To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only releases?

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#76 Post by manicsounds » Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:52 am

The biggest reason I switched over to Blu-ray was because of bonus material. I started to notice that DVDs were starting to get shafted in bonus materials on many releases, and luckily it was right at a time that
region free' and 'affordable player' came at a great timing.

The only thing I use the DVDs for are ripping the commentary tracks to MP3, if they are available (because I don't have a BD-drive). I never use digital copies, as I don't see the point of watching a movie you have on Blu-ray or DVD on something smaller...

Although I'd wish they'd make digital copies of bonus features or commentary tracks instead or the actual movie. THOSE I'd rather watch during a commute or while waiting in line somewhere on my iphone... Not a 2 hour movie. But that's not going to happen, is it?

What I really have a problem with is the Fox Digital Copy commercial.
Seriously, If you're at the library, you shouldn't be watching a MOVIE! Same goes to 'playing with friends'. If you're the in the corner watching "Rio" alone, you don't have any friends...

David M.
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 1:10 pm

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#77 Post by David M. » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:28 am

So would In the Loop have been any funnier just because the Blu-ray lets you make out one or two additional flecks of spittle during one of Malcolm Tucker's venomous tirades?
Of course not, but I don't think anyone would ever expect HD video to make comedies funnier or to make action films more action-packed. The entire point was to make them look and sound better. But I guess that's your point.

For years I had the idea that most viewers don't care about picture quality much. So long as their screen is sufficiently bright, they're satisfied. I think the success of HDTV has more to do with the LCD and Plasma display tech ("flat screens!!!!") that drove its uptake. It was more about the aesthetics of the screen rather than the image it was showing.
Indeed, and if you know that the market for a specific title is made up of significantly more people who don't care than otherwise, and who therefore resent paying extra for improvements that they don't think they need,
I'm not sure about the last part. People are very willing to pay for high tech gadgets that have little to no use. Who *needs* an Ipad? But again, it's about perception, I guess the key word is THINK they need. If people don't value image quality, they don't value image quality.

Someone else in the thread said they didn't have a BD player because they have a 32" TV. Smart decision, unless you're sitting right beside the screen. From most "TV viewing distances" you'd see little to no difference. Although I don't think it'd be a bad idea to buy BDs now for when you get something bigger?

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Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#78 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:34 am

manicsounds wrote: ...Although I'd wish they'd make digital copies of bonus features or commentary tracks instead or the actual movie. THOSE I'd rather watch during a commute or while waiting in line somewhere on my iphone... Not a 2 hour movie. But that's not going to happen, is it?
Universal promotes the ability to download and watch bonus features on mobile devices for its Blu-rays; I've never tried this, so I don't know how it works. I'm not sure if any other companies offer similar options.

I slap my forehead at the beginning of each new BREAKING BAD episode when viewers are instructed to turn on their mobile devices for "story sync"...

Check out breakingbadstorysync.com to join fellow fans online for snap polls, cool trivia and exclusive video while watching the premiere broadcast of the latest episode on-air.

That's right, you're encouraged to distract yourself with polls, trivia, etc. instead of actually watching the episode. Ugh.

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#79 Post by RossyG » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:19 am

Roger Ryan wrote:That's right, you're encouraged to distract yourself with polls, trivia, etc. instead of actually watching the episode. Ugh.
Ghastly, isn't it? They're pandering to the over-stimulated: the people who sit on a train with their i-Pods in their ears whilst fiddling with their mobile phones; the kids who do their homework on a laptop with music playing and an MSM link to their friends permanently open; the people who check their emails on their iPhones whilst you're trying to have a conversation with them.

These people have the attention span of goldfish. Take their toys away and watch them go cold turkey. It's like they've been unplugged from the Matrix.

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#80 Post by Drucker » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:32 am

RossyG wrote:
Roger Ryan wrote:That's right, you're encouraged to distract yourself with polls, trivia, etc. instead of actually watching the episode. Ugh.
Ghastly, isn't it? They're pandering to the over-stimulated: the people who sit on a train with their i-Pods in their ears whilst fiddling with their mobile phones; the kids who do their homework on a laptop with music playing and an MSM link to their friends permanently open; the people who check their emails on their iPhones whilst you're trying to have a conversation with them.

These people have the attention span of goldfish. Take their toys away and watch them go cold turkey. It's like they've been unplugged from the Matrix.
I have to assume there are ads on all of this stuff, right? BD Live has ads, so does all this I-accessing features come with it? That would have to be one of their main incentives to push this material I'd assume.

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Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#81 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:19 pm

Drucker wrote: I have to assume there are ads on all of this stuff, right? BD Live has ads, so does all this I-accessing features come with it? That would have to be one of their main incentives to push this material I'd assume.
Yes, some report I read said something to the effect of 37% success rate at pushing viewers to a website just by flashing it on-screen which makes marketers really happy.

I haven't tried "story sync" so I don't really know, but I have to imagine that all the polls, trivia and video happen only during the actual programming and quiets down every time a commercial break comes on the TV - can't distract viewers from hearing what the all-important sponsors have to say, right?

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reaky
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:53 am
Location: Cambridge, England

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#82 Post by reaky » Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:06 am

I wonder if MoC's Facebook announcement of the cancellation of the DVD-only editions of Gate of Hell and Floating Weeds means an end to the experiment of co-existing DVDs and Dual Formats?

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swo17
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
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Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#83 Post by swo17 » Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:53 am

The pre-order "votes" must have overwhelmingly be in favor of the dual format editions.

peerpee
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#84 Post by peerpee » Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:32 pm

swo17 wrote:The pre-order "votes" must have overwhelmingly be in favor of the dual format editions.
Yes, either that or someone at Eureka finally realised that there's a good reason why no other label in the world releases separate DVD and Dual Format editions.

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#85 Post by manicsounds » Mon Nov 12, 2012 1:09 am

Arrow does. They have the dual format releases, and also the barebones DVD editions for a much lower price.

peerpee
not perpee
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#86 Post by peerpee » Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:08 am

It's not a consistent thing that Arrow do for every title, in fact it seems to be quite rare (none of their Arrow Academy titles for example).

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#87 Post by tenia » Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:37 am

Arrow uses the Arrowdrome collection to have DVDs at a very low price. But their releases are indeed very inconsistent, with plenty of Blu-Ray only releases with a DVD only releases on the side, or Dual Format + ArrowDrome or...
In the end, about 10 titles have a DF and a DVD releases.

mattyl149
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2011 11:07 am

Re: To Blu-ray or Not to Blu-ray: Why all the DVD-only relea

#88 Post by mattyl149 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 4:59 pm

peerpee wrote:It's not a consistent thing that Arrow do for every title, in fact it seems to be quite rare (none of their Arrow Academy titles for example).
They have released Bicycle Thieves and Les Diaboliques under the Arrow Classics range. They were released before on DVD, but they've made the artwork more uniform like with the Arrowdrome titles

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