Lazario wrote:
You still can't compare DVD to Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray is the studios' way of trying to force us to buy what everyone else is buying. Because one day, when the public starts to believe Blu-Ray has taken over and they start trying to force DVD away, they'll be so brainwashed into buying whatever the studios put out just because it looks (and probably sounds) better than standard DVD, that they're not going to petition as strongly or complain as loudly that more than three or four times the number of titles that aren't available on DVD are also not available on Blu-Ray either.
But that's not true. When DVD was invented, people only had a SD option - SD TVs, SD transmissions, SD games consoles etc. Blu-ray
is needed because now people have an HD option. It would be a ludicrous situation where I'm able to watch Doctor Who, Ashes to Ashes, Red Dwarf etc on TV for "free" in HD, and yet, if I decided to purchase the programmes for myself, the only option would be SD.
Yes, its up to an individual if they feel the cost of HD home entertainment is worth paying or if they are happy to remain with SD/DVD or decide to wait until the next "big" thing comes along. But to say its forcing or brainwashing an individual to buy a Blu-ray is a little elaborate I feel.
I just sound extreme whenever I talk about Blu-Ray's new attempt at a marketplace dictatorship. I was actually going to say that the whole "you can't" thing was a joke. But then I got carried away. Though I technically meant what I said about Blu-Ray. And still do, it's pure evil. And it's trying to take over DVD. We have to remember that when pro-Blu-Ray-ers try to pimp the format. Remember both what it's purpose should be for and what it's actually in-fact doing. If we're meant to see it as the shrine / ultimate showcase for how to present classic movies and important films from decades past on home video... these titles shouldn't be sold next to Blu-Ray's for every last stupid piece of New-Millennium crap. Studios can't decide what they want Blu-Ray for. And now pressure from major studios is forcing smaller studios to come up with Blu-Ray titles too. Like Anchor Bay, who's output is not consistent. They have many important films from the 70's and 80's but when they announce a new batch of horror titles... they're all new-millennium direct-to-DVD titles. Who the HELL cares about that? We don't. They just feel like they have to release new movies because that's what the studios are doing. No smaller studios seem to think they can survive selling Blu-Ray's unless they put out newer movies rather than classics. And don't be surprised if one day, studios like Anchor Bay or Shout Factory! have to step up to release Hollywood movies because Blu-Ray becomes so freaking flooded with releases of remakes and Michael Bay and CGI-animated Garfield Alvin Scooby-Doo Clifford whatever that we can't even get Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts' movies from the 90's on the format. That's just one example. Pick any mainstream trend. It'll no doubt one day apply. And then those smaller studios, if they even get the rights to larger studio output (which just makes sense to me because the larger studios would still be making money off the deal), then cult favorites won't stand a chance of hell of making it to Blu-Ray and then the standard DVD's will just go out-of-print and no one will ever be able to see the movies. Which, they may not ever be seen as classics in people's eyes, but they still deserve to be seen every bit as much as Hollywood's garbage. And in the case of new-millennium brainless crap - even moreso.
The problem is, to show the benefit of Blu-ray, time and money has to be spent on restoring older films. It makes sense to put new films on Blu-ray-, because they're most probably taken from digital editing suite copies before they're even put onto the final film. And gradually, film itself will disappear as people move to digital distribution for everything.
Its for this reason I don't think Studios are making vast profits of Blu-ray. They're not selling in DVD numbers (and most likely never will) and more care and attention needs to be spent on the presentation - be it restorations, new HD supplements, supplements which take advantage of the Blu-ray format etc. I'm sure Blu-ray is a huge money pit for most releases at this moment in time. They (along with the BD Consortium) are still spending money promoting the format too.
Sure, I don't deny that their overall aim is (vast) profits. That's business. But Blu-ray is the most upgrade friendly format in recent years. VHS didn't work on DVD. Laserdiscs didn't work on DVD. Digital TV won't work on analogue TV without buying a set-top box. Even outside TV/Home video there's other examples; the Xbox360 has limited backwards compatibility and of course the PS3 had backwards compatibility ripped out of it. Mobile Phones may be compatible to some extent, but are always being "upgraded". At least Blu-ray player can 100%, without fail, play DVDs to 100% of their functionality. Most Blu-ray players even play DVDs better than most DVD players thanks to upscaling features.
So no, I don't think its a huge con, brainwashing or sinister conspiracy. Yes, its lame when some studios hold out on features on the DVD which could easily have been included, only to save them for the Blu-ray. But you know what? I 100% understand the frustration and sense of betrayal you may feel. But you know what as a Blu-ray supporter that annoys me too - because its just an excuse for the studios to be lazy and not explore the format and its opportunities correctly.
I would prefer any and every movie to be in the best possible shape it could be. I'm not against progress. But Blu-Ray is not progress! Even if the movies that do get a release are in better shape than standard-DVD, do you have any movies are never going to be released on the format? In fact, if they could list every single movie available on Blu-Ray and then figure them into a list: all movies made after let's say 2005 and all movies made before 2005... Which list would you say has more titles available on it?? Right now, it may be before-2005. But you just watch how quickly that balance shifts. I'm telling you: years from now, the Blu-Ray pushers will be complaining more than anyone else that not enough older movies are on Blu-Ray. Even if I have to be the one to remind them!
But as stated, it costs time and money to get older films suitable for Blu-ray presentations. Remember when DVD started? How many sub-par transfers did we see? There's a reason Warner et al have released newer, better versions of many classic films since their first DVD release. The early classic DVD film presentation just wasn't up to speed. Why would you insist studios hurry to release classic films on Blu-ray if they're not ready? If anything, that will lead to more "double-dips" in the future.
And being that Blu-Ray has maybe 2 or 3% at most of the total available movies on standard-DVD... I would say that's not fine at all.
I know it's going to take time to release them. But in that meantime, why release new movies on freaking Blu-Ray at all? They already look better than standard DVD releases of movies from any decade previous to the 90's. And probably before the 90's, too! Blu-Ray should be trying to catch up to standard DVD. It's trying to eclipse it. Make it go away. And it's bad enough that enough standard DVD movies are out-of-print as it is. Blu-Ray's not making anything easier or better.
Just look at region-1 Disney. How many of their animated classics are on Blu-Ray? 3. 1 per every season that they released a new Platinum or Diamond Edition. 3 in nearly the last 18 months!! Is it helping to push out-of-print titles into print somehow? No. Only maybe with Dumbo, which is only on Blu-Ray in foreign countries. If those non region-1 discs play in your Blu-Ray player, you also have to be able to order the foreign discs outside the country from trust-worthy sources or else you're taking a risk with your money. Meanwhile, you guys are going to have to wait until October - the fall, when SPRING still isn't even over - for Beauty and the Beast to get to Blu-Ray. Where is the progress there? Blu-Ray can't fix problems with standard DVD and in the meantime, it's creating BRAND NEW problems we shouldn't even have to be dealing with.
But you're beef isn't with the format - the format is neutral. Your beef is with the studios. You can moan about Disney as much as you want, but its always been the case - from their early VHS days. Disney will always withhold product from the marketplace in order to create hype and demand. As for foreign countries, spare a thought for us non-US citizens who are always enviously eyeing the choice and range of R1 DVDs. Yes, we can import, but there's something to be said for being able to walk into a shop and just browse (something we can't do).
I'm not sure why Dumbo is annoying you so much - its had upteen releases and must be easily available second hand. Yes, its not an ideal solution, but why should movies be in print at all times... books aren't. We could all moan about not being able to get a copy of a book we want, but most people manage with second hand copies - hopefully at a reasonably price point.
Sorry, I know you typed more, but I don't have time to type anymore.
Wow that was a long post for me anyway haha 
