Looks like my fears about the lack of catalog/classic content in HD is coming true, because it's not just Blu-Ray that won't be seeing vintage titles. They're not coming out on DVD either in the numbers they once did.
Bottom line: if you want classic movies be prepared for more "Warner Archive" styled offerings on DVD (i.e. manufactured-on-demand). And if you care about HD, get a recorder for titles you might see on HDNet Movies, MGM HD, etc. because they won't be coming to Blu-Ray -- only big ticket titles like GONE WITH THE WIND will be.
" George Feltenstein, a senior vice-president at Warner Home Video (which still has some classics scheduled), says that “most of the studios have pretty much said ‘Screw it, we’re out of here, we’re not going to do this.’ ”
Even before the recession, studios had to cut back due to the closing of many retail chains that used to stock their products; Feltenstein says, “If the economy of the world had not deteriorated, our release schedule would still be less than it was.” But older movies are particularly vulnerable because the cost of restoration is growing, and their fan base is shrinking. It used to be that TV broadcasting built a market for old movies; Humphrey Bogart became a cult figure after his death, thanks to TV. But today, the only station that shows old films is Turner Classic Movies. And DVDs can’t sell based on the purchasing power of TCM viewers alone.
Well as I've said before, I think that downloads/streaming may well become the dominant channel for content provision. I look at things like Hulu and the fact that BBC, CBS, etc. now have Youtube pages and its not hard to see it going that way.
I prefer physical media, but its unfortunately clear that some titles will never see the light of day as disc media.
Well as I've said before, I think that downloads/streaming may well become the dominant channel for content provision. I look at things like Hulu and the fact that BBC, CBS, etc. now have Youtube pages and its not hard to see it going that way.
No thanks for me.
I prefer physical media, but its unfortunately clear that some titles will never see the light of day as disc media.
Pretty depressing way for me to start a Sunday morning, that's for sure.
I should probably clarify my earlier post a little bit -- I think the window for catalog titles on Blu Ray is pretty tight. Right now we're seeing '80s catalog movies and some '70s titles from Sony on Blu-Ray -- but other than a few major titles like GONE WITH THE WIND, I think the BD market in terms of catalog will probably remain exclusive to films from the 60s-70s onward, since those titles would drive more numbers than earlier ones (not to mention how much restoration would have to be done for older films to get them up to snuff for HD). As it is, they're coming REALLY slowly, more slowly than I would like, but at least Sony gave us a few decent titles this month.
As for DVD, it's a pretty depressing sign. Fox canning their classic DVD series is a real disappointment. I do like what Warner has done with their on-demand Archive system and while not all their transfers are great, the selection has enabled viewers to get their hands on some really niche cult titles that never would have sold at retail. If you can get titles at a discount with coupons, I don't think $10 per title is a bad deal for what they're offering. It may end up producing a model for other studios to follow.
I think between these cutbacks by the studios in classic TV and movie releases and the level of transfer work I've been doing to DVD the last year, it's probably for the best there's more of a slowdown as the final organization of my collection takes shape more and more and I realize that its more important now to start saying, "Hey, enjoy what you've got!"
