terrible release announcements

[Beta Man]

If they rush out poor transfers, like House of Flying Daggers, and people can barely discern them from the DVD version.....then other titles in the format will suffer, because most people don't jump on the PC and google away to find out if a release has good audio/video quality.... they just go and buy it.... and if you burn a consumer too many times with shoddy releases, they're gonna pass on the next one.....

For instance.... No Country For Old Men (since I'm EAGERLY awaiting this as a blind buy) If this movie comes out on Blu, and the Audio/Video is absolutely garbage, and DVD-like quality..... all of the people who are new to Blu-Ray who buy it, will likely be leary about purchasing other Blu-Ray titles, even if they have POTC, and they say "wow that looks good, what happened to this one" Studios need to release CONSISTANTLY BETTER than DVD quality..... I found out the hard time, when I tried to talk my father-in-law into getting a blu-ray player, and he saw I had House-of-Flying-Daggers (which he had JUST watched on DVD from netflix) and asked to see it.... I hadn't seen it yet, and he said "the dvd version is just as good" Then I came to find out he was pretty much right....... The Blu-Ray version was VERY CLOSE in video quality to the Blu.... I could certainly "tell" the difference.... but it should be IN YOUR FACE "WOW" kind of difference...... Basically I'm waiting for Ratatoulli to come from Netflix, and I'm gonna make sure he's around to see it!!!!!!

Needless to say, as of now... he thinks Blu-Ray is all hype.... I'll show him, but it's hard to get a first impression out of someone's mind.

[Moviemaniack1993]

Exactly. We need way better catalog titles. While there are some within the next few months (Narnia, Mrs. Doubtfire, ID4) I want better Warner titles and Sony titles. As well as from other studios. To really amp up the format now that Blu-ray is the winner, they NEED to get some great titles out there that people want to buy. Going to Best Buy every week and seeing Employee of the Month, Waiting, and Corpse Bride is ridiculous and depressing. What newcomer is going to want those as much as an Arnold flick, or a 90's summer blockbuster?

[reginaroadie]

In regards to YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH, I'm more excited for actually being able to see this at my local arthouse in April then I am of the actual Blu-Ray disc.

But I will agree that now that the format war is officially over, things are slowing down a bit and it is a little bit depressing. I was kind of on a buying high in Feb with LIFE OF BRIAN, the Kubrick Blu's, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, GONE BABY GONE and MICHAEL CLAYTON. In the next two months, I have only four titles (DOGMA, NO COUNTRY, BONNIE AND CLYDE and BARON MUNCHAUSEN) that I'm going to pick up, and only one of them is a title I'm replacing in my collection. Everything else is something I'm not interested in, or is just a "rent" for me. And the officially announced titles are ones I could care less about. It's the "rumored" titles I find more interesting.

Of course, what one person finds boring and mundane, other's may be excited to get. When I heard LIFE OF BRIAN was being released on Blu-Ray, that got me more excited than BLADE RUNNER, since it's not only my favorite Python film, but it's also IMHO one of the best comedies ever made. And while my enthusiasm was shared by some, other were going "what about HOLY GRAIL? That's a whole lot funnier." To me, this wasn't *****ing, this was just a sign of different people's tastes. And while everyone is waiting to see TRANSFORMERS on Blu-Ray, I was stoked about THE ROCK being on Blu, and that all the Criterion featurettes were being imported, since this was one of the few action movies in my collection, and arguably the only good movie Bay has ever done. So while I could give a shit about SHORT CIRCUIT on Blu-Ray, someone else might be counting the days till it's available.

But I think maybe around the summer, or even in April, that there'll be more news on bigger titles that we'd actually want to see in 1080p. And I'm eager to see if SERENITY, KNOCKED UP and HEROES SEASON 1 are some of the first Universal Blu-Rays announced.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by mel2

seriously, where the hell has MGM gone.

You're right, they haven't released anything since November.

[Ben123]

As a newbie collector that just jumped into HD, I have also run out of titles I am looking forward to buy. Looking at the release I only interested to get ID4, Golden Compass and I am Legend. Definitely need more titles out sooner.

[diamondfoxxx]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. There's an extensive collection you alpha-males can choose from, which includes classics like: 'Good Luck Chuck' 'Coyote Ugly' 'Daddy Day Camp' 'Juno' 'The Devil Wears Prada' 'P.S.I Love You'. I mean these are MAJOR titles, and you have to respect them for bringing them in HD.
Just found out, another classic is being released: '27 Dresses'! It's getting better every moment!

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by diamondfoxxx

I don't know what you guys are talking about. There's an extensive collection you alpha-males can choose from, which includes classics like: 'Good Luck Chuck' 'Coyote Ugly' 'Daddy Day Camp' 'Juno' 'The Devil Wears Prada' 'P.S.I Love You'. I mean these are MAJOR titles, and you have to respect them for bringing them in HD.
Just found out, another classic is being released: '27 Dresses'! It's getting better every moment!

Except for Coyote Ugly, the rest you mentioned were new day and date theatrical titles, and they were going to be released anyway.

Now as for a recent announcement like "Shall We Dance", who knows.

[CassilineKnight]

Seriously the official release announcements pretty much suck these days...

If Bluray is serious about replacing DVD then these companies need to step up to the plate and make some solid announcements that will gather mainstream attention.

And they need to get the set at STANDARD whet it comes to releasing their movies in terms of Audio & Video.

I don't know what you guys think or feel about it but to me its confusing and frustrating how some movies are on 1 type of disc as opposed to another. Some movies are encoded in 1 codec while others use another.

Why can't they decide which is THE BEST? Optimize that selection, and make srue the picture quality is high as well? And put in a decent amount of features.

Its really not that hard. If we're all thinking about it and want surely THEY should have thought about it by now.

[diamondfoxxx]

I think they are spending time meticulously preparing Mariah Carey's classic 'Glitter'.

[Doughoef]

I know it's all subjective but I agree completely. I am in marketing and with the format war over now is the time to create some excitement- a buzz so to speak. What are these people thinking?

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by diamondfoxxx

I don't know what you guys are talking about. There's an extensive collection you alpha-males can choose from, which includes classics like: 'Good Luck Chuck' 'Coyote Ugly' 'Daddy Day Camp' 'Juno' 'The Devil Wears Prada' 'P.S.I Love You'. I mean these are MAJOR titles, and you have to respect them for bringing them in HD.
Just found out, another classic is being released: '27 Dresses'! It's getting better every moment!

Yeah, because only Alpha Males watch Blu-Rays... There's no reason to release a movie a girl may like, or a child may like, or someone who likes witty movies might like.

[mel2]

I wonder if Glitter will get pip and web enabled features. dts ma 7.1 is a must.

[owa]

Originally Posted by CassilineKnight

And they need to get the set at STANDARD whet it comes to releasing their movies in terms of Audio & Video.

I don't know what you guys think or feel about it but to me its confusing and frustrating how some movies are on 1 type of disc as opposed to another. Some movies are encoded in 1 codec while others use another.

Why can't they decide which is THE BEST? Optimize that selection, and make srue the picture quality is high as well? And put in a decent amount of features.

Its really not that hard. If we're all thinking about it and want surely THEY should have thought about it by now.

Most people aren't going to care what codec is being used, what type of disc is being used, or any of the technical details behind it. They're interested in the movie and just want it to look and sound good. The ones that do care about such details, A/V enthusiasts, people interested in technology, etc. are going to know these answers and what they mean. If you want to know the details, then you should be willing to put in the time to learn what they mean. If not, you shouldn't be concerned with it.

Do most people buying computer games try to find out what engine is being used in the game, whether the game is based on DirectX or OpenGL or what language the game is programmed in? No, all they care about is the end-user experience, whether the game is fun, bug-free and looks/sounds good. The ones that do care about such details know where to find the info and know what the info means. They've put in the time to learn those details because they're interested in them. Most people don't really need to know that info though, it's irrelevant to them.

[krazeyeyez]

codecs whatever, i have seen good movies in mpeg 2-4 and vc-1 at least to my eyes. what i do care about is the lossless audio which needs to be the norm and a selling point on all blu's.
i still don't truly understand lossless, but i know most people i know have no idea that blu's can upgrade not only image quality but the audio experience as well.

[owa]

Originally Posted by reginaroadie

But I will agree that now that the format war is officially over, things are slowing down a bit and it is a little bit depressing. I was kind of on a buying high in Feb with LIFE OF BRIAN, the Kubrick Blu's, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, GONE BABY GONE and MICHAEL CLAYTON. In the next two months, I have only four titles (DOGMA, NO COUNTRY, BONNIE AND CLYDE and BARON MUNCHAUSEN) that I'm going to pick up, and only one of them is a title I'm replacing in my collection. Everything else is something I'm not interested in, or is just a "rent" for me. And the officially announced titles are ones I could care less about. It's the "rumored" titles I find more interesting.

Of course, what one person finds boring and mundane, other's may be excited to get. When I heard LIFE OF BRIAN was being released on Blu-Ray, that got me more excited than BLADE RUNNER, since it's not only my favorite Python film, but it's also IMHO one of the best comedies ever made. And while my enthusiasm was shared by some, other were going "what about HOLY GRAIL? That's a whole lot funnier." To me, this wasn't *****ing, this was just a sign of different people's tastes. And while everyone is waiting to see TRANSFORMERS on Blu-Ray, I was stoked about THE ROCK being on Blu, and that all the Criterion featurettes were being imported, since this was one of the few action movies in my collection, and arguably the only good movie Bay has ever done. So while I could give a shit about SHORT CIRCUIT on Blu-Ray, someone else might be counting the days till it's available.

Nice post and I agree. It's unfortunate that more don't seem to be as understanding. That's why I don't like threads such as these. People's taste in movies varies wildly so if they're targeting a specific group (age or taste-wise), they're going to be neglecting another. Right at the beginning of your post you listed several movies that you were excited about that probably didn't interest the OP at all (he's mostly been asking for horror movies -- and that's fine, horror is one of my favorite genres as well). If they were releasing lots of horror movies, some of us would be estatic but you would probably be disappointed. ID4 is one of my all-time favorites (extremely excited about next weeks release) but many think it's a lousy movie and probably wish something else was being released instead of it.

So, of course, all of us wish that our favorite movies or genre are given top-priority and released as soon as possible. But, having said that, IMO, they've done a fairly good job of providing something for everyone so far. It's probably a little easier for me to be understanding though, I like just about everything and haven't had any trouble finding titles I'm interested in.

[diamondfoxxx]

Yeah, because only Alpha Males watch Blu-Rays... There's no reason to release a movie a girl may like, or a child may like, or someone who likes witty movies might like.

Okay, I'm not trying to be sexist here. For instance, how many females or young children would you find here? I'll be suprised if you find ten. How many females do you know who have their own blu-ray players--not their boyfriend's or husband's BD player--and how many of them have a collection of over fifteen?
There's nothing wrong with releasing movies girls like or children like but all I'm saying is that most people who've invested in this niche market are males. Don't you think it's about high time the studios pandered to their dedication instead of releasing these titles like 'Coyote Ugly' etc? What's wrong with titles like 'Apocalypse Now' 'Alien' 'Aliens'?
It's just extremely silly. Blu-ray will not last long with the way things are going.

[broganreynik]

the only thing i have to say is it seems like the studios are whetting our appetites. like, they're releasing stuff that people will have somewhat of an interest in and will buy, but hardly anything that's a surefire top seller. it almost plays out like a movie itself, you don't want to give everything away at the beginning, but if you don't have something there to keep your audience you lose them...therefore we see things like ID4 and Twister, because most people may have somewhat of an interest in those titles, and it builds anticipation for the big guns like Indiana Jones and The Godfather. We do however have the Terminator trilogy, which is one of those catalog releases that keep things going (too bad T2 looks cruddy), and with the Rambo quadrilogy, and the Die Hard collection, we have 3 of the biggest action franchises ever, so I think we're doing just fine. That being said, of course I would love to see more mob movies out on Blu. But heck, you look at Lions Gate, after the Rambo movies there's only one more catalog title they have that I would even want (outside of remastered issues of some of the early blu) and that's The Doors.

[Marcusarilius]

Originally Posted by diamondfoxxx

Okay, I'm not trying to be sexist here. For instance, how many females or young children would you find here? I'll be suprised if you find ten. How many females do you know who have their own blu-ray players--not their boyfriend's or husband's BD player--and how many of them have a collection of over fifteen?
There's nothing wrong with releasing movies girls like or children like but all I'm saying is that most people who've invested in this niche market are males. Don't you think it's about high time the studios pandered to their dedication instead of releasing these titles like 'Coyote Ugly' etc? What's wrong with titles like 'Apocalypse Now' 'Alien' 'Aliens'?
It's just extremely silly. Blu-ray will not last long with the way things are going.

I guess guys can buy chick flicks for their girl friends and wives...?

[Cplhicks]

I kinda agree with the op, as some have. I don't think the release announcements are bad, per se, but they aren't exciting to a lot of us, nor are they big titles. With all the BOGOs last year, I picked up a lot of the already released titles I was interested in. So far this year there has been very little in the way of announcing popular, famous catalog titles and/or new releases (what with nothing coming out of Paramount and Universal). Heck, I'd be excited if we could just get a date for Matrix or V for Vendetta or something like that. But lately I have not really seen anything announced that I am really excited to buy/can't wait for. I guess the only thing I'm looking forward to right now is picking up the WB Japan release of Beowulf, and that movie was only so so (but should look awesome!). That's not till April. Of course, I still haven't seen a lot of movies like I am Legend, so maybe I should be more excited about those...

[JTK]

I've probably written this a couple of dozen times in the past few weeks but here goes yet again:

The industry here obviously took a "collective holding of breath" status when the Warner news came down and everyone waited to see how fast the dominoes were going to fall.

To that end, I think most people were surprised just how fast all the dominoes did fall on this thing.

Furthermore...retail as a whole usually dies down after the holidays until about March or April anyways. That's just the way it is.

I fully expect to start seeing some announcements worth a damn starting later this month.

I'm really getting tired of all these whiny ***** and moan threads, especially when everything has gone our way and Blu-Ray has outright won the damned format war.

Past this, let's face it: Hollywood has been churning out a lot of dreck lately, in general.