Kevin's Watch

Comcast exec hints at deal with studios for at-home movies

we were having a discussion about how this will impact the Movie Industry.

thoughts?

how would this affect your movie-going? will you go to the theater less?

are theaters doomed? will they become a "niche market" ?


whaddaya think?

That would be comcastic.

I'm patient, I can wait for a DVD, or I click a button and get most good movies for 40cents less on Direct TV. I'm sure there will be a huge market for this, but if I can refain myself from buying NFL Season Ticket I can put this money elsewhere. Going to the theater should be an experience: part of a very cool planned (or unplanned) day. Maybe a fantastic, spontaneous day! Not just settin' on your fat ass being catered to all the time. (besides, and perish the thought, you may actually meet someone new by walking out your front door! )

There's no way that this wouldn't harm the theater industry. Big action movies (say SpiderMan 3 for example) might still have some draw for theater screenings (I know I would still see a big special effects movie at the theater.) But dramas or comedies would certainly have less draw for a theater.

Digital media is rapidly destroying quality media. Consider:

-People don't buy home stereos any more, they buy iPods and download crappy quality songs to play through crappy little speakers.

-Home theater systems are dirt cheap, and for a decent amount of bread you can turn an average-sized family room into a "theater".

-Between cable and the 'net, I can get any film I want at any time to play on my big, honkin' home system.

But.....

-mp3 quality sucks, plain and simple. My iPod is for exercising and occasional use in the truck. I absolutely refuse to pollute my home speakers with that low-quality crud.

-As totally freakin' sweet as my home system is, a 50-inch TV will never replace a 50-foot screen, nor will my 5.1 system ever match a good THX/DTS theater system.

-I cannot fit enough people into my apartment to make Snakes on a Plane or Rocky Horror the experience they should be.

But most people are sheep, so what do I know? If first-run goes On-Demand for a reasonable price ($15-$20), the theaters are screwed. I only go to theaters now for effects-laden blockbusters which are probably gonna suck but need to be seen big. Oh, and Grindhouse. And The Pursuit of Happyness.

Ignore me, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Some of us have dialup and rabbit-ears on our tv. Personally, I'd be happy to have people spend more time in their home instead of going into the theater, as it means less rude and talkative monster truckers in the theaters.

The theater experience isn't what it used to be. Despite warnings, I still hear cell phones ringing, the guy to my left always takes the path of greatest resistance to the rest room, and there's always some young couple who brought their little 2 year old sleeping beauty/awakened demon.

This isn't surprising; theatres are expensive enough that I for one hardly ever want to take all my kids to see something unless I'm absolutely sure it's going to be great, and it makes sense to watch it on a big screen.

Sigh.

We knew this was coming when the grand old theaters were replaced by multiplexes.

Cagliostro wrote:Some of us have dialup and rabbit-ears on our tv.

Or no connection at all. (Not that the theatres get my money anyway, especially at that price. I very rarely go to the movies...usually dragged by the GF. The last two movies I would have been happier sitting in the foyer with a book. )

--A

Hey! If I hadn't gone to see Minority Report at the theater I never would have met Stephen R. Donaldson

Spoiler

true story noobs!

.

danlo, to us Watchers it only seems like you knew SRD for a looong time. It's a bit startling to remember that you met him in person only recently. Minority Report came out only 5 years ago! In internet time, that's a few eons, yes, but in real human relationship time, that's...just 5 years.

Cail wrote:-mp3 quality sucks, plain and simple. My iPod is for exercising and occasional use in the truck. I absolutely refuse to pollute my home speakers with that low-quality crud.

I feel the same way. I shake my head when I hear about people who rip their music collection to mp3 and then throw away/sell off all the CDs or LP's they spent years to acquire. Sure, it's a nice thrill to have a thousand mp3's at one's disposal, but at least save the original WAV files, for pete's sake...

-As totally freakin' sweet as my home system is, a 50-inch TV will never replace a 50-foot screen, nor will my 5.1 system ever match a good THX/DTS theater system.

It's true that for a relatively small admission price (as compared to, say, rock concert tickets) a moviegoer is able to receive a state-of-the-art audio and visual experience. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if your home system is superior to many theatres out there.

Don't know how this potential new service will impact the industry, but personally I hardly go to movies anymore. I honestly can't recall on the spot the last movie I went to see. Maybe it was Superman Returns. Kind of a sad thing for me to say, because I used to go to the movies a LOT as a kid and right up to the mid-90's. But then I got distracted by video games, computers, the internet and other stuff. I would still call myself a movie buff, cuz I watch DVDs a lot.

I agree with dlbpharmd, the moviegoing experience has lost some lustre. I guess we're just a bit jaded by the whole thing. Cell phones are a bane for sure, and not just at the movies. As for couples who bring their babies with them, I'm not sure why this seems to be happening more and more. Or is it just my imagination? Are babysitters too expensive for many these days or in short supply? Yikes, this could turn into a sociological discussion...

However, I don't want movie theatres to become extinct. That would REALLY be sad. The multiplexes need to push hard on upgrading their technologies. For instance, when are they going to stop handling clunky film reels and finally go all digital? I'm aware that in the U.S. a growing number of theatres are digital, but locally we may be stuck with film reels for a while. I would love to have seen the Star Wars prequels in their pristine digital glory. I did finally, on DVD. Just imagine a super high-res big screen version.

But now that HDTV is all the rage, along with the arrival of high-def DVD and Blu-Ray, does this render digital theatres obsolete as well? Questions, questions...

One would hope that theaters start to go boutique. I'd love to see a return to the grand old theaters; huge all digital screens, thumpin' sound systems, good seats, and good food. I'd like to see more cinema & drafthouses, and I'd like to never see a multiplex again.

I've been hearing about theaters popping up that you pay a bit more for, but the seats are nicer, and you can buy booze and make it a bit nicer experience. I'd like that.