Hollywood Doom and Gloom

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Quite a bit of Hollywood's problems is involved in the money they spend on single-point high costs: That is, huge salaries for major stars and star directors/producers, over-the-top special effects and monstrous promotions; instead of using the lesser (but just as talented) actors, directors and producers to their full extent, scaling back on car crashes and fireballs, and utilizing basic promoting methods for their movies (commercials, tie-ins and reviews).

There are a number of parallels to the publishing industry, as it so happens.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

As for turntable, yes I do have one, but I have also noticed that you can buy turntables with USB ports. Haven't checked into it thoroughly but I have to assume it is for recording to a PC. Lots of Frank Sinatra Live albums, Ella Fitzgerald, Platters, Count Basie. Belonged to my parents, they reluctantly entered the VD age somewhere around 2000.

Somebody had good taste.
The USB turntables come with the software and everything needed for conversion. Very easy to use. On sale they can be had fairly cheap, too. But If you already have one the preamp+software route will be 30-60% cheaper.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

There are a number of parallels to the publishing industry, as it so happens.

And a lot of lessons to be learned, for those willing.
They have similar problems of trying to protect the old distribution channels while fostering the new digital ones; of distributors locking up exclusive content, and even distributors "publishing" content.

One major difference: the movie studios aren't constantly painting themselves as victims of the new tech or pretending the sky is falling.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Somebody had good taste.
The USB turntables come with the software and everything needed for conversion. Very easy to use. On sale they can be had fairly cheap, too. But If you already have one the preamp+software route will be 30-60% cheaper.

In Sweden, strangely no. The pre-amp is actually $15 more expensive than a USB turntable. I believe I might be able to borrow one from a friend, It is kind of a one-time usage so shouldn't be a major problem. I was surprised to find the pre-amp at $100 and the USB turntable at $85 (welcome to consumerism Swedish style)

[QuantumIguana]

I didn't like the idea of Netflix until I could stream to a set top box. Now that I can get a streaming-only package, I like it even more. I only buy DVDs for kid's movies. I don't see much point in buying a DVD for a movie I will probably only watch once.

[rdfry]

I have an ION, A Technics and a Dual and I like the Ion the best for copying to cd as I can hook it up directly to my Laptop

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

Now that I can get a streaming-only package, I like it even more. I only buy DVDs for kid's movies. I don't see much point in buying a DVD for a movie I will probably only watch once.

That is a common position these days.
A lot of people used to buy DVDs because their pricing baseline was $3-4 rentals and $6 movie tickets. And for "anytime viewing".

Movie tickets have gotten more expensive, but Redbox and Netflix have been driving rental prices way down. And the streaming services have effectively neutered the whole availability debate.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

And the streaming services have effectively neutered the whole availability debate.

I think the amount you watch has a lot to do with it. For many, Netflix's $8.00 per month is quite reasonable.

For some of us, however, it's a high minimum to maintain every month. For example, a year ago I bought the complete DVD set of my favorite tv show, Secret Agent with Patrick McGoohan, for $39.95 including shipping. I still have a long way to go which I can enjoy at my leisure, and I own pristine copies.

[RolandD]

DVD players will soon go the way of VCRs. Blu-Ray is a great advance for digital storage, but as internet bandwidth increases, Blu-Ray runs a great risk of becoming a has been before its adoption is firmly established. Why adopt a format that will be obsolete in less than five years?

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by RolandD

DVD players will soon go the way of VCRs. Blu-Ray is a great advance for digital storage, but as internet bandwidth increases, Blu-Ray runs a great risk of becoming a has been before its adoption is firmly established. Why adopt a format that will be obsolete in less than five years?

Ironically enough, I use my blu-ray player almost entirely as a streaming device. I have yet to purchase a single blu-ray movie.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by khalleron

Ironically enough, I use my blu-ray player almost entirely as a streaming device. I have yet to purchase a single blu-ray movie.

+1
Apache

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by RolandD

DVD players will soon go the way of VCRs. Blu-Ray is a great advance for digital storage, but as internet bandwidth increases, Blu-Ray runs a great risk of becoming a has been before its adoption is firmly established. Why adopt a format that will be obsolete in less than five years?

because not everyone has unlimited broadband internet. Really, fairly substantial parts of the country don't. My sister lives outside of Denver, and will need to get a satellite connection if she wants anything more than dial-up. I live in SE Michigan, and we have severely metered internet - my husband has to download my audio books at his work, because one download will use up our daily allotment, and then we'd be stuck on below dial-up speeds for 24 hours.

streaming video is totally out of the question for us.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

And a lot of lessons to be learned, for those willing.
They have similar problems of trying to protect the old distribution channels while fostering the new digital ones; of distributors locking up exclusive content, and even distributors "publishing" content.

One major difference: the movie studios aren't constantly painting themselves as victims of the new tech or pretending the sky is falling.

I see you haven't been in a video rental store in recent years. They have loops about the evils of video piracy and how some hot babe will desire you if you buy more movies that run after every third trailer.

[RolandD]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

because not everyone has unlimited broadband internet. Really, fairly substantial parts of the country don't. My sister lives outside of Denver, and will need to get a satellite connection if she wants anything more than dial-up. I live in SE Michigan, and we have severely metered internet - my husband has to download my audio books at his work, because one download will use up our daily allotment, and then we'd be stuck on below dial-up speeds for 24 hours.

streaming video is totally out of the question for us.

It doesn't matter if everyone has unlimited broadband. Once enough people do and sales drop, DVD's and Blu-Ray will no longer be economically viable and mass production will cease. It's not a matter of if, but of when.

[carpetmojo]

If there wasn't doom and gloom in the "entertainment industry" about some new twist on the cards, it would mean it was really going down the tubes.......