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Why are blu-rays still so expensive? - Page 13

post #361 of 381
3/27/13 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iamian View Post

Again, it comes down to the money thing. If the studios spent the money creating a package that you'd appreciate, but had to charge a premium, how many of us would buy them? I would bet you serious money there would be more people complaining than appreciating. Just saying.

Not to bring the title up again, I always thought the original releases of WATCHMAN U;timate Cut had the coolest packaginbg since laserdisc, with its magnetic;y closed cover and the interior photos. When it went out-of-print, copies were selling on Ebay for $100 - $200. Now, of course, it has been re-released. I haven't seen it so I don't know how the new packaging compares...but it does come with a book...the complete graphic novel. (Just as some LDs did). So people WILL pay for something exceptional, if they ;like the film.
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post #362 of 381
3/27/13 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cinema13 View Post

So people WILL pay for something exceptional, if they ;like the film.
But the point is that the people who will pay for the ultramegadeluxe "aren't I special for having this" package are far, far fewer than the people who just want the movie. Studios are perfectly justified in wondering if those far smaller numbers make it worth it.
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post #363 of 381
3/27/13 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertR View Post

But the point is that the people who will pay for the ultramegadeluxe "aren't I special for having this" package are far, far fewer than the people who just want the movie. Studios are perfectly justified in wondering if those far smaller numbers make it worth it.

They sure seemed to think it was worth it when a small niche product like LD was the format of choice for serious videophiles. Like I said, I'm grateful we an affordable hi def format now, but blu sure doesn't have the same enthusiast appeal like laser had. And that's not me being snobbish, that's me longing for the days when studio's catered to the cinemaphile, especially with their catalog titles.
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post #364 of 381
3/27/13 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ratpacker View Post

They sure seemed to think it was worth it when a small niche product like LD was the format of choice for serious videophiles. Like I said, I'm grateful we an affordable hi def format now, but blu sure doesn't have the same enthusiast appeal like laser had. And that's not me being snobbish, that's me longing for the days when studio's catered to the cinemaphile, especially with their catalog titles.
It may not feel as "special" to some people, but the fact is that blu wipes the floor with LD in terms of appeal. There isn't a single LD enthusiast who's going to say "I refuse to buy a blu ray version of a film because it doesn't come in ultramegadeluxe packaging". EVERYONE who bought LD knows that we're far, far FAR better off with presentation of films on home video than we EVER were in the "good old days". Add to that the fact that BR's appeal is IMMENSELY broader than LD's EVER was or could hope to be, and there's just no comparison. Any rational person and any cinemaphile will trade a great 1080p presentation over a 425 line, interlaced composite presentation all day long, packaging or no packaging. Studios KNOW that, so their different attitude is perfectly justified.
Edited by RobertR - 3/27/13 at 6:43pm
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post #365 of 381
3/27/13 at 11:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertR View Post

It may not feel as "special" to some people, but the fact is that blu wipes the floor with LD in terms of appeal. There isn't a single LD enthusiast who's going to say "I refuse to buy a blu ray version of a film because it doesn't come in ultramegadeluxe packaging". EVERYONE who bought LD knows that we're far, far FAR better off with presentation of films on home video than we EVER were in the "good old days". Add to that the fact that BR's appeal is IMMENSELY broader than LD's EVER was or could hope to be, and there's just no comparison. Any rational person and any cinemaphile will trade a great 1080p presentation over a 425 line, interlaced composite presentation all day long, packaging or no packaging. Studios KNOW that, so their different attitude is perfectly justified.

So who's arguing that BR isn't better than LD as far as playback quality goes? I don't think you're getting what I'm trying to get across, and frankly I don't feel like trying to explain it. Carry on.
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post #366 of 381
3/28/13 at 3:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich86 View Post

I just picked up "Lawrence of Arabia", "Stand By Me", "Stripes - Extended Edition" & "Pirates! Band of Misfits" for $5 each courtesy of the BestBuy "BOGO" sale - so on some days with some titles, blu-rays are most definitely a bargain.



I'm starting to see some BD titles in the 5 dollar bin at wallymart. Target this week has a whole section on sale for 4 dollars. New releases are now 19.99 (Hobbit) and 22.99 *(Linclon) instead of 30 bucks. For a while I wouild still buy DVD, the price differential with BD was too great and my Oppo 83 did such a fantastic job of upconversion. Now the cost delta between dvd and bd on new releases is a lot less I just opt for the BD.
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post #367 of 381
3/28/13 at 5:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ratpacker View Post

So who's arguing that BR isn't better than LD as far as playback quality goes? I don't think you're getting what I'm trying to get across, and frankly I don't feel like trying to explain it. Carry on.
You said you long for the days when studios "catered to cinemaphiles". I'm saying the desires of cinemaphiles are being catered to better than EVER, because the presentation of the movie FAR outweighs any packaging considerations.
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post #368 of 381
3/28/13 at 7:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ratpacker View Post

I don't think you're getting what I'm trying to get across

As a LaserDisc owner of more than 20 years I know what you are trying to say but, IMO, LaserDisc was a niche product and we all knew the outlets that carried them, conversed with the owners and other LD enthusiast. Yes, the studios did cater to us and they charged us for that service (see my LD pricing post here).

Blu-ray is just an extension of DVD, it is a commodity product that can be purchased most anywhere and cost much less than LD did. It would be fine with me if Blu-ray titles were available in the standard and modified jewel cases. That way I could store many more titles in the same shelf space.
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post #369 of 381
3/28/13 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland View Post


Blu-ray is just an extension of DVD, it is a commodity product that can be purchased most anywhere and cost much less than LD did. It would be fine with me if Blu-ray titles were available in the standard and modified jewel cases. That way I could store many more titles in the same shelf space.

It would be most helpful if the standard DVD cases were used for Bluray with just a different color; similar to how Microsoft uses the green colored DVD cases for their Xbox games. After DVD started coming around, there were combo VHS/DVD racks that were available, where 1 VHS slot could accommodate 2 DVD cases (same thickness and dimensions except width).
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post #370 of 381
3/28/13 at 11:17am
I'll take cheap looking packaging with 1080p video and lossless multichannel audio any day over overpriced discs with 425i, lossy audio and collector type packaging.
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post #371 of 381
3/28/13 at 12:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toknowshita View Post

I'll take cheap looking packaging with 1080p video and lossless multichannel audio any day over overpriced discs with 425i, lossy audio and collector type packaging.
Exactly. So would almost anyone else, and there would be no reason to feel "special" with the latter.
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post #372 of 381
3/31/13 at 12:29am
Your prices are way off. I just picked up Crank for $7.99. Start buying your movies on Ebay.
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post #373 of 381
3/31/13 at 2:48am
Amazon has Crank for $6.79.
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post #374 of 381
3/31/13 at 8:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 357mag View Post

Your prices are way off. I just picked up Crank for $7.99. Start buying your movies on Ebay.

Watch out for Ebay sellers because they may sell duped pirated copies or bad transfers on Blu-ray blanks as new or used "official" studio discs. Buyer beware.
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post #375 of 381
3/31/13 at 8:57am
I can pick up Crank for $5 at just about any local store. That movie's not really a good barometer for BD prices.

Dan has a point.. most "cheap" online retailers, especially those that look a little shady, are cheap for a reason. IMO, it's not worth saving a buck or two. The old adage "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is" holds especially true when shopping online..

I always buy my discs from reputable sellers. If the movie's worth my money, then it's worth buying it at normal sale price (which is usually far less than MSRP anyway), rather than waiting for it to hit the bargain bin, or spending way too much of my time looking for deals to save less money than it costs to buy a hamburger.
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post #376 of 381
4/1/13 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Hitchman View Post

Watch out for Ebay sellers because they may sell duped pirated copies or bad transfers on Blu-ray blanks as new or used "official" studio discs. Buyer beware.

These are very easy to spot once they are in your mitts - and EBay will back you up 100% if you get a pirated copy instead of a proper original including dumping the seller off EBay.
This has only happened to me once. I provided proper evidence (proof that the media was burned media) and I got a full 100% refund without any hassle - and the seller suddenly wasn't an active EBayer any more.
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post #377 of 381
4/1/13 at 3:42pm
I love buying from eBay. Can get some crazy deals on there.
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post #378 of 381
4/2/13 at 10:06am
yeah, if you time it just right or find that one BR that no one seems to notice - I picked up the first 2 Batman's for 3.00/ea and Silent Hill Revelation for 6.00.... biggrin.gif
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post #379 of 381
4/7/13 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hifiHigh View Post

Silent Hill Revelation for 6.00.... biggrin.gif
Hehe.. you got ripped off. That one's not even worth my time driving to the store. And I actually liked the first film, that should tell you something.
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post #380 of 381
4/8/13 at 10:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedi2016 View Post

Hehe.. you got ripped off. That one's not even worth my time driving to the store. And I actually liked the first film, that should tell you something.

It don't really matter - if it's not that good I'll re-sell it.
But since I enjoy those types of films it'll have to be gawd-awful not to like it...cool.gif
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post #381 of 381
4/10/13 at 5:39pm
BDs are fairly cheap imo. I got 2012 for 7 bucks, watched it, immediately sold it for around 3, so my total oop was 4 which is less than what I would have paid to suffer through it at the theater (not counting overpriced food/drinks). I'll take that scenario any day. I typically pay between 10-20 for just about every movie I want which is about what I paid for the bulk of my old DVD collection so to me I'm not sure where the overpriced comments come in. Sure the 3D variants are expensive but hey if you got suckered into that well, buyer beware. I'm perfectly happy with the price of BDs, especially compared to streaming/renting costs (which always have worse A/V quality). To me BD is just about perfect as a format right now. I'm curious how this whole 4K thing will play out though.
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