Why do people hate upgrading DVDs? (1 Viewer)

[David Ruiz]

Why do all the people in the world hate upgrading DVDs? Don't you guys *like* to see your favourite movie remastered to LOOK better and SOUND better? There are so many people that are 100% against upgrading their movies, but they are constantly upgrading their speakers, and their TVs! It seems like a waste to upgrade your TV, if the DVD you play on it, is going to look awful, unless you upgrade to the next SPECIAL EDITION or SUPERBIT DVD.

I for one, LOVE to hear that a movie that I enjoy, is going to be re-mastered. I nearly had a heart-attack, when I heard that "The Net" was going to have a new 16X9 HD Transfer! I went out and got it, immediately. Yes, I had the original DVD, but all I did, was sell it on Ebay. Now, I have my Special Edition DVD that looks and sounds better than the previous one. No harm done!

 

[Paul_D]

Urm, I think that maybe, its that we don't like buying the same movie twice, or even 3 times in some cases. Its a pretty simple explanation: money wasted. And selling on eBay takes effort (however slight), and you never get all your money back.

Of course you're gonna be pleased that a favourite movie is being re-done, but your pleasure might be diluted by frustration if you only just bought the original inferior disc. Pretty obvious really.

 

[Butch C]

What some here would like is a clear differentiation between DVDs that are re-released for special features (which I NEVER watch), and DVD's that have a DRASTIC improvement in Sound and Video quality (for the average system...not the high end system.)

 

[David Lambert]

Why do all the people in the world hate upgrading DVDs?

[c]$[/c]
That answer your question?
"Do it right the first time" is the preferred option. If you're going to do a quickie now and an SE later, then at least tell us up front so we can make a concious decision to be double-dipped.

 

[Matt Stone]

Take Black Hawk Down for an example. We've known for months that Ridley is working on a kick-ass SE, and guess what...they announce a basically bare-bones edition for June. Why can't they just wait a few months and only release the SE.

As others have pointed it...this has nothing to do with us not wanting our favorite films to be the best DVDs possible, it has to do with the fact that studios are milking our wallets with it.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Although I have yet to buy a new edition of an older title which I own already (I do have a fandful of SE reissues, but never owned the originals.) I look at getting an SE as upgrading from Windows98 to WindowsXP. Sure, it costs more, but it's better.
I'm pretty sure Amadeus: SE will be my first re-buy since it's one of my favorite movies of all time.

 

[Daniel L]

It has to do with the fact that studios are milking our wallets with it.

Damn those studios... Trying to increase thier revenue and profits by selling more copies of a disc at our expense.
The audacity to think that we, the consumer, might just have the slightest inkling to buy a disc a second time, how insulting! :rolleyes
Daniel L

 

[Terry H]

"Do it right the first time" is the preferred option. If you're going to do a quickie now and an SE later, then at least tell us up front so we can make a concious decision to be double-dipped.

Well said. I agree completely.

That said however, I gladly purchase or repurchase disks from the early days of the format which could be better. I will gladly upgrade flippers, for a better transfer, restoration, anamorphic enhancement or proper OAR.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Yes, do it right the first time. I don't have money to burn on inferior products. If they can do it properly later, they can do it sooner.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

I think repurchasing favorite movies is just part of the hobby element of the process.

Just as we all strive for the unreachable goal of a "perfect" Home Theater setup, so, too, do we strive for the "perfect" transfer of one our favorite films.

The best that any of us can ever hope for is to be temporarily satiated in this regard.

As long as a new transfer of a favorite movie provides something substantial in the way of additional supplements and/or quality, then I have no problem with a re-purchase.

In most cases, my first DVD of the title in question was in a form that provided many hours of enjoyment that I wouldn't have had had I waited for the "Upgraded" version.

Those hours of enjoyment have to be factored in to the true cost of the upgrade.

"Hours of Enjoyment Provided" + "Dollars accrued from selling the used disc" usually more than equal "An unparalled bargain" for any hobbyist.

Besides, nobody is forcing anybody to purchase an enhanced version of a favorite film!

THE BOTTOM LINE is that in most cases this situation represents a "win-win" scenario for both the studio and the consumer.

 

[Matt Stone]

Damn those studios... Trying to increase thier revenue and profits by selling more copies of a disc at our expense.

Thanks for the sarcasm there Danial. I suppose you like handing over your money to the studios multiple times?

I'm not saying that it's unholy what the studios are doing, I'm just saying that I don't have to like it.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Much like the rest of you, I hate the "sneak move". If there's going to be an eventual SE, simply announce it. Those "milder" fans who mainly care about owning the movie can happily pick up that edition, and a specific film's more "hardcore" fans can wait for the "bells and whistles" version.
If that method is good enough for Cameron Crowe, Christopher Nolan, and Peter Jackson - it's good enough for me.
"Surprising" fans with an unexpected SE (OOOH, The Mummy Ultimate Special Collector's Edition with new end credits music!) is a cheap, money-grubbing ploy.

 

[Matt Stone]

Yah...I think I'm anti most of the Ultimate Edition releases for that reason. They act like it's a fantastic 2 disc set...but the second disc is always a Pan and Scan version of the film...Wow, what an extra.

 

[Duane Robinson]

For me to poop on.

 

[Dave H]

I dont mind paying for upgraded discs that are 4-5 yrs old (such as a Batman, Pulp Fiction, etc.) These badly need to be re-done. However, it's when studios, within a year or two, re-release the title is what makes me mad.

At least Columbia has announced there will be a SE of Black Hawk Down . This gives me the knowledge to make a choice, something most other studios haven't done very well.

 

[Dan Brecher]

Whilst the want for them to get it right first time is most on my mind, I do appreciate studios like Fox, Disney, Columbia...etc fixing their past mistakes, as it's better late then never in this case. We're not forced to buy the re-issues.

Universal's Ultimate Editions have been a bit of a farce for the most part, the idea of them bugged me, fixing things that were never broken to begin with. Same can be said for Sony's new MIB and Stuart Little re-issues, quick sequl cash ins like some of Universals UE releases.

Sony's late descision to do Superbit releases with the extras on a 2nd disc could also be highlighted, but at least it didn't tak so long for them to figure this was a good way to go I guess.

Dan

 

[Matt Goddard]

I make a distinction between money grubbing upgrades and needed upgrades. I bought Die Hard and Die Hard 2 fully knowing that one day I would have to buy a better version. I was willing to buy it twice. That's the case with a lot of my non-anamorphic discs. I bought them knowing I'd have to buy them again. Kudos to Fox and other studios for replacing their inferior products.

What upsets me, like others, are the upgraded discs that aren't needed. I bought the Mummy UE for the DTS track and free movie ticket, but why couldn't they have included the DTS track in the first place? I know the reason - the studio could make more money releasing it later. That's their perogative, but as a consumer I don't have to like it.

Upgrading discs that don't need to be upgraded diverts valuable studio resources from putting out other titles, especially those from their catalog. That's what upsets me the most.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

In the past I have only upgraded two DVDs...
- Halloween 4
Bought the first edition for $12 at Best Buy (Christmas 1999) -> sold it on eBay for $16 (August 2001) -> got limited edition tin for birthday (my mom paid around $23, November 2001).
- Almost Famous
Bought the movie-only edition for $19 from DVD Empire (early 2001) -> sold it on eBay for $17 (November 2001) -> bought Bootleg Edition for $25 at DVD Empire (December 2001).
For Halloween 4 I upgraded for the new anamorphic trasfer (and the craptastic tin) and for Almost Famous I upgraded for the extended cut of the movie (along with all the other extras).
Sometimes I will not upgrade to a new version. I bought the Goodtimes release of Halloween II back in 1999 for $10 when it's SRP was $24.99 at the time. It would've cost me $20 (double for what it cost for the old version) to get the new version which just included a new transfer. Or the new Starship Troopers DVD. The current DVD imo is pretty damn good, I don't need to upgrade to get a new commentary track, an isolated score, and some featurettes.
But then there are sometimes when I do feel the need to upgrade (like the upcoming Memento DVD) just cause I love the movie and I want more special features.

 

[Walt Riarson]

I have the following DVDs which I may have to upgrade, even though I wish I didn't have to...

Memento

The Usual Suspects

Traffic

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

...and guess what... they announce a basically bare-bones edition for June. Why can't they just wait a few months and only release the SE?

Because not everybody wants the SE, or is willing to pay extra for the extra features. Hard as this may be for some of us to believe, lots of movie fans have never watched an included documentary, played around in the "editing room" or listened to a commentary track. This is exactly why, in the laser disc days, there was a $30 movie-only disc, and a $100 four-disc SE. Why should the studio pass up the chance to sell a $20 movie-only disc to those who are unwilling to shell out $30 or $35 for an SE? As long as both are announced up front, so that consumers can make an informed decision, I have no problem with this whatsoever. Not everybody shares my idea of what constitutes "doing it right", and I don't mind the studios accomodating those with less exacting standards than my own.
You're also forgetting the "must have it on (or before) street date" obsessives who would want the SE now or would be howling just as loud and demanding a movie-only release first, if a theatrical film wasn't on disc within six months of opening in theaters. If you're being bombarded with unreasonable demands, it seems wise to go with the one that will return the greatest profit.
(That's also why I don't give a rat's butt if studios release P&S editions for the philistines. As long as those are in addition to widescreen versions, I don't really care. Maybe we'll see a future where all movie-only editions are P&S, followed a month or two later by a widescreen-only SE. That would suit me just fine.)
Like others in this thread, I also applaud when studios go back and fix early discs that had problems. There was a pretty steep learning curve when the studios first got into DVD, and a case could be made that every movie I bought in 1997 and 1998 should be replaced - as many of them have been. Since the studios didn't know any better - and since I've been able to enjoy these films for nearly five years in a format far better than anything else they've ever been released on - I don't feel "used." There is even one film that I knew was getting an SE, that I bought in the barebones edition anyway - The Princess Bride. I'm a big fan of the movie, knew the SE was about a year away, and didn't own a copy. (The best I could have done was P&S VHS, even if it were still in print.) It was well worth the $1 a month it cost me to own and watch the first version for a year, while I was waiting for the SE.
The SEs that bug me are the "stealth" ones, released two-months after the barebones version with no notice. That's just double-dipping and is extremely unfair. Will I be buying the new anamorphic Usual Suspects? Sure. Do I feel cheated? No. But if they release an "Ultimate Edition" with even more extras next month I'll be royally pissed off.
In the meantime all this fixing of unbroken discs has to stop. Do we really need a new version of Men in Black? What do I get with this one, a personal visit from Will and Tommy Lee? Forget that. If they want to send Linda to my house, we can talk.
I'd much rather the studios invested the time, money and production line slots to re-doing badly made early discs and "flippers" or to releasing catalog titles that we're still waiting for, rather than going back to the well to re-issue some midlist movie for the third time.
Regards,
Joe