Forum Archive Home -> Latest Video News -> DVD Sales way down
DVD Sales way down | ||||
| bendixG15 posted 2009 Sep 22 09:48 | ||||
| DVD sales dropped 13.5 % in first half of year.
Studios are going after RedBox rentals for killing sales Consumers are "confused" over Blu-ray, not buying like they should. Its all here........... http://www.marketwatch.com/story/studios-hurt-as-dvd-sales-fall-a ... 2009-09-22 | ||||
| SatStorm posted 2009 Sep 22 11:06 | ||||
| I buy less DVDs lately and I watch much less TV.
It has nothing to do with rentals ot the existence of Blu Ray. It has to do with the fact that I don't have the secure job I had once, so I spent the less I can for the things I don't necessary need. Also the time I spend home is far less than 2 - 3 year ago. Second job / extras are needed to catch up with the prices. And finally, the content of the TV and the cinema the last decade, focus mainly to political correct brainless people, living in an alternative world. I can't find something interesting to watch. So I "switch" to Japanese anime (amazing stuff there to watch, especially if you are a fan of SciFi, slice or life or comedy), old US/UK/FR/It shows and movies from the 50s-60s-70s. I don't like today's hollywood, I don't buy / watch the current stuff. | ||||
| handyguy posted 2009 Sep 22 11:09 | ||||
| They don't put out a lot of interesting films these days. | ||||
| orsetto posted 2009 Sep 22 12:25 | ||||
| The key to the entire issue is "they don't want to follow the path trod by the music business". But its too late, they've been dropped onto that path by consumer apathy and laziness. Three years ago New York City still had dozens of independent DVD rental stores with knowledgeable staff and fun atmosphere. An article in the newspaper here last week noted only TWO struggling specialty stores are left and you can count the Blockbuster stores on one hand. Understand thats in New York City: capital of world media consumption. What happened? Netflix, thats what happened: it single handedly destroyed the bricks-and-mortar video store in college towns and major urban areas. Without dedicated video stores, the studios have no serious market for physical media, and thats that. They'll be left to rot, just as the music industry got hung out to dry when consumers opted for file trading and iTunes over shopping and socializing at Tower Records. No retail market means no bulk sales means bye bye to choice and breadth, hello to junk rap and slasher flicks.
You couldn't be bothered to drive five minutes to the store? Couldn't resist NetFlix and downloads? Well, hope y'all enjoy what comes of that: $25 movie theater admissions, Kanye's posturing and Saw 19 nominated for Best Picture. Me, I'm glad I stockpiled enough good movies, old TV and music to last the rest of my life. Its gonna be a long time before the online market recaptures what we had with retail. | ||||
| Constant Gardener posted 2009 Sep 22 12:32 | ||||
| I buy fewer DVDs now - mainly because I've already collected most of the old stuff that I wanted. Now I'm just filling in gaps and adding the occasional new item. I'm even buying fewer blank DVDs, for the same reason. | ||||
| Soopafresh posted 2009 Sep 22 13:28 | ||||
| Two words - Zack Effron | ||||
| filmboss80 posted 2009 Sep 22 14:58 | ||||
| I'm with handyguy. I like watching movies and am more than willing to shell out a few bucks for good DVDs. Unfortunately, most Hollywood writers these days have crap for brains. Some of the better films I've seen lately come from outside the US (like Sweden's "Let the Right One In" and Japan's "Departures").
Content is king. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2009 Sep 22 15:10 | ||||
Both of these pretty much describe me, too. | ||||
| MOVIEGEEK posted 2009 Sep 22 15:14 | ||||
You win the grand prize handyguy, your HDTV is in the mail. :) I agree with the article that rentals are hurting sales but most of what is released nowadays is crap:I Love You Man...Land Of The Lost..... :x | ||||
| jntaylor63 posted 2009 Sep 22 16:01 | ||||
| Do these guys read the news? There is this thing going on called a recession. It brings on a strange thing like "less consumer spending". | ||||
| Kayembee posted 2009 Sep 22 16:20 | ||||
Not to disagree, but in my area, I went to Netflix (early on) because the local video rental places ALREADY had little more than the latest releases and a crappy-small inventory of older films. Were older films just not being released on DVD? Maybe, but Netflix managed to find more of the hard-to-find. Or were the stores just unwilling to maintain a long-tail inventory? Maybe they did in NYC, but they sure didn't do that here. Bottom line, I didn't fall, I was pushed. Kayembee | ||||
| Des posted 2009 Sep 22 17:16 | ||||
| I feel he same as many: Not too much out there that want to own. I seldom bought much in the tape days either. I also don't record much TV or watch much for that matter. If it wasn't for my wife's preference that we keep FIOS I would drop the TV portion and put up an HD antenna and media PC. She doesn't watch much TV either, but likes to have a lot of choices when she does sit down to watch (though she almost always puts on Law and Order anyway).
I do rent pretty regularly. I have Netflix' 2 out at a time unlimited per month plan and pay it whether I rent or not. Gives me the flexibility to rent something interesting or take a chance on crap. Lately, I got lot of crap :lol: --dES | ||||
| mazinz posted 2009 Sep 22 17:18 | ||||
Then it might make you feel better to know that in Monroe, NY one of the last mom and pop video stores around still has vhs on the shelves to rent in addition to the rows of dvds. I miss the old days and going here was like a dream come true | ||||
| stiltman posted 2009 Sep 22 17:35 | ||||
| You can also go to just about any super market and rent/buy the latest titles....
Sales are down because it's a depression/recession Sales are down because Hollywood is putting out mostly junk | ||||
| jimdagys posted 2009 Sep 22 18:42 | ||||
| I bought only one DVD in my life (and bought it in China), Wizard of Oz. | ||||
| usually_quiet posted 2009 Sep 22 19:45 | ||||
| I have always been a renter.
My favorite video store was killed by RedBox and Netflix. Netflix took away some business, and when RedBox arrived, the grocery store I rented from decided that it would be more profitable to sell space to them than continue to operate their own rental deparment. I now rent from RedBox, and it is better than nothing, but the selection of available movies is very limited by comparison. ...and we haven't even considered the effect of on-demand movies from the cablecos. Millions more homes have that option available this year than had it availble last year. Next year there will be even more as growing numbers of cable subscribers are forced into digital packages to retain the same level of service they used to enjoy. | ||||
| redwudz posted 2009 Sep 22 20:04 | ||||
| I discovered my local library has probably over 600 DVD and 200 or more VHS tapes. All free. Some scratched or damaged, but a lot of the older movies available and only a few minutes drive. You might want to check your local library to see what they have.
But I also use Netflix. The Safeway supermarket sells and rents DVD, but I've only seen a very few video rental stores around here. I quit going to theaters years ago. My feet always stuck to the floor and the ticket prices were outrageous. :( I go to live plays for theater entertainment now. I don't buy many DVDs now days. There don't seem to be many newer movies that I really want to see a second time. :) | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 22 20:11 | ||||
| The current movies are all lame. Remakes of remakes of remakes. Even Gladiator was a remake of Fall of the Roman Empire and it won Best Picture! I don't even go to the rental store any more on new release day. Hollywood's players are all played out. The best, most creative and original films are from outside the US. Beowulf and Grendel, The Proposition, Perfume, Slum Dog, District 9 - all good and all foreign.
The problem in Hollywood is nepotism. Everyone is someone's niece or son or cousin or great great grandchild. They inherited the business but they have little to no talent and huge egos. Or they just have money and no talent. Jennifer Aniston is the perfect example. How many more films will she buy a staring role for herself in that I won't watch. I will not watch or rent anything from Seagal, Van Damme, Lionsgate or direct to DVD. I don't care if they are only a buck at Red Box. My time is worth more. Hollywood is due for a good flush (down the toilet). It happened when UCLA Film School grads were handed the reins back years ago. They turned around the business. It's time for some serious turnover in Hollywood. Time for a new young crowd to take over. | ||||
| Bjs posted 2009 Sep 22 20:33 | ||||
| The number one reason sales are down is due to the lack of any interest by these companies to setup online stores where they can offer movies on either dvd or blueray that they deemed "non-comercial sense" ... people are sick of the same garbage being offered and many want to purchase films they had seen on tv or in theaters years ago yet have never been offered to the public and may never be.
The only one's they can blame are themselves for their on personal inaction to perceive other marketable area's ... they have films and series sitting in storage rotting away which could be turned into a gold mine if they just spent a little effort and stopped to consider the "older generation" as part of their sales strategy. | ||||
| Four Fifth posted 2009 Sep 22 20:57 | ||||
Wow surely you do know the 90's are long gone & these actors are no longer active. | ||||
| rcubed posted 2009 Sep 22 22:50 | ||||
| Hi - my $0.02
Price, price, price, they no longer offer (very infrequently) new release special prices for the 1st week. A lot of DVDs have a "cheap" version mostly advertisements and only the movie, and a "special version" that includes a lot of the features they used to offer on the std DVD release at a $4 to $5 premium. Plus I second the there is a recession going on. Rentals look like people drove over them with their cars. Sometimes to the point where they won't play. I'm wondering when they are going to start doing "crappy" encodes for Std DVDs to "encourage" people to purchase BluRay. For those of us with only component HD inputs, BluRay is out of the question. They even disable upscaling on all outputs but the HDMI ones. Paranoid about trying to protect content. rcubed | ||||
| Nitemare posted 2009 Sep 23 00:17 | ||||
| If the studios want more cash they should slow down the release dates on DVDs. Back in the VHS days, the videos would come out about a year to 1.5 years after the film was in theaters.
The summer blockbusters are already on DVD. This is too fast and screws them both ways. I saw no movies in theaters this summer because I knew that I'd be able to see the DVD in 3-6 months. Those who saw the film in theaters JUST saw them and have no interest in doing so again right now. They're thinking to release the DVD early and strike while the property is still "hot". Dumbasses. | ||||
| Ai Haibara posted 2009 Sep 23 00:30 | ||||
| Don't they do that, in part, because of piracy? If they get it out early enough, maybe someone will want to buy the DVD/BR, rather than download some crappy cam version off the web, or bootleg discs.
But, yeah, it has seemed to have developed a rather quick turnaround, depending on the property. Some, you can wait forever for the releases to come out. But the last season of 24 was practically released almost the moment the final episode of that season went off the air. :D | ||||
| Wile_E posted 2009 Sep 23 01:09 | ||||
| Causes:
1. Recession, Reduced salary, No job. 2. Online streaming - Netflix, XBOX/PS3 movies on demand. 3. Movie restoration - Hollywood needs to clean up the older movies correctly, and stop over sharpening, and releasing dirty transfers. Especially to Blu-Ray. I'm not buying a movie where the film negatives have blemishes, hair, and dirt in the transfers. Yes, it takes money to restore films. What did the studios do with all that money they made over the years? It is not just Netflix. The XBOX and PS3 both have media stores where you can rent movies and download them. They even have "HI-DEF" 720p movies now that actually look pretty good on most smaller screens. Why drive to a store, when I can search and rent instantly online? Gamestop and other game stores is next. XBOX and PS3 now have FULL GAME titles you can buy and download. No more discs to insert in your machine. It is nobody's fault except corporate management at these stores. Blockbuster should have acted faster and got their act together with online streaming, and got together with Microsoft, Sony, or another partner. But no, they didn't take the initiative. I am starting to buy Blu-Ray, because the quality won't ever be there in streaming content. Plus I want 5.1ch surround. Unfortunately, without a job I had to cut expenses. When I do see a job opening, it is paying HALF what I was making before the recession! What a rip-off. It's time the big-wigs in these companies learn a lesson and take a pay cut!!! They are the ones with outrageous 200K+ salaries, when us normal people make squat. Either the little people need to get paid more, or prices on goods need to take a cut. That's the way I see it. | ||||
| budz posted 2009 Sep 23 02:24 | ||||
| Not surprised at all since the economy is so bad...people out of jobs...no money, no entertainment in the home. Oh, and all the stuff posted about Netflix with home delivery and live streaming is also the cause of low dvd sales.
:shock: :lol: Postal worker in Mass. who stole 30,000 Netflix dvds is unbelievable! http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/22/ap/strange/main5328955.shtml | ||||
| zoobie posted 2009 Sep 23 03:54 | ||||
They must have fired him way back in February 2008 upon reviewing the security video... Netflix may suffer, too, if the USPS decides to drop Saturday delivery | ||||
| KBeee posted 2009 Sep 23 09:24 | ||||
| Buying a DVD/BD implies you'll want to watch it more than one time, and looking at the latest Top 5 Boxoffice "hits" for the last weekend, there's not one film I'd care to watch even once, let alone buy. | ||||
| handyguy posted 2009 Sep 23 11:29 | ||||
I only bought on, What's Bugging Seth, & what is interesting is that you couldn't get it anywhere else, not at Netflix, BB, instore, Etc. It never made it to distribution, so I could only buy it from the producer. | ||||
| jman98 posted 2009 Sep 23 12:25 | ||||
Considering that from your previous posts we know that you live in China, that's not really much of an accomplishment. You sure do seem awfully interested in video matters for a guy who "bought only one DVD in my life". Are you a media parasite who just downloads EVERYTHING off P2P and similar places? Or is that statement simply more hyperbolic b.s. from you? | ||||
| wulf109 posted 2009 Sep 23 12:45 | ||||
| My 2 cents. Of course it's the recession,but many people have access to Pay-Per-view on cable or satelite for 4-5 dollars. It's cheaper to order PPV then drive to a store and rent or buy. You may be able to record your PPV. How many movies do you actually watch more than once? | ||||
| rijir2001 posted 2009 Sep 23 12:50 | ||||
What do you mean? What about JVCD and The Onion "CockPuncher"? :P | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 23 14:45 | ||||
| Seagal and Van Damme are both still making cheap straight to DVD crap movies. Look it up on IMbd.com
Lionsgate is making cheap rip off westerns using the set from 3:10 to Yuma. They also make crap kids horror/slasher films straight to DVD. Lionsgate, like Seagal and Van Damme, has no pride and are just ripping off people every Tuesday - new release day. They put more money in the packaging than they spend on the film. | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 23 18:26 | ||||
Not many, but a few. :P What I watch more than once are my HD captures. (Wouldn't be any point to it otherwise). On Palladia, they're still occasionally running "Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's". Damn, that one's good. | ||||
| sammie posted 2009 Sep 23 21:18 | ||||
| For us, two simple reasons:
Red Box: My wife pics up a rental or two everytime she goes to the grocery store. Crapola: Despite the reason above, there is little I want to see anymore and almost nothing I want to own. The last several current movies we've watched I would best describe as painful. I'd rather dig out one of my old classics or watch DVR'd reruns of MASH, Quantum Leap, Raymond, etc. | ||||
| freebird73717 posted 2009 Sep 23 21:35 | ||||
Same here. | ||||
| Nitemare posted 2009 Sep 24 00:25 | ||||
| My son and I just had this discussion. I noted that we hadn't been to the theater in a while and he sort of snorted and said "Look what's in them!" Pretty astute for a 16-year-old.
I mentioned this thread and he agreed with me that there are no new "classics" out there. We watch Jaws once a year. There are dozens of straight to video shark movies that weren't worth watching even once. (though we've seen them all...) | ||||
| Video Head posted 2009 Sep 24 02:01 | ||||
Words spoken could never be so true. Hollywood needs to produce something that people will actually want to pay money for. They blamed file sharing for a while, but that excuse has run out...maybe they just need to look in the mirror and say "now I see the problem!". | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 24 08:15 | ||||
| I feel like a good rant today:
Hollywood is living in the past and quickly becoming just a part of it. I've been to the show once in the past ten years. I saw 300 (2006). Ticket/concession prices are insulting. Currently, Redbox is getting the blame. Rupert Murdoch (Fox) says, "Do we like Redbox coming in at a dollar? No, we don't, but it's not going away." (from Video Business 9.21.09) (Murdoch is the same guy who thinks he is going to put the WSJ on a subscription basis. Ha! Ha! Also, a creepy old man should not own Facebook.) The "free market" has valued movies at one dollar. Hollywood has devalued it's own product by putting out crap to make a fast buck. It's time they take responsibility and stop blaming ripping, Redbox and downloading. Here is an example of the lack of respect Hollywood has for the movie going public. Fight Club (1999), which I have never seen, is being released, again, for it's tenth anniversary. (Like it's Gone with the Wind or something! Next, they'll be making Fight Club II and then III!) Murdoch/Fox has hired taggers to design the box and is promoting it as, "a collectable piece of art in it's own right". (from Video Business 9.21.09). I guess we dumb Gomer's just can't get enough of that Brad Pitt! Another example of Hollywood's contempt for the movie going public was Beowulf (2007) with Angelina Jolie. The movie sucked. Hollywood saw that Beowulf and Grendel (2005) was a great film and they thought they would make a quick knock off and a ton of money. That's an "old" Hollywood formula - put one of their egomaniac stars in a crappy film and we lemmings will all rush out and pay to see it. You know us dumb Gomer's can't get enough of that Angelina Joilie! Wake up Hollywood. Your days are numbered. Your being outsourced. Remember the art. The money will follow. | ||||
| Lawbringer posted 2009 Sep 24 10:22 | ||||
| Maybe if movies didn't suck as much, they'd sell better. If I rent a movie, or am enticed enough to see it in the theater (which is rare these days), and like it, I'll buy it. Same with TV shows.
I buy DVDs and BDs for one reason and one reason only - multiple viewings. If I like something, but don't ever want to see it again (like 300), I won't get it. Which is why Star Trek (BluRay) is pre-ordered, and Tru Blood on its way back to Netflix. | ||||
| filmboss80 posted 2009 Sep 24 10:24 | ||||
| Like Nitemare, I have a 16-year old who can't stand the substandard stuff being issued from Hollywood. He really loved The Third Man, Casablanca, and all the Marx Bros. movies.
Too much inbreeding in the US film industry. They live in a bubble and have completely lost touch with the human race. | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 24 12:00 | ||||
| I'm still on a rant:
Not to single out Brad and Angelina or anything but, I can't wait to see Inglorious "Basterds" on DVD for a buck. I watched the original Inglorious "Bastards" about a year ago. It was made in 1978. When I returned it to my video rental guy I commented that it was the worst movie I have even seen, next to Brother from Another Planet. He just laughed. Why remake one of the worst movies ever made? Is it a big in your face you dumb Gomer's from Tarantino and Brad? Maybe so. It has grossed $103,903,469 to date at the box office. | ||||
| DKruskie posted 2009 Sep 24 12:37 | ||||
| At least 90% of the movies that comes out is complete and utter crap. I would rather spend my money on a book to read. I think I bought like 3 dvd'd last year and probably will buy 2 this year. | ||||
| jagabo posted 2009 Sep 24 13:03 | ||||
As Theodore Sturgeon noted over 50 years ago, “Ninety percent of everything is crud.” | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 24 13:33 | ||||
I always wondered who said that. But saying only 90%... is being charitable. More like 95%. :P | ||||
| PhoneMatt posted 2009 Sep 24 13:52 | ||||
| Jagabo, wasn't that Isaac Asimov, who said that? | ||||
| jagabo posted 2009 Sep 24 14:07 | ||||
Not according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_Law | ||||
| Ai Haibara posted 2009 Sep 24 15:26 | ||||
Same here. Although, I'd rather buy the DVDs (and I'm not saying that because I just got around to buying the complete-series MASH set two days ago... :) ). That way, I don't have to put up with the 'condensed' versions of shows - where they hack up old shows primarily so they can run even more commercials - AND the bit where they shove the credits aside to run more ads and previews. They do that more with older shows like MASH, but I'm not sure about Quantum Leap... haven't watched any recent airings (including ION's), just the DVDs. :) Most of the DVDs I buy are TV series sets, of course. Like most of the people who have posted in this thread, there really hasn't been many movies in the past handful of years that I've even thought about buying. :D | ||||
| Nitemare posted 2009 Sep 24 15:57 | ||||
| This begs the question: If the problem is so obvious, why can't they see it? Sometimes I get paranoid. They HAVE to know what the problem really is... so what are they actually after with their propagandized press?
Sometimes, they bone themselves. I liked Transformers. When I heard that Transformers 2 had so many plot holes, I decided against going to see it. They "almost" had me. Same with the new Terminator... a missed opportunity if there ever was one. Both movies will be worth seeing from Netflix... but if they're as bad as I've heard I'd never actually buy them. I "used to be" a completist. I own every Godzilla movie. I have every Nightmare on Elm Street... even the bad ones. Lately, the sequels and remakes are so horrible that I've abandoned my completist ways. Instead of "getting them all", I give away the one I had to begin with. PERFECT EXAMPLE: I hear they're going to remake "Harvey". I'll rent it but not buy it or see it in theaters. I own the original on DVD. I'd have gone to see THAT in a theater, but not a modernized remake. | ||||
| G)-(OST posted 2009 Sep 24 16:40 | ||||
Man! I still love watching Steven Segal movies, the most recent good one (IMHO) is Against the Dark (2009) Van Damme is also still pumping out movies. | ||||
| dadrab posted 2009 Sep 25 10:59 | ||||
| I have to agree with many of the assertions put forth in this thread:
1. Times are tough. 2. Access via streaming is easy. 3. People are lazy. 4. Theatre prices are friggin' stupid and insulting. 5. (Most importantly) Hollywood releases shit. I'm going to harp on this one for a few lines because I can't be the only one who thinks folks like Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Anniston and their ilk are basically no-talent bums. That's not to say there's no talent in Hollywood. Far from it, but there are several "superstars" who consistantly release movie after movie which are acclaimed to be"hilarious," "great," "deep," "highly emotional," "sensative"...on and on when, indeed, the word "shit" pretty applicably describes them all. Hell, Ferrell even showed up on an episode of "Man Vs. Wild," which in itself is a travesty on the notion of survival in the wild by oneself - it's just him...and his camera crew, and his director, and his producers, and his writers. I wouldn't be surprised to find out his mom was there with his pajamas, too. Say what you will about guys like Tom Cruise, but Valkyrie was a good movie and he was good in it. I paid money to see it and would, indeed, watch it again. There's even hope for Matt Damon (i.e. Saving Private Ryan). But, beyond the actors' ability to do their jobs, these guys had good material to work with. Herein lies the rub. Compare Talladega Nights with a real classic like Stripes. One is mindless garbage and the other is a pretty funny movie AND there's a real story line. If I had all the answers, I wouldn't be typing on this forum, but perhaps if those who THINK they do have all the answers paid a little attention to places like this, we'd have a lot less to type about and a bit more to watch. | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 25 12:12 | ||||
Can't pass up this one. :wink: Man Vs. Wild. Totally asinine show, a damn fool doing stuff like climbing down a waterfall, telling you at the same time how dangerous it is, and well, you probably shouldn't try it. :P Survivorman is much better, if he's gone hungry for a few days, having no success in finding food, he doesn't bullshit you. If he's reduced to eating a semi-rotten fish, you see it. No false heroics. But apart from Survivorman, I despise so-called "reality" shows, and it sure seems like there are a bunch of them these days. And cop shows, some of which are okay I suppose, but man, there are a lot of them too. Anything that's successful gets imitated ad nauseum. Which applies to movies as well, not just TV, maybe not to the same degree. | ||||
| ZQX posted 2009 Sep 25 12:17 | ||||
| People will buy DVDs of movies THEY LIKE. Full stop.
I may watch a pirated bootleg copy of some movie that's being passed around at work... if I LIKE it, I will go out and buy it (good quality, extras etc). Funny thing is, the movies I am buying on DVD aren't American/Hollywood releases. They are from Asian countries = where all the great cinema is coming from. (Though I did buy recently Sony's BRILLIANT 3-movie Toho release of Mothra/H-Man/Battle In Outer Space... anamorphic widescreen, subtitled, plus English dubs... what more can one ask for? Well done, Sony!) Apart from things like that, I look for anything from mainland China and South Korea. Thailand has become a serious cinematic contender also. Hollywood sucks shit, basically. It used to be good, right up to the '80s. But then it disintegrated. I think I read some other poster here who suggested that the reason Hollywood sucks is because the new generation of the old jewish '70s producers/directors have taken over and they don't have a clue, they are focused on the money angle and THUS regurgitate the same ol' formulaic rubbish. Whereas pre-80s Hollywood literally BLOSSOMED with edgey/radical jewish directors who took risks and made radical/classic cinema. But now, however, it's all rubbish. They (the younger inheritance generation) are marketing formulaic rubbish to a common-denominator audience in the quest for a quick (million) buck... not realizing that the "common denominator" market is shrivelling away to nothingness. The human race is getting more savvy. The jewish studios will blame "piracy" for the downfall of profit, but really it is the fact that the general "populace" is sick and tired of their utter, unaldulterated, uncreative/unimaginative SHITE. Films like "District 9" get a ridiculous over-enthusiastic applause because everyone is so sick of the "Hollywood Formula" (ie rom-coms/CGI animations/CGI action etc). But even District 9 sucks! But everyone is so desperate, District 9 gets a good rating! This planet needs a major shake-up. | ||||
| dadrab posted 2009 Sep 25 12:58 | ||||
You're right. He even takes his own camera gear. I'm really not very good at much, in the great scheme of our world, but I am good at a few things. Survival is one of them. Les Stroud is pretty close to the real deal. Fact is, I've picked up a few tricks from him (could have given him a pointer from time to time, too 8) ). He does a good job. | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2009 Sep 25 16:32 | ||||
Cruise is a douchebag's douchebag, but he was excellent in Valkyrie. Good review http://www.superheroes-r-us.com/2009/your-grandfathers-super-vill ... ray-review Probably the best movie from 2008, along with Dark Knight. | ||||
| festmaster posted 2009 Sep 25 21:47 | ||||
| Another factor for DVD sales decline was reported 2-3 years ago, and that is that people are running out of shelf space for discs. The DVD package was designed for rental stores and is bigger than it needs to be. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray used smaller cases for this reason. None-the-less, I am not going to perpetually add racks for more disks. I have become much more particular about which movies I am going to buy versus rent just because I don't have the room. | ||||
| Video Head posted 2009 Sep 26 12:41 | ||||
Cop shows have been a mainstay of the television industry since its creation: Car 64, Adam 12, Kojak, Columbo, Baretta, Miami Vice, and the list goes on and on and on. Courtroom drama has always made the $'s too. I think people enjoy watching it because it is so far detached from anything they have ever experienced. Which might also explain the unexplainable fasination with watching other people do things in these non-reallity shows. More people should go out and walk, run, ride, paddle, row, climb or fall down something. It really is more fun to do it yourself. That also brings the adult movie industry into question. :) As one poster here suggested, they have lost their roots. Maybe they need to go back to WWII and westerns. Gunsmoke had a pretty good run and probably made a buck or two. A Band of Brothers was a well done war show. But that was a couple of guys doing something that they believed in and wanted to do for themselves after Saving Private Ryan, also a well done war movie. Then look at something like Zack and Miri Make a Porno. What a complete and total waste of everyones time and effort. Even Traci Lords couldn't save that piece of crap. Why didn't the producers just go out and stand on the street corner asking for spare change. People would have been less irritated. And then there is Pelham 123. Why would I pay for a bad remake when I can just get the cult status original? But the Hollywood execs will be crying to the US Congress that file sharing is responsible for the poor returns on Zack and Miri and that it really is a quality piece of work. | ||||
| Ai Haibara posted 2009 Sep 26 13:34 | ||||
| Oh, so that's why we'll probably have at least one or two CSI variants running on network TV every year from now on. (runs) :lol:
Why do studios seem reluctant to make Westerns, these days? (Not that I'd watch them, but there does seem to be a general reluctance.) (Edit: because I was stupid and forgot to add the last part of that first sentence. What good is a joke if you don't include the whole thing? Sheesh. :/) | ||||
| usually_quiet posted 2009 Sep 26 14:24 | ||||
The old westerns were generally speaking, not politically correct, showed too much gun violence, and romanticized a decidely rough period in US history. I suspect that is part of the reason they don't make them anymore, along with the cost of the sets and costumes. Don't think I hate them, I don't. I grew up with them and have some fond memories. My favorite old western is "Maverick." I would love to watch that one again if it ever shows up on RTV. | ||||
| Ai Haibara posted 2009 Sep 26 16:00 | ||||
| That could be applied to a number of other TV series/movies, based on period (or otherwise), though. :) | ||||
| Abas-Avara posted 2009 Sep 26 16:26 | ||||
| The main reason for this is the recession.
More people are downloading illigal I only buy the movies that I liked the most (like the most of people) wich are mostly classics. Is there any good movie released this lately? It's all pure money just like the new music industrie. | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 26 16:47 | ||||
| I think the problem is nepotism going way back to the 30's and 40's. The business itself along with staring roles has been bequeathed to people who should be out laying bricks. Today's stars are usually character actors and not real actors like Anthony Hopkins who can play any role. The old time stars made it on raw talent and a lot of it. It was a dog eat dog business.
Disney knows what they are doing. The Mickey Mouse Club has produced a lot of stars over the years. Britney and Justin got their start on the MMC. They were little kids with real talent and not just somebody's kids or nieces or nephews. | ||||
| robjv1 posted 2009 Sep 26 17:33 | ||||
| Yeah, as a kid (in the early 1990s and late 1980s) I can remember going to the video store to rent whatever the latest thing was or as much as I could get my hands on from the horror movies section. As I got a bit older, I started to venture into the classics section a bit more and by 1998 or 1999 all of my local stores had pretty much dried up and what was left only stocked the 300 most popular titles and new releases.
We actually had several independent video stores and local chains in town until Hollywood Video showed up around 1993 and they started to dry up. Luckily they actually would stock a lot of the older tapes and ended up with quite an impressive library. Blockbuster moved into town in 1997 though and any remaining indy stores went under and Hollywood Video started shedding all their inventory and stocking ridiculous numbers of new releases to compete with Blockbuster's strategy. It was around this time that I discovered Netflix and guess what I rent? The movies I liked when I was a kid or classic films that came out decades before I was even born. I actually prefer B&M stores to online distribution models, but there is no where else to go at this point. Hollywood Video (which was started here) is on it's last legs and I'm sure Blockbuster isn't far behind. | ||||
| Nitemare posted 2009 Sep 26 19:11 | ||||
| That's exactly why I switched to Netflix. Selection. My kids like the "Critters" movies. One weekend they wanted to rent one and our local Blockbuster no longer had them... ANY of them. I started to look around and noticed that the selection at the store was almost non-existent. I browsed Netflix and they had almost everything. I was a customer that weekend.
So, with respect to the theory that the local stores are going under because of us "lazy" folk (okay.. I actually have NO respect for that theory. It was a pompous and ignorant thing to say) I switched because Netflix was willing to stock a vast selection of movies while my local Blockbuster was only stocking new releases. I'm sure Blockbuster will blame Netfilx and Redbox for their downfall too, but they did it to themselves. I was a loyal customer until I couldn't rent what I wanted any more. | ||||
| DKruskie posted 2009 Sep 26 19:40 | ||||
| I stop going to blockbuster when alot of their movies wouldnt play on my dvd player. The disc were in horrible shape. Scratches and such, hell I had one I rented that looked they smeared a pbj sandwich on it while eating KFC. The girl at the counter told me, I dont know how that would happen. I was like because you didnt check the disc when you got it back or when you rented it to me. My favorite excuse from them..Maybe your dvd player is too old. I have four of them..I told them to pick one. It wouldnt play on their players either. I was glad when they went out of business here..local dvd rental place(which has been here for 20+ yrs)bought their stock. The owner told me they had to put most of it in the garbage. | ||||
| Video Head posted 2009 Sep 26 22:16 | ||||
I'm not certain why they don't want to do them anymore. Maybe they are scared that all they could possibly come up with is bad remakes of the spaghetti westerns. The Good The Bad and The Ugly remains one of my all time classic favorites. They need to leave that one alone or Dirty Harry will be asking them if they are feeling lucky... | ||||
| lordsmurf posted 2009 Sep 26 22:34 | ||||
Real talent? Are you for real? Are you sober? :lol: | ||||
| rhegedus posted 2009 Sep 27 02:44 | ||||
| Surprised no one has mentioned piracy - when a 1080p mkv of the latest film is available on the net on the day of BD/DVD release, I'm pretty sure that many will be downloading as opposed to buying. | ||||
| zoobie posted 2009 Sep 27 03:05 | ||||
| Wasn't that the New Mickey Mouse Club? | ||||
| robjv1 posted 2009 Sep 27 15:16 | ||||
| I think that there is a view that Science Fiction films fill the same niche as Western's once did. You can actually draw a lot of parallels between the two genres.
Via Wikipedia -- apparently there is a term for this -- "Space Western" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Western | ||||
| Nitemare posted 2009 Sep 27 18:41 | ||||
No one here really does that. Many people will make backups of their disks to protect them, but this isn't really a "downloading" crowd. I DO keep hearing that a LOT of people are doing it (usually from some Hollywood studio's press release) but I don't understand why. Long download time for low quality crappy movie? No. I don't believe that the 'downloading" problem is as bad as the media says it is. Just my opinion though...maybe everyone is doing it... | ||||
| jagabo posted 2009 Sep 27 18:58 | ||||
If it's a straight rip from a blu-ray disc there is no loss of quality. Even if it's reduced to 1280x720 and sized to fit on a dual layer DVDR it can be good quality. And the time involved isn't the downloader's time. He just spends a minute or two setting up the download then goes about his business. So what if it takes a day or two to get the whole file. Aside from the instant gratification issue, obviously.
Of course it's not. The truth is somewhere in between what Hollywood says ($billions lost) and what the file sharer's say (Hollywood gains from free publicity). | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 27 19:43 | ||||
| I'm not a downloader either. How can studio's claim to loose billions when the market value of a movie one dollar? Redbox, my local video store, my local grocery stores and Netflix are all about a buck. Even Blockbuster is working with NCR to come up with their own dollar kisco/machine. Must be that new new math.
On westerns, I just watched "Virginia City" with Errol Flynn, Randolf Scott and Humphrey Bogart. It was great. I'd rather watch old B&W movies from Netflix that the new crap that comes out every week. | ||||
| robjv1 posted 2009 Sep 27 20:23 | ||||
| Yeah, I am not a downloader either, mostly out of laziness. Several years ago, I tried to get a movie I wanted to see (Kill Bill, I believe) and ended up with several copies of "Deuce Bigalow" instead. That pretty much spoiled me to the whole experience!
To be totally honest (and I'm sure my memory is clouded by nostalgia) I really miss being able to go to the video store and look at the boxes. My parents never wanted to take me there though, because I wanted to read the descriptions to every movie in the store! I did find a lot of films this way though that I probably wouldn't consider renting (or be able to find) now. | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 27 23:20 | ||||
| Now that I've transitioned to Blu-ray, I'm re-discovering some old movies.
Like "The Searchers". Real prototypical Western, although a bit gritty for the '50s. Lovely scenery and some unexpected humor. A product of its time, and it shows in lack of sympathy for the Indians, but it is what it is. Nice restoration job. Or the slam-bang "Predator" (a guilty pleasure). Not visually stunning, but an improvement. With a big HDTV and a good sound system, it's like seeing it in the theater again, but better. :P The only *new* release I foresee getting in the near future is LOTR on Blu-Ray. Not actually a new movie either, however. The studios really are making crap these days. | ||||
| genki500 posted 2009 Sep 28 01:02 | ||||
| I agree with all of you.
Let me recommend this little Canadian movie Pontypool (2008). Last week my friend brought over this low budgeted/ non promoted movie. I was shocked how great it was, and we watched it again next day. I plan to buy it when my next paycheck comes. Hollywood, make some good movies, we'll buy them. | ||||
| zoobie posted 2009 Sep 28 01:07 | ||||
| I just watched a John Wayne movie called "McClintock" that was actually sympathetic to native Americans. But when sentence was passed against them and they were to go back to jail, Wayne just said, "Oh well...See ya!" and stumbled off...I LMAO...I'm like...WTF? Why was that inserted? Then I realized that this movie didn't have much of a plot...except a unfunny western version of "the taming of the shrew". Ten gallon hats only hold a few pints. | ||||
| Video Head posted 2009 Sep 28 02:04 | ||||
Are you sure he didn't call them "Pilgrums" at some point? John did both western and WWII movies. He was iconic and memorable. Maybe not the perfect fit for the Bard or "Death Match Of The Honda Civics On Busy Downtown Streets XXXII", but still iconic in his own way over 6 decades of acting. I will always remember him for his role in The Longest Day... | ||||
| Video Head posted 2009 Sep 28 02:17 | ||||
resubmitted in error. Op's please delete :) | ||||
| dadrab posted 2009 Sep 28 07:46 | ||||
Maverick is a mainstay of the Western Channel. I don't know if you get it where you are, but it's there daily. And let's not forget about The Wild, Wild West. That show is a classic - large budget for costumes and sets, great guest stars and a couple of pretty good guys as the leads, clever (in a science fiction sort of way) story lines and pretty funny in places. It was one of the first casualties of Hollywood's attempts to "get the violence out." It was fun. There hasn't been a "fun" show on television in a long time. As for current shows, I quite enjoy Criminal Minds. Unfortunately, it's about the only one except for Leverage. But, how much less violent is a serial killer hacking up people than James West kicking the asses of a band of bad guys? Now, what do we get? A group of vastly obese people on a fat farm crying about how hard they're having to work to lose weight. OR - my absolute anti-favorite - a woman with 25 guys vying for her affections (or vice versa), some of whom get eliminated each week. What the hell's that all about? Who finds that entertaining? And what studio would sponsor rendering that crap to DVD? And, if they did, who'd buy it? | ||||
| zoobie posted 2009 Sep 28 20:51 | ||||
| You don't consider Cspan a fun show?
"Maverick" also had a cloned format with "Sugarfoot" | ||||
| usually_quiet posted 2009 Sep 28 22:40 | ||||
| "Sugarfoot" was another old western I liked to watch. :)
Unfortunately, the Western Channel isn't included in my present cable package and like a lot of other members here, there's no room in my budget for cable service upgrades right now. To get back on topic: I know for certain casual file sharing is common on college campuses. It has probably has had an impact on sales, since a lot of movies are targeted at that age group. Why buy the DVD when the guy down the hall in your dorm will give you a copy of his DVD rip or download for free? | ||||
| jimdagys posted 2009 Sep 29 00:11 | ||||
Might not be the guy down the hall. Might be the guy in the mirror. | ||||
| dadrab posted 2009 Sep 29 08:03 | ||||
Can't say I do and I damn sure wouldn't buy it on DVD... :lol: | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Sep 29 08:59 | ||||
| Why download crappy resolution and tie up my pc for hours when movies are readily available for one dollar? Makes no sense. I'm just not that cheap.
I checked out videoeta.com and this is another Tuesday that I won't bother to drive to my video store. Nothing out that I want to watch let alone buy. | ||||
| samijubal posted 2009 Sep 29 10:34 | ||||
I don't even begin to buy that. Where are the people in the DVD forum getting these Divx, MKV, etc. files? What are people using the WD and other media players for? I'm sure some people use stuff like that legitimately but I'd bet anything most don't. One glance at the DVD section and I don't see how anyone can say people here don't download. Maybe they don't admit to it but it's definitely going on. | ||||
| web_maven posted 2009 Sep 29 10:58 | ||||
| I have said this before. BR is too late, and online media will take over. This reminds me of Beta and VHS. Beta had a better picture quality but VHS had more content. Same here with BR and Online Media/Netflix/HULU. I use my XBOX 360 to watch Netflix and I use this as the major source for my video content. Netflix also has content in HD and even though it is not equal to BR, the quality is good enough (maybe not for some people who use this web site). I don't have to by disks and store them I could watch the content when ever I want, as many times as I want. Also if Netflix does not have the video I want then I look to the XBOX 360 Video Market place which has what I need (Also in HD) or I could check Hulu. This is what people will flow too, it's not lazy but convenient.
I don't own a BR player but I have watched BR and the picture is beautiful, but most people don't own BR players or have 50 inch TVs to watch BR. Netflix has the Roku player for $100.00 that will play on most TVs and is cheaper the "most" BR players. Prediction: In the next 8 to 10 years, if Netflix was smart, they would stream your local news. And if they could do for every TV show what they do for NBC's Heroes (if Heroes is in your "Watch Instantly" queue each week the new episode is added to your queue.) This allows you to watch TV on your own terms. Better then a DVR because you don't have to wait for it to air and you will have access to all episodes when ever you want and they are not stored on my server or DVR. If Netflix makes this move your cable company will become nothing more then just an internet provider, and phone service. Our generation would have a hard time not having 500 channels to watch but our children will not have this problem. I would hope that the TV and movie writers would than realize that they need to create better content because "Netflix ratings" says streamed "American Idol 30" had more viewers then latest movie "Batman 45 - And He Returns Again". Just look at what happened with internet bandwidth over the past few years. I remember starting with 3Mbps now you can get 20Mbps and FIOS will offer 50Mbps which is around what most BR movies are encoded at. Ray | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 29 11:13 | ||||
As to (downloaded) MKVs, etc, I suspect hardly any of them are obtained legally. :P And if the "owner" (wink wink nudge nudge) had made them in the first place, he/she wouldn't be asking how to convert them to something else when posting a question in the forum. You see plenty of threads like that. The WD I can see being used for legitimate purposes, as in ripping discs you own for use in your media player or HTPC. I actually looked into downloadable MKVs of HD movies some time ago, hoping to find a legal method, intending to use them on my HTPC. Found some very legitimate looking sites offering MKVs of recent movies in 720p and 1080p, in DVD5 and DVD9 sizes. The samples I got were quite good. But a little more digging revealed most of the sites were based in Russia. Which isn't by itself conclusive, of course. But when I looked at definitely legal sites that have the blessing of the MPAA, guess what? Those sites had lots of restrictions and almost *non-existent* selection. They obviously weren't/aren't serious about providing content via that method. And the sites that do offer decent selection are almost certainly not legit. So I got a Blu-Ray player (and a BD-ROM for my computer) instead. The discs stay with the player and HDTV in the living room, after being ripped/converted for use on the HTPC in my study. [shrugs] | ||||
| genki500 posted 2009 Sep 29 16:18 | ||||
| Two Questions,
1. Is videoeta.com legal? 2. Why do Russian put out movies for others to download? What do they gain? It is not like fake Rolex watches, no money comes from on-line download. | ||||
| Dv8ted2 posted 2009 Sep 29 16:21 | ||||
Yes, they give out release dates from the manufacturer. There is nothing illegal about that. | ||||
| fritzi93 posted 2009 Sep 29 17:29 | ||||
They charge $5 bucks apiece, and you have to front a minimum of $15 to your "account" first. Or they did when I checked. Mind you, there are several distinct sites that look very similar, and surprise, they're all the same outfit. They make a point of saying they're legal (which may be the case...in Russia), but if you look hard, they do say you need to comply with local laws where you reside. That could be problematic. :P It's likely there are many more, and not just in Russia, but that's all I know. :wink: And then there's file-sharing, of course, surely there's little need to elaborate on that. | ||||
| ytrouble posted 2009 Oct 01 14:22 | ||||
| kinda sad how this is going. remembering the good days of popcorn and coke in a theater.....wahhhhhhhhh...good ole times | ||||
| victoriabears posted 2009 Oct 01 16:26 | ||||
| Too much concentration on broadcast picture quality and not enough on content quality. | ||||
| videobread posted 2009 Oct 01 16:40 | ||||
| The studios seem to be getting petty to boot. Terminator Salvation Blu-Ray only will have a director's cut, 3 min longer. The standard DVD will not. I've heard it suggested in trade mags that the really big titles should be released on Blu-Ray only. |
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