A Few Words About A few words about...™ Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[David Norman]

Thank you, now I'm depressed.

Financially it might be something studios would consider.

Emotionally and psychologically how would people actually react to essentially going back to pre 1985 when essentially rental was all that existed and Movie Ownership was almost nonexistent. Some people had 16mm, a few CED/early LD, and a very few people bought VHS tapes.

Imagine all the rest of the video stores would start going away with no new movies, all the Media stores specializing in disc would suddenly have an interesting dilemma. Technicolor/SonyDADC and the rest of teh disc replication plants would have a big hole.

OTOH -- I can't find any numbers on foreign disc sales anywhere (a few UK numbers, but nothing else). HMM has had numbers already showing DVD sales steadily dropping 15+% yearly and Bluray basically staying steady around $2B yearly. Looking at Box Office numbers domestic and international, it wouldn't surprise me in the least that non US disc sales/profits already well exceed the US or US/CAN market making shutting down ALL Disc replication far more costly than what the US market provides. Becoming a full time importer of disc in order to continue a Disc Library might still be a solution


I truly would love to know some real details and projections of various alternatives from people who know the numbers and research/projections.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't really want to get into a discussion here about fundamentally changing the way the industry does business, which really has nothing to do with Guardians Vol. 2. But I will say that shutting down disc purchases WOULD hurt at least my contributions to the studio's bottom line. I'm not really big on rentals -- I will do them very occasionally, but most of my streaming is done via Netflix where it's a subscription fee and not a per-title rental fee -- but mostly I go to the movie theater as much as I am able and then if I love the film in the theater, I'll buy the physical disc.

If in your scenario I can't buy the physical disc, I would probably just wait for the film to turn up on Netflix, rather than doing a digital rental of something have already seen. Over in the Disney thread in the music forum, we have been discussing the professionally-filmed version of the Newsies stage musical, which Disney released to theaters earlier this year in collaboration with Fathom Events. I saw that in February during the first batch of screenings (they also did encores in March and a couple weeks ago) and thought it was great. It came out on Disney Movies Anywhere for digital purchase in May. I haven't bought it yet, because I am waiting for Disney to offer a disc. It was recently announced that it is coming to Netflix on September 5. I'll be happy to stream it as part of the existing Netflix subscription, but I'm not going to pay money to own the digital rights to a movie.

I will, however, purchase the physical disc as soon as Disney sees fit to make one available -- and that holds true whether it stays on Netflix or not.

So, yeah, the studios would lose a lot of my money if they removed the physical-disc-purchasing option altogether. Whether my money individually is enough for them to care about losing it is another question entirely. But I would be very upset if we get to a point where buying discs is no longer an option, and I would spend less than I do now with the studios. I'm willing to guess that a lot of people here would probably be very upset, too.

 

[DaveF]

There are still some scattered 3D SB -- items that were found hiding behind other things, a few returns from people that ordered multiples. Solo copies at stores that mkae the online inventory say zero, a few canceled pickup orders. Overall it's going to be a random lucky find at this point.
For those still looking, it isn't unusual on Thursday or Friday for stores to get 2nd small deliveries from the main warehouse after all the online shipping orders are covered then the rest of the stock will get distributed.

I've found I'm not into 3D at home. So, I'll buy it if it's available and minimal price delta. But I'm no longer going out of my way for it, since I'm not watching them. The dimmer picture and 30Hz flicker diminish my enthusiasm a bit. And some friends can't watch 3D which means it's not an option for movie parties. Still, I should spend some more time with 3D now the theater is done done.

I seriously feel everybody's pain here. Random thoughts went through my brain! I am not in possession of such a device, just curious, is it possible to copy a 3D movie if one owned a Blu ray burner on a computer?

Yep. My HTPC has my 3D movies. (One of these days I'm going to buy Gravity 3D and attempt to merge it with the Atmos copy I already own for the ultimate 3D + Atmos edition.) But playback is trickier: fewer programs can play 3D. It's not worth the trouble unless you're all-in on the HTPC hobby.

 

[David Norman]

Yep. My HTPC has my 3D movies. (One of these days I'm going to buy Gravity 3D and attempt to merge it with the Atmos copy I already own for the ultimate 3D + Atmos edition.) But playback is trickier: fewer programs can play 3D. It's not worth the trouble unless you're all-in on the HTPC hobby.

A few people seems to have done such.

More people have 2 bluray players and just synch up the 3D Video with the Audio running Atmos. Apparently with a little effort it;s pretty successful and a lot easier overall that combining the bluray video/audio

 

[DavidJ]

"The problem is, they decided to package in one of their limited steelbook editions, which are known for selling out very quickly and never seeing a second pressing"

You know it's an issue, yet somehow assumed that it will be different than the last 3-4 times (including Skull Island 4K/3D and BatB Steelbooks this summer, Doctor Strange and Moana Steelbooks earlier in the year), you know even the non limited edition Doctor Strange 3D and Moana 3D have been difficult to get and that Disney is pulling back on 3D print runs of every sort

You admittedly know SB are limited and sell out quickly even when they're not 3D or 4K, you know there isn't another 3D option, you know it's Disney's 1st 4K release and this will be the only 4K/3D in the world, you know you absolutely want the 3D item and aren't settling for another option.

The assumption should be to order it early just to cover yourself, not ignore recent repetitive history and then b/c you made a poor choice in the face of overwhelming evidence you then go nuclear on the Best Buy who likely had very little say in the number made.

Should Disney have made more -- probably/maybe, but there was no reason to believe they were going to be more aggressive since they certainly gave no indication of it. To ignore all the overwhelming evidence b/c you think it should be different and then act like there was no way to predict it was going to go down like this is disingenuous at best.

Should BBY have not advertised this since Disney was restricting the amount being made? Should it have have a big warning label on it " Super Limited Edition, Crunchy, Raw,Unboned Real Dead Frog"

I am not defending or condoning Disney (or to a lesser extent Best Buy since they can only play the hand they're dealt), but hoping and wishing things will be different this time does not negate the reality of how things have worked multiple times before.

I truly am sorry that people who wanted it couldn't get it, but I mostly sorry for international Disney Collectors who really have no option. Much like the people going ballistic on the police, DOT, other drivers on the road about Eclipse Traffic, some things should not be unexpected b/c you think it shouldn't work that way

Well, I've never had any problems getting a recent exclusive that I wanted at Best Buy, but this time I broke down and ordered it when it became available again in the early morning of release day. I'm glad I did because there were none in sight at the store. This is a new development in our area. It is not expected.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I seriously feel everybody's pain here. Random thoughts went through my brain! I am not in possession of such a device, just curious, is it possible to copy a 3D movie if one owned a Blu ray burner on a computer? Again, I am not advocating breaking copyright, just curious.

Yes it is.

 

[Edwin-S]

As more and more people pull away from physical discs and toward streaming options, like Netflix, which doesn't cost anything beyond your subscription fee, you would think the studios would want to do as much as they can to encourage those of us who still want to make purchases to be able to do that as easily as possible, so that they can make the maximum amount of money possible. Instead, studios and retailers continue to create situations like this one where it becomes really hard to be a fan, ultimately to their detriment because the trust between the customer and the retailer and studio suffers, and thus repeat business suffers.

You're assuming studios want people who purchase discs to continue to be able to do that. They don't. The studios have always hated the idea of people owning physical copies of films, because once a sale is made they lose a large part of recurring revenue from per view charges. They have had to put up with it, but in their ideal world physical discs and streaming services such as NetFlix would be dead. People would be stuck with pay-per-view streaming and loving it if the studios had their druthers.

Also, people are moving to streaming because it is dirt cheap compared to other distribution systems such as cable or physical media; however, they are fooling themselves if they think that streaming are going to stay at 10 or 20 dollars a month if it becomes the dominant method of receiving content. Once they are finished destroying their competition, streaming services will end up being no cheaper than cable TV.

 

[David Norman]

And back in stock for shipping however briefly

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-steelbook-digital-copy-3d-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-only-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-blu-ray-3d-2017/5904801.p?skuId=5904801

 

[TravisR]

You're assuming studios want people who purchase discs to continue to be able to do that. They don't. The studios have always hated the idea of people owning physical copies of films, because once a sale is made they lose a large part of recurring revenue from per view charges.

That is their wet dream but they can't make that happen because who is going to keep paying over and over to see one movie? I love Star Wars but there's no way that I would keep paying $4 each time I watch it.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That is their wet dream but they can't make that happen because who is going to keep paying over and over to see one movie? I love Star Wars but there's no way that I would keep paying $4 each time I watch it.

I've said it before in other threads, and at the risk of repeating myself, I'll say it again: studios need to wake up and realize that they're not in competition with other retailers and other services - they're in competition with illegal downloading. Anyone who doesn't care about stealing content (and a growing number of people don't perceive pirated streams to be "stealing" because they're not removing a physical item from a store or hacking anything themselves) can simply buy a modded Amazon Firestick for $40, and have access to pretty much anything ever done anywhere. That's it. I didn't believe it was that easy until I went to visit a friend out of town a couple months ago and got a demonstration.

For studios to keep customers paying them rather than pirates, they have to do two things: they need to have their programs and services simply work, in a way that's easier and more intuitive than the bootlegged programs, and they need to start realizing that asking people to pay for online content is a little like the "suggested donation" box at the museum entrance - some people will pay it, but it's just as easy to walk in and enjoy the same experience without paying a dime.

Simultaneously, you have scenarios like this Guardians 2 3D version fiasco, where people were willing to pay a premium for it and the studio is essentially rejecting their dollars. Premium experiences, whether it's a 3D disc at home or an IMAX presentation in theaters, is one of the few areas that fans are still willing to pay instead of bootleg. The new Moviepass system is going to devalue theatrical 2D moviegoing even further. The studios need to make accessing their product easy and affordable, or people will simply steal it and not lose one moment of sleep over it. Whether that's right or wrong, I believe that's the reality.

So the day that Disney or whoever else says, "The new Star Wars movie will not be available for purchase in any format; viewers can rent online it for individual viewing" will be the day that more people than ever before illegally download a movie.

 

[Jake Lipson]

On another note, I sat down and went though all the extras this afternoon (except the commentary, which I will do separately later due to its length.) The featurettes on the disc are good, but have a lot of the cast and crew talking about how wonderful everyone else is to work with, and while there's good info in there, I have to say that the digital copy-exclusive scene breakdowns are actually even better than what is on the disc in terms of giving you a genuine look at the process of making this film.

They've taken three key sequences (Southern Nights, Come a Little Bit Closer, and the Gamora/Nebula fight) and show them in their entirety in storyboard format, followed by pre-visualizations, temp CGI, and again and again in all the different layers of work that it takes to finally get to the end product that's part of the movie. Meanwhile, the final scene from the movie plays in a litle cutout in the corner of the screen so you can compare all of the layers to what was finally included. If you redeem your digital copy, these are really worth checking out.

This is a really cool feature and it demonstrates more clearly than anything else the sheer amount of work that it took to put this movie together. I'm happy to have seen it, but I really wish these were on the disc permanently with the other stuff, and not a digital exclusive that may or may not remain there.

 

[Johnny Angell]

On another note, I sat down and went though all the extras this afternoon (except the commentary, which I will do separately later due to its length.) The featurettes on the disc are good, but have a lot of the cast and crew talking about how wonderful everyone else is to work with, and while there's good info in there, I have to say that the digital copy-exclusive scene breakdowns are actually even better than what is on the disc in terms of giving you a genuine look at the process of making this film.

They've taken three key sequences (Southern Nights, Come a Little Bit Closer, and the Gamora/Nebula fight) and show them in their entirety in storyboard format, followed by pre-visualizations, temp CGI, and again and again in all the different layers of work that it takes to finally get to the end product that's part of the movie. Meanwhile, the final scene from the movie plays in a litle cutout in the corner of the screen so you can compare all of the layers to what was finally included. If you redeem your digital copy, these are really worth checking out.

This is a really cool feature and it demonstrates more clearly than anything else the sheer amount of work that it took to put this movie together. I'm happy to have seen it, but I really wish these were on the disc permanently with the other stuff, and not a digital exclusive that may or may not remain there.

Jake, does it matter where you redeem the digital copy. Do you get the extras no matter where you redeem?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Jake, does it matter where you redeem the digital copy. Do you get the extras no matter where you redeem?

I redeemed my digital copy directly to Vudu, which is what I always use (I have over 400 movies on there), so I can't speak to other retailers specifically, but I think so. The insert with the digital copy code actually even says "Includes exclusive bonus only on digital!" and there was nothing to indicate that these are specific to any given retailer. So, yes, my impression is that you can redeem it anywhere.

On the other hand, if your Disney Movies Anywhere/Disney Movie Rewards account is linked to multiple providers, redeeming it there will give it to you across any and all providers that you account is linked to

I really don't understand what the point is of keeping these extras digital exclusive. Disney could be attempting to encourage digital purchases, but since everyone gets a code to access the digital version with purchase of the disc, it's not like they got any additional money from me for the digital version with its extras. And I doubt very much that the disc didn't have room for these additional features.

On Beauty and the Beast, the commentary was Vudu-exclusive, and that appears to be a retailer-exclusive issue rather than an attempt to convert more people to buying digital, but this situation does not seem to be the same thing.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I have discovered that a Vudu library can be shared. However the Disney Anywhere on Vudu will be limited to the subscriber who redeemed it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Yeah, that's Disney not wanting their content to be shared. I believe that their exclusion from the sharing feature is probably written into their contract with Vudu as a condition for Vudu to participate in Disney Movies Anywhere.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I have discovered that a Vudu library can be shared. However the Disney Anywhere on Vudu will be limited to the subscriber who redeemed it.

Yup, that's the sole reason I end up preferring UV over iTunes at this point in time. The sharing on Vudu is actually an Ultraviolet feature - the reason it doesn't work with Disney titles is that Disney isn't part of Ultraviolet.

 

[David Norman]

And one of the big worries with the Keychest/Movie Anywhere possible expansion if UV is absorbed.
What will happen to those shared libraries.

Easy enough to give people your user name/PW, but that leaves some horrible possibilities of mutual destruction of people accidentally
or intentionally damaging libraries/stealing entire libraries by resetting control variables and passwords.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yeah. I am happy to give people access to my UV titles by linking accounts that way. It's aboveboard, it gives them access to the titles, but keeps my own account, personal info and ownership safe.

If that feature is removed, I will not be giving my email and password out. It would be a loss of the digital function that I get the most use out of.

 

[DaveF]

One point regarding Dolby Atmos, which opens up one's home theater beautifully with this release, is that the description on the packaging is misleading. It is stated as English 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, while it would more properly simply be described as Dolby Atmos, which, as I understand it, will fill out whatever area is given to its use.

Image - 5

Audio - 5 (Dolby Atmos)

4k - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

I've got the blu-ray, which is DTS-HD 7.1 not Atmos. Is Atmos exclusive to UHD?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yup. Guess Disney's gonna be one of those studios. Paramount and Universal have been pretty good about giving us Atmos on both formats but the other studios have started holding Atmos for UHD as a premium format, ignoring that BD is perfectly capable of handling Atmos. They're intentionally dumbing down the BD to make the UHD more attractive.