Walmart story about DVDs going the way of 8 tracks (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Thought I'd post this real quick as I think some might be interested. I know this might not be new news to some.

There was a story this morning on Good Morning America that the DVD as we know it will go away sooner then we think. The person who produced this story of course wanted to use the most sensationalistic tease they could.

Turns out that Walmart has 40% of all DVD sales in the United States. I didn't know that, if true. Since they have so much selling power, they apparently have a lot of clout, so the studios will listen.

They have begun a program where by you can download a movie. It's a test program to see if this works. You buy a DVD, and for a few more bucks, you get a code or something and it allows you to download it. As we discussed this before, the film studios don't want to make the same mistake the music industry did and ignore downloading. So if this works out, the story implies that Walmart could have a lot of influence in the industry towards downloads. Of course Apple already has this infrastructure in place and is doing it already, they conveniently left that and the other companies doing downloading out.

The story does not go into what happens once you download it. But it did show some customers who would rather be able to have a thing they can hold and stick in a player. They also showed younger people, teens, fully embracing the idea as they do it now anyway.

 

[David_B_K]

That's the question I have. Are you expected to burn it onto a DVD-R? What if it is a dual-layer movie? Or would you simply watch it on a computer monitor or a teeny tiny iPOD? This sounds like an idea from the great minds that gave us DIVx.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Apple is introducing a wireless thingy called iTV that will do for downloaded video what Airport did for downloaded music - allow you to hook this little box to your TV, and then wirelessly send the movie to your TV.

It won't replace buying DVDs for me, but on the other hand, if it was 2 in the morning and I impulsively wanted to see a certain movie right then, I'd go for it.

 

[Jon Martin]

Wasn't it the Today Show or did GMA have it as well? If so, they thought so much of the story, that they cut it half way through, because an earlier segment ran long.

I'm not buying it though. I don't think downloads will catch on. They are using as a model what Itunes had done to CDs. But, downloading a 3 minute song and a 2 hour movie are very different things.

I think everyone here would rather watch a movie on a 52 inch TV screen, than on an Ipod or computer screen.

 

[Thommy...M]

8-Tracks??? DVD going the way of the 8-track? Do you remember 8-Tracks?

8-tracks literally had songs stop for a few moments right in the middle of a song so the darn thing could jump to the next program and continue the song. 8-track tapes had to go.

DVDs are, and will always be, compact little things that give me a great motion picture experience at home. Whatever technology comes next, there is no need to toss away your DVDs like you did with those ridiculous 8-tracks.

I can see myself satisfied for the next thirty years with my DVDs. One couldn't say that about 8-tracks. They became obsolete because they were a horrible "advancement" in technology. DVDs are not.

 

[Jonathan Peterson]

I think one thing that they underestimate is certain peoples desire to collect things. Why do people have large libraries if they can read things online? There is a nice feeling of being able to hold something in your hand, look at the artwork, etc. I somehow think that we will always have a choice, at least in my lifetime anyway.

 

[walter o]

And I still have a top of a line 8 track player, which I have not touched in 22 years! And dont forget, you cant rewind or fast forward them. Never figured out their appeal.

 

[Jerry R Colvin]

Um, yes you can fast-forward an 8 track, although you can't rewind them. Being a packrat, I still have my three 8 track players from 25 years ago and they have fast forward.

 

[AndrewWickliffe]

The Wal-Mart downloads follow the exact same system as the critically lauded Amazon system.

 

[walter o]

The ones I had/have didnt come with one, the one that still works, it is a dual 8-track and record player, with fm/am radio, and is in a table with section for two matching sofas to come out of (the table is shaped like a angle ruler).

About the only real neat feature of a 8 track is, while a cassette had A and B side, 8 track had 4 sections/programs with about 2-3 songs each, but as someone else mentioned, some songs ends half ways and start back up in another program. Really frustrating system.

 

[EricSchulz]

I think that the fact that the majority of the posts in this thread are about 8-tracks and NOT Wal-Mart's comments about DVD vs. downloads is kinda amusing...

And my two cents: downloading a song for 99 cents vs. a full length movie for $x.xx is comparing apples and oranges. Even as a long-time record/CD collector I have no problem downloading a song to burn/play on my iPod, yet the thought of watching a movie on my PC/iPod is unimaginable! Also, I have never downloaded an entire album online, just the song I want...

 

[Chip_HT]

I saw the thing on the Superman Returns half pallet about downloading the movie for $1.97 after buying the DVD.

Now, why the heck would someone want to do that? If you have the DVD, then you can pretty much use that anywhere you could use a download, and then some.

 

[Charles S]

I saw the story and that is exactly what I thought. Yeah, you can download it (which would take hours even on DSL) but then you buy the blank DVDs and burn them. Just seems like way more trouble than it's worth. Definitely sounds as stupid as DIVX to me.

 

[Nelson Au]

I'm not surprised by many of the comments so far, being that we are part of a Home Theater forum. (excepting the 8 track digression!) We are looking for the optimum performance and highest quality video and audio.

But the one comment that struck me was the teen who said he'd be all for it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the sense from co-workers and observation is that a vast majority of people don't really care about how good the transfer is. Some are happy to watch on their computer or PSP or iPod. And they are happy to rip a DVD. It doesn't make sense to me either, but it happens!

It's simply another delivery method and one that many young people have fully embraced and are happy with. And I myself have converted DVD's for my iPod video for watching or listening while sitting in traffic or at work.

 

[Jason_V]

What's going to happen to this technology-just like the two HD formats-is that the studios and retailers are going to roll it out and expect people to understand it. They won't because there will be a lack of education. The upgrade from VHS to DVD was obvious. The upgrade from DVD to HD is not as noticeable, plus it's super expensive. That's why downloading and the two HD formats aren't going to fly. It's going to be something completely different, where we have super fast internet/HD cable and we can download any movie at any time to our personal server at home.

 

[paul_austin]

the appeal was that there was nothing else for the car, cassettes still hadnt come along yet, and once they did 8 tracks died...if you didnt want to be a slave to the radio you really had no choice.

 

[Tory]

I was just playing with my 2XL yesterday, the answer was Donny & Marie.

I couldn't download due to dial up and even then I would rather have something in my hand and if I ever wanted to watch something on my ipod, I would rather have it be from something I already own physically than pay for something online. I hope noone downloads Superman returns after they bought it on DVD at Wal-mart.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Actually, the compact cassette came along right on the heels of the 8-track, which was born in 1964. From Wikipedia:

"The 8-track cartridge was made obsolete by the Compact Cassette. Unlike the 8-track, it was invented as a monophonic dictation device in 1963 with no consideration for high fidelity in its original design. The stereo "Music" audio cassette (or Musicassette) introduced in 1966[3] became a practical high-fidelity format with the addition of Dolby noise reduction to cassette tapes in 1971."

A pity it took so long for the cassette to finally kill the 8-track.

 

[paul_austin]

hmmm i had no idea-good find. I guess noone was pushing cassettes and the industry was firmly behind 8 track.

 

[Brian Little]

To be honest its not a bad cost for under $2 to have the movie ready to be played on their iPod outside of downloading it. Keep in mind that MANY people would find it cumbersome and time consuming to do it themselves. Yes you might find it "dumb" to pay $2 but to Average Technology Confused Joe Sixpack... its a "sweet" deal.