Another business idea for Disney

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Today, you can buy a Disney movie in two ways; you can buy it on a disc, or you can download it. If you download it, you don't have a physical object to hold in your hands, which could be one of the reasons why many still prepare discs.
But you rarly see the actual disc, since it is either in the DVD player or in the DVD case. It is the DVD case you relate to. The disc itself is irrelevant, it's the movie that's on it that counts.
So why not combine it? It would probably be more environmentally friendly as well.
Instead of a DVD/Blu ray case, you boy a hardcover book that has the same size and thickness. This book would contain a plot introduction, pictures from the movie and basic information such as production year, director, producers, writers, actors, runtime, company credits, filming locations and all that stuff. In other words, not a novelization of the film.
This way, you can have your bookshelves full of these "movie books", and all the films stored on your computer or external harddrive or whereever. If something bad happens with your movies, you can just download them again. And the books will still be intact, which you can hold in your hands while watching the actual film.

So when you buy one of these book, you get a code you can use to download the same movie.

I realize you can buy a combined book and DVD from Disney today, but that's not the same.

[Cordy_Biddle]

Eh...nice idea, but wouldn't this create more paper waste?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Trust me, paper is better than plastic.

[SpringHeelJack]

...I still prefer an actual disc. Apart from that, what you're proposing sounds a lot like what Warner Bros is doing for some of their Blu-Rays. Except you still get a disc.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

...I still prefer an actual disc. Apart from that, what you're proposing sounds a lot like what Warner Bros is doing for some of their Blu-Rays. Except you still get a disc.

It's not meant as a replacement, at least not at first. Just an alternativ you can choose if you feel like it.
I don't know what Warner Bros is doing with their discs (it is extremely rare I buy DVDs), but if they still contains a DVD, it's not the same.

[SpringHeelJack]

I don't know what Warner Bros is doing with their discs (it is extremely rare I buy DVDs), but if they still contains a DVD, it's not the same.

Yes, again, that's why I said...

What you're proposing sounds a lot like what Warner Bros is doing for some of their Blu-Rays. Except you still get a disc.

Anyhow, it's not a bad idea for hardcore fans, but I would think given the option of paying $10 to just get a code to download a movie or $20 to buy a book with a code in it, most people would buy just the code sans book. I probably would be one of the ones buying a book, but only if it had an actual disc... I'm not going to just download a movie. I like having a physical copy. It only crates plastic waste if you throw the disc away (are you listening, studios backing the Digital Copy disc?).

And for the "if something happens to the film, download it again", there would need to be some sort of file protection involved, because the studios wouldn't back it otherwise. That's why digital copies just let you download the film once, lest you be throwing the code around online letting everyone and their mother get the film.

[milojthatch]

I want the disk. The whole download thing makes me a bit uneasy to be honest.

[Marce82]

Um....do you guys only watch movies on the computer? Or do you have yr computer hooked up to the TV? Cause eliminating discs would mean you can only watch the movie in your computer....

And what happens if you go somewhere and you want to watch the film but dont have the computer with you? Or, god forbid, you want to lend it to a friend??

Im a very environmentally conscious guy, but not at the expense of certain things. An as someone already said here: its only waste if you throw it away

[rexcrk]

See, the only problem I have with digital downloading is that where ever you download from won't be there forever.

They probably won't give you any option to back it up, and then if something happens you're pretty much screwed. (It's one of the other reasons I'm so against downloadable content in video games too).

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Video on demand is still in its infancy. There are some child diseases they need to cure first, but eventually, it will be just as common as conventional TV is today. Then it will not be difficult to combine movies you have bought and downloaded on a computer, with the disc surrogates in the form of info books. Maybe there are a couple of challenges that needs solutions first, but as mentioned, it is all just a matter of time before it's all solved, and the only thing stopping it from happen is the Disney board itself and what they decide to do about it. Not the technology or peoples' mentality. Time changes, and so does people of the new generation. How popular do you think downloading singles and albums from iTunes is amoung people in their 80's compared to teenagers and those in their 20's? Or how common was it just a few years ago?

A disc today have a limited lifespan. How long, I don't know. But it will not last forever. Also a disc can be exposed to accidents and be destroyed, just as films stored on the harddrive. In principle, there is very little difference. And of course, there will be no problem watching downloaded films on a HD TV-flatscreen.

Some say they want the disc. But they cant hold or touch the disc when they watch the movie. And when they don't watch it, it is stored inside the DVD case. But you can hold the book, which is even superior to the case when it comes to information.

No matter would others may think about such an alternative, there are always those who will be interested and excited enough to pay for it, and as long as there are mony to be earned, which company would say no thanks to a new niche?

[SpringHeelJack]

See, I think you misunderstand why I like a physical disc. I don't like having it so that I can hold it in my hands and say "Oh, joy, a disc! A disc!" I'm not buying a DVD to sit and stare at a disc itself. I'm buying it own a hard copy of a movie. And barring any sort of damage, the disc remains in pretty good condition. It won't crash and suddenly blank itself, and if you're careful and sensible, it will last you for years. I find having a hard physical copy is much more dependable than something on a hard drive somewhere.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Well, there are those who just loves holding it between their fingers, whispering "my Precious".

But for me it seems like it's all a matter of trust. Do you trust the harddrive won't crash and so on? It only proves that one has to show the equipment is reliable. If you are still not sure, you can always burn it on a disc. Since you own the movie you have downloaded, it shouldn't be illegal. So if something happens, you have one up your sleeve. And nothing happens to the book.

[JamesDFarrow]

One main drawbacks to downloading (you really need a fast conection unless you are very patient) are storing it on your computer's hard drive and then, unless you have the equipment, watching it on the monitor. And there is also the danger that if your drive crashes you lose your whole collection. And you have to buy them over again.

One idea I heard of was that eventually your cable provider (or satelite I gather) company will be able to provide you with any movie or TV series episode(s) on demand anytime, anywhere. They will store them on their server and you just choose whatever you want to watch at anytime of the day or night. On your HDTV. It will be like pay TV is now only much cheaper.

You pay them so much for the movie or show and they in turn pay a royalty to the studio or whoever.

James

P.S. On a side note. I also heard that some service providers are now acting as people's "hard drives". So instead of storing your files (music, movies, documents, etc...) on your computer's hard drive you store it on theirs. When you are on-line you have everything available to you. They say after a while you don't even realize you don't have a physical hard drive anymore. Great for not worrying about crashes, etc... And makes computers even cheaper. It's another option for movie collections as well.

[Elladorine]

This article made me think of this thread.