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Chicks On Anime - Tales from the Rental Front

ReiClone88 wrote:

I don't like streamed anime, the re-encode quality is often choppy and when the window is stretched, it's not clear at all. But with many anime going Blu-ray in Japan, somewhat brand new Blu-ray ripped fansubs in H.264 video and ACC audio are awesome. Plus when an HDMI cord is used to hook-up a laptop to an HDTV, the experience makes for a neat late night experience.

Video related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wf0O6byui4

By the way when I saw the name Kira was I the only one imagining Bamboo and Sara sitting and talking with a serial killer and a mech pilot?

Money grubbing much? I think it's really low that you would actually voice your resentment towards something that is essentially a public charity institution, even if it is cutting into your profits.

Spells future closure of this brick-and-mortar store, especially when there is no attempt at providing other alternatives to customers.

I hope you're preparing yourself for the new digital era. You're correct to say there are problems in some areas, but this is expected when people are adapting to new ways to view content.

It's a "catch up" game right now, and the DVD will eventually fade as an obscure piece of merchandise. Be lucky there will always be that small niche who wants a plastic disk, but that's to own it, not rent it.

All your store is doing is filling in the gap until it arrives.
Good luck to you. You're going to need it.

I'm sorry that came off as money grubbing, or low to you. Personally, as money is important to stay alive as a small business, I resent that people can go to a public institution that is supposed to cater towards books and public education and rent movies. I don't see the majority of movies as "educational," at least not the ones I hear about people renting, like "Quarantine" or "Quantum of Solace," or anime titles. Sure, one can make the argument that "Oh, such-and-such movie is based off a book, so it's literary!" but I think they're missing the point--the movie is meant to be entertainment, not educational or literary. I'm not as opposed to libraries having sections of documentaries and such, especially because this is a college town and lots of classes watch very specific documentaries that aren't always available to the public, just the fact that they stock anime and regular movies bothers me.
Think about it like this--if you owned a clothing shop, and you were losing business because a store down the street was letting people come in, borrow clothes to wear, then return them for free, wouldn't that bother you because it's hurting your business?
(And to cut off any "but that's not a realistic situation!" criers, I know that, but I'm just giving an example.)

Frankly, I find the idea of libraries renting DVDs to be bizarre. I can borrow DVDs for free from our library system. Mind you, I live in the socialist paradise that is Canada...

If libraries were solely for education and not entertainment, they would not carry anything beyond non-fiction and the classics. And to answer your analogy, that is exactly what libraries have been doing to book stores and the music industry for decades, and I don't see Borders or Barnes & Noble or anyone raising an outcry against them. I get that you're resentful of competition, but you surely know that the majority of people do not take the advantage of the library's free-rental system - otherwise, you'd have no customers. Besides, the library's stock is much more limited, and the wait can be several months long, so that the people who favor immediacy over saving money will always come to you instead.

It may surprise you, but some people actually cannot afford rentals, no matter how inexpensive. When I was in middle school, I subsisted on literally $3 a day, which meant that I could barely eat, never mind rent movies. So, yes, I do think it's low, since it's kind of like complaining about soup kitchens giving away food for free, or criticizing Salvation Army for having such unbeatably low prices.

If libraries were solely for education and not entertainment, they would not carry anything beyond non-fiction and the classics. And to answer your analogy, that is exactly what libraries have been doing to book stores and the music industry for decades, and I don't see Borders or Barnes & Noble or anyone raising an outcry against them.

I think there's a bit of a difference between video entertainment and literary entertainment. Books have always seen as something extremely important to cultures and society-- books not only teach you things, but reading helps develop communication skills, writing skills, etc.

Movies have not always been seen in the same light. There are, undoubtedly, movies that are masterworks, but I don't know that sitting down and watching Card Captor Sakura is the same thing as reading a book, in many people's eyes.

But because of that mentality, books are something that people think everyone should have access to. It's important that everyone should be allowed to read as much as possible. Books are like the meals at soup kitchens-- movies are like getting free ice cream afterward.

Blood- wrote:

Frankly, I find the idea of libraries renting DVDs to be bizarre. I can borrow DVDs for free from our library system. Mind you, I live in the socialist paradise that is Canada...

Well, unless I'm misunderstanding Kira, that's what we're talking about - free DVD rentals.

Thanks for the optimism!

Ceredonia wrote:

Thanks for the optimism!

Great. I did it again. With that, please accept my apology for being rude.
...
What's stopping you now from adapting the forthcoming digital era?

For me, I'd rather have technology follow man then have man follow technology, so if I were to get into streaming entertainment more it's going to be because I want to, not because I have to to get my anime fix.

And maybe we won't be around in 2, 4, or even 10 years--but at least we're trying now, which is just as important.