Format wars!

[on:]

I like Dvd the best myself, tapes are kinda scary.

[Reply #1 on:]

No Super 8 mm or 16 mm Film?

[Reply #2 on:]

DVD, I've not tried the HD ones. I have a pile of Beta tapes but sadly by Beta VCR died

[Reply #3 on:]

DVD is fine but I like to digitalise everything so I don't have to worry about where I put my DVDs. I wish downloading was easier in Europe (iTunes, Hulu etc.).

[Reply #4 on:]

Where is Video 2000?  This poll sucks!

[Reply #5 on:]

HDCAM SR!

[Reply #6 on:]

Beta FTW!
Its pity my old Beta Machine was thrown out a couple years ago. Beta was so much better then VHS.

[Reply #7 on:]

My childhood was all about the VHS, so I have to go with that. But I would also pick laserdisc because they are just ridiculous.

[Reply #8 on:]

What about shadow-puppets?
We used to watch shadow-puppets on the cave wall all the time when I was a kid. I think all the modern formats have lost the original organic feel of shadow-puppets. They're just a pale emulation.

Also:

tapes are kinda scary.

Hah! 
Compared to an optical disc that you can ruin just by holding it wrong?
Tapes you could toss about the room like it was nothing. If they got chewed up, you just wound the tape back in. They were encased. Virtually shock-proof, virtually heat-proof.
DVDs? Horrifying. All you need to do to see why is to rent one from the shop. Even if it's relatively new, it will still skip and freeze. You basically can't rent movies anymore because they're on DVD. The only ones you can trust not to be unwatchable are ones you buy yourself. Nice trick that. Same went for CDs. What a stupid thing to do - expose the encoded data to grubby fingers and dust and everything. Smart move.

[Reply #9 on:]

Oh la-de-da Mr. Fancy "I had a cave as a kid"... don't make me laugh, bitterly!

[Reply #10 on:]

I agree with coldy about the smudging and skipping issue of discs...I mean, I like DVDs and the more consistently clear video quality they provide as well as things like scene selection and the extra space for special features and commentaries (although a few VHS tapes of films that I have do have a featurette at the end), but you never know if the disc will cooperate even if it appears to be clean. Dealing with and navigating the sometimes-skippable, sometimes-not opening messages and those menus can be frustrating sometimes too, especially if you had to stop, try to clean the disc yet again, and then try to get back to where you were. At least with tapes things are linear and you can resume where you stopped.

While I do like DVDs and they are the format I use most regularly now, I'll pick VHS for nostalgia and ease of use, and also because I think there's something cool about tape formats of any variety.

[Reply #11 on:]

Digital Distribution is not on the list. Digital Distribution is the format of the future!

[Reply #12 on:]

I hope not... i like collecting movies

[Reply #13 on:]

VHS all the way, baby.

I still have my old TV/VCR at home and I always watch my old videos when I go back home for any considerable period of time.

[Reply #14 on:]

Second on the annoyance at how fragile DVD's are.

This poll sucks because it doesn't have USB drives as an option, those are the format of the future because you can stand on them and collect them.

[Reply #15 on:]

But USB drives aren't as beautiful and won't have nice covers or packing...

[Reply #16 on:]

In my perfect imaginary world in which we use USB drives for movies, the USB drives are in cases similar to DVD cases but instead of a DVD, there's a USB drive in them.

[Reply #17 on:]

yeah, like we still get the nice big video games boxes and not just a thin case without anything... unless you pay more.

[Reply #18 on:]

Isn't that pretty much the same as what you get with DVD's now anyway?

[Reply #19 on:]

nope, you mostly get more than what you got with vhs.

[Reply #20 on:]

DVD are the best, back then, tv shows rarly came in full seasons on vhs (i remember Friends did), the best thing to do was tape your favorite shows (which i still do to this day) or you'd probably never see them again (if the shows were lucky to get reruns).

[Reply #21 on:]

DVD because of DVDshrink, you can't burn blu rays, but I voted for VHS because they stay where you finished watching

[Reply #22 on:]

Yes you can burn blus... why else would der be writeable discs?

[Reply #23 on:]

Where's digital format?
Discs and hardware are sooo 2008...
I've bought one DVD in the last few years and only have a few blu rays, but I mostly got those as gifts.

[Reply #24 on:]

Yes, I pretty much only download DVDrips nowadays

[Reply #25 on:]

YAY for piracy...

[Reply #26 on:]

Well, whatever format you picked, be ready to start collecting yet another one.

[Reply #27 on:]

YAY for piracy...

I actually bought one of the movies I downloaded previously though, I suck at piracy, but it was just too darn good!

[Reply #28 on:]

I was more replying to books

[Reply #29 on:]

I too fail at piracy; the only film I downloaded was Ocean Waves, I was sure there was no way a made for TV Japanese film would get a DVD release but it did so I had to get it... If I hadn't bought it I'd have been missing #16 in the Studio Ghibli Collection

[Reply #30 on:]

I really dislike that British numbering system of the Ghibli movies.

[Reply #31 on:]

The numbering system is a little illogical. At least we get them all though, I think the US is still waiting for Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves on DVD.

[Reply #32 on:]

Ghibli films have numbers?  What's Nausicaä, #0?

[Reply #33 on:]

David: The English DVDs got numbered, but rather randomly.
 1 Nausicaa
 2 Cat Returns
 3 Porco Rosso
 4 Pom Poko
 5 Kiki
 6 Laputa
 7 Howl
 8 Mononoke
 9 Totoro
10 Fireflies
11 Whisper of the Heart
12 Yamadas
13 Spirited Away
14 Only Yesterday
15 Earthsea
16 Ocean Waves
17 Ponyo


Tweek: Germany has really lovely Digipacks, but only German subs

[Reply #34 on:]

Those numbers make no sense at all. 

[Reply #35 on:]

I think it's the order they were released as... randomly.

Should have just not numbered them at all.

[Reply #36 on:]

Numbering them is a not so subtle marketing ploy; once one has most of them there is an urge to fill the gaps; not that I've ever regretted buying a Ghibli films, even the ones that look less appealing turn out to be delightful

[Reply #37 on:]

I hate blue ray, with all i have. They could just make dvd players that play the video in high definition. I know they have up-convert players and my understanding is, its still not as good as blue ray. I am sure they could make it as good. Will they no, because they want to screw everybody some more, so we go out and buy more shit. Thats all its about, so i say screw Blue Ray.

[Reply #38 on:]

They actually make DVD players that play in High Definition but, no it doesn't look as good as bluray.

[Reply #39 on:]

Someone could make one that is just as good as blue ray, but then all the movie corporations would pissed. They would start sucking on their thumbs and praying to satan. All because there poor baby Blue Rays are not selling. Boo frickedy hooo.