The Criterion Collection

[RojD]

Originally Posted by javi92

Criterion going back to separate DVD and blu-ray releases starting in September.

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts?category=On+Five

On my end, I'm not sorry to hear this. Crit pegged me: "Blu-ray customers didn’t like making room for DVDs.."

I've already had to add two sets of shelves for my movies, and these digipacks are huge. My other concern was how flimsy they are. Just got Red River and love the set (and movie), but that's some thin cardboard. Will be happy to settle in with BDs, plastic and watermelon.

[filmmusic]

This is Great news for me!
i don't need the DVD at all (seriously, how can anyone watch a DVD when he has a Bluray player and knows there is a superior quality disc than the DVD?), didn't want to pay more for the dual format, and I'm not happy either about cardboard larger packages, since they are easy to deteriorate.

Unfortunately I will have to do with digipacks for some films that I wanted to buy!
it would be great though, if they could replace all of them with standalone Bluray versions. Is ther any possibility for this to happen? then i could wait until I buy them..

[JJJ225]

I didn't mind the dual format releases, until those giant digipaks came along. Happy to see them go.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by javi92

Criterion going back to separate DVD and blu-ray releases starting in September.

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts?category=On+Five

Just read this myself and part of me is happy, and the other part is just like "eh?" I know it's been a big debate in here at times, but the cases are going to stay the same size so it's not that big of a deal to me. I didn't like it mainly because the first few I bought the dvd had come lose and was rolling about in the case, and in one instance had been scratched.

I know a lot of people like to load their DVDs out to friends, and others will use them when they travel, and others just sell them on ebay or make cases... so to each his own. Maybe it'll make everyone happy, or just stir up the debates again. Personally, I'm still paying the same price for the BD release, and the cases are still the same size, so it's not that big a deal for me.

[punking]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Is the booklet from the digipack not too big for this case?

It fits, I just tried it with a plastic Criterion case.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I didn't mind the dual format releases, until those giant digipaks came along. Happy to see them go.

Forgot about those... those do take up way too much space!! Hope they reduce in size now, or go back to the regular cases.

So, I guess I do care some.... oops.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Forgot about those... those do take up way too much space!! Hope they reduce in size now, or go back to the regular cases.

So, I guess I do care some.... oops.

I love how thick/big they are - feels like the ultimate package and I am getting more for my money.

Hell, if Zatoichi was half the size, or even in a plastic case - it wouldn't feel like an incredible release, sure 25 films is A LOT for a Criterion release, but the work and effort gone into that packaging is incredible, and it stands out and look the best it can

They also stand out on shelf and look incredible - the plastic cases are whiney and the plastic scuffs up and they look generic and cheap - even the artwork looks cheaper in the plastic cases.

I don't mind either but I would rather all releases be in digipak form, and I would happily pay £10 extra on top of price or more. In regards to space, I live in a rented flat - there are PLENTY of walls to put shelves on/bookcases against, these are some of my prized possessions, I want to show them off and have everyone see them

Especially when my collection is worth £5K+.

But yeah - it is down to personal preference - we can't all agree and it is probably hard for Criterion to make everyone happy - if you guys prefer plastic cases I will respect that.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by smoss469

... is Lee J. Cobb the best a-hole in the world? Looking through the CC releases, I don't think anyone does it better. Every role he has in the CC collection he's a detestable soulless human being without a single redeeming quality.... now that's acting!

Erm, I would hardly describe his character in 12 Angry Men as soulless. He's immensely prejudiced on account of a personal failure and inability to accept it, but that doesn't make him soulless.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by MitchA17

It mainly irritates me in being the next step in the chain of convenience sacrificing content (Netflix Instant laying into Netflix DVD, Redbox laying into Blockbuster, etc.).

Netflix streaming vs Netflix DVD isn't the same kind of animal. While the convenience is there, it's also one of both economy and access. When I first got a Netflix account, I opted for getting Blu-rays at $13.99 a month. With the time required for shipping back and forth, the best I could do was two movies a week (eight per month). With streaming, the quality might not be up to the level of BD, but I can theoretically watch a crap-load of movies per month (I think my record so far is something like 18 in a month), and the streaming membership costs half as much as the Blu-ray option. There are also a hell of a lot more movies available in HD streaming than exist on Blu-ray.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

If that paragraph didn't sell you then I don't know what will. It's Marlo Brando, man!

There are many, many films that I watch -- and own -- despite having Marlon Brando in them. I never cared much for him.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

Actually about four and a half years ago there were some single-disc dual Blu-ray/DVD releases that were double-sided. You put one side up to play the Blu-ray and the other side up to play the DVD. For whatever reason, they never caught on. Maybe people were too attached to having a full side wasted by a large printed title logo and artwork, instead of a title and format info in tiny print around the hub they needed a magnifying glass to read.

Interesting. Form over function (or style over substance) is what determined the short-lived trend of double-sided BD/DVD discs apparently. Obviously it wouldn't be too hard to figure out which side is the blu-ray and which side is the dvd because the blu-ray has a darker/blue/purplish tint to it and the dvd has a silver coating. I guess even that would have been too complicated for the masses to figure out. I do remember the double-sided Widescreen vs. Full frame DVDs though (and I still have a lot of those in my collection).

[jw007]

Originally Posted by blurayer12331

Well then, give it a few years and that problem will not be an issue anymore - DVD can die out with them.

At least the people holding onto laserdiscs have gone the way of the dodo. They're not in the news much anymore and the laserdisc market is fully dead as far as I know now.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

(seriously, how can anyone watch a DVD when he has a Bluray player and knows there is a superior quality disc than the DVD?)

Some people just don't see it. A nephew of mine (who's actually in his late 40s, so don't think I'm talking about a teenager) prefers DVDs. He has a Blu-ray player, and he does buy BDs now and then, but more often than not, plays DVDs on his BDP upscaled to his HDTV, and he's happy. Even worse, he continues to refer to watching his movies in HD. I stopped arguing the point long ago; it was like banging my head against a wall.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Cbeck

DVD is not going anywhere. It will be around until physical formats fade. Many people see no reason to upgrade. I love Blu- ray, but it is becoming niche. If it is not already.

So is it possible that DVD will outlive blu-ray? Is that actually even conceivable? If Blu-ray is a niche market and DVD still reigns supreme, then it seems like people really don't care about gimmicks such as "high definition" (I'm being cynical) and would rather watch their films/tv shows in standard definition cause they're too stubborn and ignorant about switching to another medium/format. I guess fanatical Criterion collection owners are purists and don't like to mix DVD and Blu-ray and would just stick with one format when buying new releases, regardless of the improvements in picture/sound/storage. I hope that's not the case.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jw007

At least the people holding onto laserdiscs have gone the way of the dodo. They're not in the news much anymore and the laserdisc market is fully dead as far as I know now.

The LD market is dead in that there have been no new releases since 1999. But there are people who still collect and watch LDs. A lot of them have features that don't exist on DVD and/or Blu-ray. There were even films released on LD in widescreen that were only released on DVD in fullscreen.

[aes3728]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Forgot about those... those do take up way too much space!! Hope they reduce in size now, or go back to the regular cases.

So, I guess I do care some.... oops.

That's so un-Dude of you

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The LD market is dead in that there have been no new releases since 1999. But there are people who still collect and watch LDs. A lot of them have features that don't exist on DVD and/or Blu-ray. There were even films released on LD in widescreen that were only released on DVD in fullscreen.

Yes, but those are really obsessive people who need to have the correct aspect ratio for the film. In some ways, DVD lowered the standards of the accuracy of the original film's intended scope/aspect ratio because maybe corporations as opposed to the directors had more control over distribution and sales (of dvds vs. laserdiscs). Now Blu-ray is being embraced by the original directors and they're becoming more involved in making sure their films look and sound correct since maybe their DVD versions were flawed.

I have to admit, after watching the Alien Anthology (and its 60+ hours of extra features), I was impressed that the laserdisc supplements were ported over into Blu-ray. It was strange experiencing the original laserdisc supplements as it involved a lot of "back" and "forward" button pressing to go to the next slide/screen. I think back in the 1980s, people's fingers got more exercise from all that remote control clicking as opposed to today when watching supplements on Blu-ray don't exactly involve finger-work as everything is more automatically organized. It's very tedious though with how laserdisc supplements were organized/executed and seemed like a lot of work.

[Cbeck]

Originally Posted by jw007

So is it possible that DVD will outlive blu-ray? Is that actually even conceivable? If Blu-ray is a niche market and DVD still reigns supreme, then it seems like people really don't care about gimmicks such as "high definition" (I'm being cynical) and would rather watch their films/tv shows in standard definition cause they're too stubborn and ignorant about switching to another medium/format. I guess fanatical Criterion collection owners are purists and don't like to mix DVD and Blu-ray and would just stick with one format when buying new releases, regardless of the improvements in picture/sound/storage. I hope that's not the case.

I think there will always be a market for Blu ray. A niche market. The same way there is a market for vinyl albums , usually in limited editions. I think Blu ray releases could become more limited and prices could go higher in some cases because there is no mass adoption of the format.

[Cbeck]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The LD market is dead in that there have been no new releases since 1999. But there are people who still collect and watch LDs. A lot of them have features that don't exist on DVD and/or Blu-ray. There were even films released on LD in widescreen that were only released on DVD in fullscreen.

I have a few laserdiscs which I keep because they have unique features, never repeated on any other release. Example being Criterion's edition of Halloween. It has a music and effects track which is quite an interesting listen. Also the color timing is different than any other release. Great cover artwork too.

Laserdiscs are primitive though in a lot of ways.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Cbeck

I think there will always be a market for Blu ray. A niche market. The same way there is a market for vinyl albums , usually in limited editions. I think Blu ray releases could become more limited and prices could go higher in some cases because there is no mass adoption of the format.

That is either a blessing or a curse. The Blu-ray experiment may never outdo digital downloads but whatever films are released on high definition Blu-ray will be treasured for years to come because they are the highest quality of any release ever made for many, many films. Why I prefer Blu-ray over downloads is that I like a physical object where I won't have to worry if some catastrophe occurred (such as an E.M.P.) that wipes out all hard drives (that have digital downloads) and I wouldn't be able to play the movie again cause its gone. With the disc, I can always pop it in the player and play it still (pending if there's still electricity available). Maybe it would be nice to have a hand-cranked Blu-ray player in case of long term power outages though. Then it could be like the stone ages where kinetic friction could create electricity (or fire) and society would still be running thanks to those visionary inventors who created alternative hand-cranked movie players. Then cinema will still be able to be shown despite a return to pre-industrial society (sort of like that scene in The Postman when those militia prisoners enjoyed watching The Sound of Music through an old fashioned projector).

Anyway, that was a serious tangent I went on, but the whole point is, a disc is more real and more of an investment to me than an invisible "download" that might get wiped out on a hard drive if it crashes or gets lost/stolen some day.