Rental Discs Blocking Bonus Features - Reason to get Annoyed?
- Thread starter tomalak301
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Amaris
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I'd imagine part of it is that maintaining a Redbox machine is far cheaper than running a store or having a shipping facility and warehouse, and the selection isn't as vast or varied as Netflix or a video store so they don't have to carry a large inventory.
This.
Anything that I DO want to see the special features for is usually a pretty good movie that I wind up buying new or used anyway. The vast majority of rentals don't fall into that category, whether they're just average or outright bad.
The studios don't. Red Box makes the money. They get licensed discs from the studios. Maybe the studios get a straight up payment per disc, or maybe a percentage of each rental (or a combination.)
So....
Customer: I can rent this movie from Netflix anytime, but there's no special features. So, I guess I'll spend $15-20 to get a few looks at the special effects and bloopers.
Sorry, I just don't see that making a substantial difference in the quantity of dvds bought. Maybe if companies are going to make Netflix-specific discs anyway, they should make Netflix-specific bonus features discs, too.
It seems to me that 99 times out of 100 if you cared enough about a movie to watch the bonus features you'd buy the disc.
Also, let's not forget that bonus features are a relatively new phenom to to begin with. They didn't exist on VHS tapes or the original theatrical runs.
And, hell, I'm old enough to remember when a VHS movie cost $75.00.
Also, let's not forget that bonus features are a relatively new phenom to to begin with. They didn't exist on VHS tapes or the original theatrical runs.
And, hell, I'm old enough to remember when a VHS movie cost $75.00.
This. And I rarely agree with this guy.
I mean, seriously people bitching about not getting extra materials with a disc they got from a vending machine for $1? Whatever. You don't get special features when you watch a movie on HBO, you don't get special features when you see a movie at the theaters and you didn't get special features with a VHS rental back in "the day."
Why expect special features with DVDs? Oh, yeah, we had them in the past when the rental copy was the same as the retail copy well, back then, you were lucky. Now a days for movies either the second disc has the special features or, yeah, they're assholes about it and there's a special, thrills-less rental copy. Get over it. You're renting a movie for $1. They're bonus features. They're extra. They're extra for buying the movie. For spending the $20 for the retail copy.
The special features are almost always pointless bullshit anyway.
I don't use redbox, but I agree if you are renting that cheaply for only the most recent things, then you should expect to get a paired down rental edition. They aren't going to have something obscure with any great retrospective features.
I wonder how streaming is going to effect rental feature options? On a TV set that has features, you can get the discs and see everything, but as of now, streaming is just the show proper. I wonder if there will be a features option soon on streaming like they supposedly keep planning with closed captioning on Netflix?
Frankly, anyone remember the days when some of the features were part of a promotion? Behind the scenes shorts and interviews on television or webisodes with technical treats? Is that a thing of the past or do I just hardly see those types anymore?
Honestly, most features aren't that good unless its a super special release. I think the LOTR appendices spoiled us. Some bare bones films that were just put out with nothing because no one bothered upset me more than stripped editions. It sucks when you are pleasantly surprised by the rental but find nothing is available.
I wonder how streaming is going to effect rental feature options? On a TV set that has features, you can get the discs and see everything, but as of now, streaming is just the show proper. I wonder if there will be a features option soon on streaming like they supposedly keep planning with closed captioning on Netflix?
Frankly, anyone remember the days when some of the features were part of a promotion? Behind the scenes shorts and interviews on television or webisodes with technical treats? Is that a thing of the past or do I just hardly see those types anymore?
Honestly, most features aren't that good unless its a super special release. I think the LOTR appendices spoiled us. Some bare bones films that were just put out with nothing because no one bothered upset me more than stripped editions. It sucks when you are pleasantly surprised by the rental but find nothing is available.
Special Features don't mean much to me, but I know a lot of people who absolutely love them and will watch every single minute of them. And yes, they will shell out the money to own them. Granted, some movies have much more impressive special features than others, so it really just depends on what you're looking for.
Of course not! If you want to view the FBI warning, you must purchase the DVD.
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