criterionforum.org

TMDaines wrote:

Emilio wrote:Collider chimes in:


http://collider.com/why-you-should-keep ... -and-dvds/

As always, the backchannels provide an invaluable service for helping ensure the widest array of content will remain available to a wide-ranging auidence. The commerical, legal streaming sites do not have that purpose.

Couldn’t agree more. I still buy heaps of DVDs (and even videotapes, when necessary) and always try to support labels like Criterion, Arrow, Second Run, Re:Voir and others that put so much effort into their releases. Nevertheless, the film distribution market as a whole, whether it be streaming or physical, is simply unable or (simply due to existing in a capitalist system) unwilling to cope with the extent of quality cinema that’s out there, and that’s a situation that won’t be changing any time in the foreseeable future.

Further limitations, such as region (and lately geoblocking) restrictions only make the situation harder for those of us living outside the US. Region-free players are easy to get here, mercifully, but bypassing streaming site location settings is a great deal more challenging – and that means that not only do we miss out on Fandor, Filmstruck and a range of other good services, but that our version of Netflix is even smaller and less adventurous than its overseas counterparts. It’s a situation that necessitates some form of engagement outside the market; surely only the most pious cinephile doesn’t in some way or other.

I don’t see the work of backchannels as merely justifiable; I see their work as absolutely essential, and would argue that they are among the most erstwhile defenders of public engagement with cinema.

Tropical Kaiju wrote:Quick question, all of you...

Should I spring for an Oppo UDP-203 while still available? I don't have any European of Japanese Blu ray discs, but I've been meaning to upgrade my system. I understand 4K discs are not region encoded at all. So, it would only be necessary to open up the possibility of buying non-region 1 blus.

I'm very happy with my Oppo multi-region DVD player, which is still trucking´after a long, long time.

I'm still burned by getting a HD-DVD player a month before Toshiba lost the format wars to Sony...

Is this a fool's errand?

I just bought one direct from Oppo--I was on the fence and this unfortunate news tipped me over. I've pined for an Oppo for years and was not going to miss out now!

I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for with regard to region capability, however. As you stated, 4K discs are not region encoded. Japanese Blu-rays are Region A, like the US, so you don't need a multi-region player for them if you're in the United States. Some but not all UK/European Blus are Region B, so you need multi-region capability for flexibility with UK/European Blus.

The 203 is Region A-only for Blu and Region 1-only for DVD, unless you buy a region-modded version as Drucker suggested.

MPAA Report: Physical Media Sales Continue Decline, Streaming Continues Rapid Growth

In 2017, combined global spending on theatrical and home entertainment hit $88.4 billion. Digital home entertainment, which includes streaming services, soared 31 percent year-over-year to $32.1 billion, while physical home entertainment spending continued to plummet, down 15 percent to $15.7 billion. But, thanks to digital — up a staggering 161 percent from five years ago — total home entertainment spending was up 11 percent ($47.8 billion).

And that digital 32 billion is without carrying any inventory, transit and manufacturing overhead costs associated with physical media.

Drucker wrote:No. The player is fantastic, especially if you have CDs/SACDs.

The 203 is also available PRE-MODDED from 220 Electronics for the same cost of buying the player and doing the mod yourself via USB. I bought this two months ago and have been incredibly happy.

I just found out the external mods for the 103 may actually work on the 203, which would mean saving 60 bucks or so right there if you did it yourself (total could end up about $600 or so before shipping) (and I do now wonder what you would get different if you paid double for the 203 mod on ebay...).

I already have a 103 mod so I am leaning towards trying it myself to see, but at this point I'm pretty sure it's a viable, cheaper option than paying for someone else to include the mod. No proof until I do it myself, but others have claimed it works for them.

fdm wrote:I already have a 103 mod so I am leaning towards trying it myself to see, but at this point I'm pretty sure it's a viable, cheaper option than paying for someone else to include the mod. No proof until I do it myself, but others have claimed it works for them.

If you do, please report back. I'm in the same boat with the 103 external mod.

I added a little bit more information in the All-Region DVD and Blu-ray Player Advice thread the other day, and will do an update there once I know.

mfunk, you could count anime distributor FUNimation in that list as well. Interestingly, they've started to phase out DVDs (in combo packs) in favor of digital copies, something I didn't expect given the sticky rights issues that often come along with anime. It's not just movies: 20-episode series such as Psycho Pass are getting this treatment, too.

Aren't anime fans a lot more likely to collect something like disc-based box sets, too? Surprised to hear that, I thought that next to porn, anime would survive the physical release apocalypse the longest.

mfunk9786 wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 7:34 pm Aren't anime fans a lot more likely to collect something like disc-based box sets, too?

For sure. Granted, the whole collectors' sets are still going strong. Case in point Aniplex USA: their 12-episode Kiznaiver set costs $120, but it still sells. To buy their entire catalogue would set you back who knows how many thousands.

FUNimation in particular, however, hasn't completely fazed out DVDs. Only re-releases of shows they've put out before have digital copies instead of DVDs (as of right now); some sets even have both. I'm sure some studios haven't allowed for their shows to be available for free with purchase digitally, which is probably the only thing holding FUNi back.

My knowledge of anime extends to things like Akira or Miyazaki but I know for a fact that dubbing is really important for some people. Owning the "1997 version with with dubs by 'x' is a really big thing." I don't understand why but it's a real thing apparently.

Big Ben wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 9:43 pm My knowledge of anime extends to things like Akira or Miyazaki but I know for a fact that dubbing is really important for some people. Owning the "1997 version with with dubs by 'x' is a really big thing." I don't understand why but it's a real thing apparently.

It's not unlike fandom withing martial arts or Godzilla films. People who watched these things have a strong nostalgic appeal to how they may have first encountered it when they were younger. People were crying blue murder when they couldn't get a british dub of Drunken Master that was on the old vhs tapes of yore on their new blu ray.

Banasa wrote:People were crying blue murder when they couldn't get a british dub of Drunken Master that was on the old vhs tapes of yore on their new blu ray.

As was the Eureka production team, for the record. They really did try to secure it, but they were contractually required to release the film by a certain date and they just ran out of time.

Ah, is that the reason? What a shame. Yes, if I do recall they definitely were not ignoring the issue. I was just happy to have any sort of copy of the film in a more than decent edition.

Tropical Kaiju wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 6:38 pmShould I spring for an Oppo UDP-203 while still available? I don't have any European of Japanese Blu ray discs, but I've been meaning to upgrade my system. I understand 4K discs are not region encoded at all. So, it would only be necessary to open up the possibility of buying non-region 1 blus.

Not only should you, you must get the 203. It's the industry standard. Even if you have to pay a premium now to get it, this player fits in with a $5k family room or a $100k home theater. You also get the advantage to play various other formats as others have stated here.

I’ve had mine for over a year now, and have never once regretted buying it. If it’s recorded on a five-inch disc, it will most likely be able to play it.

There's a good selection of great players, so it doesn't have to be an Oppo. Panasonic's are also excellent, although unless I'm mistaken, they can't play SACD or DVD Audio which makes Oppo's a favorite for collectors of those.

Oppo make great players too, but they're not the only option for quality playback of BD and UHD BD.

The newer Panasonic UHD BD players add support for Dolby Vision (higher end only) and Panasonic’s HDR Optimizer (again only on higher end models). The latter feature essentially performs the tone mapping in the player rather than letting the display do it. So there is still a difference between models.

If by color spacing you mean their proprietary chroma upsampling, I believe they all have that, but it’s a pretty subtle improvement. I don’t hear any Oppo owners upset about how those players do 4:2:0 to 4:4:4 conversion, for example.

Is there a reason other than the convenience of not having two players sat under your TV that one would need a hackable UHD player? I'm hoping to upgrade soon and had planned to just retain my ABC/R0 capable Oppo for all my HD and SD viewing.

I'm guessing that a lot of the shift were seeing these days is coming from new markets opening to streaming rather that big shifts within existing markets.

The idea of streaming services being aimed at the cinephile actually seems to be in decline if anything with the promised land of offering "everything" getting further and further away. I suspect what were seeing there is that the market has become better adjusted to its current situation with an increasing realisation that a lot of non mainstream cinema of quality actually earns more money when sold as high quality physical media. At the other end I think were seeing that the battle for selling physical media of more mainstream releases is increasingly being given up with little effort put into provided any extra content anymore.

In light of the FilmStruck news, physical media will continue to serve a purpose...

Matt Singer wrote:I know streaming has its advantages and conveniences, and no one knows how hard it is to store all those DVD and Blu-rays better than a film nerd who lives in a cramped New York City home like myself. The disadvantages of streaming, though, are too often overlooked. Instant access is fantastic, and a wide and varied selection of titles is wonderful. But if all that access and selection exists at the mercy of corporate managers who only care about their bottom line (and not even just profit, but massive profits the likes of which a niche concept like FilmStruck will never achieve) they are worth less in the long run than a pile of Betamax tapes. At least with the Betamax tapes, if you can find a player, you could watch them.

This from Matt Singer's article in Screen Crush... Here

I certainly buy my share of BluRay discs, but since subscribing to FilmStruck I’ve watched about 125 films. Even at BN sale prices that’s at least $2500. Some of those are titles unavailable on disc releases, and I may have bought some of them, but FilmStruck has been an invaluable supplement to the richness of my viewing menu. For the truly obsessed, this was a golden age of flexibility and choice.


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Matt Singer wrote:Discs. Unlike FilmStruck, Warner Bros. can’t come to your home and rip them out of your collection anytime they feel like it.

The many collectors, including myself, who've lost multiple factory-pressed Warner DVDs to disc rot won't find any comfort in that assertion. Warner may not have intended or even expected it to happen, but I've yet to hear of anyone receiving a helpful response from them about this issue.

Jonathan S wrote:

Matt Singer wrote:Discs. Unlike FilmStruck, Warner Bros. can’t come to your home and rip them out of your collection anytime they feel like it.

The many collectors, including myself, who've lost multiple factory-pressed Warner DVDs to disc rot won't find any comfort in that assertion. Warner may not have intended or even expected it to happen, but I've yet to hear of anyone receiving a helpful response from them about this issue.

Is this a thing? I just discovered that my WB disc of for Apache won’t play, played once fine fivish years ago but in spite of a pristine look to the disc, it won’t play.

It is a thing, we've been talking about it for years, though we don't have a centralized thread for it. Any Warner title could be effected, because the volume of WB DVDs means different titles had different plants pressing simultaneously, so there's no sense in making a list