Forum - View topicWhich anime distribution model do you personally prefer?
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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There's a lot of debate among fans about the way companies should be distributing anime in terms of both streaming and physical media. What I wanted to ask is this: Putting aside what particular setup might be "right", how would you personally prefer to see anime distributed? Just on a personal level, what works for you?
In terms of streaming, is it important to you that they be free or are you willing to pay a monthly subscription? What about Ads? Would you rather have ads than pay? Is high quality a must or are you happy with SD? Do you need to watch it immediately or are you okay with waiting a while? If the latter, how long? Do you just want to sample a few episodes and then buy the DVD/BD or do you want to watch the whole thing? What about DVDs/BDs? Do you want them at all anymore or do you just want to stream? Also tying into the streaming question, are you happy to blind buy or do you only want to buy a show you've seen (partially or completely) already? Also, do you want to own every show you like or just some? If it's some, what's the determining factor? In either case, what are you willing to pay? Do you want it as cheap as possible or would you rather pay more for more? If the latter, what would you like to pay more for? Extras? Packaging? Artbooks? Trinkets? (By the way, don't feel the need to answer all these questions specifically or to answer them all separately. I just want to get people's general opinions what they personally look for in consuming/collecting anime). Personally, I really don't desire to buy about 90% of the anime I watch at this point. In fact, I've even started getting rid of some stuff from my more fervent buying days. I just think I'd rather have a much smaller collection that consists of only the really top calibre stuff than a giant, sprawling collection rife with mediocrity and shows I don't even like that much and will never actually watch again. Not only is the latter impractical due to space constraints, I feel like my real favourites get lost in the clutter. That said, I'm definitely a collector at heart. No question there. I don't think I'll ever move away from physical media entirely. I like having copies of the things I like that I can put on my shelves. For that reason, I also like collector's editions and fancy packaging. If I'm gonna put something on my shelf I want it to look nice. Of course, that ties into my philosophy of only buying the best. I'm not interested in spending a ton per series if most of them are mediocre and I'm buying a dozen shows a year. However, since I now only buy my real favourites, I really don't need them to be these stripped down, budget releases. I can afford to and am willing to spend more money if it means I get a fancy collector's set with an artbox/artbook/etc. That's where I like what NIS America is doing. I'm happy to pay $100 or so bucks on a series if I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. For this reason though, I'm done with blind buying. I don't really want to buy anything unless I've streamed it first and know that I really really like it. Of course, that also means that streaming needs to be a more or less full blown substitute for DVD. For that, I definitely want higher quality. SD is fine for just checking out a couple episodes but for a whole show I like 720p at least. Of course, I'm fine with paying a monthly price for this if I'm watching several shows which is where I'm reasonably satisfied with Crunchyroll. I do wish that there was an option to still get 720 without paying though, (a delay would be fine) for those seasons where there's only one or two shows I want to check out. So basically I'd like to be able to watch everything on crunchyroll in good quality for a monthly fee. Then I'd like to buy just the shows I really, really like and actually want to collect, paying more for a collector's set. What about the rest of you? |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3707 |
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The last thing I need in my life is more stuff. ("You mean to tell me that after I pay you for your series, you're going to penalize me by forcing me to have another physical object? Screw you, industry!") The Crunchyroll subscription works perfectly for casual watching, and I'd like a license sale model for buying series I like, a la Zune. I'm not a fan of dubs, though, so for now, it's stuff or nothing, and I find myself going with nothing far more often.
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EricDent
 Posts: 997 Location: Georgetown, TX |
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Personally I think it's pretty good now as far as distribution goes.
If you want to colect stuff on DVD/Blu-Ray you have several options for doing so. If you want legal streams, there are lots of options for those. The only thing I would change is to somehow resurect companies that went out of business, so we would have even more options. |
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Aoi_Sakaraba
 Posts: 312 Location: Des Moines, Iowa |
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For these anime companies in america/canada they need to release new laws to prohibit production of anime with ONLY subtitles. They should be forced to have them subbed in english.
I know a lot of people hate english dubs, but you gotta admit they have gotten better. In my case now I see some of my favorite animes getting taken by companies that WILL NOT DUB shows they've licensed, which is really annoying. Some days I prefer to relax to a dub sometimes. It's easier to listen and watch, than it is to read, watch, and listen. It would also help provide jobs for people. WE want jobs  (you can ignore this silly sentence if you want)
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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My preferred method of distribution, in order of preference:
Streaming: Pros -No need for storage (digital or physical) -No need of BD/DVD players -Accessible 24/7/365 Cons -Spread out too much because distribution channels vying for same eyeballs -Fansubs still own the market (and will for a long time) -To get best service, subscription is required, which makes the multiple sites too expensive on a monthly basis to cover them all. This system will claim more sites than make them. Download to Own: Pros -Digital storage -Transportable -Shareable (non-legal) Cons -DRM, which is killing this option. -Susceptible to data loss -Best versions are illegal (ironically bad from legit sites to combat piracy) -Low market penetration -Even lower market awareness DVD/BD Pros -It's not going anywhere unless I sell it -Durable -Extras (when I'm interested) Cons -Jeezus criminey, these things take up too much space -Shitty treatment of distribution to customers with 2/3 eps per disk (SD, which is a damn waste). Now BD is being affected. -Scratches, kids, heat, player goes out 20 years from now -Price, price, and price out of most market access. Extremely stupid. Television Pros -Wide market potential for anime awareness (no sales expectations attached) Cons -Ads -Editing of content -Aired on channels most audiences don't watch -Absolutely worthless medium to induce sales *** Truth be told, I'm not a real fan of these current distribution channels because every single one of them inflates the price out of the market's ability to pay. Digital distribution provides an infinite supply, so the cost should be free, sans ads, but old-school asshats don't think this way. This locks up penetrable secondary markets who can sell goods from figures to decals, now restricted to an even tighter market. The good news is piracy is making a difference (as it usually does). More anime is available via legal alternatives, though the businesses behind them are years behind the fansub sites, who still own more than 50% of the viewing market (and is generating revenue through their access to service, not the content, since most offer more than just anime). As a fan for nearly 30 years, it stuns me to see anime collapsing upon itself from the inside. Rather than be proactive, it remains reactive and those who suffer are those who still buy. Anime prices have increased over 22% in the past 5 years, and most don't even realize it because of the new "sub only" or "two part" distribution options. Sales, for physical media, is in steady decline. Despite positive statements from retailers and distributors, it's no secret this trend will not be able to sustain itself too much longer. There's only one solution, and that's to combine distribution centers into a single unit to not only combat piracy, but to lower the overhead costs associated with the varying entities, each of which are vying for the few remaining dollars from a shrinking market. This doesn't mean anime will die. Far from it. If anything, it'll grow, but it's going to take a new set of constantly evolving business models to fund future productions. |
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Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
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I'll be honest, my preferred distribution model is to watch fansubs then buy the BD/DVD of stuff I really enjoy to support those titles. Picture quality and extras are of high importance to me, so I'm okay with paying the extra dollar for BD/DVD of titles I like.
I'm not a fan of streaming, mostly for the big con that PJ didn't mention: internet connection required; something that can't leave my home with me. |
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ArsenicSteel
 Posts: 2370 |
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I prefer the free as possible(TV broadcast would be best) for viewing and then physical releases(DVD) for shows I want to collect. I don't like streaming.
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I'm going with the "Watching everything streaming free legally and buying what I really like spending my money on physical media (DVD/BD)" approach. It's worked extremely well for me and my wallet and also helps and contributes to the industry.
Also add to the Cons: -You are not in control of the content as you would be with physical media or a downloaded file so you are susceptible to website lag, browser/player compatibility issues, region blocking, and also the possibility of the content in question being randomly removed on the company's whim and never coming back.
Seconded. Down with the sub-standard products. I also have to agree it's getting annoying. 
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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And I was recently wondering about possible legal ways to prohibit dubbed adaptions of foreign shows. Well because after looking at some pretty bad Live Action dubs I figured it has to be illegal to be that bad and figured anime dubs would fit right in. |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I'm a good ol' fashioned 'buy DVDs based on reviews, synopisis, and trailers' kinda gal. I'm very much attached to the whole physical media thing... if I can't hold it, fiddle with it, carry it around and lend it to friends, I don't really want it. I suppose I like having the 'proof' that I own a show, and I get a surprising amount of satisfaction just dusting things off and looking at the box art.
Now, as for streaming- I'm not against it in the slightest, and I think it's a fantastic way to sample the handful of shows I don't want to buy based on reviews alone. It's just not really my thing. Aside from the obvious 'digital only' factor... I don't like watching TV on my computer (I spend too much time in front of this thing as it is), plus- it goes away. I like that I can watch my DVDs on my own time, but streaming is limited by being online- the webhost is doing maintenance, they pull a no longer popular stream, the liscense runs out, my router's on the fritz and I can't get online... there's a whole host of things that can take a show away. I tried to watch Sketchbook on Crunchyroll, fitting it in when I had extra time and the computer was free. It got pulled before I even got 4 episodes in. I really wish someone would just let me buy it. I'd like to, y'know, actually have it. (For the record, yes, I am aware everything I'm complaining about is nessecary for streaming to be remotely viable. Doesn't mean I like it.) |
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Guren Alchemist4
 Posts: 347 |
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I prefer watching free simulcast legal streams for shows currently airing in Japan. I don't mind ads during an episode as it helps with licensing cost, but like any viewer I want as few as possible.
 I wouldn't mind paying extra for ad free streaming if shows were being offered on a single site. However, as it stands now, they are too spread out to be cost effective. I think right now you have to pay for a Crunchyroll subscription for ad free service, an Anime Network subscription to simply view the shows in their catalog of anime, and a Netflix subscription to watch their limited streams/DVD's. I believe all other legal steaming services don't have an ad free option right now if I'm not mistaken.
As for purchasing anime, I actually want to own a physical copy of the show be it DVD or Blu-ray. I'm not comfortable purchasing digital copies as I don't get that "ownership" feeling and I get paranoid that I might lose access to show. This has happened to me in the past when I purchased Basilisks off Xbox Live and then lost access to several episodes 2 or 3 years later. It was a nightmare dealing with customer service who never were able to solve my issue, and thus, I never got access to what I paid for. I also like seeing the copies on my shelve with their box art. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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My position (and personal preference) on this rests entirely on the premise (more of an opinion) that being a collector for the sake of owning physical objects I like and supporting the industry that produces them is separate from content that represents entertainment.
I think a sustainable business model can exist by adhering to this premise. Why continue to perpetuate the existence of physical media when it's original purpose was simply to provide a storage medium for content such as movies, games and music? The industry has simply been lazy and continues to send mixed messages about what in particular makes a disc itself a collectible item if you can still get the same content via the internet and there are items such as figures, artbooks and character goods which rightfully are considered collectible items. |
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Aoi_Sakaraba
Posts: 312 Location: Des Moines, Iowa |
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Even though I'm for the anime industry booming, I think sub-only to cut corners is wrong. I also set up a by price which goes for ALL anime. About the max I'll pay for a 12-13 episode series is 15$ and this includes shipping and taxes. That is also if I really like the series. If its only I like, but not love then the max I will pay is around 12$
For Full season series (24-26) the max I will pay is 20$, 24$ if I really like it. Honestly a lot of television series sell for that price when they're on sale anyway, so I don't find my method too outrageous. My previous purchased anime: In January 2010 I finished my Ai Yori Aoshi series which I collected the first 3 dvd's to back in around 2003 I think.--for ai yori aoshi I purchased the rest of the dvds + all the dvds to the second series a well. In February 2010 I purchased dvd 2 and 5 of spiral, I already had dvd 1 which I purchased in 2004OR2005. Then in March 2010 I purchased the remaining 3 I didn't have.--for those last 3 it was the only time I purchased used ones. I wanted to finish the series off as fast as I could. I got boned when I purchased dvd's 1-3 of aiyoriaoshi enishi (paid 41.78 for all 3 together). That is when I decided my rules for how much I will pay for a series. For Christmas in 2010, I got Air, Aquarion, Kanon, and Welcome to the NHK. I think my mom paid only 50$ altogether for all of them! The S.A.V.E collection went really cheap that month. July 2011: I purchased Air the Movie for only 7.52 NEW after shipping on amazon.com I'm planning on buying I My Me Strawberry Egg's, Midori Days, Golden Boy, [url]Now and Then, Here and There[/url], Birdy the Mighty Decode 1&2, Red Garden, or Please Save My Earth soon. Most likely it will either be Red Garden or I my me strawberry eggs. Prior to the amazon.com orders I already owned Noir Complete set, Inuyasha the movie 2, Black Lion OAV, a couple Yu YU Hakusho/Inuyasha Singles, and 4 cased closed singles. These were purchased long before I had a purchasing pattern. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6607 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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1st preference: At the cinema. You didn't enjoy Tales from Earthsea? Then you didn't see it at the cinema.
2nd preference: My own copy of an anime that I can watch in high quality at any time I choose into the far distant future. It can be DVD / BD or downloaded onto my hard drive. I like to own DVD copies of my favourite anime. Catch is, it's expensive. 3rd preference: Watch it via streaming. I expect to be able to watch whatever I want on-line. I don't mind ads so I will first try the licensed sites. If it's not available there, I'll watch it from other sites. If I like the anime I'll buy it. Interestingly, so much good anime is now becoming available via the proper channels that there's no time to chase up other stuff on the unlicensed sites. I think we becoming spoiled for choice. 
@ Aoi_Sakaraba, Most anime that is released as sub only probably wouldn't be released at all if the distributor were forced to provide an English dub. That would reduce our choice. Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Jul 21, 2011 1:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ArsenicSteel
Posts: 2370 |
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Doesn't sound like you are talking about anime distribution models. Your issues and wants look to be more about finding sales bargain bins at retailers. Give it 5 to 7 years and the anime we are talking about will have prices that low at some retailer somewhere.
Goodluck with the sub-only is wrong thing. I can SOOO see a law being setup to punish companies for trying to make a profit on shows that won't support the cost of a dub. |
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