say that like it’s a bad thing!

Wonder if Paramount will offer a colorized 4K Edition Of IAWL?
Have the color Blu-ray and rather like it.

Every time it gets bumped up in resolution, they have to re-do the colorization process. It’s already been colorized 3 separate times and I seriously doubt Paramount will spring for yet another pass since the HD color version is there for those who need it.

 

[JQuintana]

Not bad at all. It's a piece of history, I have no beefs with the way it's presented. I just don't feel any need to pay a premium to own a disc that will sit on a shelf 99% of the year. Streaming or OTA is perfectly fine for me,

 

[Osato]

I think most of us agree that we would prefer an actual 4K disc. But for many of us this is the next best thing. Perhaps Paramount will reconsider if digital sales are great. Same for WOTW.

Agreed!!

 

[Osato]

It’s almost like Paramount has been taken over by Henry F. Potter!!

 

[Osato]

It’s almost like Paramount has been taken over by Henry F. Potter!!

Or aliens.....

Or both....

We may need a Star Trek captain on this!!

 

[Spencer Draper]

Every year I watch the Criterion CAV box Laserdisc. Why? Because it was done right from the fine grain and looks 100% identical to the 35mm prints that still play in repertory theaters every year right down to the same damage marks in instances. It's a gorgeous LD with a great exclusive commentary. The only downside is that it doesn't have digital audio which came later on the Republic LDs which IMO aren't as good for picture quality.

I have the DVDs and the Blu-ray and none come close to matching the filmic quality of the old Criterion release. if you have a good CRT and good player many old titles, B&W especially, can look incredible. The old Criterion Casablanca CAV release was the best looking version to my eyes until the new 4K mastered Blu-ray because only those two seem to get the gray scale and shadow detail just right. When MGM started doing the cleaned up versions instantly the contrast went up and it no longer felt as vintage.

 

[OliverK]

It sucks because the majority of film collectors prefer physical media where a UHD film could sit on their shelf with other UHD films in their collection.

Completely agreed, the very people that would buy a movie like It's a Wonderful World will not be able to buy it in their preferred formats.

Or maybe Paramount is testing the waters to see how many units they sell via digital delivery when they give customer the impression that it is the only available version and then they release it on disc at a later point to see how many additional sales they can get.

People like you are bad for home video and killing physical media quite frankly. Labels like Kino, Shout Factory, and others are keeping physical media alive. No thanks to you of course.

While I do not think that this was directed at me I would still think that you are making this way too personal.
Still I would like to ask that itunes and other streaming news and deals get posted in the appropriate forum as I would hope that the Blu-ray subforum will remain dedicated to promoting releases on (UHD) Blu-ray discs and as you can see that has been done already, so it's all where it belongs.