Forum - View topicChicks On Anime - Tales from the Rental Front
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B-503_MIA
![]() Posts: 149 Location: Green Bay, WI |
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Ah, Macross Frontier... Back before Crunchyroll went legit I watched every episode on there except the last one (luckily veoh had that). I used CR's H.264 stream when possible & it was hit-&-miss quality wise, when it worked well it was a thing of beauty. I'd use my laptop to access it wirelessly & fed the video to my Optoma DV10 DLP projector. Even though the DV10 is 480P native, HD signals look great & it's hard to beat a 100 inch screen - Frontier eps looked gorgeous ![]() That being said, I still want Frontier on some form of disc... |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Hmm. Another industry relying on the sales (via rental) of plastic disks, then turns and bashes Netflix and the local library?
Spells future closure of this brick-and-mortar store, especially when there is no attempt at providing other alternatives to customers. I've not been to a real rental store in.... *remembers*.... over 3 years. Maybe 4. With on demand movie services, online options, and yes, the occasional gift of a DVD, there is no longer a reason to rent. Kira, I applaud your sense of community, but even through your own admission, people are leaving. Just because this loss is made up with new customers doesn't mean it'll stay that way. 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. Last weekend, for the first time ever, I connected my laptop and television together. To tell me the quality was poor is inaccurate. If anything, it was better than my cable signal, being passed through component video (no HDMI avail through the DVR). There is no way a rental store will convince me to return. In fact, I'm now moving towards connecting my televisions (via computers) to my WiFi network. Oh, and you may want to pay particular attention to the television industry, as many manufacturers are now installing options to allow internet connectivity to them directly. Digital distribution is moving along because demand is there for it. All your store is doing is filling in the gap until it arrives. Good luck to you. You're going to need it. |
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Ceredonia
![]() Posts: 36 Location: Fort Collins, CO |
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Haha, yeah...I really hated it for awhile when Death Note first came out. All my friends kept ragging on me for that.
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.)
We've managed to roll with the punches for 30 years, going from an in-home video game sales store that morphed into an arcade, then card game shop, then movie store, so I think we'll figure out something if the time comes that digital truly puts us out of business.
I know what you're trying to get across, and yes, generally people are moving ahead with technology, but you seem to be forgetting those that will never adapt, refuse to adapt, and simply don't know how to adapt. Older people especially, not everyone knows how to hook up a computer to a tv screen--we've had customers who can't figure out the DVD remote before. So while the vast majority of people may be moving towards digital, you're forgetting the people who aren't--and that number is larger than you think. That's what we're providing, service for those who still watch video tapes, who don't know how to download the newest season of LOST, etc. Not everyone wants to own their DVDs or download everything they watch, they simply want to go in and rent a movie for the night. Don't forget these people just because you know how to stream through your computer.
Thanks for the optimism! Last edited by Ceredonia on Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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LordRedhand
![]() Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Thank you for the response Ceredonia, sometimes when people come off as tekkies or first adopters, they can come off as very cold at times when it comes to certain things. Now not to say I haven't used streaming media, I have but for news more than anything. For me personally there is a difference watching a stream on a computer versus watching a DVD on the TV and it's not quality or difference of conetent, it's just that streaming entertainment for me feels colder and is harder for me to share with others physically. Also DVDs can make a statement immediately as to what you like over streaming which can be hidden, as the first thing you see when walking into the front door of where I'm staying, you see my anime collection, watch TV and you see my collection of RPG books, those send a message.
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. Last edited by LordRedhand on Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:15 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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arachneia
![]() Posts: 415 Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon |
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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. Last edited by arachneia on Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
![]() ![]() Posts: 23974 |
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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...
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arachneia
![]() Posts: 415 Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon |
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Well, unless I'm misunderstanding Kira, that's what we're talking about - free DVD rentals. |
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Ceredonia
![]() Posts: 36 Location: Fort Collins, CO |
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Yes, I'm talking about free rentals from the library, thanks for clearing that up, arachneia. ![]() I understand why libraries rent movies and music, I just don't agree with it. And I'm sorry my view was too limited--I don't mind if people check out books for free, because as a personal opinion, I feel books are more important to be available to the public than movies. Maybe that's where I got off the rails there. And I know not everyone can afford to rent--that's a reason we're the cheapest store in town (well, now we're the only store, next to Blockbuster, but we've outlasted Hollywood Video, another local store, and a couple other chains with locations here) and try to cater to everyone. If you can't afford to rent, then sure, I understand the feeling that "I need to download this or get it for free because I can't afford to support local businesses," and it sucks for us, but I understand. Also: Middle school? We do try to target our business to high school/college-aged people and older, though I see where you're coming from. Personally, since I'm a collector, I've always bought my books because I like having the books on my shelf. I've never rented from a library unless it was for educational purposes for a paper or something. But again, that's just me, and I don't expect everyone to have that opinion. B&N is certainly a large enough chain to take care of themselves, and local used and new bookstores aren't doing as well either, which is sad. I usually try to check the local used places before B&N. The free model hurts everyone, unfortunately, we just hear about some businesses more than others. There is no win/win in this situation, I know. If I complain about Netflix, I get bashed about how we're not "keeping up with the times" or so forth. If I complain about libraries, I pretty much end up looking like I hate poor people, or something. It's not about that. I just want local stores of all areas to stay in business, and it's really hard for everyone, not just because the economy is doing poorly. Local stores have been declining for years and everything is starting to move even more rapidly towards chains and this "I can get everything for free!" attitude that a lot of people are adopting. I'm not just talking about anime fans, I know people that download movies and pirate games and that really doesn't sit well with me. Would I feel differently if I didn't have this store and had to get my anime another way? I'm sure I would. But this is my situation, and this is how I feel about things, so I'm sorry if that offends people, but aren't we all entitled to our own opinions? If you owned a local store of some sort, wouldn't you try everything you could to keep customers and sales going? I'm really not comparing libraries renting out movies to a soup kitchen, or Salvation Army. I think that's an extreme comparison--food is essential, clothes are essential (usually), movies are not. I don't know how a movie would be an essential to the everyday life of a person, yet food and clothing are obviously vital to survival. By the way, thanks for the overwhelmingly positive comments on here, guys. I'm glad to see people responding. ![]() |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
![]() Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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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. |
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arachneia
![]() Posts: 415 Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon |
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Kira, I didn't mean to suggest you should cater to any specific demographic, I was just giving an example of a time when my family wasn't doing that well financially, and it happened to be when I was in middle school.
I'm pretty sure that nothing could be further from educational than Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, Meg Cabot, Nora Roberts, and every book that has Fabio on its cover. Needless to say, I don't buy this automatic equating of novels with quality. If a library can sink low enough to stock Twilight, it can damn well stock great movies like Amadeus or L.A. Confidential. |
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Blood-
![]() ![]() Posts: 23974 |
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Ah, my mistake. To me the word "rental" means some kind of fee (even if nominal) is involved. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Great. I did it again. With that, please accept my apology for being rude. I've been away from forums for quite some time, and readjusting is taking time. How the remark "sounds" in my head when I review obviously doesn't translate well in the text world. I've read some of your comments to other replies. Some of which I can understand, while others have me scratching my head. It's as though you're being reactive to the changes around you rather than proactive. With that, I've a question for you. What's stopping you now from adapting the forthcoming digital era? Think about this for a moment, then take a good, long look at the entertainment industry as a whole. I certainly hope the shop can survive another 30 years, but the one comment which makes me think otherwise is the notion your customers "may want everything for free". I can't fathom how your shop can compete with that, especially as the entertainment industry is now beginning to realize why "piracy" exists in the first place. Just don't be one who assumes it's because people want it for free. This will help you answer the question above. ![]() *bows* |
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Ceredonia
![]() Posts: 36 Location: Fort Collins, CO |
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Heh, I wasn't sure if you were intending to be rude, which is why I was simplistic in my reply there. ![]() Anyway, about your question-- Honestly? I don't know how we'd adapt right now. We can't stream stuff. We don't have our own servers to upload/download stuff for people, not to mention the licensing to make that legal. We considered selling the digital copies that come with most DVDs/BluRays these days, but there's hidden fees involved in those (not on our end) that makes it too complicated. So we're just going as we go, and we'll figure out something eventually. That's how we've survived in the past, at least. ![]() ![]() |
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DomFortress
![]() Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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This makes me happy, because I'm more afraid of what will happen to shops like yours when the very entertainment industry supporting your business is making some incredibly stupid, stupid decisions. But I don't want to spark a debate on these decisions, so I'll leave it at that. Consider me a guardian devil (because angels are seen as too nice) fighting against this stupidity. ![]() |
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