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Xanas
Posts: 2058 |
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This is what I was saying before as well. Digital is not and probably never will be a replacement for physical media. It however can be an alternative to TV (which is more flexible and meets customer needs/desires better).
That's the way they need to look at it, and so what should be offered is largely subscription based services or advertisement-driven services. The pay-per-download thing will probably never catch the amount of sales they are wanting to see for video, because unlike music which is cheaper and people will listen to constantly, video tends to be something people watch and then move on. |
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lackofcheese
Posts: 25 |
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Hmmm.
As things seem to me, if there is indeed a decline in DVD sales and yet fansubs are as popular as ever, then I can only see this as a preference of many people for what it is that fansubs offer. Consequently, it seems to me that offering some way of getting anime online would appeal to that number of people who regularly download fansubs. I guess that Xanas is right in saying that digital services of the sort are more a replacement for TV than for physical media, at least as things are now. However, it makes no sense at all to expect people to buy DVDs of something they were only willing to watch once, but if they're offered a convenient way to watch it that first time, I think they would take up on it. Currently fansubs are far and away the most convenient method, however. I think Tofu is right on this - the crucial aspect to digital distribution (whether stream or download) is that the stuff be out there as soon as possible. As far as downloads in particular go, I believe that it is only a matter of time before the need of possessing a "hard copy" withers, and the only real barrier remaining to the success of downloads would be DRM. Personally, I'm one of those people who doesn't see much point in physical media; The way I see it, a DVD is a far, far more inconvenient storage medium than a hard drive (In particular, I absolutely adore the way Steam is set up for game distribution.). If, in the same way as Steam, you were allowed to re-download something you've already bought as many times as you want, I think digital downloads would have exponentially better success. I do admit that I see some value in a nice, pretty collector's edition boxset. However, it's certainly the case that I much prefer only having a good few of the very, very nice boxsets; having loads of them in piles makes it seem pointless having them in the first place. |
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tygerchickchibi
 Posts: 1448 |
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I have a nice, pretty shelf and I watch my anime frequently, actually.
And the decline in dvd sales/digital media. I've seen many sites where people have asked for English dubbed anime as well, and ones in bilingual format too, So I don't know what to say about that. I wouldn't even consider it being mainly fansubs. Unless I can find a way for my digital media to transfer to my television, I' don't really want to stare at a computer to watch my shows. For now, I'm happy that I have my DVD collection. |
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lackofcheese
Posts: 25 |
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There is quite a bit of anime out there that is worth watching more than once. However, for each one of those there are many are not. In particular, I should think you want to know you're going to watch something again before you go and make an expensive purchase.
In other words, when you look at DVD sales of pretty much anything else, they are a product that is sold to those people who have already seen it, on TV or in the cinema, and absolutely know for sure that this is something they love. The anime market, however, is based far too heavily on DVD sales. As Xanas has said, what is missing is something more like television - inexpensive releases, with streaming acceptable rather than downloading, and the most crucial factor being speed of release. As for playing digital files on a TV; well, the simplest way is just to connect the computer to the television. I have a 24" monitor for my PC myself, so I don't feel the need to shift anything to a TV anyway though. |
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Xanas
Posts: 2058 |
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I use a 42" hdtv as my monitor, .. so.. my PC and my TV are literally the same thing. I use VLC to stream TV from a PC that has a tuner card over the network and can watch on any PC in the house I want to.
Normal TV's are so not cool IMO. I'd never separate my PC from the media center. It's just too versatile. |
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Corvid
Posts: 1 |
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In the end, all of the companies that are working to bring anime to viewers are only companies. If they cannot make a significant amount of profit on the products they are putting on the market, they will stop and look towards producing other products that will sell. Just scraping by doesn't allow a company to raise enough capital to take risks as far as the breath of what they can produce. A few years ago these companies were producing/licensing/creating a really wide range of products for anime and manga fans. With current profits down, everything they do put out there needs to be a money maker. There is no longer any room for a product that doesn't cover it's costs+, and all of these companies are hoping that the next thing they put out there will be the cash cow that helps the company ride out the storm. Which is a disappointment, because I think that some of the best anime has been the pieces that push the boundaries of storytelling and visual representation.
Currently I see alot of anime and manga that are using safe and historically popular themes and genres. As far as streaming options and the "Technology will save us" argument is concerned, lets be realistic. We are talking about some very large investments in new equipment, new personel, new marketing, and an acclimation/debugging period when first released. If these companies are cutting back on finacial risks taken on new anime and manga titles, they are not going to shell out untold amounts of money to develop/market/liscense new technologies unless someone can PROVE that it won't be a huge fiscal loss. Because they cannot afford to be the creators of the anime version of Crystal Pepsi. To those who say that if the fansubbers put these companies out of business, then the business deserves to go out I say this. These companies are not going to be around much longer if they cannot turn a profit. There are much less expensive forms of entertainment that these studios already have the infrastructure to produce (like reality tv shows). So if you want to keep watching, you need to start buying. |
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