Seriously PO'd [RANT]

JaylumX · **Posted:** Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:56 pm

I like to rent and or download movies from itunes, Blink box, Channel 4 on demand or Zune but i have notuced a trend that is making me reconsider this courtacey that i show to the filmmakers and it is a curtacey. Usually when a film comes out on DVD or Bluray it is available to rent through the mediums mentioned above and it is only after viewing the film do i make the decision to bluray and the upgrade in audio and video is very much wellcome. In most case the film is not good enough by my standards to warrent buying the bluray but renting a film in the uk cost £4.49 on itunes for example since i alway purchase the HD versions if the option is there and it usually is otherwise it is £3.49. Do not mind paying this but of late they do not want to give you the option to rent, only to buy which cost upwards of £10.

I was looking forward to Horrible Bosses this week (Stupid R rated comedies are/is my vice......i love them) which was released yesterday but they want me to buy it.....i want to watch it now. Why the hell would i want to buy a badly encoded video when i could just walk over to the local HMV and get the Bluray (helps that there is one in the building i work) with superior image quality and audio. Why would i want that to clog up my HD. Ticks me off that i cannot view the film for a small amount to decide and i sure as hell am not paying full whack for something i have not seen before (i'd sooner pirate than do that).

My bluray collection is made up of films i saw before hand - some during my eh...cough...funny period...heh heh heh - and i'll be damned if i'm going to hand over a tenner (yes a bloody tenner) for a badly encoded film and in the case of itunes will not even allow me to select surround sound unless i have an external dac.....bloody liberties i tell you considering that my soundcard will win hands down in a pepsci challenge with high end home cinema systems :rolleyes:

They did this last week with Thor and Kung Fu Panda 2 - yes i am sure it is not the best of films but half the fun in life is finding out - as well with X-men first class (this almost tipped me over the edge) so when that came out i pirated it.....just as welll that the film was excellent enought - by my standards at least - to warrent buying the bluray.

They need to stop this nonsense because they never tell you beforehand whether it will be available for rent or to buy so there is me waiting anxiously and on the day....i look like a muppet :rolleyes:

oih

Timelord · **Posted:** Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:20 pm

I'll never understand the studios thinking that they can force someone to buy the film. This is something they have been wanting to do ever since the idea of a rental store came into being.
Now with the digital options they see the opportunity. What they couldn't get someone to buy sight unseen for $20 they can coax them with "Well, it's only $10 so....".

Damn dirty pool if you ask me. I know they are in the business to make money, I get that, but I think they would have better luck trying to make a better product from the onset rather than trying to nickel and dime the public.

shāf · **Joined:** Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:34 am **Posts:** 2748

Wow, I'm really having a difficult time understanding how the studio 'forces someone' to buy their film. Do they knock down your door and take the money from your wallet, or do they go on-line and charge your credit card without your permission?

Seriously, if you don't like the distribution method, vote with your wallet and don't give them your hard-earned cash.

P.S. Be careful with statements advocating piracy, especially if SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) passes. It's an extremely heavy-handed response to the very few cases of intellectual property theft. If you like to learn more about it, I suggest the following site: http://www.publicknowledge.org/e-parasi ... QAodu1Jmrw

Timelord · **Posted:** Mon Nov 28, 2011 11:42 am

Well, if it is your desire to see the film and the studio has made it so you can't rent the thing, then that does "force" you.

Yes, the other option is to deny yourself and not see it at all (legally). Valid option true, but not necessarily one that many people care to make.

Cybermonk · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 9:02 pm **Posts:** 1851

We all love TV and movies. Heck this whole site is about the stuff.

But that doesn't obscure the fact that the studios have been amazingly good at convincing us that we want [really, really, really want] what they are selling. They want us to believe that they have a lock on the production of "quality" entertainment. And in a way they do. They mostly get what they ask for their product and when they can't they just lock it up until the originals literally turn to dust in their vaults. Their pseudo-monopoly isn't on food or fuel or anything so basic so most just accept it.

Ultimately however their stuff doesn't have any innate value. You can live in it or drive it or put your stuff in it. It's pretty ephemeral -- in the long run. Just like some tulip bulbs a few hundred years ago, it's worth what we-all think it's worth. The trouble is getting the studios to wake up to that dawning reality.

I've talked to indy producers who want to turn this state-of-affairs on its ear. Time will tell if they do or just end up taking a place at the studio table for more of the same.

Seriously PO'd [RANT]

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