Blu-rays are 8 years old and DVDs still cling to them like a cancerous tumor. Why?

[zarquon]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

I mean, there was a time VHS, and DVD were coexisting successfully...
A time cassette and CD were coexisting successfully...
A time 8-track tape and Vinyl were successfully coexisting...

But we're there ever three?

Well, for a little while there was DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD...

[zarquon]

Originally Posted by spectre08

I was at Movie Trading Company last night just browsing for pre-owned blus. There were about 7 other people in the store all looking at DVDs, I really wanted to ask them WHY!?

I've had similar experiences. Last Black Friday I braved the crowds at Walmart, and overheard a conversation fragment that went, "...but I'd rather not get it on blu-ray; I know we have a blu-ray player, but..." and then they wandered out of earshot. I would love to know what the rest of that sentence could possibly have been...

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by zarquon

I've had similar experiences. Last Black Friday I braved the crowds at Walmart, and overheard a conversation fragment that went, "...but I'd rather not get it on blu-ray; I know we have a blu-ray player, but..." and then they wandered out of earshot. I would love to know what the rest of that sentence could possibly have been...

It means one if three things:

1. They're not movie fans
2. They're not tech fans
3. They're ignorant to all things "resolution" and the difference between the two famats.

[zarquon]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

It means one if three things:

1. They're not movie fans
2. They're not tech fans
3. They're ignorant to all things "resolution" and the difference between the two famats.

Well, they must have been movie fans at least a little, to be browsing through them on black Friday, and I'd assume they weren't totally tech-ignorant, since she did say they had a blu-ray player. But there was still some reason she specifically wanted DVD instead.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by zarquon

Well, they must have been movie fans at least a little, to be browsing through them on black Friday, and I'd assume they weren't totally tech-ignorant, since she did say they had a blu-ray player. But there was still some reason she specifically wanted DVD instead.

I know some pretty self proclaimed "movie fans", but that's just cuz they like taking movies, but aren't collectors. They'd rather DVD, too. Hell, one even has a VHS player still. HOOKED UP TO AN HDTV!!!!
It boggles my mind.

[tvine2000]

Originally Posted by Selaboc

WHY!? for the same reason you were browsing pre-owned blus. People want "bargins", even when that bargin means compromising on quality. To many people DVD means cheap and blu means more expensive with quality not even factoring into their decision making.

Not all blu-ray titles are as you say quality. And I get preowned blu cheaper than DVD. Some new title on Blu-ray are cheaper than DVD

[tvine2000]

Originally Posted by bruceames.

No, which makes the real DVD sales deceptively low, since some people who do buy the combo pack, would have chosen the DVD-only SKU, if they were forced to choose (keep in mind the real-world opinion about including DVDs in combos is not at all accurately reflected on the consensus in Blu-ray.com).

And will 4K really make a difference, I doubt it. Remember the shit catalog titles we got on Blu-ray?? yep its blu-ray , yep its 1080p, yep some them suck!! Do you really think the studios will invest in new masters in 4k for catalog titles?? Maybe some titles, but I doubt many, will end up with old masters somehow.

[tvine2000]

Originally Posted by zarquon

Well, they must have been movie fans at least a little, to be browsing through them on black Friday, and I'd assume they weren't totally tech-ignorant, since she did say they had a blu-ray player. But there was still some reason she specifically wanted DVD instead.

I still hear this from people...I can't see the difference between DVD and Blu-ray meaning PQ. Blu-ray and 4k still have a uphill battle.
I agree the marketing on Blu-ray players ,playing DVD's just didn't work like they hoped. So the only thing to do is get rid of DVD players, stop making them. People will not make the choice between DVD and Blu-ray unless you take that choice away and its about time. They did it will VHS, WHY NOT dvd??
Question, are the studios afraid there will be a lot of angry people if they get rid of DVD? Cause that's my feeling about all of this.

[Movie Nut]

There are many reasons people may prefer DVD versions of a movie to Blu-ray. And the fact that some of you refuse to see it or disagree with them, does not make them ignorant. It just makes them different from you.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Movie Nut

There are many reasons people may prefer DVD versions of a movie to Blu-ray. And the fact that some of you refuse to see it or disagree with them, does not make them ignorant. It just makes them different from you.

Do you care to share some of those reasons with us?

[Movie Nut]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Do you care to share some of those reasons with us?

Sure

1 - They are not members of the Blu-ray.com community. They are not into Blu-ray as much as we are. They have not spent thousands on a kick-ass home theater setup. And they just want to watch the movie.

2 - They do not have a Blu-ray player.

3 - They have a Blu-ray player but don't have one in their minivan, their laptop computer, or in the downstairs kid's viewing area...only a DVD player. So why buy a version that will only play on one of their systems?

4 - The DVD version is usually (not always) cheaper.

5 - They have a smaller TV and/or an older non HDTV so they can not see the difference (even though we all know it is there and can see it on our systems).

People have different hobbies and interests and different things they prefer to spend their money and time on.

Take the automobile analogy. Some spend hundreds of thousands on cars because they love the driving experience, see them as status symbols, or want something others don't have, (it accelerates faster, handles better, has more creature comforts, accessories, etc.) Others see them as merely transportation and couldn't care less what they drive as long as it is reliable and it gets them where they want to go. Is either one of them wrong? Or are they just different people with different priorities?

[doctor_who]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

I know some pretty self proclaimed "movie fans", but that's just cuz they like taking movies, but aren't collectors. They'd rather DVD, too. Hell, one even has a VHS player still. HOOKED UP TO AN HDTV!!!!
It boggles my mind.

To be honest, what boggles my mind is that people on this website sometimes refuse to believe that they are in the heavy minority as blu-Ray collectors. Most people simply don't care.

And that definitely doesn't mean they aren't as big of a movie fan either. The biggest movie fans I know actually never buy movies.

I at one point had over a thousand blu-Rays and I can tell you now without bias that everybody else I know combined (four large sides of families and groups of friends) had maybe 100 blu-Rays combined. Meaning most didn't buy any. And when people rarely do buy a movie here and there it's often a dvd. It is what it is movie lovers are movie lovers. But there are tons of reasons that blu-Ray has simply not been heavily adopted.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by doctor_who

To be honest, what boggles my mind is that people on this website sometimes refuse to believe that they are in the heavy minority as blu-Ray collectors. Most people simply don't care.

And that definitely doesn't mean they aren't as big of a movie fan either. The biggest movie fans I know actually never buy movies.

I at one point had over a thousand blu-Rays and I can tell you now without bias that everybody else I know combined (four large sides of families and groups of friends) had maybe 100 blu-Rays combined. Meaning most didn't buy any. And when people rarely do buy a movie here and there it's often a dvd. It is what it is movie lovers are movie lovers. But there are tons of reasons that blu-Ray has simply not been heavily adopted.

If the biggest movie fans you know never buy movies, how do they get their fix? Do they simple go to the theater, rent, catch them on television, or stream the movies?

[schan1269]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

I know some pretty self proclaimed "movie fans", but that's just cuz they like taking movies, but aren't collectors. They'd rather DVD, too. Hell, one even has a VHS player still. HOOKED UP TO AN HDTV!!!!
It boggles my mind.

You must think every movie has been released on disc. Not hardly.

I have to check(been awhile). But there are still a few movies on CED that never made it to disc(not even LD). Bt the way, the CED of Summer Lovers is correct AR and was made before the issues over music rights on the DVD, which isn't the correct AR.

Don't get me started about what is on VHS that isn't on disc yet.

Just this year alone...DVD only releases outpace by more than double...BD releases.

[Movie Nut]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

If the biggest movie fans you know never buy movies, how do they get their fix? Do they simply go to the theater, rent, catch them on television, or stream the movies?

I know it wasn't directed at me...but I can give one man's answer to this. One of the biggest movie fans I know has an extremely small collection. He just doesn't feel the need to own them like some of us do. Not everyone is a collector.

But this guy knows movies like no one else I know. In fact, he opened a little micro theater in the city 9 years ago that is still going strong to this day. It has 50 seats, a 20 x 30 foot screen, shows classics, foreign and cult films and often sells out each performance. It is a non-profit venue with a totally volunteer staff, and there is a 1 year waiting list to "work" (volunteer) there. I just watched Blade Runner there tonight. It was fantastic.

This guy invested in this theater because he knew there was a market for it. Many people still prefer the movie going experience for the social aspect as well as to see films on the big screen. I have a fairly sizable movie collection. Yet I still love going to the theater as well. Often times to see movies that I have already watched more than once from my collection. Why? The friend I was talking about above explained it best.

[excerpts below from a local newspaper article about him written 5 years ago]

"He believes the cinema is as much about the sensation of watching movies in the dark together as it is about who or what is flickering across the screen. There's something about the immediacy of having an experience that you can't stop or pause. It focuses your attention in a way that the home [movie watching] experience never does."

His analogy?

"You can drink liquor at home [too], but that doesn't mean the bars are going to go out of business."

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Movie Nut

I know it wasn't directed at me...but I can give one man's answer to this. One of the biggest movie fans I know has an extremely small collection. He just doesn't feel the need to own them like some of us do. Not everyone is a collector.

But this guy knows movies like no one else I know. In fact, he opened a little micro theater in the city 9 years ago that is still going strong to this day. It has 50 seats, a 20 x 30 foot screen, shows classics, foreign and cult films and often sells out each performance. It is a non-profit venue with a totally volunteer staff, and there is a 1 year waiting list to "work" (volunteer) there. I just watched Blade Runner there tonight. It was fantastic.

This guy invested in this theater because he knew there was a market for it. Many people still prefer the movie going experience for the social aspect as well as to see films on the big screen.

"He believes the cinema is as much about the sensation of watching movies in the dark together as it is about who or what is flickering across the screen. There's something about the immediacy of having an experience that you can't stop or pause. It focuses your attention in a way that the home [movie watching] experience never does."

His analogy?

"You can drink liquor at home, but that doesn't mean the bars are going to go out of business."

Thanks for sharing. That's what I'd call a passion for movies. What is the name of this theater?

I know back in the hey day of DVD there were people that rented more than they bought and this was before streaming services existed and rental outlets diminished. Of course, there are those that also collect all kinds of formats from betamax, CED, LD, VHS, Divx, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, etc.

[Movie Nut]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Thanks for sharing. That's what I'd call a passion for movies. What is the name of this theater?

It is the Trylon Microcinema. If you ever find yourself in the Twin Cities I highly recommend checking it out. Just a fantastic little theater run by those who truly have a passion for film. For my money, the coolest theater in the greater Mpls./St. Paul area. Check out their website, click on the "Coming Soon" tab and scroll through their upcoming movies. I challenge you to go through the entire list and tell me that you can't find any movie there that you would love to see on the big screen.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Movie Nut

It is the Trylon Microcinema. If you ever find yourself in the Twin Cities I highly recommend checking it out. Just a fantastic little theater run by those who truly have a passion for film. For my money, the coolest theater in the greater Mpls./St. Paul area. Check out their website, click on the "Coming Soon" tab and scroll through their upcoming movies. I challenge you to go through the entire list and tell me that you can't find any movie there that you would love to see on the big screen.

I was just reading up on Trylon and will share their web site. I noticed they even rent out the cinema at a very reasonable rate.

http://take-up.org/

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by Movie Nut

One of the biggest movie fans I know has an extremely small collection. He just doesn't feel the need to own them like some of us do. Not everyone is a collector.

But this guy knows movies like no one else I know. In fact, he opened a little micro theater in the city 9 years ago that is still going strong to this day. It has 50 seats, a 20 x 30 foot screen, shows classics, foreign and cult films and often sells out each performance. It is a non-profit venue with a totally volunteer staff, and there is a 1 year waiting list to "work" (volunteer) there. I just watched Blade Runner there tonight. It was fantastic.

This guy invested in this theater because he knew there was a market for it. Many people still prefer the movie going experience for the social aspect as well as to see films on the big screen. I have a fairly sizable movie collection. Yet I still love going to the theater as well. Often times to see movies that I have already watched more than once from my collection. Why? The friend I was talking about above explained it best.

That's a pretty cool story. Thanks for sharing that.

But I have to add, that's a very rare example. If movie fans that are "blu-ray collectors" make up a small percentage, then movie fans that "open an actual cinema" are probably a little more rare.

Most people, when passionate about something, or get into something, buy that something.
Ever see a music fan not have albums? Or a football fan not watch a game? Or readers not have books?


.

[zarquon]

Originally Posted by Movie Nut

People have different hobbies and interests and different things they prefer to spend their money and time on.

Take the automobile analogy. Some spend hundreds of thousands on cars because they love the driving experience, see them as status symbols, or want something others don't have, (it accelerates faster, handles better, has more creature comforts, accessories, etc.) Others see them as merely transportation and couldn't care less what they drive as long as it is reliable and it gets them where they want to go. Is either one of them wrong? Or are they just different people with different priorities?

That automobile analogy is a good one, actually; I've never really though about it quite like that. Myself, I drive an 11 year old Hyundai Accent, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I imagine if I went to a high-performance automobile forum, I'd find threads similar to this, with people who couldn't understand why I'd drive such a thing, and assume I must be ignorant of newer, better cars...