Death of DVD's & CD's?

[kriegerg69]

I've held off replying in this thread until I could read what others have posted, and not only do I agree, but the general concensus seems to be:

This is a crock o' nonsense. To even THINK that downloading would EVER replace physically purchasing a DVD/VHS/CD is utter nonsense. Everything that others have said in their replies here is 100% right on the mark.

Now....I wouldn't deny that pay-to-download will become more prominent as time goes by. Let's face it: There's a hell of a lot one can do while online...you can basically do all your shopping (even for groceries!) without ever leaving your home....but downloading media as a side option for actually buying a DVD/VHS/CD/etc. likely won't expand too much until more people have faster digital connections as well as a CD/DVD burner as well.

Question for ASHTHECAT: Did you also post this same news story over on the SciFilm phorum? I ask because someone over there posted this exact same news right about the same time you did here.

[Ash]

Nope.

Wasn't me who posted it.

I've never been to that forum.

[JohnL]

I think that story was written by someone completely out of touch with reality.

First, computer downloads will be limited to computer geeks who are willing to deal with software players, flaky downloads etc. Many people don't even have a computer much less paying $50 a month for the kind of high-speed access they'd need to download movies. Plus, even with a cable modem, it's not like you can download an entire movie instantly. Most people would rather grab a DVD and pop it into a player.

Video on demand - Great idea, instead of paying a single (albeit higher) price to own any movie available on video/DVD with all kinds of extras, you pay a price to watch a no-frills movie once, from a limited selection.

Not to mention that Hollywood and the music industry aren't exactly rushing to embrace downloadable content. They're too busy trying to figure out ways to make sure that they have absolute total control over what people do with the files.

I recall once reading an article that predicted that within a few years time, everyone would be buying low-cost dumb terminals instead of computers and that all software would be stored online and downloaded to your terminal on a pay-per-use basis. I think that was about 1990 or so...

[NEC]

<>

I remember that! And I couldn't believe how freaking idiotic it was!!

[Evan3]

The other problem with a 100 percent downloadable format replacing all hard copies is the movie/music big industry. If anything, they would be adamently against this since they would have to significantly lower the price of music and movies. Plus, it is so much easier to replecate and distribute a download as opposed to a  DVD/Cd.

In any case, I would much rather have downloads they are, easy to get and cheap, and hopefully, they will become a competitor to drive these oppfressive CD and DVD prices down.

[AndyC]

A couple of other serious problems with downloadable media. If someone decides to mess with a movie, such as by colorizing Kansas in the Wizard of Oz, adding CGI to Star Wars or taking the guns out of ET, chances are that is going to be all that is available. There won't be thousands of copies of the original movie in circulation.

For that matter, is a company going to want to fill server space with an obscure, crappy 40-year-old movie, just for a few people like us who want to see it? There are still VHS copies of cheesy old movies floating around from the 80s, even though they are long out of print and few people even remember them. If they'd been exclusively downloadable, many of those titles probably wouldn't be available to us now.

Having movies, or any information, spread around in physical form is also much better in terms of preservation than having it stored in one place.

[Susan]

I still wish they would get rid of Pay per view and replace it with all you want rentals. Instead of just the standard 5-10 new releases to select, pay for and watch why not have every movie ever made available to rent at home? I'd love that, just do a search in the database for the movie I want and baddabing. Hopefully those days are coming and that will close the doors on blockbuster.

As for downloading, I hope not. My connection sucks and it would take eons.

I don't doubt they'll do away with the CD, i bet right now they already have another method. They'll milk the dvd craze for all it's worth and then phase it out for the next step..making everyone rebuild their damn movie collection once again. It's moved from the rhelm of technology simply advancing to companies strategically planning ways to make more money and screw john q. public. Willing to bet whatever it is will be very small and compact, like a chip. Why don't they come out with movies you can implant in people's brains? That way whenever I wanna watch Barbarella all I have to do is wiggle my earlobe and close my eyes...

[JohnL]

>Why don't they come out with movies you can implant in people's brains? That
>way whenever I wanna watch Barbarella all I have to do is wiggle my earlobe
>and close my eyes...

But what happens if your earlobe itches while you're driving and you absentmindedy scratch it? :)

[Susan]

>>>But what happens if your earlobe itches while you're driving and you absentmindedy scratch it?<<<

Nothing compared to the women worldwide who would be staring into the blank..yet euphoric fases of boyfriends and husbands getting brain damage from boob flicks I guess.  Nix that idea.....

[jmc]

20 years maybe [probably more like 25] but five years?  No way.  Computers aren't quite commonplace in the home yet--not to the point where they're like having a television or a telephone.

[dean]

whilst i agree that it won't happen for a while, but cd's will get phased out eventually, when dvd recorders are cheap and easy to use, and you have one instead of a regular cd player.  

one example is that videos are becoming fairly less common place now [i mean new ones; everything seems to be released on dvd nowadays], and i only use them to tape tv shows, but think about it: if dvd has that audio, it would be so much easier than having a vcr, a cd burner and all that crap.  if it was all in one it would be a lot easier.

as for the whole download thing, alot of people in their teens download stuff.  not just the geeks etc, though it won't become a powerhouse until connections speed up and become cheaper.   but the net is too hard to control, there'll always be a way to get it for free, they might as well not bother trying to charge us.

death to big corporations.


just had a thought, wouldn't it be funny if downloading stuff for free got to a stage where it was just plain unprofitable to make cds, and they sort of just faded out... that would be very funny.  i guess the only way to make money would be concerts.