Disney Cuts Back on DVD

[Neal]

It only began outselling in 2003 but then VHS died in 2005? Wow!

[Flanger-Hanger]

It only began outselling in 2003 but then VHS died in 2005? Wow!

I stopped buying VHS in 2000. Who bought VHS in 2005? Really, you must have been stubborn not to switch to the new format if you did.

[Neal]

Well, I was only 14 in 2005. My parents dictated my purchases. I believe it was 2002 or 2003 when we got a DVD player - only because we won it in as a door prize. My parents saw the transition from black and white TV to color, having ten channels to having 1,000 - so to them, the difference between VHS and DVD was minimal - picture quality was picture quality - so they didn't rush out to make a switchover. Now they buy themselves DVDs. I urged them to make the switch to Blu-ray (more as a gift to self, I want a Blu-ray player) but they said with the current economic recession it's an unnecessary indulgence.

Even today, I buy some VHSs for super cheap if it's a film I know I'll only watch once or twice.

[DisneyFreak5282]

Yeah, same. I was 13 in 2005, but even then I didn't buy VHS. Our family got a DVD player on Black Friday of 2002, and then in May of 2003 I bought a DVD player for my room with my birthday money (the first DVD I bought was The Tuxedo for $19.99 at Wal Mart, along with the player, but that's beyond the point). The last Disney VHSs I got was Lilo and Stitch for Christmas 2002, and then in the summer of 2003 I got the Black Diamond version of Robin Hood at a flea market for like $6 (even though the GC DVD as well as the GC and ME VHSs were available, I wasn't that in to Disney, and I probably wouldn't have spent the $20 on the DVD). I didn't buy my first Disney DVD (Snow White PE) until August 2005.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Well, I was only 14 in 2005. My parents dictated my purchases. I believe it was 2002 or 2003 when we got a DVD player - only because we won it in as a door prize. My parents saw the transition from black and white TV to color, having ten channels to having 1,000 - so to them, the difference between VHS and DVD was minimal - picture quality was picture quality - so they didn't rush out to make a switchover. Now they buy themselves DVDs. I urged them to make the switch to Blu-ray (more as a gift to self, I want a Blu-ray player) but they said with the current economic recession it's an unnecessary indulgence.

Even today, I buy some VHSs for super cheap if it's a film I know I'll only watch once or twice.

I didn't say specifically you I just say it was odd to buy a dead format years after another started outselling it.

Edit: Wait what am I saying? I'm the one who bought Moonspinners on VHS because it was cheap and had the same transfer as the DVD. And I've bought titles on VHS before they were put to DVD (ironically So Dear to My Heart and The Incredible Journey were put out as DMC exclusives the same year I bought them).

As for me I was 10 when I bought the Platinum Edition of Snow White and asked for the first wave of WDT sets for Christmas. I never once bought on OOP DVD (I think) and certainly not off the internet.

[drfsupercenter]

Ah, well, I for one don't really care too much that Disney is lazy now... as it just gives me a better excuse to make my own DVDs of their stuff

I mean seriously, is it too much to ask to combine all the extras ever released for a certain movie and put them all on one release? As well as as close to the OTV as possible? (That may not be possible for Fantasia, anyway... most of the others it should be fine if I can figure out how to make a laserdisc look like a DVD)

And to be honest, all but the most recent Platinum Editions I've bought after they went OOP. Simply because we own them all on VHS and I really didn't care. But once I started hoarding Disney stuff for various projects I figured I should own them so I've gone through Amazon, eBay, and people who sell DVDs through this forum.

[leuchtmuschel]

This is one of the best single DVDs:

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Date of issue: October 19, 1999

I also have this version of it:

The Wizard of Oz (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) (1939)

Date of issue: October 25, 2005

I love them both!

The film on the three disc version has better quality. This is the true reason for me to buy “more than one” disc collections. There is less “waste on space” on supplements things on disc one usually. This makes the film less “grainy” and creates more space for different soundtracks usually.

And “Ding! Dong! For DVD” only on the single version of Oz I can watch Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz in intro/outgo cartoons that were produced for TV. And the jukebox plays very well original recording sessions from production too (The jukebox is saved on the three disc version also).

The single version is a masterpiece in using space for entertainment for a film with supplements!

I wonder if Disney has some nice radio broadcasts in its archives. They only need spaces on disc for music and voice. You get entertainment without the need of space for moving pictures. I want historical radio broadcasts that were been come along with a Disney classic.

The same techniques Disney can make with advertise trailers (You know: They start automatically after inserting a DVD from Disney into the player). Slideshows with soundtrack waste less space they can use on this kind of content. But on Blu-ray my opinion will become obsolete. BD life can show this kind of trailers always up-to-date even on older discs.

OK, I prefer two disc versions because they have more places for fun but creative people can make well productions on one disc.

[2099net]

Disney aren't doing anything most other companies do. The difference is most other companies charge extra for a 2 disc set these days - but I believe the bulk of customers stick to the 1 disc release most of the time.

All Disney is doing is making the 1 disc releases, and not offering the 2 disc sets. Sometimes they do - Platinum editions etc, but most of the time they don't.

And its all a consequence of DVD becoming "mainstream". Back in the days when DVD was fighting VHS, DVD had to be seen to be offering more. Now it doesn't. Back in those days too, the audience was pretty clearly defined as technology and/or cinephiles. Now the audience is just everybody - people who buy 1 or 2 movies a year and rent the rest to hardcore DVD collectors like most of us on this forum. And the hardcore don't really get a choice anymore. You want a decent copy of "Enchanted" - well you have to buy the somewhat lacking single disc edition from Disney. There is no other option. So while Disney may loose money by putting out a more expensive Enchanted set that may deter some people from buying it, they're not really losing any money from a hardcore collector settling for the single disc release.

I'm not picking on anyone here specifically (Lord knows, I'm addicted to buying round shiny objects myself) but when you read comments about people buying Disney DVDs just for the slipcover, or just for a sneak peek trailer on this forum (which let us not forget Disney Home Video employees do read) you can sort of see why Disney is content to put together discs with nothing but cheap EPK materials.

I know some people have an almost irrational hatred of Blu-ray, but for the next few years at least, its going to be waving the flag for cinephiles, just like LD did in its day, and DVD did in its infancy. Marketing logic says that it has to while the bulk of its audience are hardcore collectors. Of course, if Blu-ray takes off like its backers expect (which is by no means certain) this format will soon be relegated to "mainstream" and consequently experience a drop in supplemental quality.

[The_Iceflash]

DVD started outselling VHS in 2003? Wow, it really is too soon for a new format. I thought it was earlier than that.

It was either 2002 or 2003. It took 5 or 6 years after DVD was introduced for it to become the norm. With that logic, it would take until 2011 or 2012 for Blu-ray to be the standard, but the Blu has backwards compatibility and $200 players now.

I sincerely hope that don't happen.

[The_Iceflash]

And to be honest, all but the most recent Platinum Editions I've bought after they went OOP. .

Same here. I didn't start early enough to get them while they were in print.

[Flanger-Hanger]

I sincerely hope that don't happen.

Hope all you want one day Blu will replace DVD, just as DVD replaced VHS. You can't stop progress and the evolution of technology.

Having said that you personally can always enjoy DVDs as much as you want.

[The_Iceflash]

I sincerely hope that don't happen.

Hope all you want one day Blu will replace DVD, just as DVD replaced VHS. You can't stop progress and the evolution of technology.

Having said that you personally can always enjoy DVDs as much as you want.

We'll see if that'll actually happen. I say they'll co-exist at most. Blu-Ray replacing isn't the same as DVD replacing VHS. It was actually worth the upgrading unlike this. (Backwards compatibility or not.)

[Goliath]

[Dumbo]The 2001 DVD? It got:

Audio commentary
Featurette
galleries
Trailers
Walt Disney's TV intros
cartoons
Reluctant Dragon excerpt

The feauturette was a very short fluff-piece consisting of people cheering the movie. The RD excerpt was out of place. The cartoons don't count as a bonus, they have nothing to do with the film. The gallery was very small. I'll give you the audio commentary. But all in all, it is nothing like the way a real Classic like this one should be treated.

Again, an entire Walt Disney Presents episode, featurette, gallery, still facts, cartoons etc. Can you say Summer Magic or Babes in Toyland got that?

Still facts are lazy and useless. I want to read that kind of things, I go to Wikipedia. The 'gallery' got like, what?, 10 sketches? Cartoons, again, are useless and don't have anything to do with the film. Same goes for the Walt Disney Presents episode.

Whether or not you personally care about Live action titles is beside the point.

I know. I just inclued that remark so you would know I'm not familiar with their dvd's (also because they don't come out in my country).

Sleeping Beauty was only done well because the Blu was begin made too and created to appeal to the niche market who knew and demanded the quality from Disney (note the Blu-ray has even more bonus features than the DVD). Especially their first release of one of their animated features to the format.

Frankly, I don't care why the release was so good. But it *was* good. And to me, that's what counts.

The others are no where near as good as Snow White, Aladdin and the like.

But they were still great in their own right, and nothing like 'lazy'.

[DarthPrime]

I sincerely hope that don't happen.

Hope all you want one day Blu will replace DVD, just as DVD replaced VHS. You can't stop progress and the evolution of technology.

Having said that you personally can always enjoy DVDs as much as you want.

Actually you can. Although its not a "fair" comparison DVD-Audio and SACD failed to replace CDs. Blu-ray is already more popular than those, but it still has the potential to remain in its current position with DVD as the "mainstream" choice. Unless some things really change I can see Blu-ray and DVD existing together for quite awhile. Most people I've talked to that fall into the "mainstream" category think Blu-ray is too expensive, and not worth the upgrade because DVD is good enough.

If this remains Blu-ray and DVD will be like Laserdiscs and VHS.

I really think they need "better" players as well. Not everyone is going to want a PS3, and upgrading firmware on stand alone players want work for the "mainstream" crowd.

[ajmrowland]

It was either 2002 or 2003. It took 5 or 6 years after DVD was introduced for it to become the norm. With that logic, it would take until 2011 or 2012 for Blu-ray to be the standard, but the Blu has backwards compatibility and $200 players now.

I sincerely hope that don't happen.

Actually, Blu is enjoying an adoption rate twice that of DVD in it's third year, so it might not be 2012, after all. And Downloads aren't expected to hit their stride for another few years(no real standards in dL services). And players are becoming sub $200.

[yukitora]

I rediscovered VHS recently

I had trouble tracking down some DACs on DVD at the library, so I borrowed the VHS versions instead, and to be honest, the viewing experience was very enjoyable. I spent so much of my childhood with my BatB and TLK and Toy Story VHS, it as almost as if I went back in time.

I watched Lady and the Tramp for the first time on VHS last year and it was almost magical, very gripping. I've seen it many a time on DVD since, but it was never quite the same.

[ajmrowland]

I'm beginning to regret selling our old VHSs. All that's left now is Indian in the Cupboard.