The Future of Home Video

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Speaking of even more antique equipment -- I thought one of our old VCRs still worked -- but it still doesn't. Can one even find working VCRs anymore (for cheap)?

Not sure how many here are like me, but I'm a hoarder of old media and equipment (part of my day job). I have a six-head RCA VHS player I use all the time for watching tapes along with a few laserdisc players. I have both for watching numerous Hong Kong films only available on these formats along with a few oddities that for some reason or another never made the leap to any other format (Dennis Hopper's sleazy thriller, Nails, comes to mind). I've been tempted to buy a beta player, but still haven't. I have a couple of halogen 16mm projectors too and have been looking into investing in a xenon one eventually. I have a similarly wild setup for my audio with a Technics CD player, a Technics dual cassette with Dolby functionality, and a more modern Pro-ject turntable. Aside from my turntable which I bought new, I find everything second-hand either at thrift stores and Craigslist. I'm also proud to say I've never spent more than $14 on anything. For example, I have excellent condition Altec-Lansing Model 5 speakers from the 70s for my older media setup that I got for free off Craigslist from an old man who was too old to move them and was a former engineer for JBL. For display, I use a late model Sony Trinitron with component and S-video function, but thinking of switching to one of the professional models of Trinitron. It takes patience, but if you're a scavenger like I tend to be, finding equipment for old formats is certainly not impossible.

[movielocke]

One of ours turns on but is otherwise "unresponsive" -- the other can't respond to any remote control (and no way to deal with tracking without the remote control). It seems the sensor on the VCR died (I even opened it up and cleaned it of dust etc to see if this might help).

Addendum -- the non-responding to remote control VCR has ALSO completely died since I last checked it a year or so go -- pushing the power button now does nothing.

i wonder if there are any youtube videos on reviving/repairing old electronics oneself. my sisters successfully revived some old 90s era battery operated toys over the holidays, following some youtube videos and using nothing more than a quetip and vinegar.

[Michael Kerpan]

I'm afraid I've shifted this topic (at least temporarily) to "The Past of Home Video"

[Godot]

The Wall Street Journal article on this Universal-WB merger emphasized "the death of physical media" angle, including a dramatic bar chart.

Michael K, I see a number of name brand models of VCRs that sell for $30-40 on eBay. Another option is to check your local Goodwill type storefront; in my area we have a "Savers" chain that sells used electronics equipment, and they often have VCRs, DVD players, computer monitors, musical keyboards, etc. for $10-15. I have two VCRs that I keep for the rare tapes that I can copy for neighbors (old home movies) onto DVD (Sony DVD recorder with hard-drive), or copying foreign films that hadn't been released on DVD yet (a decade ago that was how I saw the rarer Renoir, Ozu, and Lang films ... now all available on sparkling blu-rays).

[Lemmy Caution]

I basically own a TV to solely watch movies and watch no Tv at all, except for NBA games. I also don't stream anything. So I have no idea what to make of this article about the insanity of paying for multiple streaming services.

But this struck me as bizarre:

Television shows became the score to which I lived my life; I played these shows on a loop in the background of my life while I cleaned my apartment, folded laundry, did my makeup or cooked dinner.

Sounds like some kind of nightmare to me.
To each her own, but hasn't this person ever heard of MUSIC?
Honestly, I'd be worried if TV shows dominated my life so.

[willoneill]

Television shows became the score to which I lived my life; I played these shows on a loop in the background of my life while I cleaned my apartment, folded laundry, did my makeup or cooked dinner.

Sounds like some kind of nightmare to me.
To each her own, but hasn't this person ever heard of MUSIC?
Honestly, I'd be worried if TV shows dominated my life so.

I don't do it myself, but my wife does. She also likes to fall asleep to a perpetual rerun of Arrested Development. I would make the argument though that I listen to podcasts in the background when I'm working around the house, and that's not really much different than having a TV show running. To each their own, is I guess what I'm getting at.

[cdnchris]

When I'm working I'll have music sometimes, but others I'll have a movie on in the background. Helps time go I guess. The Irishman and its length has been especially helpful the few times I've had it on in the background.

[movielocke]

I like putting on classic movies I’ve seen before while doing dishes and other household chores. Add some Bluetooth headphones and it’s a fun way to listen to the dialog without actually considering it watching the movies (said as someone who has played most of the “radio theatre” special features on wb and criterion discs this way as well). Last week I was doing this with the miracle of Morgan’s creek, which makes for a pretty fun radio play in this respect.

This is also how I consume virtually all of criterions English language interview heavy supplements. Especially commentaries, this is the best way to consume commentaries, just did it last week for “and life goes on” (otherwise commentaries are the worst supplement, and something I mostly skipped for decades. Loved the idea of commentaries at first in my teens when I first got a DVD player back in 2001, watched most every commentary on dvds I bought , but since about 2005, until I started using Bluetooth headphones I only rarely watched commentaries (sampled them often, but it’s just such a colossal waste of my limited dedicated movie watching time budget that could otherwise be allocated to watching another movie)

Sometimes it doesn’t work. Recently, for example the john Bailey + storyboards on the visual design of temple drake. Lasted about ninety seconds before I put chores on pause and just watched the entire fifteen minute piece

[domino harvey]

My roommate plays the Office on a constant loop, though I've never heard her laugh at it (probably loses something on the tenth viewing). But I can't judge, I'm pretty sure I watched tapes of NewsRadio the same way in high school, so I understand the impulse. I generally enjoy silence, but I do listen to either of ChilledCow's lo-fi hip hop beats live streams when I work, though (1 / 2)

[willoneill]

Sunrise Records, the Canadian chain that last year bought HMV UK, has now purchased FYE.

[jazzo]

Sunrise Records, the Canadian chain that last year bought HMV UK, has now purchased FYE.

Honestly, this company and its operations remain a mystery to me.

As a Torontonian and film collector, Sunrise Records and, of course, Bay Street Video (which is still going very strong) were the downtown places to go to purchase movies on disc. When Sunrise imploded and closed the core Yonge Street location, everyone (in this very small circle of physical media consumers) thought they were done. That location in particular was always well-stocked, the staff were knowledgeable, approachable and always generous with their time, and their prices were very reasonable. If this flagship location, which acted kind-of like a beacon of the rest of the stores, couldn't make it, then surely none of them could.

And yet, the satellite locations in suburban malls remained open. The few times I've managed to make out to them (when visiting my in-laws), they rarely seem busy. Their stock is kind-of all over the place.

A few years ago, Sunrise absorbed the closed HMV mall locations in Canada, and have, since, unceremoniously closed a couple of those very acquisitions within the Greater Toronto Area.

Now this latest development.

I'm not upset by it at all, just baffled. I honestly don't know how they do it.

[MichaelB]

When they bought HMV, they closed many of the higher-profile flagship shops - but the reason they gave is that those were the ones where the rent was highest, which makes a lot of sense if you're trying to rescue a company in financial difficulties. I've been expecting my small local HMV in Worthing to bite the dust for years now, but it seems that it's shops like that which are actually commercially viable, whereas ones in, say, the middle of London very much aren't.

[colinr0380]

The HMV I occasionally visit in Stockport seems to be doing pretty well (especially considering that Stockport lost its ginormous Marks & Spencer store across the road from the HMV long before the wave of M&S closures that were in the news last year and there is still a huge lot just standing empty in the middle of the high street) and since all this happened I don't have the staff trying to rabidly up-sell me on a store loyalty card anymore so, for the moment at least, I actually visit the store more than I used to!

[Cash Flagg]

as someone who has played most of the “radio theatre” special features on wb and criterion discs

Is there a list somewhere of all of the BDs/DVDs with Lux Radio Theater broadcasts on them?

[Minkin]

James Rolfe's roast of the Blu-Ray format (top ten reasons DVD was better than Blu-Ray)

This does remind me of a question I had:

How many of you have streamed something you physically owned?

I've done this a few times - when I didn't feel like sitting through the FBI warnings and menus, when it would be instantly available in front of us.

[Drucker]

This was painful.

[RitrovataBlue]

I’ve streamed films in the streaming equivalent of UHD that I own on Blu-ray, but otherwise I automatically go to the disc. Streaming UHD is usually a disappointment anyway.

[BigMack3000]

But it starts with such a strong argument. Take away the improved video and audio quality and "a checklist technical advantages", and it just makes sense. A blu-ray has never made me a ham sandwich. What am I buying these to watch a movie?

[tenia]

The issues with this list are just too numerous, but I guess the main one is that many of his problems with BD actually already happened with DVD. It's probably actually got better with BD for many of this 10 issues, especially forced trailers.
Moreover, this is an extremely studio oriented video : I own more than 3000 BDs, and the majority of those aren't lining up with the issues he's describing.

But it's an interesting video by what it's showing people can focus on. It's a pure first half of first world problems video, it discards altogether the technological goal of the format evolution from DVD to BD to focus on mostly little conveniency points many people might actually have never experienced (who use bookmarks anyway ? And who really loved that godawful overloaded circumvolunted DVD menus that took ages to navigate within ?). I would have supposed, for instance, that Engligh speaking movies still released without SDH subs would be a much more important issues.

[bearcuborg]

This was painful.

The only reason I stayed with it for awhile is that James used to be pretty funny reviewing Nintendo games back in the day...but yeah, for the most part that was pretty bad.

I’ll say this, I had no idea bluetooth remotes were a thing. My sound bar gets in the way of my TV sensor, so that kind of technology would come in handy...

[Lowry_Sam]

Upon hearing about the list, I assumed it would be an attempt to launch an analog vs digital type rant (ie records vs. cd's), but his complaints aren't about things that are actually inherent to the format, they are about the packaging & design of the final product.

And some players have apps you can use on your phone via bluetooth or wifi.

[Adam X]

Introducing a new, revolutionary viewing experience. Vertical Viewing has launched on The Arrow Video Channel!

[Michael Kerpan]

What is horrifying is that some entity might do this for real....

[Adam X]

Well, Vine’s already come ‘n’ gone, and now we’re in the middle of the apocalypse.

[Michael Kerpan]

Whatever Vine was, I must have missed it entirely.