JOE29

I'm a bit skeptical about this also. I see your point. But the jury is not out yet for me. Burning these disc's on demand only, means that these will not be available in stores, if i'm correct. I could be wrong though, i'm just assuming here. In my case, I like to hit the malls or other stores to check out DVD'S and such. These discs only burnt on demand I suspect will never be in the stores for me to find. I know all I have to do is place an order to get them, but call me old fashioned I guess, I still like to hit the stores once in a while to check on releases of DVD's that I don't have yet. I can't do that with these.
Plus the price for these is a bit high. $20 + shipping. Maybe in the future they'll knock the price down a bit, even to $15 at least would be a start.
This is all about money. Only making discs for the people who will order them on demand saves the company a lot of money. No waste. There won't be any leftovers floating around out there unless the people who order them sell them off.
If this catches on in a few years and everybody starts doing this it will be the death of the mom and pop stores, if there is any left now.

StealMeWinona

How come "general markeplace expenses" are not keeping Alpha Video from doing basically the same thing WHV is doing--that is, selling unrestored interlaced DVD's--only Alpha Video's discs are factory pressed and sell for $8 instead of $20? Is Alpha following a business model that Warner can't? I know Alpha uses public domain prints, but doesn't Warner already own the films it's distributing? The fact that there are distributers out there selling niche films at bargain bin prices just reenforces my first impression that this is really naked price-gouging on Warner's part.

Silverscreenvid

Back in the early 1990's, VHS tapes were routinely being sold for up to $100 by the distributors (for some pretty lousy movies) and no one claimed it was price gouging. It was just the business model that was popular. A handful of collectors were willing to pop for these titles at those prices while most of them were sold to video stores and rented out. That model went out of vogue when the studios found they could make more money selling titles to the public at $15-20 apiece than keeping an artificially high price to sell to video stores only.

Warner is trying to find a new model to boost profits for a DVD market that is tailing off. Most of their catalog titles being reduced now have street prices around $10, so Warner may be receiving $5-6 apiece for them and having to pay substantial costs to produce and promote the discs. You can't blame them for seeking a way to cut costs and boost their profit margins. They own the rights to these titles so they can price them as they see fit. I survived many years without a DVD copy of Doc Savage; I can get by just fine for a few more years until Warner decides to price it at a level I want to pay (which is a lot less than $20) or someone makes them available used at such a price.

Unlike Alpha Video, Warner doesn't have to worry about someone else making discs of those same titles at a lower price (which is why Alpha wouldn't think about pricing its discs at $20). Like Alpha, they do have to worry that no one will buy their discs at those prices or that they could sell substantially more by promoting them in a different fashion.

I don't think Warner will keep these $20 prices very long unless a bunch of people start buying them. If a few titles get substantial sales, Warner will probably try releasing those titles to the general public. If demand is very spotty, Warner will try sales and coupons until they find a price point where sales pick up substantially (which will probably be around $10 a disc).

No matter what they do, it's not gouging because you don't have to buy. Gouging is when someone charges an exorbitant amount of money for milk and bread following a hurricane because they know people need to buy them. Here, Warner is just trying to find out what the market will bear.

John Hodson

That's a fine, sensible post.

Carcosa

You are assuming that all the cost is in replicating when such comparisons are made. I've bought two or three Alpha discs and would never buy another at this point. They are all but unwatchable. They also sell copies of silent classics like METROPOLIS, THE BLACK PIRATE and others. I still spent $20 or more each for the KINO editions. One gets what they pay for.

JerryKILL

At $5 a piece I'd probably order at least 20 of 'em, at $20 a piece I'm not ordering one.

Trevor

Good synopsis. Same here.

Brian T

Alpha's CARNIVAL OF SOULS is the same transfer as Criterion's (though I'm sure they wouldn't advertise that). Many of Alpha's roadshow exploitation titles--older "educationals" like GAMBLING WITH SOULS, SEX MADNESS, TEST TUBE BABIES, CHAINED FOR LIFE, etc.--use extremely good prints considering the limited audience for such stuff. I know a lot of their stuff is sourced from whatever they could find at the time, but a lot of it also comes from well-preserved materials, or as good as can be hoped for. For something like METROPOLIS, though, it should be a given that one would go for a superior, extras-laden version from a more trusted label. But for some of the truly oddball stuff in the Alpha catalog, their discs are virtually the best ones out there.

I do agree that $20 is too steep for these Warner titles.

Carcosa

I have no doubt that the prices will drop soon. I think the recent 3-for-2 coupons are a try-out for such. They had to start somewhere. Its easier in the eyes of the consumer to drop the price than its is to raise it.

rw2516

I see this as a service designed to cater to die hard collectors, film buffs and the person looking for that obscure favorite movie. Look at it this way:

You call Warner Home Video on the phone:

WHV: Hello. Warner Home Video. How may I help you.

You: Hi. I was wondering if you have any plans to release __________ on dvd.

WHV: I'm sorry but there are no plans for releasing the movie you requested on dvd. However, if you like, we would be happy to personally make you a dvd-r of the movie and send it out to you for $20.

Or at the WHV on line chat when somebody asks about a movie the guy from Warners replies, "No plans for a dvd release, but give me your name and address and I'll get one made up and sent out to you."

As long as there's three titles you want you can get them for 13.33 each. The widescreen stuff is 16x9 so the masters can't be that old. When did studios start making 16x9 masters of catalog titles?

Paul1957

Ain't It Cool News is reporting that Freebie and the Bean will be one of the titles relesed next week.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40914

NoirFan

DVD Beaver on Brainstorm and I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.

islandclaws

When AICN said a cult 70's title was coming soon I was REALLY hoping it was Rolling Thunder. Although, I'd rather see that get a full-blown SE than a DVD-R, but I'll take what I can get.

Zen Peckinpah

I'm pretty sure MGM has Rolling Thunder. And yes, I'd eat that shit up in a second.

hilts

Damn. Now I can die happy. I tore tickets for people walking into that movie back in the day. It's well worth the 20.00+ shipping for me to see it in OAR again and just watching the trailer on you tube damn near brought a nostalgic tear to me eye. Damn! I can't wait! Yes, I love the WB archive.

islandclaws

Really? WTF is their deal?

[rhetorical] Don't studios understand that they're likely to get more sales from an unreleased title than from a quadruple dip on some lame flick? [/rhetorical]

mdnitoil

You nailed that one, just ask Warner. They're going to get 20 bucks a pop for a burnt disc with no features and an interlaced transfer.

NoirFan

DVD Beaver on Wichita

hilts

Rats. Missed that one. Anyone know any other codes? Where do those things come from? I registered an account with WB and haven't received any emails with Archive offers.

mickey65

When will they list some better movies?

Paul1957

They're offering a 5-pack of the Lex Barker Tarzan movies for $49.95 so hopefully we'll get some more deals in the future.

http://www.wbshop.com/on/demandware....&adid=WACNTEml

NoirFan

DVD Beaver on The Big House

...And a bunch of new titles added, courtesy of this thread on the Criterion Forum: If Party Girl doesn't get a legit release down the line I'm going to be fucking pissed. I have the decent French disc, but this film really deserves a SE edition, or at least a non DVD-R one. Remember when WB actually treated their catalog titles with respect?

R. Hilton

I've tried ordering this about a half dozen times this morning and get an Error page when I click on the Buy Now button. Has anyone ordered by phone yet?

rw2516

I got the impression from the HTF chat that the remaining Tarzans would get a regular dvd release. Wonder if the remaining Monogram Charlie Chans will end up as Archive titles. And yet they search to the ends of the earth for the best prints of the Bowery Boys films for dvd release? The prints TCM showed looked as good as any of these Archive titles.

NoirFan

DVD Beaver on The Money Trap and Westbound. Once these are down to $10 per, I'll bite on a few.