slate.com— Walmart is blamed for politically keeping the 45 day window between theatre releases and DVD releases. Mark Cuban wants to change the whole system.
Oct 26, 2005View in Crawl 4
i think with all the crap films that the companies are putting out, this would be a good thing. perhaps it would really shake up hollywood to make a decent film for once. i'd buy a dvd for a good movie. i'd watch that all day long. HOWEVER, i have friends that work at blockbuster and i don't want them to lose their jobs.
yup... f**k WalMart. I'm a vendor of theirs and I get sooo frickin' tired of the same 'ol "we really need to bring our costs down on these items" bulls**t. They're squeezing the last drop of blood from all these American manufacturers who are constantly threatened with over-seas inventory. WalMart is a very un-American company.They want me to cut my price to them by 2ยข this week? I lose my house ($800,000 a year in business, lost). They call me up for another reduction? Kids don't go to college. But that's ok, I feel good that most of America can get their goods for next to f**king nothing on the shelves. Makes me feel reeeel good.Do I sound a little bitter?? ;)
If I could get an HD pay-per-view of a movie simultaneous with the theatre release I would do that in a second. In fact, I'd probably see *more* movies that way. Even if it was $15 for a first run pay-per-view that's still cheaper than the wife and I going to a movie, and we avoid the sticky theatre floors and all the kids with cell phones (or all the parents with kids). Hmmm, I might even pay $20 to see it first run sans screaming kid...
First of all, it's a bluff by Wal-Mart. If all the studios kill this window which they will if one major one does it, Wal-Mart can't take all the DVDs off their shelves. And if they start hiking the prices, they'll probably get hit with gouging suits. Wal-Mart can't stop this and they only said that to try and prolong it. Besides, HD-DVD rolls out next year so DVD sales won't go down. If you can go out and buy the DVD for $30(not sure what the pricing will be on HDDVD) and have it "forever" why would you record the HD version on your DVR/PVR? Yes most of us will be smart enough to take those and make our own HD-DVDs for a lot cheaper, but most people still will not know how to take the videos off their DVR and put them onto HD-DVDs. So they'll only be able to keep the movie till they run out of space on the drive.
"HOWEVER, i have friends that work at blockbuster and i don't want them to lose their jobs."I think your friends are screwed either way. Blockbuster's days are numbered.
No Digg, articles doesn't make sense (although I'm tempted because Wal-mart is evil after all).First it says that Movies studios would make more money via electronic delivery than DVD and that they would release it in all formats at the same time save for Wal-mart, who says they'll stop selling DVDs (and that they are the largest retailer of DVDs).So what's stopping them of askewing Wal-mart? If it is indeed more profitable to release in all formats at the time, and people will choose to consume via the more profitable non-media delivery, who cares if Wal-mart stops selling the DVD? Under Cuban's senario, the market for DVDs would shrink (the author doesn't clearly imply that people buy the DVD only because they simply can't wait, buy there must be some reason other than having a physical copy). The author is arguing both sides.
This post is BS WalMart did what? Says who? unnamed source huh? ok sure, must be true. Mark Cuban is gonna do what? LOL How?The dude is not a visionary, he's a media whore.
wolfmanOct 27, 2005
^^^^ Oh, forgot, MythTV = $300, but you recoupe from the savings on the DVDs
matsiescruffOct 27, 2005
i think with all the crap films that the companies are putting out, this would be a good thing. perhaps it would really shake up hollywood to make a decent film for once. i'd buy a dvd for a good movie. i'd watch that all day long. HOWEVER, i have friends that work at blockbuster and i don't want them to lose their jobs.
nymphetamineOct 27, 2005
walmart? dvd's? mark cuban? wtf?
imtigger2Oct 27, 2005
yup... f**k WalMart. I'm a vendor of theirs and I get sooo frickin' tired of the same 'ol "we really need to bring our costs down on these items" bulls**t. They're squeezing the last drop of blood from all these American manufacturers who are constantly threatened with over-seas inventory. WalMart is a very un-American company.They want me to cut my price to them by 2ยข this week? I lose my house ($800,000 a year in business, lost). They call me up for another reduction? Kids don't go to college. But that's ok, I feel good that most of America can get their goods for next to f**king nothing on the shelves. Makes me feel reeeel good.Do I sound a little bitter?? ;)
pkscoutOct 27, 2005
If I could get an HD pay-per-view of a movie simultaneous with the theatre release I would do that in a second. In fact, I'd probably see *more* movies that way. Even if it was $15 for a first run pay-per-view that's still cheaper than the wife and I going to a movie, and we avoid the sticky theatre floors and all the kids with cell phones (or all the parents with kids). Hmmm, I might even pay $20 to see it first run sans screaming kid...
Closed AccountOct 27, 2005
First of all, it's a bluff by Wal-Mart. If all the studios kill this window which they will if one major one does it, Wal-Mart can't take all the DVDs off their shelves. And if they start hiking the prices, they'll probably get hit with gouging suits. Wal-Mart can't stop this and they only said that to try and prolong it. Besides, HD-DVD rolls out next year so DVD sales won't go down. If you can go out and buy the DVD for $30(not sure what the pricing will be on HDDVD) and have it "forever" why would you record the HD version on your DVR/PVR? Yes most of us will be smart enough to take those and make our own HD-DVDs for a lot cheaper, but most people still will not know how to take the videos off their DVR and put them onto HD-DVDs. So they'll only be able to keep the movie till they run out of space on the drive.
matcrawfOct 27, 2005
mark cuban is an IU grad. i love him
redpoint73Oct 27, 2005
"HOWEVER, i have friends that work at blockbuster and i don't want them to lose their jobs."I think your friends are screwed either way. Blockbuster's days are numbered.
b111Oct 27, 2005
No Digg, articles doesn't make sense (although I'm tempted because Wal-mart is evil after all).First it says that Movies studios would make more money via electronic delivery than DVD and that they would release it in all formats at the same time save for Wal-mart, who says they'll stop selling DVDs (and that they are the largest retailer of DVDs).So what's stopping them of askewing Wal-mart? If it is indeed more profitable to release in all formats at the time, and people will choose to consume via the more profitable non-media delivery, who cares if Wal-mart stops selling the DVD? Under Cuban's senario, the market for DVDs would shrink (the author doesn't clearly imply that people buy the DVD only because they simply can't wait, buy there must be some reason other than having a physical copy). The author is arguing both sides.
alt3r360Oct 28, 2005
This post is BS WalMart did what? Says who? unnamed source huh? ok sure, must be true. Mark Cuban is gonna do what? LOL How?The dude is not a visionary, he's a media whore.