Warner Bros. Catalog Blu-ray releases...? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

And I hope that they're creating HD versions of the films they're remastering for the WAC (The Bride Wore Red, Show Boat, etc.) so they can also be released on Blu-ray through the WAC someday. I'm hesitant to purchase those films for fear of that...

Exactly the way I feel. I'm holding off on Show Boat. The laserdisc will do me well enough for the present.

 

[Brandon Conway]

I can understand the hesitation to buy a DVD if one feels a Blu-ray is imminent. Of course there are over 100 Blu-rays of currently released titles that I want that I've yet to purchase, so I usually have the opposite problem.Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Just started a new thread for Doc Hollywood which is a Warner property. Its out now on Amazon Instant Video in HD so hopefully a Blu won't be far behind.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Consumers aren't weary about price erosion; they're weary about catalog titles in general. Consumers are primarily not interested in catalog titles, but rather New Releases. Catalog title buyers are a small percentage (maybe 10% at best) of consumers.

The future is not bright for catalog titles on BD, at least, not to the extent many here want it to be. You can start new threads every day complaining about it, but it's not going to get any better with a more likely scenario it's going to get worse in the near future. The profit margins just aren't there for the studios to change their minds on their current strategy regarding catalog titles. For those that don't believe that, I can't see any studio executive turning their back on a revenue gold mine if it was there for them to mine. Executives are in their position of power to make money for their studio, when they're not doing that then they're going to get fired. The profit margins aren't large enough to justify an increase in catalog BD releases. It's as simple as that and we need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Sure, some titles will trickle out, but the trend will continue towards digital downloads and streaming. Farming titles out to TT, Olive and such might bring in some monies, but I don't think it's enough of a game changer for many studio executives. Case in point, Warner Archive Instant is relatively cheaper to operate and easier to manage than Warner Archive. The same applies to consumers too as it's cheaper to use WAI and it's easier to manage which titles you're going to view. The MSRP for those MOD releases are still too high as we all patiently await for our favorite titles to go sale, several months after their initial MOD release date. I have about 20 MOD titles on my wish list that I'm waiting on for sale pricing.

Unfortunately, for film buffs, the day of getting our favorite catalog titles on BD discs like the hey day of DVD circa 2000, will never come for us. That day will never have a dawn. We are a niche consumer base as the rest of the home video consumer base won't buy enough product to make it anything else than what it is now.

 

[ahollis]

Well said Robert.

 

[Alan Tully]

Yup, I think you said it all there Robert. I don't think we're doing that badly for catalogue titles, mainly thanks to the small licensing companies. I just wish Warner would think again about licensing out titles to these companies. It made sense not to when they were doing a lot of releases, but not now, & as has been said, they're sitting on a mountain of great films. Nothing I want this month, but three or four I very much want in April, & a few goodies after that.

 

[Yorkshire]

Then it's time they really started to get stuck in to letting us buy downloads in full, Blu-ray Disc quality HD.

Amazon UK recently started doing downloads, and I took a punt on Fail-Safe and (Warners') Wait Until Dark.

Both, particularly WUD, clearly have a lot going for them. But both were restricted by their 8GB size. The detail was clearly there in still shots, but as soon as anything moved the compression became very obvious, and I'm not picky.

I'll might rent the odd title in the future, but I'm not buying an 8GB HD download again.

I can understand the problems of risking pressing thousands of copies which might not sell, then the headache of returns, keeping accounts straight, etc.

So why not just put them up there at Amazon, iTunes, etc, to buy a full 20GB version?

No risk. They've scanned them already. If no one buys them, what have they lost?

It's okay saying catalogue sales are poor and risky, and that downloads are the way to go, as long as you let people buy the dowload.

Warner! You have the films scanned. I have the money! What's the problem?

Steve W

 

[Yorkshire]

By the way, from Warners I'd really love:

Fury (1936)
Gun Crazy (1950)
Key Largo
Seven Days in May
Wait Until Dark

A decent noir boxed-set would put a big hole in that list.

Steve W

 

[Robert Crawford]

Then it's time they really started to get stuck in to letting us buy downloads in full, Blu-ray Disc quality HD.

Amazon UK recently started doing downloads, and I took a punt on Fail-Safe and (Warners') Wait Until Dark.

Both, particularly WUD, clearly have a lot going for them. But both were restricted by their 8GB size. The detail was clearly there in still shots, but as soon as anything moved the compression became very obvious, and I'm not picky.

I'll might rent the odd title in the future, but I'm not buying an 8GB HD download again.

I can understand the problems of risking pressing thousands of copies which might not sell, then the headache of returns, keeping accounts straight, etc.

So why not just put them up there at Amazon, iTunes, etc, to buy a full 20GB version?

No risk. They've scanned them already. If no one buys them, what have they lost?

It's okay saying catalogue sales are poor and risky, and that downloads are the way to go, as long as you let people buy the dowload.

Warner! You have the films scanned. I have the money! What's the problem?

Steve W

That's where it's going if technical/internet infrastructure allows it and the studios get over their piracy paranoia.

 

[Charles Smith]

Well said Robert.

Depressingly well said.

 

[Keith Cobby]

It doesn't bode well for 4K at least not for classic films. Blu-ray is the end of the road for packaged media and the titles are trickling out slowly if you shop worldwide and have a code-free player. If there is 5 years left in the format I hope to have most of my favourites on the shelf by then. I am simply not interested in downloading/streaming.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Depressingly well said.

Yes, it is. I wish it wasn't true.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It doesn't bode well for 4K at least not for classic films. Blu-ray is the end of the road for packaged media and the titles are trickling out slowly if you shop worldwide and have a code-free player. If there is 5 years left in the format I hope to have most of my favourites on the shelf by then. I am simply not interested in downloading/streaming.

I had that same type of mind set, but have since, changed my mind. No reason to "cutting off the nose to spite the face". I have three code-free BD players so I buy all regions, but I download/stream too as there is a benefit for me doing so.

 

[JoeDoakes]

On the WAC facebook page they said that they had done a podcast in which they discussed what was goin on with Showboat. Did anyone listen to that?

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I agree 100% with everything you said, Robert. I just wish the technology would allow the WAC to manufacture Blu-rays on demand rather than in small pressings, so they could issue the films that they already have HD scans of.

 

[bruceames]

I agree 100% with everything you said, Robert. I just wish the technology would allow the WAC to manufacture Blu-rays on demand rather than in small pressings, so they could issue the films that they already have HD scans of.

They already have the technology. It's called BD-R, just like DVD-R they use for the successful DVD Archive program. Why they don't use it, I have no clue. Perhaps a few people said they won't buy them if they're burned discs?

So, assuming that Warner is going to be headstrong and stick with pressed discs (which isn't really an "archive" program AFAIC), or licensing out to other distributors, then we can pretty much forget about getting any real classic output on BD going forward from them.

It looks then like it's going be digital distribution then. Once 4k becomes more common I don't see why they (and other studios) wouldn't offer streaming/download 4k versions of catalog titles. I suppose it's a matter of just accepting the medium, but distribution is a clear advantage of digital and something is certainly better than nothing.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

They already have the technology. It's called BD-R, just like DVD-R they use for the successful DVD Archive program. Why they don't use it, I have no clue. Perhaps a few people said they won't buy them if they're burned discs?

The required Blu-ray CSS (copyguard) makes burned BD-R unreliable in a good number of players. The MOD suppliers are trying to make it work, so I expect it'll happen at some point.

 

[bruceames]

The required Blu-ray CSS (copyguard) makes burned BD-R unreliable in a good number of players. The MOD suppliers are trying to make it work, so I expect it'll happen at some point.

I wonder what the minimum feasible pressing is then? They should just press that amount and advertise it like TT does (as I said earlier).

 

[jcroy]

It doesn't bode well for 4K at least not for classic films. Blu-ray is the end of the road for packaged media and the titles are trickling out slowly if you shop worldwide and have a code-free player. If there is 5 years left in the format I hope to have most of my favourites on the shelf by then. I am simply not interested in downloading/streaming.

I had that same type of mind set, but have since, changed my mind. No reason to "cutting off the nose to spite the face". I have three code-free BD players so I buy all regions, but I download/stream too as there is a benefit for me doing so.

Same thoughts here.

I've been slowly moving towards this stance, especially for current tv shows that I don't feel have much re-watch value, and movies that I don't consider to be outstanding.

Over the last year or so, I've been making an effort to watch my regular weekly current tv shows' episodes within a day or so after their first-run broadcast. In practice, I find that most of my current regular tv shows have very little to no re-watch value. (Not even as broadcast reruns or streaming). Mostly stuff that I wouldn't bother buying on bluray (or dvd) anymore, such as Criminal Minds, the revived Hawaii Five-0, The Blacklist, Helix, Continuum, The Americans, Defiance, etc ...

For movies that I don't consider to be outstanding, I now just wait for them to be broadcast on basic cable channels, unless I find such movies in the $5 (or less) bluray dump bins (ie. whichever comes first). Many such movies frequently start showing up on basic cable channels, after 2 or 3 years of their original release (whether theatrical or direct-to dvd/bluray). In practice, I also find that such mediocre movies also have very little to no re-watch value for me. No point in buying them on bluray, unless they show up for $5 or less.

 

[jcroy]

I wonder what the minimum feasible pressing is then? They should just press that amount and advertise it like TT does (as I said earlier).

Does Warner own their bluray pressing plant? (Or is it contracted/outsourced to somebody else?)