Are early "digital" releases the new DIVX? (1 Viewer)

[Jesse Skeen]

I brought this up on another forum a while ago and was largely met with indifference, but haven't discussed it much here: As you may be aware, a lot of movies are currently being released for purchase on digital streaming services such as Vudu and Amazon several weeks BEFORE they're available on any disc format. This harkens back to the much-hated pay-per-use DIVX format from 1998-99, when some movies were only available on that and used as a selling point to choose it over regular DVD. I know that this 'digital' system works for some people, but seems like if it were good enough, they wouldn't need to push it by giving so many movies the advantage of an early release- right now they're saying "Don't wait for the disc- buy it now on DIGITAL HD!" I personally will NEVER switch to buying movies this way, and if it ever becomes the only way to buy movies I'll just stop collecting at that point. Although I'm equipped for most of the streaming services and use them occasionally for rentals, the picture quality still can't match Blu-ray, and even if it could I would not want to have to access my movies from a server where they can be removed at any time for any reason.

 

[t2smith]

I bet they are releasing movies on digital early because getting impatient people to give in to their impulse to have it now is the only way they can sell movies on digital for full price. Once it is available on disc for the same price or lower, the digital sales probably plummet. For example, why would somebody buy Captain America: The Winter Soldier from Vudu in HDX for $22.99 when they can buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon for $19.99?

If a movie is one of my favorites, I prefer it on Blu-ray, don't mind waiting for it on disc, and usually look for a deal on Amazon. If it is a movie I would normally rent, I will buy a digital copy if I can find it at a huge discount. I mostly buy movies for about $3 from people who are selling their HD Ultraviolet copies and I look at them like long term rentals since I can watch them anytime I want. Even if all Ultraviolet providers were to eventually shut down, I figure I would have got my money's worth by then. The only thing I have bought directly from a digital provider is all 9 seasons of Little House on the Prairie from Vudu in HDX for $39.99 and I sold my Ultraviolet copy from the season 3 Blu-ray for $6.50, so I recouped some of the cost. If a Family Video had all 9 seasons available for rental, there would probably be more than 40 discs and it would probably cost more than $39.99 to rent them all. The only reason I bought it from Vudu is because it was a huge discount and the last six seasons aren't available on Blu-ray. Even with the final six seasons not being out on Blu-ray yet, I would have resisted my impulse to have it if the price wasn't hugely discounted.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

It's not a totally valid comparison. The threat of DIVX is that there were studios releasing movies exclusively to it, and on top of that, they were pan-and-scan only. And of course, the packaging was wasteful.

 

[Wayne_j]

Thanks for mentioning Little House season 3. I somehow missed that it was released. Just ordered it from Amazon.