Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

it was suppose to split and a good ratio is 10:1 that would bring it down to where you guys think it should be.

lol do you know or understand anything? stock prices are important in that they change what you can afford and how you can buy and sell it. But when discussing "over valued" it is kind of meaningless and what is being discussed is market cap. let's say company X has 1M shares at 1,000$ the market cap is 1B now if there is a 10:1 split the share price goes to 100$ (easier for people to buy and easier to have ~ X$ of shares) but there are now 10M shares outstanding so the market cap is 10M*100$=1B so still just as overvalued.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I was wondering if you guys Collected for Quality or for other reasons. Here is a Video of two Knowledgeable guys Jeff from Films at Home and from the UK Elliot Coen. They are talking about Boutique Labels, where you are going to get the Quality, but the prices will go up. Do you guys want Quality or just Collect for the best Price?

Boutique Blu-rays with Elliot Coen | The Films At Home Podcast - YouTube

The price of Netflix goes up far more often than the prices of discs have. The same is true with my ISP.

Many of our most prolific and respected forum members have said time and again that Jeff from Films At Home is a complete moron in every way that one can be a moron. As for the other guy, I've never heard of him or anything about him, but if he is affiliated with Films At Home then that doesn't sound very reassuring. Birds of a feather and all that.

I buy movies because I love movies. Naturally, I want the highest quality format that offers the desired film AND that provides REAL ownership of a tangible product over which I have full control. I am almost always willing to pay the price to get what I want. I LOATHE the very idea of being internet dependent for my movie entertainment and I won't allow that to happen.

As a veteran of paying laserdisc prices, nothing offered today fazes me in the slightest. Hell, even OOP prices are often less than what a laserdisc used to cost when adjusted for inflation.

I see my digital collection as nothing more than a bunch of long term shareable rentals of unspecified duration, most of which came from codes included with my disc purchases. The few digital titles that I bought were almost always priced like a rental and were titles of casual interest. Anything that I really want to own, I seek out a physical copy.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I was wondering if you guys Collected for Quality or for other reasons. Here is a Video of two Knowledgeable guys Jeff from Films at Home and from the UK Elliot Coen. They are talking about Boutique Labels, where you are going to get the Quality, but the prices will go up. Do you guys want Quality or just Collect for the best Price?

Call it what you want but I buy what I want to watch, it is that simple. I don't care about packaging, I don't care about extras, I don't care about resale value... Now if a title has been re-released with a better presentation and I have heard about it, I have re-bought it in the past because what I want to watch is the better presentation of that title.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

ads are an odd thing. It all depends how they are served.

For example
a) small ads o n the selection browser page
b) a couple of ads before the presentation (like most disks)
c) ads that stop the content every few minutes and play (like broadcast)
d) ads that pop in front of content and blocks part of what you want to watch from time to time
e) shrink the image size and use left over space for advertisement

IMHO a) would be the least annoying/most acceptable and the rest get worst as the list goes on )depending on how we assume each one is implemented). And it does not need to be limited to just one ad revenue selection.


The problem is that at the end of the day it costs a lot in content, infrastructure and maintenance and someone has to pay for it because these companies are in it to make money.

They state that frame ads will be occasional but it would still be a massive distraction. They have to get the balance right otherwise it will turn a lot of people off.
They say the frame ads will be inserted in quieter, less eventful moments of a show but sometimes it’s the quieter moments that are most impactful.

Bad idea no matter how infrequent.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It was an "in general" comment. Canceling a service should be as easy as subscribing to it.

The only streaming service that is shared with me is Netflix.

I get HBO Max for "free" with my AT&T wireless service and I in turn share that with two people. Likewise with my Vudu account, but that's not an SVOD.

Thus, I give more than I receive.

I technically pay for Amazon Prime streaming as I have been a Prime member since its inception in 2005, but I subscribe for the shipping benefits, not their streaming service.

just having some fun with you and was not meant as a judgment. I don't work or own stock in Netflix so I don't care if you share someone lese password. I just thought your comment was funny since form what you just confirmed. the only service that you use and someone might cancel is Netflix and that is the only one that you would not be the one that has to cancel it.

as for the general idea, to some degrees I agree and others I do not. These are terms of services. For example (since some do) longer term contracts (i.e. pay annually) do you think it makes sense that someone can cancel it at any time just as easily as registering for it.

Having to call to cancel has some advantages for the company (i.e. they can try and talk you out of it) but there are also a lot more expenses(set-up toll free lines, pay people to answer the phone, complexity of international markets..) that IMHO highly out way any benefits.

But I can see them trying to make it harder, not to stop people from leaving but to stop people from constantly switching. Like Lee said distributing episodes on a weekly basis can help but this is not old fashion TV where people talked around the water cooler about yesterday's episode and if they missed it they might never get a chance to see it again. the person can easily wait until the season is over and binge the whole season and then switch providers again. So I don't see it as as big as a deterrent as Lee does.

[bhampton]

I would like to cancel Netflix but seems others in my family like and use it and I'll probably go back to the premium plan.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

as for the general idea, to some degrees I agree and others I do not. These are terms of services. For example (since some do) longer term contracts (i.e. pay annually) do you think it makes sense that someone can cancel it at any time just as easily as registering for it.

I think it should be as easy to cancel a service as it was to subscribe to it. If I can subscribe without having to talk to anyone, I should likewise be able to cancel without having to talk to anyone.

In the case of annual subscriptions where a person made a commitment, canceling should still be just as easy to do, but if that person cancels early then they should have to honor their commitment and pay everything that they originally agreed to pay.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

They state that frame ads will be occasional but it would still be a massive distraction. They have to get the balance right otherwise it will turn a lot of people off.
They say the frame ads will be inserted in quieter, less eventful moments of a show but sometimes it’s the quieter moments that are most impactful.

Bad idea no matter how infrequent.

For someone who streams even less than I do, you sure seem to worry about this more than you should, but then you always were a chronic worrier.

Just go spin a disc and relax; let those who feed regularly at the streaming trough worry about how ads may, or may not, be incorporated into these services.

I'm certainly unconcerned; I rarely stream anything because even with free access I enjoy what my own library has to offer most of the time.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

For someone who streams even less than I do, you sure seem to worry about this more than you should, but then you always were a chronic worrier.

Just go spin a disc and relax; let those who feed regularly at the streaming trough worry about how ads may, or may not, be incorporated into these services.

I'm certainly unconcerned; I rarely stream anything because even with free access I enjoy what my own library has to offer most of the time.

I always think ahead. We have to consider these things and ready ourselves for the day when disc won’t be here. (Long time I know)

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I think it should be as easy to cancel a service as it was to subscribe to it. If I can subscribe without having to talk to anyone, I should likewise be able to cancel without having to talk to anyone.

In the case of annual subscriptions where a person made a commitment, canceling should still be just as easy to do, but if that person cancels early then they should have to honor their commitment and pay everything that they originally agreed to pay.

we both agree that you won't have to talk to anyone (no one wants to talk to you ) . I gave an annual subscription as an example. What if it is a monthly subscription but in the fine print it says you agree to pay for a year or there is a penalty? or there is a disconnect fee of 100$?.... there are a lot of ways to make it harder to quit then it is to connect without it being a call.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I always think ahead. We have to consider these things and ready ourselves for the day when disc won’t be here. (Long time I know)

Wait .... where will they go tho ?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

lol do you know or understand anything? stock prices are important in that they change what you can afford and how you can buy and sell it. But when discussing "over valued" it is kind of meaningless and what is being discussed is market cap.

Thanks but I've had a Stock Market Account for over 30 years, and I really don't need any lessons. When I was working for PacBell we had some Stock Options so I did start with some AT&T Stocks. I like Stocks that give a good Dividend, like Telco Stocks, but to grow my Account I look for Stock Splits. Tech Companies like Apple, Nvidia, and I heard Tesla was looking to split.

As for Netflix I did have some of their Stock, but I sold it a while back they were too volatile. Thanks for the lesson anyway, but I don't think I need it I'm doing okay handling my Account.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I always think ahead. We have to consider these things and ready ourselves for the day when disc won’t be here. (Long time I know)

Then think about ways to back-up your collection rather than worrying about what may, or may not, become of streaming, which is a service that you seldom even use.

If they cease to offer discs, watch new movies exclusively at the theater...where they also show ads before the feature begins, but if you time your arrival right, you can avoid them.

You are going to be confronted with advertising no matter what. Using the internet bombards you with ads as does watching TV to get your sports fix. Even physical media contains ads although in most cases they are easy to bypass. Advertising, like it or not, is an inescapable part of life.

I suppose you could escape a lot of advertising by reading books, instead.

[PenguinInfinity]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I always think ahead. We have to consider these things and ready ourselves for the day when disc won’t be here. (Long time I know)

That will never happen. Even in the (very unlikely) event that every studio stops releasing new discs the billions of discs already in circulation will still be playable.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

we both agree that you won't have to talk to anyone (no one wants to talk to you ) . I gave an annual subscription as an example. What if it is a monthly subscription but in the fine print it says you agree to pay for a year or there is a penalty? or there is a disconnect fee of 100$?.... there are a lot of ways to make it harder to quit then it is to connect without it being a call.

I maintain that the act of cancelling should be as easy as subscribing; if I can do the latter without human involvement, then I should be able to do the former without human involvement... even if that means paying a fee.

If someone agrees to paying any type of fee for early cancellation, then that's on them for either knowingly agreeing to such terms or for being too lazy to read those terms before agreeing to them.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Thanks but I've had a Stock Market Account for over 30 years, and I really don't need any lessons. When I was working for PacBell we had some Stock Options so I did start with some AT&T Stocks. I like Stocks that give a good Dividend, like Telco Stocks, but to grow my Account I look for Stock Splits. Tech Companies like Apple, Nvidia, and I heard Tesla was looking to split.

As for Netflix I did have some of their Stock, but I sold it a while back they were too volatile. Thanks for the lesson anyway, but I don't think I need it I'm doing okay handling my Account.

You're the one who started to offer unsolicited stock advice in this thread, so enjoy the unsolicited stock advice that you receive in return.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Many of our most prolific and respected forum members have said time and again that Jeff from Films At Home is a complete moron in every way that one can be a moron. As for the other guy, I've never heard of him or anything about him, but if he is affiliated with Films At Home then that doesn't sound very reassuring. Birds of a feather and all that.

Did you even listen to what he had to say, Jeff is a Disc Person with a large Collection. You should make your own judgement, and not listen to these prolific and respected form members. Both give good reviews and have knowledge on where the Disc Market is headed. Major Studios are backing away from the Disc Market and Licensing out more and more!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Did you even listen to what he had to say, Jeff is a Disc Person with a large Collection. You should make your own judgement, and not listen to these prolific and respected form members. Both give good reviews and have knowledge on where the Disc Market is headed. Major Studios are backing away from the Disc Market and Licensing out more and more!

Owning a large collection of discs does not make us soulmates. You and I are both Army veterans, should I assume from that one thing in common that we would agree on most matters?

I gave Films At Home a chance in the past, but unlike you I try to learn from my mistakes. The comments from those "respected forum members" confirmed my opinion; I formed it myself.

The s at Films At Home have no special insight or knowledge about the disc market and their reviews of specific discs are often laughably wrong; their opinions just happen to align with yours and you think that anyone that shares your view must therefore be "knowledgeable." It's human nature to be so inclined.

Where is your evidence that "major studios are backing away from the disc market?" The pace of new releases on disc continues to be robust. Even when a studio licenses a movie (usually a catalog title) to an independent label that in turn releases it on disc, the studio is still earning money on the deal. They make money whether they release the disc themselves or license it out to someone else. The studios are not "backing away" from discs either way.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Another old favorite of ours coming to Blu-ray:



Really like the Alberta and BC location shooting.

Have watched the first three episodes of Dexter: New Blood and like so far. Some shots/scenes have elevated black levels making them unpleasant to watch.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

Thanks but I've had a Stock Market Account for over 30 years, and I really don't need any lessons. When I was working for PacBell we had some Stock Options so I did start with some AT&T Stocks. I like Stocks that give a good Dividend, like Telco Stocks, but to grow my Account I look for Stock Splits. Tech Companies like Apple, Nvidia, and I heard Tesla was looking to split.

As for Netflix I did have some of their Stock, but I sold it a while back they were too volatile. Thanks for the lesson anyway, but I don't think I need it I'm doing okay handling my Account.

growing your portfolio and valuation of a company are two different things.

don't get me wrong, splits are to some extent a good sign sign it shows that the price per share has grown beyond what the company would like to see but if you opened 100 shares at 1000$ before a 10:1 split you will end up with 1000 shares at 100$ and the similar thing will happen to every other share holder. at the end of the day the market valuation of the company will remain unchanged before and after the split. if the company was over valued , undervalued or rightly valued by the stock price before the split it will be just as over valued , undervalued or rightly valued after the split.