Forum - View topicChicks On Anime - Tales from the Rental Front
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23857 |
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Arthur, there are few people on this planet less qualified to discuss technical matters than myself. So I won't even attempt to discuss HOW the current digital limitations, some of which you touched on, will be overcome. I have only my child-like conviction that they will.
I can only point to my own current situation. I get digital cable. Through digital cable, I can access various movies and TV series on demand. It usually takes about 30 seconds from the time I begin the process until the actual content is playing on my TV screen. I can fastforward it, rewind, pause, etc. All this is coming through an ordinary coaxial cable. My digital box has a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) built into it. On it, I can store up to 60 hours of recorded material. This is on a machine that is now two years old. So even a technical know-nothing like myself can examine what is currently possible and extrapolate what will be possible in the not too distant future. Yes, I know there are those of you out there who groove on DVDs and absolutely cannot imagine yourselves abandoning that format. Y'all remind me of the people who swore - SWORE! - they would never make the switch from vinyl to CDs. 
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Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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Well, for me, as a collector and lover of physical, tangible objects (the prospect of digitized books literally freaks me out--I need that book in my hand) it's sad to see the appreciation for prettily-decorated DVD boxes fade away. Files on hard drives or data discs just don't carry the same--if you'll allow me to whip out a huge cliche, here--sentimentality. I love packaging and presentation almost as much as the product itself, and there's a certain amount of pride that goes into arranging a media collection on your shelves--just take a look at the people who send in their pictures to the Shelf Life column every week. That's really the core of being a collector at heart. I suspect most of the hard-core collectors put a lot of thought and effort into what goes on their shelves (I know I do, at least; my manga collection is comparatively small to others but painstakingly selected, so I'm uber proud of it) and watching streaming content, and even stuff like downloading music from the iTunes store, just seems so easy in comparison. I love Hulu, but I'll never stop buying and renting physical products, too. Watching an episode of Arrested Development online isn't really all that different from grabbing one of my DVDs from the shelf and sticking it in the player, but in the latter case I still have the DVDs on my shelf even after I'm done watching the show. How do you show off a digital collection?
I haven't been there, but it sounds great. I didn't go to Robbinsdale all that often (unless I was on the way to Crystal, where I worked for a while) and I lived in Steven's Square, which is like, a 5-minute walk (or a one-minute mad dash, if it was freezing enough outside ;p) to NVV. Alas, I don't live in Minneapolis anymore. I miss my 4 for $5 movie deal!!  Also of note, pertaining to NVV: they keep a pair of adorable Rotties behind the counter, and I'd often see their owner walking them around my neighborhood. Too cute. <3
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sashaisme
 Posts: 75 |
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I use this method:
1.Watch ONE OR TWO episodes on Youtube. 2. Check and see the manga series, if possible. 3. Begin waiting for a birthday or holiday so I can get my money. 4. After getting the money, buy online. Although, recently, my sis got a drum set, and my mom bought me the first season of Death Note.  Yay.
(Note that Sasha, as her internet friends call her, is a Death nerd. Even Leo knows that.) |
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ArthurFrDent
 Posts: 466 |
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Blood-...
switch from vinyl? perish the thought... heh, I just kept it all until my old miles davis stuff is worth $$$ bcause it never came out on CD and isn't available any other way... and I was a fairly early adopter of CD in 1985... interestingly, a lot has been made of the switchover of music, but I think it was fundamentally different to start with. LP's sound different than CD's, especially if you have good equipment. It's hard to duplicate the sound. Not that LP's are better than how they were recorded, and nothing beats live, but all three are different. Cassettes on the other hand? Dead. Which medim will be hopscotched depends on many factors. My question for you is, can you get ANYTHING on your cable? Or only what is available as on-demand? What it sounds like you are getting is broadcast not digital download as iTunes [for example] would be. The way that is pushed over pipes is very different. Plus, do you watch this on your computer or a TV? That is also quite different. And? 60 hours? That's only 120eps. ~25 eps a series, and that's 4.8 series on your box. I have roughly 20 plus of those, plus shorter OVA's and what not... so that's 260+ hours... 4.5 personal recorders. And how are you backing the data up? Not to mention the hundreds of movies I own... Suddenly storing the stuff on hard drives doesn't sound nearly as easy as on a DVD, never mind getting it there. The thing is, if you are always cosnuming NEW content and never or rarely rewatching old, doing it through DVR is great. But how're you gonna watch original Tenchi Muyo OVA? How about Ranma1/2? Are they licenced anymore? In Print? If in 10 years you have a hankerin' to watch RahXephon, will it be available for on-demand? Or will you wish you had saved a copy somewhere? This is the thing... even now stuff goes out of print, in all media, movies, music, and so on. But that doesn't make listening to an old scratchy version of Dylan's Blood on the Tracks or Etta James any less interesting, and maybe transcendent. The same way my reading of my great grandfather's History of the US books [circa 1902] is quite a different experience than reading a wiki online. In theory, everything in digital format is kept somewhere, particularly if it is a picture of you doing something stupid when you were a kid on facebook... But the fact is that digital content has monetary and licensed lifespan, and you have to take that into account. Otherwise none of your friends will loan you their FollyCooly disks, while you loan them your fritz the cat VHS. [heh, I even had THAT one on Beta Hi-Fi] FLCL isn't in print and used versions are pricy... but I'd wonder if you can get it on demand. Ther are many properties out there like it. Things that are like the difference between a fabulous cook making you a meal, and eating at micky D's. Both are consumption, but one you may remember forever, while who is going to remember a particular bigmac? Personally I think that is why this is an important question, and why Kira's store provides an answer. Hey Kira, you got's FLCL instock? 
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OZ-13MS
 Posts: 11 |
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I'm already used to books in PDF format. Since I'm able to obtain the books I use for school in PDF it becomes easier when doing research. You can't use control+f in a paper based book to find what you are looking for. I'm able so save loads of time and conduct an effective research by having books in a digital format. You can show off a digital collection, it's always happening on the Shelf Life with their DVD collections. If someone wanted to show off a collection of disks all they need to do is burn the data to a disk. Comparing anime DVDs to anime that is stored in HDDs is the same thing. Only difference is that all the data is stored in one physical medium and not in several. It doesn't matter what the object is; a person will develop sentimentality towards it. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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In some subjects, many important essays and journals don't get backed up online. Speaking for myself, I remain more attentive when reading a page than a screen. I'm also sure that many a fan associates a high value to the packaging in which their discs are contained. This mentality may change, but I'd like to hope it remains to some degree. |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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I'd also like to think that people read books because they want to over the ability for searching through them quickly (especially the kinda books I like to read, they can't be "skimmed", they demand a certain level of attention.)
Also there is a difference in showing of professionally made DVDs on a shelf and burned DVDs on a shelf. Both are noticeable, but for me the professional DVD is cleaner. And with streamed media it does feel colder to me, not that the content has changed but the experience of watching it has. |
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zanarkand princess
 Posts: 1484 |
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I like physical copies. I like having box sets full of anime taking up room on my shelf. I am part of the younger generation and no one I know understands why I love physical copies so much. I don't really like streaming and I only do it if it's an alternative to watching fansubs not buying a DVD. Still a lot of people don't feel that way but I think that people would prefer watching streams then having the option of buying the DVD, I mean how many people own a DVD set of their favorite series that plays on tv? Lots. In the anime community we don't usually have the option of seeing things in a legal way before we buy a DVD. If someone where not to watch fansubs then it's a blind buy so that's why renting and the reviews here at ANN are so helpful, the problem is that by the time things get here to review everyone is on to the next big thing. That doesn't make having a DVD set of a series from 2 seasons ago bad though, because you liked the series but maybe I only feel that way because I'm a collector.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23857 |
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Arthur - I think you are continuing to make the classic mistake of looking at digital distribution as it is currently constituted and not trying hard enough to see what it will likely be.
Personally, I envisage an iTune-esque set up where you download content directly to your TV (using voice activation, by the way, but I'm getting ahead of myself). This iTune-esque set-up will have thousands upon thousands of titles. Once you download the content, you will be able to "keep" it in virtual storage (i.e. you won't need a physical hard drive in your house) from which you will be able to access it for the rest of your life. I can't wait. |
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Ceredonia
 Posts: 36 Location: Fort Collins, CO |
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Yeah, for rental.  They rent *all the time,* heh.
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darkhappy1
 Posts: 495 Location: PA |
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Yep. I was totally part of the group that "hide titles under other titles." Oh, Vampire Knight #1, hidden under David McCullough's "1776," yet over "Death Note: Another Note" to be squished inbetween.
Right now, I'm starting to collect titles that interest me and have received generally positive reviews (maybe I should try renting stuff). Having the book/show in your hand feels so... great. I'll continue buying physical copies until going completely digital is necessary. Of course, I hope that doesn't happen too soon. Then again, I'll only buy stuff when there's a sale, since I don't want my parents to spend too much money when a sale is right by the corner. |
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asimpson2006
 Posts: 3151 Location: USA |
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I'll will admit I'm a netflix users. I don't like Blockbuster since they censor their films, and plus the local Blockbuster doesn't have much in the anime department. The reason I enjoy using Netflix is that I can preview a show that I may have an interest in buying in the future and I can use it to determine if I will invest in the product, or if I will save my money for something else.
I also use Hulu from time to time for shows or youtube to look at potential shows that I have a interest in. I do have to say it's one of the smarter choices I've done by rent and trying before I buy, then buy it and if I don't like it try to convince a seller that's it's not a bootleg and make some money back. |
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Showsni
 Posts: 641 |
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Yeah, me too. Not with renting, since I don't rent all that much, but certainly with books at the library - okay, I want to take out the first four Rainbow Fairy books, which are clearly aimed at four year old girls. I need to find some adult books to even it out! Um, Lord of the Rings even though I've got it at home, an Agatha Christie or two, something random from the teenage section... That'll do. Then you have to arrange it carefully, shuffling the childish books throughout the adult ones, and making sure the book that's going to end up on top of the pile at the deck before and after scanning is an adult one. |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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I am a hardcore Netflixer, I live in a smallish suburb that is the main distribution for the Dallas/ Fort Worth area (Coppell, TX).
I discovered a quirk with the Post Office here in Coppell, that allows 1 day mail for Netflix. For example, they mail Mon., I receive Tue. , and I can get it back to them by Wed. morning with a new disk arriving Thu which they get back on Fri, and another new disc to me Sat. On the 3 at a time plan, 7 to 8 discs a week are now common (I have never been able to pull off the 9 discs a week feat). The quirk: the drivethru maildrop at the Post Office. Last pickup time is listed at 5:00 pm, but whatever I drop in there Mon-Thu, regardless of the time, ends up back at Netflix the following morning. Using the inside drop causes 1 extra day of transit time. I also do the 1 at a time plan from Rentanime.com for reasons that you can probably guess. I have a question for Kira, I have heard that rental places have to pay more for the discs they buy to rent out, but have never been able to track down any concrete numbers. Is it true? And if so, roughly how much more is it? Sounds like your shop would be right up my alley, but if there was a similar shop within 15 miles of me here in the DFW sprawl, I have not found it yet. |
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Cait
 Posts: 503 |
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Arthur, the funny thing about cassettes being "dead" is that cassette players are far outliving them. Last year my sister got so frustrated with her FM transmitter (she lived in NYC at the time, and good luck finding an empty channel there) that she had her car CD player, which she'd had installed to replace the cassette player only a couple of years before that, removed and had the old cassette player reinstalled. So, while it's true no one listens to cassettes anymore, cassette car adapters will probably be around for quite a few more years before Aux inputs become standard in all vehicles (and even then, you'll still have to wait another 10-20 years for everyone to replace all their older vehicles).
Anyway, I'm in agreement with you on the rate of technological advancement. I have to wonder what kind of timeframe Blood thinks these "advancements" that will replace physical media will take. Computers, equipment, digital television and cable TV/internet are all very expensive. They will all also probably continue to be very expensive for many years to come. Every time the price goes down on any of these things, the next generation standard comes out and anything before it becomes obsolete. It sort of annoys me how everyone quotes the invention of the CD in the early '80s, as if it came out and suddenly everyone was using them. I never even saw a CD until the early 1990s, and I didn't own my own player for them until '94ish. And even then, you could get cassettes (and they had decent selections of them in most stores) through the entirety of the '90s. I only remember seeing them phased out completely at the end of the decade. The simple fact of the matter is, yes, these technologies are going to eventually catch up, but the idea that they will completely and thoroughly replace the "old" methods of physical media is ridiculous. Not everyone can afford now, or will ever actually be able to afford an HGTV and a digital cable subscription with on-demand type services. Not everyone owns now or will ever own in the future an iPod with thousands of songs downloaded to it from iTunes. Replacing technology is expensive, and it is an expense not everyone can afford. My parents had an old PC running Windows95 until just a couple of years ago. Why replace something they didn't use very much? Only a small percentage of people stay on the leading edge of new technology. The rest of us wait for the stuff we already have to stop working (which could take 5-10 more years). Just because the technology exists does not mean it is accessible to everyone, or will become affordable to them in their lifetimes. This older guy I work with made a joke one time about when he was a kid they were told "by the year 2000 there will be hover cars and people living on the moon," but the year came and none of those assumed technological advances came with it. Change happens slowly. Just because things appear to be advancing, or being capable of advancing at a fast rate, does not mean that the rate of growth will stay constant forever. There are going to be slowdowns, and there are things to consider that are not part of the "potential" of the technology (like cost). Personally, I don't see any of this change taking hold in the next 10 years. I see a lot of economic hardship happening in the next 5, but I don't see the digital "revolution" taking over the world and replacing everyone's tube TVs with HDTVs with digital video recorders (hell, I'm pretty up to date on things and I can't afford better than basic cable myself). Maybe in the next 20, but it still won't completely replace tangible media. If tangible media is going to "go away" completely, I honestly don't see it happening for many many years to come. |
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