Oh noes teh sky is falling!

[Musicguy]

Originally Posted by Cranston37

$26 for the blu-ray on Amazon vs. $6.99 buy/$.99 rent on iTunes or free with a subscription service like Showtime - I know which one most consumers are picking

You get what you pay for.

haagen dazs ice cream or the 7/11 generic brand?

Blu-ray = better quality, full ownership

ITunes =lesser quality and when it crashes it may just be gone forever (or a company goes out of business etc - and you loss your whole library)

people looking for the cheap way out usually get burned in the long run (this I did not learn until well into my 30's)

[Musicguy]

This whole subject is really a matter of preference - no one is right or wrong

Some people collect and want physical
Some people download because they aren't true collectors and may only watch a film once

the problem seems that there is a race to see which will take over. But does one have to take over, can't they both exist?

Downloading is really what Netflix was ten years ago vs buying DVD's at Best Buy - they both co-existed and there will always be room for both.

(I believe it's just the studios who want to cut costs and go the cheaper route by only offering downloads - and only because they don't have to deal with manufacturing, shipping and Walmat) the rest is BS and has nothing to do with ownership

[Cranston37]

Originally Posted by Musicguy

This whole subject is really a matter of preference - no one is right or wrong

Some people collect and want physical
Some people download because they aren't true collectors and may only watch a film once

the problem seems that there is a race to see which will take over. But does one have to take over, can't they both exist?

I agree with you in theory, the problem is that as the market share of physical goes down, the economics of the hobby will change. Yes they can both exist, but not in equal footing.

Look at Twilight Time titles - $35 for a barebones movie. That could be the norm for all releases as the market for them goes down. The selection will go down too. All these threads saying "why isn't such and such on blu-ray..." The answer will be that the studios just didn't see it as cost effective to release a title on disc, so they just put it on digital instead.

Will titles continue to be released physically? Probably, yes. But will it be as fulfilling a hobby for you when you can't get all of your favorite films, and if you can it's for a price that forces you to really stop and think about the purchase?

I mean right now I have titles in my Vudu account in 1080p that have never been released on blu-ray. For all the superiority of physical over digital, digital wins if the blu doesn't even exist...

[Musicguy]

It's really not a race as many believe.

Back in the day VHS won over Beta, but LaserDisc still hung in. VHS was for the masses and rental markets. Of course a catalog title on LaserDisc was pressed in qualities of 3,000 (Same as Twilight Time) and cost $35 - $70 dollars - back in 1980's dollars that was a lot compared to $35 dollars today. There was no Amazon and very few stores sold LDs. But they fulfilled the collector market and lasted until DVD came along.


Studios know there is a market for Physical Disc and they will continued to support that small market (which consists of many more people in the film industry than not, who naturally want better quality, physical ownership and all the extras). Downloading is for the kids today to watch on their IPhones and not serious collectors. As long as a film is mastered for HD why not get extra bucks by putting it out on a Physical disc?

The studios also use Discs for industry screeners and so on which the general public doesn't know about.

Surprisingly, the masters for LaserDiscs are what ended up on the Cable channels and some dvd's

[eiknarf]

Um, the manager at the theater we go to (Island 16. A Showcase Cinema) just told me that they will be implementing 4D in about two months. I thought she was joking, but apparently not. She said the scents from on screen will be in the room, too.
Anyone experience this yet?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Um, the manager at the theater we go to (Island 16. A Showcase Cinema) just told me that they will be implementing 4D in about two months. I thought she was joking, but apparently not. She said the scents from on screen will be in the room, too.
Anyone experience this yet?

I'm not even going to ask how that would work for a sex laden film.

[Banach]

4D? Shouldn't the fourth dimension be time anyway, being that we live on a Lorentzian manifold anyway .

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by Banach

4D? Shouldn't the fourth dimension be time anyway, being that we live on a Lorentzian manifold anyway .

That's what I thought. "Time".

Anyway, she was psyched, saying, "Wait until you see the upgrades".

And she said it unprovoked. I didn't say or ask anything. I only asked to verify ticket times for Saturday

[Justtoview]

Originally Posted by Cranston37

$26 for the blu-ray on Amazon vs. $6.99 buy/$.99 rent on iTunes or free with a subscription service like Showtime - I know which one most consumers are picking

I prefer Blu-ray for a couple of reasons. Whenever I have tried to 'buy/own' a movie from iTunes or Amazon, it was a disaster. Even with a direct wired internet connection, it was glitchy with buffering and an "HD" picture that was anything but. I even tried to pause or go back, and it wanted to restart from the beginning. Also, after I 'purchased to own it', I really didn't. I had to apparently watch it through an Apple device, and couldn't get a physical copy to put on a flash drive no matter what I tried. I had to get a refund and have never attempted again. I just have no desire to go through such hell just to try and own something to watch whenever and however I like, and it the best quality with no pixels, gltchiness, and buffering.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by Justtoview

I prefer Blu-ray for a couple of reasons. Whenever I have tried to 'buy/own' a movie from iTunes or Amazon, it was a disaster. Even with a direct wired internet connection, it was glitchy with buffering and an "HD" picture that was anything but. I even tried to pause or go back, and it wanted to restart from the beginning. Also, after I 'purchased to own it', I really didn't. I had to apparently watch it through an Apple device, and couldn't get a physical copy to put on a flash drive no matter what I tried. I had to get a refund and have never attempted again. I just have no desire to go through such hell just to try and own something to watch whenever and however I like, and it the best quality with no pixels, gltchiness, and buffering.

Ugh, that sounds garbage-y

[Eny-]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

That's what I thought. "Time".

Anyway, she was psyched, saying, "Wait until you see the upgrades. And she said it unprovoked. I didn't say or ask anything. I only asked to verify ticket times for Saturday

4D only work well on some movies and even then is kind of meh...

[koover]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I'm not even going to ask how that would work for a sex laden film.

I just don't gag it, ah, I mean get it. How far will we go? What kinds of smellz could they even emulate for a more exciting moving going experience? I'd be afraid what my nostrils were in for. This doesn't sound good.

[octagon]

Theaters might want to work on removing smells before worrying about introducing them

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by koover

I just don't gag it, ah, I mean get it. How far will we go? What kinds of smellz could they even emulate for a more exciting moving going experience? I'd be afraid what my nostrils were in for. This doesn't sound good.

Yeah. I imagine it would only be positive aromatics.
She said, "Yeah! Smells! If there's a scene in a movie when they're eating popcorn, the theater will release a popcorn scent."
Yeah, that'll get folks to head for the concession stands!
But what if it was a scene with a backed up cesspool, like in Meet the Parents ("That smell, Focker, is our shit!")?

[ClassicBlogger]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

DVD revenue down 20% from a year ago.
Blu ray revenue down 41.2% from a year ago.

I think there's only one explanation for this: People are not buying the older formats because everyone is saving their money and waiting to invest in UHD blu rays, which will be the most successful home media format in history by far, and which will kill off digital/streaming entirely a couple of weeks after its launch.

Well, that's what they said about 3D. I slightly disagree. We have a long way off before 4K makes that kind of money; because even with 1080p, it appears that most cable companies are still broadcasting at 720p! What sense does that make? As it is, we're spending money for a unit with technology we can't fully utilize.

CB

Originally Posted by Justtoview

I prefer Blu-ray for a couple of reasons. Whenever I have tried to 'buy/own' a movie from iTunes or Amazon, it was a disaster. Even with a direct wired internet connection, it was glitchy with buffering and an "HD" picture that was anything but. I even tried to pause or go back, and it wanted to restart from the beginning. Also, after I 'purchased to own it', I really didn't. I had to apparently watch it through an Apple device, and couldn't get a physical copy to put on a flash drive no matter what I tried. I had to get a refund and have never attempted again. I just have no desire to go through such hell just to try and own something to watch whenever and however I like, and it the best quality with no pixels, gltchiness, and buffering.

You have to understand that, to get Blu-Ray quality over streaming, you need to have an exceptional bandwidth of 75-100mbps or better. Otherwise, its only worth it if you're going to watch on your iPad or smartphone.

CB

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Um, the manager at the theater we go to (Island 16. A Showcase Cinema) just told me that they will be implementing 4D in about two months. I thought she was joking, but apparently not. She said the scents from on screen will be in the room, too.
Anyone experience this yet?

The only thing I "smell" is ticket prices going up again! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr LOLOLOL

CB

[knight17]

Blu ray sales might have been down but I purchased my entire collection from about last October to the present date. All those needs to be taken with a pinch of salt since they are less likely to be accurate.

As for UHD, I will be purchasing some in the near future once I can upgrade the equipment, but I would rather that they release most of the stuff that is still pending for Blu ray. For me UHD has no effect on my Blu ray purchases.

[edwoodjr]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Um, the manager at the theater we go to (Island 16. A Showcase Cinema) just told me that they will be implementing 4D in about two months. I thought she was joking, but apparently not. She said the scents from on screen will be in the room, too.
Anyone experience this yet?

It's possible that one of our parents or grandparents did: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-O-Vision

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by edwoodjr

It's possible that one of our parents or grandparents did: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-O-Vision

I do recall hearing about that

[Eny-]

Originally Posted by ClassicBlogger

The only thing I "smell" is ticket prices going up again! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr LOLOLOL

CB

Here in Portugal a 4DX 3D show has a mark up 100% higher than the normal ticket - € 12. Normal ticket for a 2D show is € 6.95 (€ 8.45 for 3D)

[ghoulies]

Since this is the topic of physical media, I have 2 questions:

What about 4K films, is it worth buying a 4K TV and start buying Ultra 4K films?

Does anyone believe that 4K films will ultimately outsell blu rays; just like blu-rays have become more popular then DVDS?