No Star Wars TPM on DVD 389
Troed pointed us to final, official word that Lucas has opted not to release TPM on DVD. This is a poor move for many reasons: SW fans are gonna often be techies with DVD players. Besides that, nearly every movie released these days comes out on DVD and VHS. I can think of only 2 reasons: He might be afraid of piracy, but lets be honest, but I think he really is doing this so he can wait a year and release the DVD and sell it all again. I have stopped by VHS, and I'm pretty bummed: I would have bought this DVD the day it was released. I feel like I'm being extorted: I've been a pretty loyal fan both in terms of time, and buying SW Stuff (I even have a Darth Maul Lightsaber!) but this really hurts.
so don't buy the VHS. (Score:4)
Not that good a movie anyway (Score:1)
Really though... (Score:1)
People expected integrity from a rich filmmaker? Heh.
He wants to wait and do the collection... (Score:4)
it sucked anyway (Score:1)
two things... (Score:4)
2) He's got a known level of greediness.
This isn't entirely surprising. VHS tapes can be much more readily copied than DVDs can, so I seriously doubt that piracy is the issue.
There is also a third possibility, which I think is pretty likely -- the extra content being put together for the DVD will take quite some time to get together and polish, and maybe he's planning on doing something special with it, which will take extra time.
The Christmas special notwithstanding, Lucas' past releases have all been very well-polished, classy affairs. Maybe they're just taking the time to make sure that the DVD release will be something very cool.
Weird. (Score:2)
Then again, I'm more of a George Clinton mind about things like that - it's better be ripped off and well known than to be well known for being a prick about being ripped off. Or something like that.
Or maybe it's just an admission that the movie sucked, and is suitable for viewing only by 5 year olds.
Nothing New (Score:1)
Lucas the despot (Score:1)
MoNsTeR
I just don't get it.... (Score:2)
Lucas is a major proponent of digital filmmaking - getting away from actual film, and turning to movies stored as data.
Which makes me wonder - why is he such a big hater of DVD, when it is the realization of his goals?
Re:so don't buy the VHS. (Score:1)
This is a shame though, TPM is one of the few movies I was looking forward to picking up. Yeah I know it sucked, but lightsabres are cool.
It breaks my heart (Score:1)
Christams 2005 (Score:1)
It could be--but I doubt it--that' you'll have to wait and buy the whole set till then...I doubt they'll be that patient in waiting for the money though.
Stevis
Oh no! (Score:1)
--Jason Bell
Business tactic (Score:1)
Here's an example. A friend of mine, who also happens to be a Star Wars nut, has 3 copies of Close Encounters of the Third Kind because they came out with different editions of it. Seems pretty sad to me but it's people like him that are going to give Lucas a lot of money.
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Waiting for technology... then ignoring it (Score:1)
-JB
Who cares about TPM? (Score:1)
-=-=-=-=-
No DVD in foreseeable future (Score:1)
Fear of piracy...me arse (Score:1)
Slashdot!!! You said this before! (Score:1)
Guys, please check your previous stories [slashdot.org] before you put up articles. The new article says TPM won't be released on DVD in 2000 "or in the foreseeable future". That isn't much of a change from what was said back on December 23rd.
$$$ is all Star Wars is About now.... (Score:5)
TPM lost the magic that was in the first 3. Not only was it over hyped and poorly written, but I was quite put off by the amount of sheer marketing put into it. This was simply a moneymaking venture by Lucas, nothing more. I went to see TPM the first day... no matter how good the next one is, I refuse to see it the first day, my confidence in Lucas as a filmmaker has been irrevocably shattered.
Because of this, I doubt I will EVER buy TPM on VHS -or- DVD, simply because that will only encourage Lucas to make more terrible movies. The man has far too much money as it is, without subsidizing his toy market.
Before TPM came out, I remarked to a friend that Lucas would be insane not to release the first three on DVD. I would go out and buy a player simply to watch those movies! I would also be willing to spend well more for those three than I would for any other DVDs.
Besides... DVD is the perfect format for Lucas, who has championed superior graphics and sound in movies.
I know I'm jumping all over the place with this post, so I will summarize.
We in the geek community have showed intense loyalty and devotion to Lucas and his creations. He stabbed us in the back and showed himself to be more interested in money rather than in art. My only response can be to use what little power I have, the power of the almighty-$ in order to demonstrate my disapproval. I hope others will follow my example.
Doug
its probably out there already... (Score:1)
Re:Who cares about TPM? (Score:2)
Let's face it, the Star Wars we knew and loved, has been clouded by the golden lens of nostalgia and memory. People cry, "But it's the same now as it was in '77!' Of course it was, but we were kids and didn't care. Now we're older, wiser and wanting to see more quality material. Like Galaxy Quest.
Ok. Maybe not.
Re:No DVD in foreseeable future (Score:1)
Okay, we have one done.
Give him one year to write the script. 3 years to shoot/edit. Take one year to rake the money in, rinse and repeat.
So we have to wait until 2010?
Is this the same reason he isn't release special edition on DVD? "gotta wait for the prequals"
Yeah right.
He's got something stuck up his butt about the DVD format. Prolly because he wasn't included when it came time to figure out the specifications or something. I'm pretty certain we won't see any Lucas on DVD until VHS is dead (as in, VCRs are out of production for 5 years). I also have a sneaking suspicion that he's working on a THX-ish DVD format, which will (of course) require expensive, specific hardware to show the movie with nominal (if any) quality gain.
My 2 bits.
waitaminit (Score:1)
Why not make a DVD player that can play THX Sound? A DVD is basically a huge repository of 1's and 0's, encode THX into the digital media and stick it on the disk, the player will decode it, right?
Why Lucas why? (Score:2)
For someone who claims to have his viewers best interest in mind at all times (Go read some THX crap to see what I mean) this is a slap in the face. Lucas is way to concerned about getting every penny he can out of the THX name to worry about quality at all anymore.
Note that there is nothing in that article that suggests the VHS will even be letterboxed. So not only do we only get a low quality video image with low quality not even surround sound but we don't even get the full frame of the movie! And this mastered in THX crap isn't worth anything sure it may be nice if you have a THX compatable home system (Major $$$$) which can create it's pseudo-surround effects but I'd much rather see plain old pro-logic surround than the sorry excuse of a remaster THX does for home video.
I'm sorry but if half of what that press release said was accurate they'd only be releasing on DVD with a full widescreen image, Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack. If they did that I woulden't even care if they included any extra features or not. But as it is I won't even bother to rent the damn thing.
Re:Not that good a movie anyway (Score:1)
That kinda sucks, but... (Score:2)
Eric
Re:You suck, Lucas (Score:1)
VHS insn't really a defunct standard. Look at how cassette tapes have survived despite the release of CD's. Some people still have 8-track players. The point is that if the technology has existed, it will stay around in some manner. I don't know many people that will throw away their movies and buy them on DVD just because it seems to be better. They are going to keep good old Mr. VCR around and save money on movies that they are not obscessed with buy getting VHS instead of DVD.
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OPEN SOURCE RELEASE (Score:4)
george lucas: don't act so surprised, you fanatical nut! you're not on any mercy mission this time! several illegal copies of tpm were beamed to this site by pirate hackers! i want to know what happened to the data they sent you!
open source man: i don't know what you're talking about! i'm a regular troller of slashdot on a mission to open source natalie portman!
george lucas: you are part of a grand pirating network and a criminal... take him away!
thank you.
the fat-time charlie online serial [warmann.com]!! no macromedia shockwave content!! lynx friendly!! rms approved (no gifs)!! dvd player not required!! bookmark it and hit reload!!
Re:two things... (Score:2)
It's also possible that some of the extra content that he wants to put in would end up being spoilers for the rest of the prequels. He may want to put in a running comentary that said things like: "Here we see charachter X who is a very minor character now, but you can see that his actions foreshadow his importance in Episode 3."
Re:No DVD in foreseeable future (Score:1)
Just in case anyone was curious.
Re:Nothing New (Score:2)
haha (Score:1)
Boxed set? Unlikely... (Score:1)
why Lucas has done this... (Score:1)
now this was true of a lot of earlier releases on dvd (a big disappointment was 2001). but there are brand spankin' new dvds on the market that have glitches in them (most of the problems i've been seeing and hearing now - are do to rushing the production of the dvd phase)
as for piracy, you can dupe copy protected tapes anyway (for a small one time fee). but he never really clarified himself on what he was going to do with his 'baby' on dvd.
personally, ill take a dvd that is less then perfect (to him), then a herpes-infected vhs tape that people have watched 20 times.
doesnt matter to me though, its not that high on my priority list to pick it up on dvd or vhs... but i guess it would make a good stocking stuffer from someone...
whatevers anyway...
Re:waitaminit (Score:1)
Hooray! (Score:3)
Re:Why Lucas why? (Score:1)
Lucas' responsibility (Score:5)
- Every major studio is a public entity (i.e. their stock is publically traded), and they have the legal duty to their stockholders to maximize their profits. If they don't, they can be sued by their stockholders.
- There is a traditional big-big surge in video sales just before Christmas every year (how many of you gave or received movies as a gift?. Lucas knows this. What are the odds he will "change his mind" and TPM will be available around 1 December 2000?
- Lucas is by no means the first to have a rigidly-controlled home video release schedule. Disney is the "best" example... they periodically pull their videos from the market for years at a time, then rekindle interest with a "limited time release" (look at what they're doing with DVDs, now that DIVX (which they co-founded) is dead. 60 days only on each DVD Disney animated film. If you're a Disney fan, you've only got a few weeks left to get the first batch... can you say "feeding frenzy"?). So, while Lucas is taking the "dark side" on this, he is certainly not the first.
It certainly sucks, but Lucas well within his rights, and isn't answerable to anyone except you, when you decide whether to reach for your wallet.Except George Lucas. LucasFilm Limited is privately-held. It's accountable to George Lucas and nobody else.
This is important because it means he can pursue "non-standard" ways of doing things, right or wrong, profitable or otherwise. When you've got your billions, you get to indulge your Messaihanic ideas. When I get my billions, I know I will!
Indiana Jones (Score:1)
Re:OPEN SOURCE RELEASE (Score:1)
Piracy (Score:1)
Piracy is most definitely an issue. DVDs can be copied without any loss of quality since it is all digital. So a 100th generation copy of a DVD is just as pristine as the master copy.
Ever try to copy a videotape? Even a copy from a master copy is visually inferior. A real pirate (one that makes profit from illegal movies) does not need to worry about losing quality and can provide a product that is identical to the original.
Also due to its digital nature, DVDs can be distributed via the Internet. It is now possible to download TPM in MPEG format from some warez (I hate that word) site. With cable modems and DSL access becoming more accessible, DVD trading will soon become a reality.
--Ivan, weenie NT4 user: bite me!
Re:Slashdot!!! You said this before! (Score:1)
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Re:Excuse me (Score:1)
So, Ppppphhhhhhhttttt to you.
Re:haha (Score:1)
AC3 is better than THX anyways. (Score:1)
Cyano
Re:waitaminit (Score:1)
Amen! (Score:1)
Re:I mean, really, so what? (Score:1)
--
Deepak Saxena
Re:$$$ is all Star Wars is About now.... (Score:2)
As a consumer, I can do one of two things, accept shit, as most people do, eat it up and love it. Or I can decide not to accept poor quality, be it in workmanship, customer service, or design. In a free market, the consumer has the ultimate power, if they choose to exercise it. If every single person sees TPM in the theaters, buys the VHS (then the DVD when it is released), buys the toys, and the little happy meals, then Lucas wins. He can release whatever he wants, and make huge amounts of money.
If you have any displeasure, as I do, in the quality of TPM, and the apparent desire of Lucas not to make a worthy prequel to the Star Wars trilogy, but to make another billion, then you must tell Lucas in the only way he will listen.
If you would rather to continue eating shit, be my guest, but I for one will not stand for it!
Doug
Re:Like VHS has any security to stop duping (Score:1)
(Which reminds me - am I the only one who really, really _enjoyed_ the duality of the original ending of Return of the Jedi? The way it left open the door that most of the people in the universe actually quite liked the Empire? I know this was purely unintentional, considering that the whole thing was a "pure good defeats pure evil" epic, but it sure made it a whole lot more enjoyable being able to fantasize.)
Re:OPEN SOURCE RELEASE (Score:1)
Sorry, I just keep seeing his posts and I had to comment....
Face it Lucas is a Weenie (Score:2)
But it doesn't matter you and i will both be in line to by the box set when it comes out come hell or high water.
"I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!!"
tHx
Re:so don't buy the VHS. (Score:2)
Re:Lucas' responsibility (Score:1)
You can't ruin a bad movie (Score:2)
Re:Excuse me (Score:1)
Re:Another theory (rumor) (Score:1)
DTS - Digital Theater Sound, is an audio encoding method. It specifies channel breakdown, frequency, volume level, etc.
THX - Is a hardware decoding and distribution specification. It is a standard for actual audio equipment. DTS is played through a THX amp to get 7 point surrond.
Besides everyone knows that AC3 beats DTS anyway
Munky_v2
Re:I mean, really, so what? (Score:1)
Re:You suck, Lucas (Score:1)
Tapes are pretty much dead. I havn't bought or seen someone buy a pre-recorded audio tape in years. In the time that I've seen 100 people's CD collections, I havn't seen one tape collection. In recent memory, I've only listened to tapes in cars that didn't have CD players - and those tapes were recorded off of CDs.
People still buy them because they're writable with cheap hardware. But that's about the only common reason.
this is nothing new. (Score:2)
Everyone knows this is stupid. Everyone knows this is greedy. Everyone knows that there will be HDDVD by then. Everyone doesn't like it. And there's nothing we can do about it. Lucas is a greedy asshole, pure and simple.
Just look at the Special Editions. They suck complete ass. All of the additional effects stand out like badly computer-generated sore thumbs. Not only that, but he changed some key plot points, including Han Solo's now-justified [tripod.com] killing of Greedo, and several eight-frame cuts [dvdfile.com] of violence.
What can I do besides complain? Well, I have decided to boycott lucasfilm completely. This includes:
1. All Star Wars, VHS or otherwise
2. All cute star wars toys. If you have 'em, burn 'em.
3. Anything produced by Lucas, including Indiana Jones.
4. tell other people to do the same.
5. Encourage people to not buy the bootlegs.
As much as you may like Star Wars, you should not allow one individual to control the distribution of his most popular films. I would think that the mostly Libertarian
But no. Push has come to shove, and we must shove hard.
Why is this news? (Score:2)
it's not news...
I bet we'll hear about it AGAIN when they release the episode 2 on VHS... the slashdot title will be 'Lucas refuses to release Episode 2 on DVD..'
then there will be several hundred comments of speculation as to why this is the case.. then someone will point out that this was always the plan.
Feh.
Re:Excuse me (Score:1)
Re:Lucas's rules (Score:1)
It's a cryin' shame he had to do this. I think he's making a HUGE mistake.
--Bernie
Some things to consider: (Score:3)
2. A friend of mine received a VideoCD version of TPM for Christmas. I haven't seen it, but the point is clear: illegal copies already are out there.
3. How hard is it to hook up a DV-converter to your VCR and digitally copy the TPM VHS tape? Apple sells just such a converter (from Sony) on their web site for turning your old movies into stuff you can edit with iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Maybe the VHS tape is copy-protected somehow with Macrovision or some other quality-degrading format.
4. Having said this, the only way I would watch a pirated copy of TPM is on an Apple Cinema Display or something of that nature; anything else will be smaller than my 27" TV set (which is barely big enough for most DVDs anyway). Then there's the sound issue. My computer doesn't output AC-3 Dolby Digital sound, ergo I'm losing out on much of the joy of watching a DVD movie to begin with.
5. Forget TPM. I want my Buckaroo Banzai DVD!
Lucas the Hutt (Score:1)
-Chris
So what? (Score:1)
piracy (Score:3)
I love the star wars series of course, but I think all the money he's made has given him a serious lack of perspective. It seems that he just can't get enough money. If there is any movie people really want on DVD, it's the star wars series. He could have easily got the first 3 episodes (or 4 to 6) out by now on DVD no problem. He'd be raking in the money. I think it's all due to the threat (imagined or not) of piracy. I think he's waiting to see what happens in the digital world, particularly the current DVD situation. He doesn't really have much to worry about. We've been over the DVD issue many times.
For someone who has pushed the technological envelope in the medium of movies, he has really fumbled the ball in the consumer market.
Re:Piracy (Score:1)
Legalese Bullsh*t (Score:1)
the 'forseeable' future? why use such a vague term? so next year they can? or at their leisure they can say "oh, we didn't see this far into the future, here's your DVD"
or, do they really mean NO dvd for star wars ?
Re:Excuse me (Score:1)
Re:so don't buy the VHS. (Score:1)
Excuse me, why do you have to buy it on VHS if you don't want it on VHS? Do you just HAVE to have it as soon as its available? Is the pain of NOT having it too much to bear?
Jesus. Relax.
VCD? (Score:1)
Ok no DVD but what about VCD?
I'm sure that even if its not going on DVD someone will convert the widescreen and slap it on a DVD. Either that or the pan/scan on a VCD.
Damn straight! (Score:1)
I'd consider buying the first (or is that second) trilogy on DVD because "Star Wars" and "Empire Strikes Back" were so good. I'll even tolerate those damn made for selling dolls Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi" just to have the complete set and story line.
But "The Phantom Menace"? No. I don't think so.
George Lucas can blame bad internet press all he wants, but "The Phantom Menace" just plain sucked. And if you are more than 10 years old, it sucked a lot. It's exactly the sort of film directors make when they've run out of original ideas but know they have a loyal fan base so they don't have to try very hard anyways and can concentrate solely on selling toys. The only reason I could see in buying it by itself is using Anakin and Jar-Jar "Meesa Gonna Sella Lotta Action Figures" Binx as suction cup dart targets on my TV screen.
If the next two films (assuming they bother making them) are back to the standards set by "Star Wars" and "Empire", I might include "The Phantom Menace" in my DVD collection just to have the complete set. But the next two films will have to be abso-freaking-lutely amazing for me to tolerate "Phantom Menace" like I tolerate "Return of the Jedi". Given Lucas' recent track record, somehow I don't think they will be.
Alternative release formats... (Score:3)
No DVD: You've caved to industry pressure you craven little coward! (I'm venting here.)
What about LaserDisc? Nobody is crying about unencrypted LDs, or that they (now or ever) contribute to piracy and destroy the profits of movie studios!
I, and I expect many others, own a laserdisc player. It has provided me many hours of enjoyment. In fact, I purchased it and the Star Wars Remastered Limited Edition (not the redone movies) together back in '95.
Yes, I'm the sort that likes to have a big screen and big sound.
Yes, I know it's not nearly as convenient as DVD. You can't watch one on your laptop. Or at work. Or on a plane.
Perhaps Lucas is afraid that DVD will be subject to piracy. What's he feeling when there are people selling copies of TPM -- complete with New Line Video(!!!) security stickers -- within a week of it's cinema release?
I have heard reports that Lucas is expected to rake in $1 Billion USD from all things related to TPM; Box office receipts, merchandising, other tie-ins, etc. Is the fact that DVD can now be played without Windows threatening his profits THAT much? I think not.
The fact that there is neither a LD or DVD (read: durable format that doesn't wear out) release tells me that Lucas is going to come up with a "Limited Edition Collectors Set" or some such nonsense as soon as we set some sales records for his videotape. Thanks, Lucas. Your fans are watching you!
The *REAL* reason Lucas has no DVD plans.... (Score:2)
As far as *REAL* reasons are concerned, Rick McCallum has said himself at the Fan Celebration in Denver last year that they were waiting to release them all in one set... yet this again seems kinda far off for any sensible marketing plan, don't you think?
However... back in the day when the plans for releasing Ep1 were being made... Divx was still in existence. Divx a large share owned by Dreamworks SKG.. a company headed by Mr. S... Steven Speilburg - a good friend and collaborator of Lucas on many projects.
So Lucas was probably just waiting things out the way I see it... he's no dummy when it comes to technology (we all knew divx wouldn't work) but he didn't want to deliver the death blow by releasing one of the most popular movies ever on a competing format.
And Colonel Mustard did it in the Conservatory with the candlestick!
Why DVD Piracy isn't *Actually* feasible... (Score:2)
Its due to the fact that DVD copying equipment is prohibitively expensive! And not even good enough quality to pirate with!!
The media for sale is $25 a disc! And that's for 4.75 GB, One-sided, single-layer media. Nevermind the fact that DVDs you purchase are 19 GB two-sided double-layered DVDs... So in other words, it would take you two RAMs for each side of a ROM. Hmm... Lemme think. $25 for a real version or $100 for one that I'm going to have to swap in the middle of the movie (Remember LaserDisc?).
This is not actually a dificult choice!
One other thing (about trading DVDs online): DVD Quality Video/Audio is approximately 1 meg per second. Most Cable rates don't even come CLOSE to touching half of this. And even still, if you were to download one side of a DVD movie, it would cost you 9 GIGS of HDD space, And 9 Gigs of download time! (At 250K a second this would take approximately 8 hours)
--
"A mind is a horrible thing to waste. But a mime...
It feels wonderful wasting those fsckers."
Re:He wants to wait and do the collection... (Score:5)
I read the same interview as I was paging through some archives about two weeks ago. What he said was actually more complicated and should make any serious fan happy in the long run.
Lucas said that he would not release any of the six films that are finished or in the works until he finished making Episode Three. The reason for this is that he will only put them on DVD if the proper time is taken and it can really be an amazing product. He intends to package "making of" for each movie with the DVD of that movie and just about every extra and special bit of info available. He intends the DVDs to be THE format for the movies, but he doesn't have time to do them right now. He explained to the reporter that doing the DVDs properly will be almost as much work as making a movie. He balanced it out and decided that fans would be happier if the DVDs were delayed than if Episodes 2 and 3 were delayed a couple of years...
This is a paraphrase of what he said, because I could not find the exact link again after 5 minutes of looking. The interview should be on any serious Star Wars info center in their archives for sometime between July and November. (I reviewed a lot of articles...)
B. Elgin
Re:Some things to consider: (Score:2)
I'd considered giving my brother bootleg games, but thought it to be a little tacky. I dunno. If it's a present I usually go and buy it.
And burning a CD doesn't really qualify as "making" a gift, like woodworking or anything.
Piracy Threat (Score:2)
macks
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Surrender, enjoy the abduction.
NEWS! Other Lucasfilm announcements! (Score:3)
1) Soundtracks now only offered on Reel to Reel.
2) Other films will be re-released in beta for "prime home viewing"
3) Action figures will now be made exclusively of led.
4) SW:TPM RPG for the Atari 2600!!!
5) SW: The Desktop office for OS/2 and WinCE.
And finally, the most disturbing announcement:
6) All Special Effects for the Episodes 2 & 3 will be done on enhanced windows 2000 workstations.
Be afraid, be very affraid....
Between this and /. (Score:2)
Damn, this is making me cynical.
Oh Damn! (Score:2)
Oh wait, I don't have a DVD player.
Redundancy department (Score:2)
Besides that TPM was just eyecandy and a ridiculously hokey plot, DVD hasn't caught on and probably won't because FMDROM (or whatever that Flourescent technology is called) is already feasible.
Jazilla.org - the Java Mozilla [sourceforge.net]
My take, and prediction... (Score:2)
What will happen: Most mainstream folks will still buy TPM on VHS, although probably not quite as many as Lucas expects. Very few Star Wars geeks will buy it, because they're insulted by Lucas' position on DVD. (And for that matter, a lot of them didn't like the movie very much.)
The video release will bomb. (By that I mean, it will fail to completely shatter all sales records, as a Star Wars movie is expected to do.) Lucas will still make a lot of money off of it in the short term, but the embaressment will severely damage his future prospects.
Keep in mind, George Lucas is a pretty dense fellow. This is the guy who came up with Jar Jar Binks.
Re:the phantom meanace release... (Score:2)
Seems to me that some metaphors just don't stack up...
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
Re:Excuse me (Score:2)
He gave a valid reason, and this is the best you come up with?
BTW - What you are askin Taco for, is free. There is nothing resembling extortion here. Source code is NOT a right.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com [velocinews.com])
Star Trek too? (Score:2)
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Re:Matrix DVD (Score:2)
And anyway, the Matrix is far from the first DVD to have special content on it. The only special content problems I've seen is the MST3K-like commentary on Ghostbusters, which only worked sometimes.
Re:Why DVD Piracy isn't *Actually* feasible... (Score:2)
SW 1,3,4,5 are all available on DVD.
TPM is the same film-rip as the one seen on the VCD scene. Widescreen, surround, malaysian subtitles. Ep 3,4,5 are from the Laserdiscs.
Nicely pressed pirate-DVDs. Yes, they exist.
Obviously the quality is too good. (Score:2)
Re:Lucas and Disney (Score:2)
>you're a Disney fan, you've only got a few weeks
>left to get the first batch... can you say
>"feeding frenzy"?).
I don't doubt that Disney has done extensive
cost/benefit analysis on this one, but let's take
a step back. What happens when a manufacturer
generates a scarcity of product (intentionally or not)?
Piracy. Someone will step in to fill the void; I
think this approach will actually foster the very
same DVD piracy that the consortium is so vewy
vewy scared of, and at both the commercial and
private level.
Re:this is nothing new. (Score:2)
The actual Libertaians would tell you to get bent, because he owns those movies and he can do anything he wants with them. I don't know of any Libertarians who would support depriving someone of their private property simply because someone else wants it. Socialists and other collectivists, yes, but not Libertarians.
Re:Excuse me (Score:2)
I enlcosed the word customer in quotes precisely because I was aware of the semantic hoops that we can go through in debating the definiton of customer. Regardless of whether we pay money to Rob Malda directly, Malda does benefit financially by our visits to his site. I'm sure that those ad dollars would dry up if we all stopped using his nice forum. The traditional models of patronage are changing quickly but that discussion is best left for another day.
If people constantly harrassed you about code you wrote, constantly asking for the latest version, you would be annoyed too.
Interesting choice of words. I am not privy to the emails sent Rob's way but just as you can sympathize with Rob getting annoyed, I can sympathize with people getting annoyed at Rob not living up to his promises. No matter what Rob attributes his delays to, he has not fulfilled his promises.
His primary concern is maintaining this site. If he can package up Slash in a tarball, all the better. If he can put up a public CVS server, all the better. Though, the work to put up a CVS server for public use is quite a bit. The work to secure it is even more..
No one has asked Rob to go to all the trouble of setting up a CVS server. Rob is the one who mentioned that he is looking into that aspect. What does it take to tar up the directories to the code, the data model for his database and dump that on a FTP server? I don't think it would take much. He doesn't have to gussy it up. There are some smart people out there who can figure out what his code is doing. He needs to stop underestimating people or hiding behind excuses.
Lucas on the other hand has a small legion of people who could put TPM on a DVD at the snap of his fingers. Given that Malda probably didn't know that Lucas was waiting until he could put all six movies on DVD, I can't fault his attitude. It certainly doesn't smack of hypocracy.
Ok, you allude to Rob being too busy to release the code. I don't buy it. Linus and everyone else working on Linux are working full time jobs and still hacking on Linux and releasing the code. If they need help, why don't they ask for it? Why don't they utilize the Open Source community that they are so quick to laud? You also refer to the fact that Lucas can whip out DVD's without problem. Of course he can. He doesn't want to, however, and has never promised to do so. He can do with his property as he pleases and as long as he doesn't lie to his fans and contradict himself, I cannot complain about his actions.
Here's what happened: (Score:2)
here's the link [msn.com].
- A.P.
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"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
Why don't YOU think? (Score:2)
THINK!
- A.P.
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"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
No Phantom Menace DVD...old news? (Score:2)
Has any of this changed? The only thing I saw that might have portended a change--that website crowing that Phantom Menace was going to be released on DVD--turned out to be a red herring.
Frankly, Lucas has always been a bit of an oddball about things like this...going back and CGIing and reshooting the original trilogy just because he wanted to, for instance. I'm not at all surprised by this. Saddened a bit, but not surprised.
I will be surprised if Lucas changes his mind any time soon. Despite what all the people have been saying about him, I don't think Lucas does what he does out of greed or commercialism. For him to turn around and release the films in time for Christmas of this year because they'll sell more copies just doesn't strike me as likely.
Re:$$$ is all Star Wars is About now.... (Score:2)
I've heard people say this many times about TPM, and this pisses me off to no end? Why? It's revisionist history. Let's take a joy ride
in Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine...
"Back in the day" we had action figures, posters, costumes, bookbags, lunchboxes, books, games (both computer and board), vitamins, shoes, you name it it had the logo on it. And this scene was repeated everytime a movie came out. So don't go around telling that bullshit that somehow TPM was merchandized more than the originals, that's just damn lie.
Is it a plot to make more money? (Score:2)
Theory #1 comes from my housemate who claims that Lucasfilm hasn't released any DVDs because they own a particular movie production company that isn't licensed to produce DVDs. Sorry for the ambiguous statement, but the general idea is that they won't produce DVDs because of some corporate license or dreamworks had no hand in the DVD technology. Very speculative statement, but I'd like to hear otherwise if you get what I am trying to convey.
Theory #2 was thought up by myself during one of these discussions with my housemate, and it's a bit more 'conspiracy theory'. Basically, I think it is possible that Lucasfilm is going to sell everything on VHS until the market is saturated. Take for example the fact that they released all sorts of versions of the original Star Wars episodes in the older unmodified versions. After they made a pretty penny there, they re-released the whole shebang with the new computer enhanced versions. So, everyone who is a big Star Wars fan goes out and buys all these newer copies on VHS since it is the only format available and they really want it. Once the sales drop off, then they release it on DVD since the people who really wanted it on DVD in the first place but couldn't get it will now go out and buy it. The only reason for not doing it YET is that they still have time to cash in on Episodes 2 and 3 on VHS before doing DVD; if they did a partial release of the 6 episodes on DVD, then it would be a noticable scam that they only release (say) episode 2 on VHS but not DVD. Once they release DVD, then they will always have to.
I like my theory (#2), but then again I probably watch X-files too much. Interesting thought if anything, though...
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