DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '06 II => Topic started by: Brandon Collins on November 23, 2006, 05:27:51 AM
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I like freedom and there wasn't that much in previous eras. The problem is, millions can't handle freedom. When they have it, they squander it on superficial pleasures like kids in a candy store. The consumer culture encourages and even demands this of people... it fuels the economy. Sex, snacks, cars, newer and newer formats for entertainment so you throw it all out and rebuy all your music and movies.... flashy toys....
Oh God do I ever agree with this!!! I can't imagine why someone would buy the DVD of the same movie they have already on video. I have an uncle who does that and I just think of all the money he's wasting by replacing his entire movie collection, and believe you me, it is QUITE large.
And I agree with Gerard, 1995 was quite interesting. And it is very amazing that Julia never spilt anything or dirtied that dress once.
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I can't imagine why someone would buy the DVD of the same movie they have already on video.
I actually do that. The picture quality is so much sharper on DVD, and you never have to worry about your VCR deciding to eat the tape of one of your favorite movies. Also, most of the movies I have on video are recorded off the TV, so I have to fast-forward through the commercials when I watch them. And they're of course edited. But that's nothing - I actually see a lot of people on other message boards who will buy DVD's of movies they already have on DVD - just because they came out with a new version with a couple of extra featurettes, or maybe this new one is 16X9 enhanced, where the old one wasn't. That's a bit much even for me.
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The consumer culture encourages and even demands this of people... it fuels the economy.
I personally am very fond of consumerism.
N
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I can't imagine why someone would buy the DVD of the same movie they have already on video.
I actually do that. The picture quality is so much sharper on DVD, and you never have to worry about your VCR deciding to eat the tape of one of your favorite movies. Also, most of the movies I have on video are recorded off the TV, so I have to fast-forward through the commercials when I watch them. And they're of course edited. But that's nothing - I actually see a lot of people on other message boards who will buy DVD's of movies they already have on DVD - just because they came out with a new version with a couple of extra featurettes, or maybe this new one is 16X9 enhanced, where the old one wasn't. That's a bit much even for me.
Well I could see if your tapes of those movies are in bad condition, but otherwise I don't get the point. And I totally agree with you on the DVD aspect--people who buy the new ones just because they have ONE new scene in it, when they have the old one anyone. I wonder just how much money those companies make off of those re-releases of movies that have already been released on DVD. One that pops readily to mind is King Kong, the new version. I didn't particularly like the movie at all, and I didn't buy it on regular DVD. But now they've released a new version with tons of extras and this and that. I wouldn't be able to sit and watch all those extras. Not many movie extras get it right for me.
And is it just me, or are outtakes not really outtakes on comedy's anymore?
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Well I could see if your tapes of those movies are in bad condition,
I only replace movies I have on tape w/DVD if they are either worn out or in danger of being worn out 'cause I watch them a lot (like once a year) like Ferris Buehler's Day Off or Planes, Trains & Automobiles etc... I agree Brandon that directors/producers put out a million frickin' copies w/"new scenes" or bloopers whatever. This is why I don't have a problem whatsoever w/pirating! They double, triple, quadruple etc...dip so they deserve it when ppl pirate.
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I can name 5 movies off the top of my head where the picture was so much better on the DVD that it changed my impression of the movie: Persuasion (the 1995 version), M, And Then There Were None (1945), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and The 39 Steps (1935).
As for Dark Shadows, the hiatus between watching tapes and watching DVDs was long enough for me so that I can't make the comparison. But my master plan is to end my days in a nursing home watching Dark Shadows round and round in a loop, and that will be much easier with DVDs. ("NURSE!!! Come change my DVD! And my Depends, while you're at it!")
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My VCR went bust and barely any stores around my area sell very much of them anymore that I really had no choice but to get a DVD player. And I must say the DVD quality is definitely much better than on the tapes. And also I can just pick a favorite DS episode of mine and watch it whenever I want without rewinding or fast-forwarding.
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I will never as long as I live be able to afford DVDs since even if I get a player, I never was and never will be able to afford to actually buy commercial copies af shows and films. And I have an apartment full of old and rare stuff on VHS that won't be on DVD perhaps ever, anyway. I'm absolutely committed.
My original post wasn't really about DVDs, that was just one small thing. Is everyone rushing out to buy Blue Ray? That's the next thing. If people overall were less concerned with the machinery, and more with content, the culture could be in better shape. DS viewers aren't being criticized here. All of you enjoy a low-tech show made 35-40 years ago, overlooking bloopers, other problems. That takes character.
Consumer culture is fine as long as it isn't so all-pervasive that it screws up the feelings and perspectives of masses-- generations-- of people, for short-term profit. Look at Springer and court shows for all the childish, irresponsible, selfish types, the extreme cases, and most don't get anywhere near that far 'out there'. Most are just quiet about it, usually. They pay their taxes, so they're mainstream.
McDonalds, and the rest of consumerism? Fine, within reason. The influence of companies like that is way out of hand though. In a shallow culture where nothing really matters, except short-term gratification, no wonder people snap. Then they scratch their heads on the news reporting it, and wonder why. The culture should nourish some, or it's worse than useless. Our culture is like parents who throw expensive toys at the kids and then leave them on their own to raise themselves. Bad analogy, the culture isn't our parents. But this may be erased for being OT, and it's too long. No time or space to fix it.
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But this may be erased for being OT,
No, and your mention of DS was appreciated, but your comments, though fascinating, introduced something like 4 more topics. And this one was already split into an off-topic discussion, so can posters please stick to that one-- upgrading formats?
and it's too long. No time or space to fix it.
Actually, any use of the preview feature and self-editing done by posters is always appreciated by the moderators. :)
But oops, that's yet another topic. ;)
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My original post wasn't really about DVDs, that was just one small thing. Is everyone rushing out to buy Blue Ray? That's the next thing. If people overall were less concerned with the machinery, and more with content, the culture could be in better shape. DS viewers aren't being criticized here. All of you enjoy a low-tech show made 35-40 years ago, overlooking bloopers, other problems. That takes character.
Take character it does!!!!
And I don't know about Blu Ray. What is up with that? $35 for a flipping DVD? I'm not even sure of the benefits of having it on Blu Ray. Is it better picture or something? I don't know. I can't imagine what MPI would charge for them if they released the DS series on Blu Ray-- $100? I'm sure they wouldn't be cheap. Especially given the fact that they charge $60 for the regular DVD sets where others charge $40. So MPI would have to at least charge $80 for them, I would think.
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I guess Blu Ray and HD-DVD have better picture quality, but it would be pointless to release Dark Shadows in those formats because the quality of the original master tapes is already far below what regular DVD's are capable of displaying. I suppose if someone were to go over every episode and do some sort of restoration of them, but that would be ridiculously pricey and the DVD's would be astronomically expensive.
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Well no kidding! The prices would be up there! Only the lady who bought Barnabas' portrait at the fest would be able to afford the $1000 a set price they'd surely have. [hall2_grin]
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Actually, any use of the preview feature and self-editing done by posters is always appreciated by the moderators. :)
I do an insane amount of quality control and editing considering the severe eye thing... there just isn't the time or concentration available to me to fix all problems. At that point in the previous post, I was literally injuring my eyes and had to bail out. This should explain any rambling or loss of focus, or perhaps other mistakes, in the future.
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Upgrading to DVD is valid for reasons of picture quality and (in the case of most films) getting the film in its proper aspect ratio. I try to buy my DVDs used, and to not double dip unless there is some interesting and valid extra content (e.g., The Criterion Collection remastering a film and pairing it with LOTS of supplemental material). When that happens, I donate the old disc to a local college's film department.
As for all the HD stuff, I'll wait til they settle on a format. And til I have an HD monitor to watch the stuff on. (A friend has one, and the difference is kind of astonishing.)
It takes all kinds. I can't really sit in judgement of someone else's purchases when I'm looking at over 1000 episodes of a 40 year old soap opera on my shelf... :P
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When that happens, I donate the old disc to a local college's film department.
My university library has an extensive DVD collection thanks in part to donated titles. So thank you to anybody who does this sort of thing with unwanted DVDs. It is definitely appreciated.
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It takes all kinds. I can't really sit in judgement of someone else's purchases when I'm looking at over 1000 episodes of a 40 year old soap opera on my shelf... :P
My original post was misunderstood. It wasn't about DVDs and was only critical of companies having a shallowing effect on the culture as a whole, by overwhelming it with ... i can't keep this up, bec. of eyes. i know the discussion has moved on, but i wasn't criticizing buying dvd's.
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No offense meant, I was replying to the whole thread. ;)
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You know, Housefly Cameo has a point about the 1000 episodes of a 40 yr old TV show thing. lol. That is so true.
I just was looking for some insight as to why people replace their videos with DVDs. Thanks for the insight. I'm still not sure I'd do it unless it was a movie I REALLY loved, but to each their own.
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I'm a movie nut, and I really enjoy a good, packed to the gills DVD. If there is a decent "making of" feature, and a commentary track by the filmmakers, I can spend 3 or 4 days with a movie I love. It's a more engaging experience than a regular ol' VHS. And in the case of some films, the film transfer is surprisingly updated.
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I started buying DVDs in January 2001, when I tore up my Blockbuster rental card in front of the clerk because he wouldn't credit me for a defective VHS tape! and I have never looked back. DVD is so much cleaner, brighter, etc....and with movies mastered as anamorphic (16x9) widescreen in 5.1 sound...wow!! Even the DS DVDs look so much better than the old VHS tapes. I'm now on my 4th DVD player, which upconverts to near HD quality for my widescreen plasma HD TV... All I can say is this: if you have good eyesight and good hearing, then you WILL appreciate the increase in quality. Trust me, I thought my mid--okay: late!-40s eyes, with tri-focal glasses, would never be able to tell the difference between the old standard def TV and video and the newer HD and such...but I can. I have not been disappointed, and you won't be either. (BTW--DS looks pretty darned good when zoomed to fill the 16x9 screen).
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A good thing about most DVDs, which does not apply to the Dark Shadows DVDs, is dubbing and subtitles. I enjoyed Gosford Park and The Full Monty much more with English subtitles, and French dubbing and subtitles on several movies have certainly improved my knowledge of the French vernacular. Alas, however: Working Girl has French dubbing but not subtitles, and my listening comprehension is not good enough for me to get what the French for "bony ass" is.
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I enjoyed Gosford Park and The Full Monty much more with English subtitles
Luciaphil and I once had a hilarious conversation about how useful closed captioning was when watching "Gosford Park".....[lghy]
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And now the downside - I just got collection 10 in the mail. As usual, a couple of the discs were rattling around inside the box. I think they might be scratched, but I'm still on collection 6, so it'll be a while before I get to those discs, and I don't want to hump ahead. I wonder if MPI will replace just the scratched ones...?
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If they're only slightly scratched, they should still play fine. That's one of the advantages of DVD - they have to be REALLY scratched up before they're unplayable. ;) And even at that, there's stuff available to repair the scratches. :)
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sometimes when i look at the massive,unwieldy pile of d.s. tapes i have(episode one through the start of the quentin hauntings before i switched to dvd)i think i should sell them and upgrade my entire collection to the dvd format.
but in the end i just can't justify that expense.
i do plan to purchase the first year dvds when they become available because i'm missing some episodes there.
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Yea my Uncle is into DS and has a whole box full of those DS tapes. The only reason I could see to upgrade them would be so the tapes don't wear out and then you can't watch it anymore, but more than likely by the time they wear out, the DVDs will be a lot cheaper. Well, hopefully.
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The added clarity and richness of the DVDs is an allure, but I have to confess that the main reason why I am slowly switching my collection over to disc is SPACE. I have nearly all of 1968 on DVD now and the little boxes take up a little over a linear foot of shelf space, as opposed to a couple of rows of shelves which was the case previously.
For various reasons I have to move around a lot so space is a definite consideration here.
I do advise the person whose discs were loose to "test drive" each of the discs. I always do that when a new box arrives. By test drive I mean put the disc in the player, make sure the menu comes up, and check a couple of scenes in a couple of shows.
G.
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the main reason why I am slowly switching my collection over to disc is SPACE.
Yep, me too! I used to live in a VERY small, cramped walk-up and it was cluttered to the max w/stuff. I now live in a two-story duplex (like a townhouse) and do NOT want it to become cluttered like the walk-up. So I've started to find ways to have all the stuff I REALLY need or want w/out cluttering up the place. One way is to convert VHS to DVD and put bookshelves into walk-in closets! ;)
One plus for me regarding the DS DVD's is when MPI was releasing them to tape I was in college full time and couldn't afford to buy them. Now I'm REALLY glad I couldn't 'cause I can get them on DVD instead! ;)
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I just was looking for some insight as to why people replace their videos with DVDs. Thanks for the insight. I'm still not sure I'd do it unless it was a movie I REALLY loved, but to each their own.
I have now got the DS DVD's and the quality is much better than the videos and there are a lot of advantages with them. There are 10 episodes per disc instead of 5 per video. If you only want to watch a specific episode you can choose it on the menu rather than having to watch two or three to get to the one you want to see. They do take up much less space. I had about 70 or so of the videos (out of 200 regular series + 54 collector's series videos) and the 26 box set DVD collections take up probably less than 1/4 of the space of those 70 videos.
But I will not be upgrading my entire video collection to DVD, only as I can a few of the movies I watch the most often like Gone with the Wind and Pride and Prejudice 1995 version, which I have in 6 videos. The reason for that of course is cost.
The problem is the market is forcing everyone to upgrade whether they want to or not. You can't even find VCR's or videos in stores anymore. Everything is DVD. It's the same with music, everything now is CD rather than cassette. If you choose to keep your videos, that's fine but there may come a day when your VCR breaks down and you won't be able to play them any longer unless you're able to find another VCR. I think it's pretty sad that this is the case, and it's all so they can make more money as people buy the same movies on DVD as they bought on video a few years ago. That's fine if you have the money for it.
Of course someday something else will replace the DVD and we'll be forced to upgrade again.
Alondra