Posted by Derek Janssen on 01/21/08 22:11

Doug Jacobs wrote:

> lorincantrell@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>
>>The consumer acceptance rate and durability of the media are just too
>>high. Eventually, some sort of streaming HD on demand will likely
>>kill the optical discs, but I think it will be a decade or two before
>>it happens.
>
>
> I know that a lot of people think downloads are going to be the end of DVD
> or physical media, but think about it - we've had the capability to buy
> electronic versions of entire books for over a decade, yet bookstores
> aren't in any danger of closing now, are they?

In fact, Amazon's had to RE-launch electronic books for, what, the third
time, and the public's *still* not buying them!

(Although books aren't subject to studios' el-dorado dream of taking
back "control" over their movies' screenings, and getting that sweet
percentage of EVERY customer viewing--
You'd think the curtain would finally have been ripped back on the Evil
Master Plot after the DiVX Wars.)

> Part of the reason for this is that many people are going to want a
> physical copy of things they buy. Even with the explosion in digital music
> with things like iTunes, most people are still just ripping music from CDs
> that they own.
>
> Digital distribution may be fine for certain things. Rentals come to mind
> immediatly. Why wait for the mailman to bring your Netflix to you when
> you can download your movie over night?

....Um, because sometimes I rent the disc to watch the documentary?

(Or a hi-def trailer that was supposed to be on the disk?...
Or rented "March of the Penguins", which I was never really crazy about
in the first place, solely for the purpose of watching the bonus-extra
Warner Bugs Bunny cartoon mastered in 1080?)

>>Everybody is fond of citing all sorts of reasons for the slowdown in
>>DVD sales, but I think it has mostly to do with the format being
>>around for 10 years.

> Anyways, as for why DVD sales are dropping? I can think of many reasons:

I can remember in the late-90's, when some independent anime companies
were leery of getting into the new waters of DVD, and still put some of
their lesser-selling niche titles out on VHS-only, to "test customer
interest" in future disk release for the titles--And fans felt
"blackmailed" into buying VHS tapes they knew they'd have to throw away
in a couple of months anyway (as opposed to not buying it, and giving
the company the wrong idea)...
At that point in the 90's, nobody was buying *any* VHS under normal
circumstances, PERIOD, and we fans grit our teeth and grumbled, "Making
us buy the...Ohh, pally, you'd BETTER come through with that disk, for
what we have to go through to keep you happy... >_< "

....Now update those sentiments to hi-def owners and DVD.

Derek Janssen
ejanss1@verizon.net

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