Hollywood set to allow copying movies

[dvdguy4]

Its about time.
http://news.com.com/Studios+to+OK+copying+movie+downloads+to+disc/2100-1026_3-6104388....l?tag=nefd.top

[somebodeez]

It's a start I guess.
I''m curious as to quality of the film, will extras be included and speaking of quality, what about the quality of the discs ?

[SingSing]

It sounds like redbox kiosk with harddisk, and a DVD burner.

[painkiller]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[thecoalman]

ROF, already posted this in the Circuit City thread and as I said there....'

WOW...I think I'll bring the kids. Looky the shiny disc spinning.... Who the hell is going to sit and wait for a disc to get burned.

[SingSing]

Maybe it is time to make a 16 beams DVD burner, that can burn the disc in less than 1 minute.

[ROF]

ROF, already posted this in the Circuit City thread and as I said there....'

WOW...I think I'll bring the kids. Looky the shiny disc spinning.... Who the hell is going to sit and wait for a disc to get burned.

The same people who bring their film in to get devleloped or the same people who bring their vehicles into to get an oil change while they shop for groceries. What better way to get people to window shop while they wait for there already purchased product to be serviced.

[adam]

How long does it take for the fastest burners to burn a DVD? Its like 5 mins isn't it? I don't see the problem. Anyway that exec was just making the point that the disc can be made on the spot so it could replace physical inventory items. I think they would sell well actually.

[ROF]

You do know Adam that the retailers will be using a machine that either stamps a label on the disc(bad) or use a drive that etches a label using the laser(time consuming and bad). How else will they justify the $20 mark up?

[BJ_M]

beginning of the end ?

A WORLD WITHOUT MOVIE THEATERS

Imagine a world without movie theaters.

No multiplexes. No arthouses. No way to communally experience a film.

That day may be coming sooner than you think. Each year theatrical box office receipts decline as the DVD becomes the preferred method for audiences to watch movies. And coming up just on the horizon is movies available for download — which may eventually become the way we all watch films. (”Eventually” meaning once the major studios choose a piracy prevention method that they can all agree upon as well as a cost per download structure acceptable to consumers.)

If the music industry is any indicator, the film industry will soon follow into the download zone. CD sales dropped 7% last year as downloads on iTunes increased. (Itunes passed the one billion music download mark a while back.) Tower Records recently announced that they are closing all of their stores and filing for bankruptcy. This shouldn’t surprise anyone as their entire business is built primarily on sales of CDs, which are declining far more rapidly than many are willing to admit.

Where did all the people go... they’re busy downloading.

In response to these trends, a recent LA Times story has stirred up a bit of controversy. The piece entitled “Far Removed From the Multiplex” by John Horn, asserts that teenagers would rather watch films on their computers than go to the movies. And who can blame them? Going to the movies is expensive (you can buy about two DVDs for the price of one evening at the movies) and the experience is more often miserable due to the increasing number of bad movies, endless commercials and annoying patrons. The piece brings up some interesting facts from a recent survey including:

Nearly half (47%) of respondents ages 12 to 17 say they would watch a movie on a PC, well above the interest in doing the same on a cellphone (11%) or video iPod and similar devices (18%). A similar share of those 21 to 24 said they would watch movies on a computer, although they are much less willing to do the same on a cellphone (6%) or video iPod (7%).

The distaste for the multiplex accelerates as children become young adults; 44% of those ages 21 to 24 are seeing fewer films. The Times/Bloomberg poll findings mirror a recent study by the Motion Picture Assn. of America, which found an even sharper drop-off over a five-year span.

It’s a fascinating read and the industry will have to pay attention or suffer the fate of Tower Records. Read the entire piece on the LA Times site or, if you have trouble getting to the site, I’ve included the entire piece in Film Threat's Blog section.

http://www.filmthreat.com/blog/?p=470

[MOVIEGEEK]

I like the idea that downloads will be released the same day as a video store but the price($20USD) is still high.With flash memory getting larger and cheaper I wish the industry would move away from optical media...but that's another topic.
As for theaters:I haven't been to one in a year(War Of The Worlds) and before that it was two years(Star Wars ep.II).I would rather watch a movie at home or at a friends house.

[ROF]

beginning of the end ?

A WORLD WITHOUT MOVIE THEATERS

Imagine a world without movie theaters.

No multiplexes. No arthouses. No way to communally experience a film.

No more sticky seats or floors. No more overpriced concessions. No more babies crying or kids screaming. No more people walking in front of you. No more annoying girlfriend spazzes. No more people giving away the storyline. What a loss. I guess I will be sad to see this and more go away. NOT!

But there is a huge positive to home viewings. I can sit down and watch a movie with a glass of wine in hand. I do not have to miss 10 minutes of the movie because my ashtray sits no more than 2 feet away. I can pause the movie and go make penny-cost popcorn. I can rewind to catch something or dialogue I or someone else in my theater missed. I can enjoy better sound quality. I can send people into another room if they wish to gab without being talked back to as if I was being rude by asking them to keep quiet in the theater.

To the movie theater experience and owners, Good riddance. You are no longer the optimal way to view a movie anyways given all the negative factors that went into the viewing experience. $20 is more than fair considering the price scheme movie stores used to charge for movies that were not available to rent ot buy otherwise. Anyone remember when you could buy movies while still in the theater on VHS or Laser disc for almost $100 a copy. Star Trek I anybody?

[adam]

You do know Adam that the retailers will be using a machine that either stamps a label on the disc(bad) or use a drive that etches a label using the laser(time consuming and bad). How else will they justify the $20 mark up?

No I don't know that and neither does anyone else. There are currently no plans to sell burnt discs in stores much less details as to how they would be labeled or how much they would cost. The article simply said that the updated CSS would make it possible. But if they do start doing this they definitely won't use sticky labels and its doubtful they'd use lightscribe. They'd most likely use printable media so it'd add about 30 secs to the production time and very little markup to the cost.

Also I've seen the price of $20 mentioned a couple times in this thread but the article does not list a price, for downloadable movies or for in-store burnt discs. I'd imagine it would be much lower than $20 since that's more than what the average DVD sells for now and these would clearly be sold as a budget version of the DVD.

[CubDukat]

The day they start shutting down movie theaters en masse will be the day I decide never again to watch a movie.

As good as home theater has gotten, it is definitely NOT the place to catch movies like "Superman Returns" or any major release. And yes, screaming babies, cellphones and people who generally have no clue how to act in public are absent at home (for the most part), but I have no problems with any of those things. Not when the tradeoff is catching a movie the way it was always meant to be seen.

I think we're running towards this digital thing way too fast, and it's not ready to take the place of film. Not even close to it.

But I'd love to know what kind of video quality of these burnt downloads will have. I can see them making it of such a low quality for its asking price that it drives people towards plunking down the dough for the true DVD version. That would make perfect business sense, because then they could say "We tried, but it didn't work because it's a bad idea"--not that they'll mention that they sabotaged it right from the start.

But I suppose we should be glad we even got this much out of them

[ROF]

The day they start shutting down movie theaters en masse will be the day I decide never again to watch a movie.

That is almost laughable if it wasn't the most pure nonsense statement. How many times has anyone heard such words uttered about any number of things?

- I will stop buying when . . .

- I will stop attending sports game if . . .

[MOVIEGEEK]

adam,
The $20 I was referring to was from this article:
http://business.bostonherald.com/technologyNews/view.bg?articleid=152766
...and that's the price I've been hearing on other forums.
I still think there's a need for cinemas but the "megaplex" glory days are over.

[Wile_E]

No more sticky seats or floors. No more overpriced concessions. No more babies crying or kids screaming. No more people walking in front of you. No more annoying girlfriend spazzes. No more people giving away the storyline. What a loss. I guess I will be sad to see this and more go away. NOT!

I agree. Theaters back in the old days, always had an employee that would watch out for rude and loud people. They would either get a warning or get kicked out. They really need to go back to this policy. There are so many rude people out there it's pathetic. People act like it's their private house and they can do what they want. Add cell phones to the list too as a negative.

I really can't stand the flickering and slow framerate (24fps) in the theater. Even with a triple-bladed shutter it is still apparent. The film industry needs to get their act together. 24fps is old technology and pathetically slow. It can't convey smooth life-like motion and in fast pans, I see a jarring/stuttering effect. 24fps doesn't cut it anymore. It's time they look into shooting film at higher framerates, like Maxivision 48fps. Yes, I already know more light would be needed indoors to shoot at this speed. Big deal. Inreasing resolution is only one step. Framerate also needs to be increased. Digitally projected 2K or even 4K is not good enough for a huge movie screen.

Digitally shot movies, like the new Star Wars, used 3K/4K composites. Episode II used a CineAlta digital camera. This camera had CCD sensors of 1920x1080 but can only record the image on tape at 1440 x 1080. Episode III used a Sony HDW950 camera that could record the full 1920x1080 frame. But in 2.35:1 widescreen format, only about 800 of the 1080 vertical pixels are actually used. What was George Lucas thinking? I saw these movies several times, at several different theaters. The image quality looked sub-par and slightly blurry compared to a true 35mm analog print.

How Maxivision works...
http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/makeup/4303/maxivision.html

Roger Ebert is still showing support for Maxivision 48.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050807/ANSWERMAN/508070305/1023

[adam]

adam,
The $20 I was referring to was from this article:
http://business.bostonherald.com/technologyNews/view.bg?articleid=152766

Ok thanks. I can understand charging a premium for the download when its offered at the same time as the theatre run. But once its on DVD I'm sure the price will decrease. It would have to be lower than the standard DVD price otherwise there'd be no point.

[hudsonf]

I think it's a very good idea. The stores could have a much larger selection with out using up a lot of space. I also like the idea of being able to download movies and burning them to dvd. I just hope Hollywood doesn't screw it up.

[rkr1958]

What about the Drive-Ins? What'll happen to them?

[WickedDevils]

I just have to say, sooner the better. I agree that you need to go to the theater to see some movies. But how many times have I been so aggravated by kids that I almost walk out? I used to work at a theater, and used to watch for those sort of distractions and annoyances. Why did they quit doing that? I guarantee, the next time I go see a movie I am calling the manager up ahead of time and requesting someone walk through it every once in a while.

This idea has been played with for how long now? Originally it started off as an idea that you would just download the discs and burn them for a small fee like iTunes etc. Then it evolved into theaters getting kiosks, and you can buy a copy of the movie only if you had the stub for watching the movie already. There is a lot that the industry can do with this. Burning the DVDs at stores, at home, or at the theater isn't going to close all theaters down or all movie stores. Not everyone has the advantages of FIOS in the east. A lot of small towns only have dialup still (or satellite if you are that desperate).

I can't wait to see where this goes, but I know its not gonna be anytime in the near future. I'll take ur $20 and says it wont be for a few years..

[ozymango]

The piece entitled “Far Removed From the Multiplex” by John Horn, asserts that teenagers would rather watch films on their computers than go to the movies.

Yeah, and most teenagers would rather hang out at the mall than go to work. This is what I should base my 42-year-old lifestlyle on?

Seriously, the movie theater has been dying since TV broadcasting began. Not that I personally remember, but you can dig around and see the same old fears:

TV will kill the movie theater
VCRs will kill the movie theater
VCRs will also kill broadcast TV

It sure happened, didn't it?

[ezhitzca]

I guess I'm lucky the amc near me started charging only 6 dollars
a person friday-sunday before noon.The best thing at the time your only
one of a dozen people.If that many.

[painkiller]

What drive-ins?



(In Harford County, Maryland - the last [I believe] one closed down last year or early this. There's only one I know of that may still be in operation. I think it's the Bengie Drive-in west of Baltimore.)

[rkr1958]

What drive-ins?



(In Harford County, Maryland - the last [I believe] one closed down last year or early this. There's only one I know of that may still be in operation. I think it's the Bengie Drive-in west of Baltimore.)

I remember them well as a kid. The one in town had a playground. We'd go early while it was still daylight, play on the playground and then watch the movie. I fondly remember being able to buy a dill pickle at the concession stand for 10-cents. Now that was a movie experience.

[somebodeez]

What drive-ins?



(In Harford County, Maryland - the last [I believe] one closed down last year or early this. There's only one I know of that may still be in operation. I think it's the Bengie Drive-in west of Baltimore.)

PK - the only other I know of closest to us is in Delaware
http://www.dsdit.com/index.shtml

[Roll Tide]

What drive-ins?



(In Harford County, Maryland - the last [I believe] one closed down last year or early this. There's only one I know of that may still be in operation. I think it's the Bengie Drive-in west of Baltimore.)

I remember them well as a kid. The one in town had a playground. We'd go early while it was still daylight, play on the playground and then watch the movie. I fondly remember being able to buy a dill pickle at the concession stand for 10-cents. Now that was a movie experience.

Hey rkr1958 -

I noticed your location and thought I'd mention this, but you do realize we have a drive-in over in Athens that's less than 5 years old? They apparently can still be relatively successful.

[rkr1958]

Hey rkr1958 -

I noticed your location and thought I'd mention this, but you do realize we have a drive-in over in Athens that's less than 5 years old? They apparently can still be relatively successful.

Didn't realize that. I need to check it out.

Also, I noticed you're an Alabama fan (so am I), do you think'll they have any offense this year?

[Roll Tide]

quote]Didn't realize that. I need to check it out.

Also, I noticed you're an Alabama fan (so am I), do you think'll they have any offense this year?[/quote]

It's called Cinemagic - take US72 to Athens, turn north on Jefferson St. It's on the right. They started with 2 screens, but they removed one to build a 5-screen indoor theater on the grounds. The indoor theater just opened.

Based on Bama's scrimmage yesterday, it looks like we've got a chance to have a pretty good O this year. The D will be down some, but I think they'll be better than they're being projected to be. I can't wait for the season to start. I'm going to the Hawai'i game Sept. 2.

RTR!

[CubDukat]

The day they start shutting down movie theaters en masse will be the day I decide never again to watch a movie.

That is almost laughable if it wasn't the most pure nonsense statement. How many times has anyone heard such words uttered about any number of things?

- I will stop buying when . . .

- I will stop attending sports game if . . .

Don't really think I was looking for validation here, dude. I was just voicing my own opinion.

You can still do that, right?