Topic: Will you be replacing all your DVDs with Blu-rays?

[Critter]

So 25-35% of what you own is pirated ?

I thought pirated films were like a taboo thing here?

[Najemikon]

Jimmy has said before he has some DVD-Rs, but you have to remember, the stuff he reviews is often underground anyway and simply not available. I know he replaces them as they do get released. Being cynical for a moment, I think distributors use pirates as an indicator of popularity in cases like this.

"Pirating" is the wrong term here. "Bootlegging" maybe? The only time it is morally wrong in my eyes is when there is a perfectly good release available. I bet half the places Jimmy gets his the money finds its way to the filmmaker anyway.

[Touti]

My comment wasn't serious and I didn't mean to criticize Jimmy.  It was just a little picking in good friendship but I should have realized that it could be interpreted differently.

Sorry Jimmy.

Karsten could you delete these few posts from the thread please ?

[Jimmy]

So 25-35% of what you own is pirated ?  

No just unavailable on dvd yet, so they are vhs tranfert on dvd. Sometimes it the only way to watch a movie if you like my genre of cinema and I will never give a cent to a bootleging operation like Jeff Films (even if Amazon sell their dvd ).

An example of what I mean is Something Weird Video (I own almost all their special edition dvd) who don't produce any dvd since the end of their partnership with Image Entertainment. So what they do now is releasing their library on dvd-r or DD so it's not pirated stuff (they have the publishing rights of every movie they own) but movie impossible to find on dvd.

DD is also a way that I use for getting my movie since some product are release this way since no label would sell more than 50 copies if they choose to released them on dvd.

I know that you're joking, but I report frequently to many label a lot of their commercially available film on dvd who are located on Rapidshare, Megaupload, Files Factory, etc. I'm a member on some forum just for that. I don't think that Mike Rasso or Don May see me as a pirate, but as a very dedicated fan

Sorry Jimmy.
Karsten could you delete these few posts from the thread please ?

Why? I know you are joking Eric

[Tom]

Karsten could you delete these few posts from the thread please ?

I don't see any need to start deleting posts. You made a jest. Some might have taken it the wrong way. You clarified it. No harm done.
Deleting these posts would also mean deleting posts of others, and I don't see any need here. Just the normal way of a discussion.

[Touti]

Jimmy I'm not sure  I understand what you mean by "Released on DVD-R".  Do you mean the copyright owners burn their own DVD's and sell them instead of making a deal with a company that "prints" dvd's ?

[Jimmy]

This is more profitable for them to release their catalogue this way and selling to their costumer directly from their website by special order. Many label goes this way because a distributor isn't necessary an advantage anymore. Because most of the time those type of film aren't distribute in the big chain, the % they keep on the sell is high and sometimes they take the money and run. Do yo remember the last time you have seen a Something Weird Video special edition dvd at Walmart or even Archambeault? In my case never seen one at Walmart and for Archambault only on special order (even with that it wasn't sure that you get the dvd).

[Rogmeister]

I do not currently own a Blu-Ray system (or any Blu-ray discs, obviously) and don't currently have plans to get one.  If I ever do get one, I certainly am not going to go crazy and replace everything with Blu-ray.  The cost would be unbelievable. 

[Achim]

Im intrigued, I feel no need to as there will always be something that plays DVDs.... its not like VHS my Blu-Ray player can play DVDs so they are safe :p

Anyone planning on upgrading everything?

I upgrade my favorite stuff if the reviews recommend upgrading and there is a few discs I have upgraded regardless. I am not uphgraidng across the board, that would be too expensive and is entirely unnecessary.

As long as the prices for BR's stays at their level, I'm sticking with SD.

My Oppo upconverts my SD's to a level I find most satisfactory.

Besides, as I get older, my eyesight has gone from 20:20 in my left eye to 20:30, and from 20:25 to 20:80 in my right. So the difference in definition is becoming negligible to me.

I have bad eyes and wear glasses. Not sure about the American optometrics system, but if you compensate for the bad sight I don't see why you wouldn't benefit from Blu-ray.

Obviously "satisfactory" is subjective. However, here is my experice:
When I bought my 42" hi-def TV I also bought an upconverting Pioneer DVD player. I happened to have two copies of the Raging Bull Special Edition DVD, so I put one in my old and one in my new player and then switched channels. It was already amazing to just see the results of upconverison.

Then I bought the PS3 and happened to have the DVD as well as the Blu-ray version of Blade Runner's Final Cut. So I switched channels again and was amazed just how much the improvement between upconversion and true 1080p still was.

Sure, you have to read reviews and ensure you get good transfers. But then even a not-so-stellar Blu-ray is often still bettert than the DVD and, heck, sometimes the Blu-ray is often barely more expensive than the DVD! I even often see that at Amazon the Crierion Blu-rays are substantially cheaper than the DVD counterpart

No

Blu-ray had never interested me for one second... This is just the laser disc of this decade, something made by Hollywood to create an artificial need. Are they better than the regular dvd? Sometimes yes, but most of the time no. Are they practical? No, if you are like me and bought film from different zone. Are they affordable? In theory almost, but you must get an HD television to really enjoy it and an HDTV isn't cheap.

Yes, it isn't cheap. Right now. It is getting cheaper though and I think once price levels are good enough people will buy into it. Big screen hi-def TVs will become something normal and then the step to Blu-ray from DVD is a much shorter one. I do not see this as the next laserdiscs. Laserdisc was a unique format. DVD players could play CDs as well. Blu-ray players can play DVDs and CDs as well. This backwards compatibility makes a big difference!

Of course the day Through the Looking Glass will be release on Blu-ray my opinion will change and I will make the switch

I see you were not being entirely serious

[snowcat]

Jimmy has said before he has some DVD-Rs, but you have to remember, the stuff he reviews is often underground anyway and simply not available. I know he replaces them as they do get released. Being cynical for a moment, I think distributors use pirates as an indicator of popularity in cases like this.

"Pirating" is the wrong term here. "Bootlegging" maybe? The only time it is morally wrong in my eyes is when there is a perfectly good release available. I bet half the places Jimmy gets his the money finds its way to the filmmaker anyway.

....In the cases of films I have that haven't been released on DVD I prefer the term "Evaluation Copy" until the real version is realeased 

...Mind you, I think tha'ts one film that's out on DVD and I have the DVD of now anyway :/

[DJ Doena]

I will replace the movies which I really like to watch and which use an opulent optic (like Braveheart and others of this kind).

This lunch I'll drive into town and get Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves, Batman Begins & The Dark Knight for 9.90€ each. These I already own on DVD.

Also Hangover Extended for 14.90€.

[Najemikon]

I wouldn't bother with something like Hangover on Blu-Ray when the DVD will be much cheaper. I did get Zack & Miri and while it looks good, Blu didn't make it funnier!

[DJ Doena]

I wouldn't bother with something like Hangover on Blu-Ray when the DVD will be much cheaper. I did get Zack & Miri and while it looks good, Blu didn't make it funnier!

Yeah but the DVD isn't much cheaper and does not contain the extended cut.

[Najemikon]

Oh, ok. I didn't realise. They're starting to strong arm people into Blu-Ray with things like that, but so long as the prices are reasonable, that's good.

[addicted2dvd]

I do not currently own a Blu-Ray system (or any Blu-ray discs, obviously) and don't currently have plans to get one.  If I ever do get one, I certainly am not going to go crazy and replace everything with Blu-ray.  The cost would be unbelievable. 

This is basically where I am at as well. Though I must say I seriously considered when I saw a $200 Blu-Ray player at Walmart.... but then I thought why bother hooking up something like that to a 20in standard TV. Would I even see a difference in my case?