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Comments on news posted 2012-01-30 08:45:57: As we've noted, instead of making their content easier to get, studios are making access via Netflix more cumbersome and difficult in the belief it will help sell more physical media. ..

mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

1 recommendation

mogamer

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Whats next?

So what is TW going to do when dvd/bd sales don't pick-up and Ultraviolet sales don't make up the difference? Ban their products from any type of rental at all? It's amazing how short sighted these media companies are. They want to protect dvd sales, yet they do everything possible to encourage piracy!

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY

Transmaster

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Re: Whats next?

No only that but the DVD, and especially Blue-ray discs will only play on complaint devices. Playing them on my computer which has my best HD monitor is really interesting, and frustrating.

Ytsejamer1
join:2008-01-18
Somersworth, NH

1 recommendation

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to mogamer
If they make it any more difficult for customers to get their product, they're only going to hurt their business. I'm not going to pirate something...but I'll wait as long as needed. More than likely, I'll forget about the product entirely and life goes on.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

1 recommendation

banditws6

Premium Member

Re: Whats next?

Forgetting about it entirely would be the best endgame to this whole mess, better than piracy. That's the point at which I've arrived; it's just less of a hassle for me to focus on different pursuits now, like reading. I still watch one or two TV shows via an OTA antenna and that's it.

By and large, TV/movies have reached the point, IMO, where there isn't enough value to justify the amount of crap one has to put up with to stare at it. More than that, the self-important and potentially rights-eroding (see: SOPA) attitude taken by big studios gives me a feeling of downright uncleanliness whenever I watch some product of theirs.
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

1 recommendation

ISurfTooMuch

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Re: Whats next?

I feel the same way. In fact, I recently bought a copy of Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy and am re-reading it for the first time since high school. The book cost me $20, and, at the rate I'm going, it'll take me several months to get through it, since I'm just reading a few chapters before bed. It's wonderful! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed those books and reading in general, and the amount of entertainment I'm getting for the price beats any DVD.

And the LOTR trilogy should arrive today!

And I'm doing something else that I'm sure the studios will really hate: I'm building a collection of books for my daughter, who will be born in May. I don't have any desire to turn her into a hermit who only reads and does nothing else, but I do plan to give her the opportunity to see how wonderful reading books can be.

IMHO, reading stimulates your brain in ways movies and TV don't. Maybe it's because you have to construct the images in your mind, but it makes you think about things in ways that other media don't, and I find that I'm thinking about the book for much longer after I've read it than with a movie or TV show.

Plus, books are usually cheaper, they don't require power, you don't need a special player, and they don't have DRM that gets in the way of using them. What's not to like?
jvanbrecht
join:2007-01-08
Bowie, MD

jvanbrecht

Member

Re: Whats next?

said by ISurfTooMuch:

And I'm doing something else that I'm sure the studios will really hate: I'm building a collection of books for my daughter, who will be born in May.

Congrats, my son will be born on May 10th.. give or take a few days I guess
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Re: Whats next?

Congrats to you as well. My daughter is due on May 11. Of course, that's the day I can safely assume nothing will happen.

phxmark
What Country Are We Living In?
join:2000-12-27
Glendale, AZ

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Until the studios pull a "Fahrenheit 451" on us and ban all books.

NickD
Premium Member
join:2000-11-17
Princeton Junction, NJ

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Actually, e-books do require a special player that eats batteries, and they have DRM.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

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said by Ytsejamer1:

If they make it any more difficult for customers to get their product, they're only going to hurt their business. I'm not going to pirate something...but I'll wait as long as needed. More than likely, I'll forget about the product entirely and life goes on.

Not buying their product is the responsible decision. Pirating it is not the right way.
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Re: Whats next?

I agree. Moral and legal arguments aside, piracy plays into the studios' hands by giving them an excuse to demand tougher and tougher laws that don't actually curb piracy but give them control in other ways, such as getting legitimate products and content taken down.

It's far better to punish them by making them and their output irrelevant. Buy content from producers who will treat you with respect.
nutcr0cker
join:2003-04-02
Chandler, AZ

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LOL hilarious
firedrakes
join:2009-01-29
Arcadia, FL

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freak-en idiots . really who hires this people?
momus_98
join:2002-09-10
united state
·Google Fiber

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momus_98

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Don't they realize...

While YMMV, I haven't set foot in a theatre in years and only watch movies at home. I only buy DVDs after I've seen it & enjoyed it (and if it's worth watching more than once). I can't begin to tell you how many movies I've purchased after seeing them via Netflix.

While this won't drive me to piracy, it will drive me to only buy used discs from now on. Screw you TW and hello Amazon Marketplace!

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru

Premium Member

Re: Don't they realize...

said by momus_98:

While YMMV, I haven't set foot in a theatre in years and only watch movies at home. I only buy DVDs after I've seen it & enjoyed it (and if it's worth watching more than once). I can't begin to tell you how many movies I've purchased after seeing them via Netflix.

While this won't drive me to piracy, it will drive me to only buy used discs from now on. Screw you TW and hello Amazon Marketplace!

Agree 100% Some movies that I already had on DVD I picked up on Blu.. but a few movies I saw on netflix are on my blu-ray wishlist or I already own them.. I wish someone would listen to the "REAL" people that give them the sales..
Wilsdom
join:2009-08-06

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Take away for the media companies is they need to get the law changed to make selling used DVDs illegal. In the meantime they should claim that many of the DVDs on Amazon marketplace are pirate copies and get the site taken down as well as all of Bezos's property confiscated.
momus_98
join:2002-09-10
united state
·Google Fiber

momus_98

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Re: Don't they realize...

said by Wilsdom:

Take away for the media companies is they need to get the law changed to make selling used DVDs illegal. In the meantime they should claim that many of the DVDs on Amazon marketplace are pirate copies and get the site taken down as well as all of Bezos's property confiscated.

Why stop there? Take all of Half-Price Books' inventory, and shut down Craigslist, every garage sale, every pawn shop, every flea market. Not happening. The secondary market for anything is HUGE; any change like that would be virtually impossible to enforce.

It boils down to this: my physical disk, my property. It's no different than selling a used laptop, car, TV, book, CD, etc.
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

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Re: Don't they realize...

Until they put a "key" on the dvd or brd so that it can only be watched on authorized players.
momus_98
join:2002-09-10
united state
·Google Fiber

1 edit

momus_98

Member

Re: Don't they realize...

You mean like DIVX? (Note, not the DivX codec)

Tried and failed.

And how do you put a special code on the discs that are already in the market? And which DVD player manufacturer do you get to go along with this? And what about players that are not 'Net connected (thus no firmware update) that would be unable to play these disks?

Lastly, why are DVDs singled out in this example? How can they claim exclusivity over books or anything else that can legally be sold on the secondary market? If I can buy a used [anything else], I can buy a used DVD.

Edit: Seems this issue is heating up elsewhere: »arstechnica.com/gaming/n ··· ames.ars
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Re: Don't they realize...

No I mean like a software key. That auths just one player or 5 what ever they deam to many. Divx failed because it was way too early. Watch when ultra violet fails.

Net connect devices will be the norm and then they will try and make you purchase a key like windows.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

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said by momus_98:

While YMMV, I haven't set foot in a theatre in years and only watch movies at home. I only buy DVDs after I've seen it & enjoyed it (and if it's worth watching more than once). I can't begin to tell you how many movies I've purchased after seeing them via Netflix.

While this won't drive me to piracy, it will drive me to only buy used discs from now on. Screw you TW and hello Amazon Marketplace!

An intelligent reaction to the situation. Punish them thru your buying decisions and not by stealing the content.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
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join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
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The used software market is already effectively being destroyed, I see the aftermarket movie and music business heading this way too.

It's about control and trying to farm people for more cash.

The day is coming when the only way you'll have any say or control over media is IF you pirate it----however they'll have made that a capital crime by then.

Sad, but true.
jdjbuffalo
join:2004-01-17
Denver, CO

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said by momus_98:

While YMMV, I haven't set foot in a theatre in years and only watch movies at home. I only buy DVDs after I've seen it & enjoyed it (and if it's worth watching more than once). I can't begin to tell you how many movies I've purchased after seeing them via Netflix.

This is exactly it. I won't buy a DVD/Blu-ray until I've seen it either in theater (rarely) or via rental (frequent).

I've often add a movie to my Netflix queue when I see the advertising or hear about it from someone. If it's not available to be added to the queue then I forget about it. If I forget about it then they are likely to get $0 from me.

How does this benefit them again???

EGeezer
Premium Member
join:2002-08-04
Midwest

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said by momus_98:

While this won't drive me to piracy, it will drive me to only buy used discs from now on. Screw you TW and hello Amazon Marketplace!

Excellent plan - let the markets do their work. If the industry insists on self-destruction, there are countless ways for me to spend my leisure dollars besides buying crippled crap from the media industry.

This week, a kayak trip into the Everglades with my camera. For the cost of a couple of blu-ray DVDs, a priceless experience!

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

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said by momus_98:

I only buy DVDs after I've seen it & enjoyed it

I never buy DVDs.
cdbma
join:2003-01-19
Bolton, MA

2 recommendations

cdbma

Member

dirty little secret - your local library

My local library, along with the regional library consortium, does an excellent job procuring most of the mainstream DVD titles. They have no studio-mandated wait time and I can put my name in the request queue as soon as the title is entered into the system, which is often before they even receive the DVD. So, I end up getting it much earlier than through Netflix. And, it's free!
Wilsdom
join:2009-08-06

Wilsdom

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Re: dirty little secret - your local library

problem is the discs are often scratched to hell
cdbma
join:2003-01-19
Bolton, MA

cdbma

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Re: dirty little secret - your local library

agreed. that's why i get in the queue early.

gballer
@reyrey.net

gballer

Anon

Screw these guys

I only buy used DVD's if I even buy any. This doesn't make me want to buy physical media..It does the opposite and makes me dislike them even more.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

1 recommendation

JohnInSJ

Premium Member

so the only alternative is...

piracy?

What color is the sky in your world?
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus

Premium Member

Re: so the only alternative is...

I don't see the word "only" in the text above...
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd

Premium Member

TW: Piracy is Good

it sure seems that is the route they desire people to take. So here you have a nice reasonably priced rental service, people can legally view your content, you rake in royalty and licensing fees with zero overhead cost because Netflix is doing the heavy lifting be it Physical media or a stream, yet you still hold them back.

This is why I cannot feel sorry for the MAFIAA if piracy is actually causing lost revenue(so far no hard proof yet that its piracy and not crap product), They seem to forget their job is to make money but that they are also in the customer service business, Screw the customer and many might just screw you back.
Quattrohead
Premium Member
join:2005-02-09

Quattrohead

Premium Member

Dopes

There are so many entertainment avenues these days, if something is difficult to get to, we just move on.
They are hurting only themselves.

Kilroy
MVM
join:2002-11-21
Saint Paul, MN

1 edit

Kilroy

MVM

The new business model - EPIC FAIL

Restricting the availability of your product has got to be the absolute worst business model out there. Then, after you restrict the ability to legally obtain your product claim that piracy is the cause of your loss of revenue and not intentional prevention of customer access.

The share holders best let the morons running these companies that they are not acting in the best interest of the share holders. Time Warner needs to get with the program and figure out that physical media is in its death throws and will be dead shortly. People don't want to pay to have something to have, hold and store. They want a digital copy where they can hold all of their CDs and DVDs in less than a square foot of space. Having them stored in the cloud is another thing they enjoy.

I agree about forgetting about something if it isn't in my queue. It may be years before I think about it again. Their marketing department may want to let them know that once you are out of the public eye selling your product becomes harder and harder. I can wait as long as it takes to get to NetFlix and if that is never then there is plenty more out there to watch.

For the right six figure salary I'm willing to fix their problem. Go digital, kill physical and let the money roll in.

Bottom line, is you can make the sure money from NetFlix or the possibility of money by delaying its availability. When you don't make that possible money and NetFlix decides that 56 days is too long to pay full price, where does that leave you?
joebear29
totesmcgoats
join:2003-07-20
Alabaster, AL

joebear29

Member

i love netflix

Rent disc through Netflix. Rip to hard drive. Return through mail.

No more buying discs for me, ever.

NickD
Premium Member
join:2000-11-17
Princeton Junction, NJ

NickD

Premium Member

Re: i love netflix

said by joebear29:

Rent disc through Netflix. Rip to hard drive. Return through mail.

No more buying discs for me, ever.

You can do even better. Go to The Pirate Bay. Download torrent. Wait an hour or so.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

Whether there is a 4 week delay or

an 8 week delay, it's not going to make me any more likely to buy a title. That has never factored into a decision of whether I buy a title.

All that will happen with me, is that since I won't be able to put it in my Netflix queue ahead of time, i will forget about many of the titles and never watch them. watching other content instead since there is much more content around than i could ever watch.

phxmark
What Country Are We Living In?
join:2000-12-27
Glendale, AZ

phxmark

Member

Re: Whether there is a 4 week delay or

I agree. I wait to see it first before I will decide to buy the physical media. I guess Time Warner wants to be the next media company to disappear or be bought up by some other media company.
rtazz1
Rtazz
join:2001-05-02
Fulton, KY

rtazz1

Member

8 week delay

Is this in addition to the 26 day delay they already imposed on netflix like a year ago?

ctceo
Premium Member
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN

ctceo

Premium Member

This is why

This is exactly why people resort to sharing their DVR content. Expect more of the same as companies get greedier and greedier.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson

Premium Member

And I am sure their DVD sales will increase slightly

to which the movie companies will rejoice all the while they are too stupid to realize how much of a population they are missing out on

jasqid
Fiber In Your Diet?
join:2002-04-02
East Palestine, OH

jasqid

Member

Eventually

I think eventually video service is going to end up like music. Purchase a subscription and stream your content. DVDs will be an ancillary product. If this ends up being Netflix or something entirely different that remains to be seen.

I would be highly interested in a company that gets the studios on board with a tiered subscription/purchasing. (Zune)?

$10/mo gets you movies 5 years and older
$20/mo gets you 2 years and older
$30.mo gets you movies released 1 year and older... etc.
$40/ you can watch whats in the theaters now... limit 2 movies/month.

I dunno... but eventually this is where I see it going. I am in the bunch of you that I just dont care to buy a DVD. I cant remember the last time I purchased a DVD. (Superman Returns 2007? Or the last Stargate SG1 movie DVD release.?)