4 x DVD releases in February 2011

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evillights
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#26 Post by evillights » Thu Nov 18, 2010 5:08 am

skeets kelly wrote:
matrixschmatrix wrote:If you have a computer you can hook up to your TV, it is way way cheaper to get a blu-ray drive and download software to get region free blu-ray capability than it is to buy a Momitsu or whatever. You can get the drive for around $60, and the software ranges from free to maybe $25 if you want something nice.
tv is only 720p. seems silly to not take advantage of the format.
? — AppleTV, maybe.

An HDTV can display 1080p. A standard-definition television is 480. Anything that outputs at 1080p, connected to an HDTV via HDMI, displays 1080p.

ck.

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mikkelmark
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#27 Post by mikkelmark » Thu Nov 18, 2010 12:33 pm

matrixschmatrix wrote:If you have a computer you can hook up to your TV, it is way way cheaper to get a blu-ray drive and download software to get region free blu-ray capability than it is to buy a Momitsu or whatever. You can get the drive for around $60, and the software ranges from free to maybe $25 if you want something nice.
Could you mention what nice software I can get for $25, then I would really like to know. Right now I use a trial of DVDFab Passkey for decoding/regionfree but it runs out in a couple of weeks. For blu-ray playback I use Media Player Classic Home Cinema which is free, but it shows no menus and can't display subtitles on blu-rays.

I have been looking around and the cheapest PowerDVD is $50 and AnyDVD HD is 63 euro for 1 year or 109 euro for lifetime, but with those prices, it's kinda cheaper to buy a seperate player.

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fiddlesticks
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#28 Post by fiddlesticks » Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:43 pm

skeets kelly wrote:
matrixschmatrix wrote:If you have a computer you can hook up to your TV, it is way way cheaper to get a blu-ray drive and download software to get region free blu-ray capability than it is to buy a Momitsu or whatever. You can get the drive for around $60, and the software ranges from free to maybe $25 if you want something nice.
tv is only 720p. seems silly to not take advantage of the format.
My TV is also 720p, and Blu-rays look spectacular on it. Not as spectacular as they did on the 1080p I had before I moved, but still lots better than SD. (Not sure how we got this far off the original topic, sorry.)

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manicsounds
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#29 Post by manicsounds » Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:05 am

I'm guessing this is something from up above, at Eureka, to try and get sales from the non-HD adopted crowds. I know Masters Of Cinema made a big alienating decision, by having BD only titles, which to most hardcore fans and people on boards like this is a great decision, marketing-wise I'm guessing resulted in fewer units being sold.

It is too bad, as I was hoping to see 4 new titles being announced, instead, having 'downgrades' being announced....

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Tribe
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#30 Post by Tribe » Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:48 am

manicsounds wrote:I'm guessing this is something from up above, at Eureka, to try and get sales from the non-HD adopted crowds. I know Masters Of Cinema made a big alienating decision, by having BD only titles, which to most hardcore fans and people on boards like this is a great decision, marketing-wise I'm guessing resulted in fewer units being sold.
I don't think the decision was "alienating," disappointing for me personally, but it hasn't alienated me from the the company or caused me not to support them. Nick has always been quite sincere here and when he says the move to focus on BluRay was an essentially aesthetic decision, I believe him. Regardless, I'm happy they might be modifying their stance somewhat.

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arsonfilms
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#31 Post by arsonfilms » Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:22 pm

Tribe wrote:
manicsounds wrote:I'm guessing this is something from up above, at Eureka, to try and get sales from the non-HD adopted crowds. I know Masters Of Cinema made a big alienating decision, by having BD only titles, which to most hardcore fans and people on boards like this is a great decision, marketing-wise I'm guessing resulted in fewer units being sold.
I don't think the decision was "alienating," disappointing for me personally, but it hasn't alienated me from the the company or caused me not to support them. Nick has always been quite sincere here and when he says the move to focus on BluRay was an essentially aesthetic decision, I believe him. Regardless, I'm happy they might be modifying their stance somewhat.
As disappointed as I am that MoC won't be releasing anything I don't already own any time soon, I kind of feel like this move to "downgrade" existing titles fits in with their original plan, given that circumstances have changed. The reason for going blu only was partially the dedication to a superior format, but it was primarily so that they wouldn't have to slow down their release schedule by working on the same film in different formats. Now that their other future releases are delayed for reasons beyond their control, they have to put out SOMETHING just to keep a flow of income. I don't think marketing or pressure from Eureka had anything to do with it.

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manicsounds
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#32 Post by manicsounds » Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:08 pm

By "Alienating", I meant alienating people who don't have BD players yet.

Customer: "Scuse me, have you got this movie on DVD? I only see the blu-ray on the shelf."
Clerk: "Sorry, that's on Blu-ray only. There isn't a DVD of it."
Customer: "Oh, bloody hell.... never mind then."

That's the alienated customer, which I'm assuming tha Eureka are assuming are big numbers... at least enough to warrant DVD issues.

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tenia
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#33 Post by tenia » Sat Nov 20, 2010 5:50 am

manicsounds wrote:That's the alienated customer, which I'm assuming tha Eureka are assuming are big numbers... at least enough to warrant DVD issues.
That's exactly the problem I had for their first BD releases, like City Girl, or M. Now, I have at least a BD Player so I'm OK, but for half a year, it was just "Men, this is just another frakking release I won't be able to get".

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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#34 Post by Opdef » Sat Nov 20, 2010 6:41 pm

I just hope that this doesn't mean a step backwards to issuing DVD-only when a Blu-ray release would previously have been plausible. As time goes on the Blu-rays will continue to sell, whilst the DVD sales will steadily decrease, I'd imagine.

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Der Spieler
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#35 Post by Der Spieler » Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:05 pm

Well I guess this finally won't mean much to me since I just ordered a Sherwood BDP-5004 Region-Free Blu-ray Disc Player. :P

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RossyG
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#36 Post by RossyG » Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:19 am

tenia wrote:...but for half a year, it was just "Men, this is just another frakking release I won't be able to get".
It sounds like you were addressing the troops on the deck of Battlestar Galactica. :P

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ellipsis7
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#37 Post by ellipsis7 » Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:25 am

Interesting facts & figures from Screen Digest re. relative development of formats...

Image

It shows DVDs great success was/is to get people to purchase the discs, in quantities (although now slightly declining) greater that VHS or BR...

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Don Lope de Aguirre
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#38 Post by Don Lope de Aguirre » Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:20 am

A really superb post - fascinating chart!

This shows the shrewdness of BFI's dual format policy.

As a Blu-Ray Fascist I had very much embraced MOC's blu only policy. Looking at the stats their former stance looks stubbornly principled (nothing wrong with that).

Still, releasing top notch DVDs 'en repose' is pretty admirable!

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spocker
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#39 Post by spocker » Tue Nov 30, 2010 11:35 am

The five new DVD releases (the four announced plus City Girl) has been added to the MoC page now as spine #101-105

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#40 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:11 pm

spocker wrote:The five new DVD releases (the four announced plus City Girl) has been added to the MoC page now as spine #101-105
Profound Desires and City Girl on DVD will have the same extras as the BD, right?

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med
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#41 Post by med » Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:32 pm

I don't see why not. The Rayns intro and the trailer run less than 20 minutes combined.

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Der Spieler
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#42 Post by Der Spieler » Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:24 pm

I'll probably buy the DVDs because my blu player is region locked.

Will the five titles be region 2?

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MichaelB
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#43 Post by MichaelB » Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:22 am

If they're Region B on Blu-ray, I imagine it's a reasonably safe bet that they'll be Region 2 on DVD.

peerpee
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#44 Post by peerpee » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:24 pm

peerpee wrote:We shan't be pursuing the "Dual Format" edition as a regular thing. It has an inbuilt obsolescence and is environmentally unfriendly/wasteful. We much prefer the Criterion route of entirely separate format releases (if we're doing a BD and a DVD release of a particular title).
I'm going to regret saying this.

I've been convinced otherwise, by facts.

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swo17
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#45 Post by swo17 » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:28 pm

Is this because of how the different releases of Metropolis sold? Because that wasn't exactly a fair fight. There was a T-shirt involved. And steel!

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domino harvey
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#46 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:46 pm

I think this year's Blu-onlys didn't move like they'd like, which is why we're seeing the Tashlin et al getting SD releases. This is why everyone should always listen to me, re: dual format releases; everything

peerpee
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#47 Post by peerpee » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:50 pm

Domino - this year's Blu-rays moved nicely thanks. It surprised us that, straight out of the traps, they hold their own with the DVD edition.

We'd wanted to go Blu-ray only for a while --- and we did do for most of last year --- but we couldn't ignore the missed sales and drumbeat of miffed DVD-restricted folk --- and so we found ourselves backtracking and doing DVD editions of things we'd done last year.

Moving forward, instead of doing two separate editions -- 2 different sleeves, 2 different sized booklets, 2 different barcodes, 2 different pieces of inventory for one film (a real time-sink, and costly too) -- there are overwhelming logistical reasons to focus on Dual Format editions.

We're going to try and make it happen for the Antonioni's in March if we can.

We hope this is pleasing to everyone. I've got over my previous brickwall on the matter -- which was rooted in idealism and aestheticism.

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domino harvey
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#48 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jan 05, 2011 10:17 pm

I think it's great, because again, the included DVD editions aren't "coasters" like the sneering Blu-ray crowd hyperbolizes-- they're essential for teachers, lending purposes, even something as simple as taking some screencaps on a non-Blu-drive (read: Mac) computer, etc and worth an extra pound or two rather than fourteen!

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zedz
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#49 Post by zedz » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:34 pm

I must say, that I initially thought dual editions were a complete waste of space, but what's convinced me otherwise is the bind of having to watch not only the feature, but all of the extras too, on my HD set-up, even when HD is unnecessarily or, in the case of commentaries, completely irrelevant. With the DVD I can stick a commentary on to listen to (or ignore) in another room while I'm doing something else. (Of course, by this reasoning, 'feature only' DVDs remain as much a waste of space for me as digital copies).

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souvenir
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Re: 4 x DVD releases in February 2011

#50 Post by souvenir » Thu Jan 06, 2011 12:33 am

Just as one voice in the chorus, who generally only utilizes the Blu-ray portion of any Dual Format release, I like going the Dual Format route because it seems to take care of most everyone. Some don't have Region B Blu capabilities and others aren't outfitted with Blu-ray at all yet so, for simple availability reasons, Dual Format leaves room for no reasonable complaints in my mind.

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