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No Star Wars TPM on DVD
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.
Since I am waiting a few years to see the next movie anyway, I will just wait until next year and simply buy the DVD if/when it is released. I simply will not purchase any movie on VHS anymore, and even a movie I very much want to own will not make an exception to that rule. So if you are serious about wanting more DVD releases, do not buy this VHS. Or stop whining :)
The REAL sam_at_caveman_dot_org is user ID 13833.
It seems to me that I read an interview with Lucas a while back in which he stated that he wouldn't do any DVD until all 6 movies were released. At that point he wanted to put out the ultimate Star Wars DVD collection...
1) Lucas doesn't owe you anything for being a devoted fan.
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.
I have always loved the first three Star Wars movies. They will always be classics in my mind. Great story, simple, yet effective plot and exciting action.
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
Venn ist das nurnstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ya! Beigerhund das oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
open source man: george lucas, only you could be so bold. the marketing department of lucasfilm won't sit still for this! when they hear you've sabotaged a lucrative money-making scheme....
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!! no macromedia shockwave content!! lynx friendly!! rms approved (no gifs)!! dvd player not required!! bookmark it and hit reload!!
Finding God in a Dog
- 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!
1. Lucas isn't necessarily afraid of DVD. IIRC, he redid a scene from "American Graffiti" in the beginning where the sun is setting; the new version features a digitally-redone sky which apparently makes it look much better than the VHS version.
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!
I use Macs for work, Linux for education, and Windows for cardplaying.
It has been pointed out (true or not I dont know) that Lucas is considering a 6 DVD set, or that it wasn't going to come out in 2000 anyway. I still think he's mainly afraid of piracy. Reemmber back before the movie came out? I remember this quote from him that I read on wired.com ( a bit butchered probably): "if this movie gets pirated by a lot of people there won't be another movie". Remember how he got the FBI involved as well? Almost everyone I knew had a VCD of The Matrix but almost no one had Star Wars TPM because of all the threats he made. I don't particularly support movie pirating but I think he got much too paranoid.
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.
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!
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
Apparently everybody seems to be focusing on only the TPM not on DVD issue and ignoring other new lucasfilm announcements of the day:
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....
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