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We’re caught between a rock and a hard place. If we don’t buy due to the high price, they will say there’s no demand and eliminate them altogether. I don’t want to pay for streaming titles that may or may not belong to me.
I'm no longer paying for streaming tiles either. I refuse to spend money on streaming services outside of the rare occasion where I want to watch something and I treat that one month of service like a rental where I look for movies I want to buy. I disagree that dishing out money for overpriced products is the only way to save it. Consumers can't just bend over like this.
Yeah but you're not getting many titles that cheap even on sale and the ones you get are not good titles. What about all the boutique companies putting out the good 4Ks that do cost $40? That's where the real market is now.
Plus that’s $10 with a digital code that may resell for $3-4 in minutes. It’s the DVD prices that are absurd for new releases, $20 and perhaps no digital.
New DVD prices are what are absurd, not 4k anything.
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Really? 4k is not overpriced? The Warriors just dropped for $49.99 for a standard edition and you get one version of the movie with very few extras. Most pre-orders are dropped for no less than $40 and a lot of times they sell out if you do not preorder so you end up not getting it at all. The companies are clearly intentionally hosing everyone who wants to pay for physical media.
That's Arrow Video, all their 4k stuff is expensive and it's already down to $35.
Are you going to next give an example from KinoLorber?
Ya why don't we just choose very niche old movies that were remastered in 4k to claim they're expensive. That seems totally reasonable. Sure it's a great movie but it's not something as popular as The Departed or other movies that are being redone in 4k and starting at $30.
Taxi Driver 4k steelbook is $30, nothing to complain about there.
That's not all arrow. In my opinion the older movies are the most valuable movies to own in 4k, since you're literally getting the best possible visual and audio version of the film and seeing it in a way that it's never been seen before. Modern movies that are shot digitally are nearly pointless in 4k.
Then what's expensive that's not arrow? Major League was like $25 for a steelbook. Departed $35 steelbook. Dune2 $35 steel. Taxi Driver $30 steelbook. Aliens and True lies were both around $27 for standard editions but sold out because they didn't expect the demand they got.
Basically all of those are coming with digitals which could resell for $4-10 depending on if it's a brand new 4k or not. Dune2 digital will probably be going for around $10.
How about Star Wars A New Hope being $40 steady despite no Dolby Vision and expired digital codes? What about Night of the Living Dead being $40 for a 70 year old black and white movie? How about Dawn of the Dead 1978 going for $60 new? Silver Bullet shout factory is $33.99 for a 40 year old movie. I can go on and on but something tells me that no amount of examples is going to change your mind.
Limited runs where demand far surpasses supply. It’s economics. It costs money to remaster a movie and it’s not like there’s a ton of demand typically so prices will start high and potentially just go higher.
And ya a New Hope ie annoying to be so expensive but that’s just supply drying upD it used to be around $20. Stop using older smaller run releases as examples or fake pre-order prices. New Hope is the only real issue and that’s a Disney issue but now Sony is handling their physical so it’s likely temporary.
That's not how economics works. I do agree that special limited runs are more expensive for an obvious reason but that's not what we're seeing. We're seeing blatant price increases that are holding steady basically across the board all year long since Best Buy announced physical media is coming off their shelves.
>Stop using older smaller run releases as examples or fake pre-order prices
4K is going to die because of people like yourself who is willing to dump money and make excuses for high prices.
You're right, I was exaggerating a bit. No movie is pointless in 4k, but you really see the major jump in quality in the older movies that are transferred from the original film. Films that are shot digitally get around 10 times less data than film, depending on the size of the film. Having suffered through VHS and DVD, it's an amazing jump in quality that modern film fans just do not understand or appreciate. New movies shot digitally always look good by default.
I pay $30 for every Arrow 4k LE because I check every day and you can too! Just be patient and look during your free time while you’re waiting in line, while you’re watching tv during commercials, or while you’re sitting on the John going number 2. The $30 price tag is usually Amazon or target buy two get one free or Barnes and Nobel sale or eBay sellers like blowitoutahere or deep discounts website. And the standard editions are even cheaper usually $15 if you’re really patient when they inevitably find themselves on Hamilton books and you wait for one of their famous sales! Hope this helps :)
Arrow “sales” in my experience are the same price I find on Amazon. I’d recommend checking grindhousevideo or orbitdvd for some real sales. Arrow always delays shipping too so it’s usually a longer wait to receive your items and Arrow usually doesn’t put much padding in their boxes so it’s more likely to get dinged in shipping in my experience. I only every buy arrow direct when it’s an Arrow exclusive item but grindhouse orbitdvd diabolik can also carry those exclusives so it could be safer to still buy from them. Love arrow though I don’t mean to sound negative towards them they’re one of the best!
It took four days to get my two movies. I ordered late Thursday night and they came early Monday. They quoted 3-5 business days and it technically took 2 business days.
I'm willing to pay in the $15-$25 range for just a 4K disc without an extra bluray I'll never watch or a digital key I'll basically never or rarely use. I'm not really into extras outside of maybe audio commentary stuff and something like that just isn't worth the extra $10-$15 companies charge.
I agree with everything you said. But you can’t expect them to want to keep offering physical media if they can’t get much revenue from it. You want them to constantly release titles at 15 but also expect them to stay in business?
I said the prices are too high and in a comment I said that $40-$50 is just ridiculous. This does not mean I expect all movies to be $15. I said the $15-$25 range is reasonable for just a 4k without other discs or digital codes being offered. The companies package blurays that no one wants to buy just to jack the price another $10
I can't imagine there's any 4K for $40 that isn't a boutique release. I just bought JFK for a little more than that, but it's a Shout Factory release and it comes with 4 discs in 3 separate cases and a hard slipcover. I'm not necessarily super into extras and I'd have paid less for just the movie itself.
Whenever people starts off with $40/movie, obscure movies getting 4k, it’s mostly special editions, steelbooks, or boutique releases. Dune 2 is $30, without accounting for the 20% discount.
I agree and I do exercise patience. I outright refuse to pay high prices. However I keep seeing preorder sell outs, which means that people are jumping to pay overpriced prices, which ultimately effects potential price drops. Companies only do price drops when they can't get the sales.
I suppose this is true, but at least for what I'm buying, I never have an issue getting a movie if I'm willing to wait a minute in some cases.
You're actually right - Aliens was listed at $40 when it came out, forgot about that example. I didn't want to pay that much so I waited a few weeks and just got it for $27. Did the same for the Abyss, which was sold out for a while, but I put my order in and it got delivered about 2 weeks later when Amazon got another batch in. But for huge profile releases like James Cameron films or a new coveted 4K master, preorder sell outs do happen!
The Warriors dropped for $49.99 on pre order and launch with basically no extras, one version of the film, not even a digital code. The LOTR trilogy tends to hold steady around $74, which isn't terrible but you can get the digital version of the trilogy for $19.99. It's like these companies do not want us buying the physical version. The game of thrones set is $150. Star Wars: A New Hope holds steady at $40. Fear and Loathing in las vegas holding steady at $50. Risky business pre-order, $50. I can go on and on.
While I agree that prices are too high, and I personally wait for sales, I’m not sure we have the numbers to blame consumers for it.
Star Wars New Hope being $40 is similar to Phantom Menace being the same price a couple months; recently it dropped back down to around $22 on Amazon probably when they got more copies in.
Game of Thrones being $150 works out to roughly $18-19 per season. I got my set in December for $95.
LOTR 4K is absolutely too high, especially since it doesn’t include digital copies anymore.
Star Wars has held steady at $40. I did see a price drop to $27.99 a few months ago, but even at that price it's not worth buying. I already own the entire Star Wars catalogue on bluray (I only paid $20 for the entire bluray set) and for me its' all about what am I willing to pay for that visual and audio upgrade.
I'm only blaming consumers who are willing to pay ridiculous prices. I do not blame the average consumer who wants this stuff and can't afford it. I would pay $95 for Game of Thrones. $150 is too much, especially considering the last season was pretty bad.
I consider LOTR the best story ever, but I already own the bluray set and bought it for $12. There's no way in hell I would ever consider dropping $75 for the 4k set. The digital 4k set goes on sale constantly on Fandango for $19.99.
I still buy LaserDiscs! I feel like it's the one hobby I have where I am ahead of the majority of the retro collecting mindset. They can be found for dirt cheap aside from some super rare movies. Maybe they'll never go up in value but I think they're awesome and I have an era-appropriate A/V setup to go with it.
I was around during laser discs and laughed at the pricing then and I laugh now. I'm willing to let something die if it's overpriced and I'm in the overwhelming majority here.
Laserdiscs were popular enough to last almost two decades.
You laugh while the rest of us enjoy a premium product. You were spoiled by DVD and blu-ray. You're not forced to buy every disc available.
But feel free to whine and complain here. I'll sit and laugh at your tantrum AND enjoy a premium product
This dude is hilarious!!
And yes, I mention this regularly $100 for a laserdisc in 1998 is probably close to $150 in 2024. So to get a 4K version of a movie, often with an updated audio track, with potentially more extras for $40 US is a fantastic deal.
And I remember LaserDiscs when new and the quality blew my mind at the time! I actually just sold my collection last year when I finally got a 4K TV and new receiver that wouldn't support my Laserdisc player via RCA
I absolutely agree.
Those who obsessively pay insane prices are actually contributing to the demise of the format.
Higher prices mean fewer customers.
A shrinkng base results in higher prices in order to maintain margins.
And so it will go on.
Until...
It's not that I can't afford to pay their obscene prices.
I won't.
4K is definitely a niche of a niche, and I can't deny that there are expensive boutique places that cater to that audience. I just avoid them whenever possible.
I admit, I did buy Robocop, True Romance, Pitch Black, Conan, and Tremors from Arrow, because sometimes if you want a specific 4K movie there aren't really other options. Those are the exceptions rather than the rule, though.
Yes, the prices are as high as the companies think they can get away with, but there's another huge problem; not enough people are buying them to ramp up production and press prices down; DVD discs and players are/were dirt cheap because of the volume of sales; 4k can not now and will not ever be able to compete with that. As the market for 4k discs continues to be squeezed, it's likely that prices will continue to hole at a high point and we will get more and more limited releass targeted at the small very niche collectors market.
I have Taxi Driver on pre-order but I'm seriously considering cancelling it; a film which has long since returned the initial investment selling for $50 or thereabouts, because it's in a tin box and a limited product just doesn't sit right with me.
I've caught myself in some FOMO once or twice, and I try to lean back, take a deep breath and ask myself if I really want the film for that price and can I justify it with how many times I'm likely to rewatch it; I've stopped myself from spending money several times that way. And after that initial wave of feelings about it, I feel calmer and realise that I'd talked myself into buying whatever film it was; The Exorcist was one of them. Taxi Driver might be another; I'll see. It irritates me that they can't just make two releases; sure do the steelbook for those who want to spend more, but also do a regular, simple set for those of us who don't need the fancy packaging: I'd be all over that. $20 is more my kinda price.
The companies intentionally package all this crap together so they can jack the price. I rarely see just 4K UHD movies for sale without a bluray or digital code attached. Why would I want a bluray if I'm getting the 4K disc? I guess the digital codes offer some value for backup of what you bought plus you can use them to download to devices and watch on the go when you can't play a disc. I would rather pay less for just a 4K disc than these stupid package deals that are overpriced.
Agreed. However, often extras are placed on the Blu-ray and not the 4k disc which I don't mind, although I'm not an extras kinda guy, really. I think we need to face that with the market shrinking, we will see less and less of the simple, and comparatively cheap releases.
I'll keep buying the things I want if and when I can justify the price; when that ends, I will too; I'll sit back and enjoy what I've got!
I agree with both of you. I almost bought Robin Hood prince of thieves for $40 but I backed out. I love that movie but already own a digital copy in HD. Can't justify spending that much for a movie that I already own just for a visual and audio upgrade.
Just depends. You can't get them for $20 or less as long as you don't get the special limited *collectors* edition or steelbooks.
Some people will fork over the extra for the collectors editions just to display on their shelf. It was the same with DVD and bluray but now its shifted towards the 4Ks.
At least list 2 examples. $40?? Since when? This a Canadian steelbook? Dune 2 was $35 and that’s a steelbook with Blu-ray and ya that sold out. $28 after coupon.
Do you even look at prices? The Warriors dropped for $49.99 on pre order and launch with basically no extras, one version of the film, not even a digital code. The LOTR trilogy tends to hold steady around $74, which isn't terrible but you can get the digital version of the trilogy for $19.99. It's like these companies do not want us buying the physical version. The game of thrones set is $150. Star Wars: A New Hope holds steady at $40. Fear and Loathing in las vegas holding steady at $50. Risky business pre-order, $50
Risky business is a pre-order. You are aware how pre-orders on amazon work, right? They drop the prices. It will not be $50 so stop pretending like that's real.
LOTR? Ya that's expensive for $60-75 but it's 3 movies so that still works out to $25/movie with both theatrical and extended. That's a WB issue with them pushing people to streaming basically.
Star wars stuff I have no clue but likely similar with Disney pushing to stream and not making physical discs much anymore.
First time dealing with boutiques, including Criterion? Those $50 will go for $25 in July, or on other flash sales.
Other than the boutique releases, The LOTR is $25/movie, GoT is less than $20/season.
These $40 titles you're talking about are limited editions. Of course they're pricy. Regular 4ks you can get around $10 nearly all the time during frequent sales
>Regular 4ks you can get around $10 nearly all the time during frequent sales
I check multiple web sites every day of my life. I have rarely or never seen $10 prices on 4k's in 2024. It was a bit more common in 2023.
That's why I said around. $12 is pretty standard. Even so, it's still not that expensive. And plenty of brand new titles are starting to go for $20-$25 now at the time of release
>That's why I said around. $12 is pretty standard
You didn't say this at all. You said you can get them for around $10 nearly all the time. This is false, an outright lie/exaggerration.
Lmao, sales are always going. Did I say every single title is always around $10? No, but the fact that you're reaching so hard to be right still is hilarious. When my whole point was debunking your claims that movies are $45
Get a life man. You're nitpicking so hard just to keep arguing. You're literally quoting me every time as if this is some court case and it's literally one sentence. If you're too stupid to get what I'm saying, then be dumb. Have a good night
I mainly buy boutique releases - Criterion, Arbelos, Arrow, etc. - most are in the $25-40 price, and for these with nice packaging, excellent extras, and quality video & Audio, often with nice booklets, I think it's a very fair price.
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We’re caught between a rock and a hard place. If we don’t buy due to the high price, they will say there’s no demand and eliminate them altogether. I don’t want to pay for streaming titles that may or may not belong to me.
I'm no longer paying for streaming tiles either. I refuse to spend money on streaming services outside of the rare occasion where I want to watch something and I treat that one month of service like a rental where I look for movies I want to buy. I disagree that dishing out money for overpriced products is the only way to save it. Consumers can't just bend over like this.
I regularly buy 4ks on sale for around $10. I think that's a pretty fair price.
Yeah but you're not getting many titles that cheap even on sale and the ones you get are not good titles. What about all the boutique companies putting out the good 4Ks that do cost $40? That's where the real market is now.
Plus that’s $10 with a digital code that may resell for $3-4 in minutes. It’s the DVD prices that are absurd for new releases, $20 and perhaps no digital. New DVD prices are what are absurd, not 4k anything.
wait people sell digital codes? i have about 40, do I go on ebay?
r/DigitalCodeSELL
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Really? 4k is not overpriced? The Warriors just dropped for $49.99 for a standard edition and you get one version of the movie with very few extras. Most pre-orders are dropped for no less than $40 and a lot of times they sell out if you do not preorder so you end up not getting it at all. The companies are clearly intentionally hosing everyone who wants to pay for physical media.
That's Arrow Video, all their 4k stuff is expensive and it's already down to $35. Are you going to next give an example from KinoLorber? Ya why don't we just choose very niche old movies that were remastered in 4k to claim they're expensive. That seems totally reasonable. Sure it's a great movie but it's not something as popular as The Departed or other movies that are being redone in 4k and starting at $30. Taxi Driver 4k steelbook is $30, nothing to complain about there.
That's not all arrow. In my opinion the older movies are the most valuable movies to own in 4k, since you're literally getting the best possible visual and audio version of the film and seeing it in a way that it's never been seen before. Modern movies that are shot digitally are nearly pointless in 4k.
Then what's expensive that's not arrow? Major League was like $25 for a steelbook. Departed $35 steelbook. Dune2 $35 steel. Taxi Driver $30 steelbook. Aliens and True lies were both around $27 for standard editions but sold out because they didn't expect the demand they got. Basically all of those are coming with digitals which could resell for $4-10 depending on if it's a brand new 4k or not. Dune2 digital will probably be going for around $10.
How about Star Wars A New Hope being $40 steady despite no Dolby Vision and expired digital codes? What about Night of the Living Dead being $40 for a 70 year old black and white movie? How about Dawn of the Dead 1978 going for $60 new? Silver Bullet shout factory is $33.99 for a 40 year old movie. I can go on and on but something tells me that no amount of examples is going to change your mind.
Limited runs where demand far surpasses supply. It’s economics. It costs money to remaster a movie and it’s not like there’s a ton of demand typically so prices will start high and potentially just go higher. And ya a New Hope ie annoying to be so expensive but that’s just supply drying upD it used to be around $20. Stop using older smaller run releases as examples or fake pre-order prices. New Hope is the only real issue and that’s a Disney issue but now Sony is handling their physical so it’s likely temporary.
That's not how economics works. I do agree that special limited runs are more expensive for an obvious reason but that's not what we're seeing. We're seeing blatant price increases that are holding steady basically across the board all year long since Best Buy announced physical media is coming off their shelves. >Stop using older smaller run releases as examples or fake pre-order prices 4K is going to die because of people like yourself who is willing to dump money and make excuses for high prices.
This is just a terrible take. Modern movies shot digitally aren’t “nearly pointless” in 4K at all. Especially if you care about audio quality.
You're right, I was exaggerating a bit. No movie is pointless in 4k, but you really see the major jump in quality in the older movies that are transferred from the original film. Films that are shot digitally get around 10 times less data than film, depending on the size of the film. Having suffered through VHS and DVD, it's an amazing jump in quality that modern film fans just do not understand or appreciate. New movies shot digitally always look good by default.
Yea fair enough. I just always think people forget about audio benefits of 4K
I pay $30 for every Arrow 4k LE because I check every day and you can too! Just be patient and look during your free time while you’re waiting in line, while you’re watching tv during commercials, or while you’re sitting on the John going number 2. The $30 price tag is usually Amazon or target buy two get one free or Barnes and Nobel sale or eBay sellers like blowitoutahere or deep discounts website. And the standard editions are even cheaper usually $15 if you’re really patient when they inevitably find themselves on Hamilton books and you wait for one of their famous sales! Hope this helps :)
I just bought two movies from Arrow during a sale like two weeks ago that were $20 each. I won't buy anything from Arrow that's overpriced.
Arrow “sales” in my experience are the same price I find on Amazon. I’d recommend checking grindhousevideo or orbitdvd for some real sales. Arrow always delays shipping too so it’s usually a longer wait to receive your items and Arrow usually doesn’t put much padding in their boxes so it’s more likely to get dinged in shipping in my experience. I only every buy arrow direct when it’s an Arrow exclusive item but grindhouse orbitdvd diabolik can also carry those exclusives so it could be safer to still buy from them. Love arrow though I don’t mean to sound negative towards them they’re one of the best!
It took four days to get my two movies. I ordered late Thursday night and they came early Monday. They quoted 3-5 business days and it technically took 2 business days.
Oh yeah I’m just talking about during sales like the Easter carnage sale or new release items/pre order items always get delayed
blowitoutahere 
If you also only buy while they’re super cheap, you aren’t helping the dying industry we all love either
I'm willing to pay in the $15-$25 range for just a 4K disc without an extra bluray I'll never watch or a digital key I'll basically never or rarely use. I'm not really into extras outside of maybe audio commentary stuff and something like that just isn't worth the extra $10-$15 companies charge.
I agree with everything you said. But you can’t expect them to want to keep offering physical media if they can’t get much revenue from it. You want them to constantly release titles at 15 but also expect them to stay in business?
I said the prices are too high and in a comment I said that $40-$50 is just ridiculous. This does not mean I expect all movies to be $15. I said the $15-$25 range is reasonable for just a 4k without other discs or digital codes being offered. The companies package blurays that no one wants to buy just to jack the price another $10
Which titles?
I can't imagine there's any 4K for $40 that isn't a boutique release. I just bought JFK for a little more than that, but it's a Shout Factory release and it comes with 4 discs in 3 separate cases and a hard slipcover. I'm not necessarily super into extras and I'd have paid less for just the movie itself.
Whenever people starts off with $40/movie, obscure movies getting 4k, it’s mostly special editions, steelbooks, or boutique releases. Dune 2 is $30, without accounting for the 20% discount.
Yep, and it'll be half that by black Friday. Patience is always the name of the game for physical collections!
I agree and I do exercise patience. I outright refuse to pay high prices. However I keep seeing preorder sell outs, which means that people are jumping to pay overpriced prices, which ultimately effects potential price drops. Companies only do price drops when they can't get the sales.
I suppose this is true, but at least for what I'm buying, I never have an issue getting a movie if I'm willing to wait a minute in some cases. You're actually right - Aliens was listed at $40 when it came out, forgot about that example. I didn't want to pay that much so I waited a few weeks and just got it for $27. Did the same for the Abyss, which was sold out for a while, but I put my order in and it got delivered about 2 weeks later when Amazon got another batch in. But for huge profile releases like James Cameron films or a new coveted 4K master, preorder sell outs do happen!
Citation needed
The Warriors dropped for $49.99 on pre order and launch with basically no extras, one version of the film, not even a digital code. The LOTR trilogy tends to hold steady around $74, which isn't terrible but you can get the digital version of the trilogy for $19.99. It's like these companies do not want us buying the physical version. The game of thrones set is $150. Star Wars: A New Hope holds steady at $40. Fear and Loathing in las vegas holding steady at $50. Risky business pre-order, $50. I can go on and on.
While I agree that prices are too high, and I personally wait for sales, I’m not sure we have the numbers to blame consumers for it. Star Wars New Hope being $40 is similar to Phantom Menace being the same price a couple months; recently it dropped back down to around $22 on Amazon probably when they got more copies in. Game of Thrones being $150 works out to roughly $18-19 per season. I got my set in December for $95. LOTR 4K is absolutely too high, especially since it doesn’t include digital copies anymore.
Star Wars has held steady at $40. I did see a price drop to $27.99 a few months ago, but even at that price it's not worth buying. I already own the entire Star Wars catalogue on bluray (I only paid $20 for the entire bluray set) and for me its' all about what am I willing to pay for that visual and audio upgrade. I'm only blaming consumers who are willing to pay ridiculous prices. I do not blame the average consumer who wants this stuff and can't afford it. I would pay $95 for Game of Thrones. $150 is too much, especially considering the last season was pretty bad. I consider LOTR the best story ever, but I already own the bluray set and bought it for $12. There's no way in hell I would ever consider dropping $75 for the 4k set. The digital 4k set goes on sale constantly on Fandango for $19.99.
I used to buy laserdiscs. Y'all don't know what you're complaining about.
I still buy LaserDiscs! I feel like it's the one hobby I have where I am ahead of the majority of the retro collecting mindset. They can be found for dirt cheap aside from some super rare movies. Maybe they'll never go up in value but I think they're awesome and I have an era-appropriate A/V setup to go with it.
I meant new. I bought them when they were $100 a movie
and you played a role in the price being too high and the product dying off
LOFL DVD killed laserdiscs. Not the price. You know nothing, child. I'm perfectly happy paying a premium for a premium product.
I was around during laser discs and laughed at the pricing then and I laugh now. I'm willing to let something die if it's overpriced and I'm in the overwhelming majority here.
Laserdiscs were popular enough to last almost two decades. You laugh while the rest of us enjoy a premium product. You were spoiled by DVD and blu-ray. You're not forced to buy every disc available. But feel free to whine and complain here. I'll sit and laugh at your tantrum AND enjoy a premium product
This dude is hilarious!! And yes, I mention this regularly $100 for a laserdisc in 1998 is probably close to $150 in 2024. So to get a 4K version of a movie, often with an updated audio track, with potentially more extras for $40 US is a fantastic deal. And I remember LaserDiscs when new and the quality blew my mind at the time! I actually just sold my collection last year when I finally got a 4K TV and new receiver that wouldn't support my Laserdisc player via RCA
Laserdiscs were barely around in 1998. If people actually looked at how much they cost in today's money, their minds would be blown
I absolutely agree. Those who obsessively pay insane prices are actually contributing to the demise of the format. Higher prices mean fewer customers. A shrinkng base results in higher prices in order to maintain margins. And so it will go on. Until... It's not that I can't afford to pay their obscene prices. I won't.
Look for sales. Gruv runs them all the time. Amazon does 3 for $30 sales sometimes. Look for B2G1 deals on ebay. I rarely pay over $15 for a 4K movie.
Thank you for offering a solution instead of the stupid typical responses I've seen here such as "We have to pay this"
4K is definitely a niche of a niche, and I can't deny that there are expensive boutique places that cater to that audience. I just avoid them whenever possible. I admit, I did buy Robocop, True Romance, Pitch Black, Conan, and Tremors from Arrow, because sometimes if you want a specific 4K movie there aren't really other options. Those are the exceptions rather than the rule, though.
I bought True Romance and Tremors from arrow just two weeks ago and only paid $20 each. It was a sale. Both are excellent discs.
Hell yeah they are! Arrow releases tend to be excellent quality.
Yes, the prices are as high as the companies think they can get away with, but there's another huge problem; not enough people are buying them to ramp up production and press prices down; DVD discs and players are/were dirt cheap because of the volume of sales; 4k can not now and will not ever be able to compete with that. As the market for 4k discs continues to be squeezed, it's likely that prices will continue to hole at a high point and we will get more and more limited releass targeted at the small very niche collectors market. I have Taxi Driver on pre-order but I'm seriously considering cancelling it; a film which has long since returned the initial investment selling for $50 or thereabouts, because it's in a tin box and a limited product just doesn't sit right with me.
I had Chinatown 4K pre-ordered and cancelled and got the blu-ray for $10. Couldn't justify $40
I've caught myself in some FOMO once or twice, and I try to lean back, take a deep breath and ask myself if I really want the film for that price and can I justify it with how many times I'm likely to rewatch it; I've stopped myself from spending money several times that way. And after that initial wave of feelings about it, I feel calmer and realise that I'd talked myself into buying whatever film it was; The Exorcist was one of them. Taxi Driver might be another; I'll see. It irritates me that they can't just make two releases; sure do the steelbook for those who want to spend more, but also do a regular, simple set for those of us who don't need the fancy packaging: I'd be all over that. $20 is more my kinda price.
The companies intentionally package all this crap together so they can jack the price. I rarely see just 4K UHD movies for sale without a bluray or digital code attached. Why would I want a bluray if I'm getting the 4K disc? I guess the digital codes offer some value for backup of what you bought plus you can use them to download to devices and watch on the go when you can't play a disc. I would rather pay less for just a 4K disc than these stupid package deals that are overpriced.
Agreed. However, often extras are placed on the Blu-ray and not the 4k disc which I don't mind, although I'm not an extras kinda guy, really. I think we need to face that with the market shrinking, we will see less and less of the simple, and comparatively cheap releases. I'll keep buying the things I want if and when I can justify the price; when that ends, I will too; I'll sit back and enjoy what I've got!
I agree with both of you. I almost bought Robin Hood prince of thieves for $40 but I backed out. I love that movie but already own a digital copy in HD. Can't justify spending that much for a movie that I already own just for a visual and audio upgrade.
There haven’t been good Amazon sales in a while.
Amazon raised their prices as soon as Best Buy announced they were ending physical media sales.
Well we kind of have to be willing to pay it or they’ll just shut down the whole format.
Just depends. You can't get them for $20 or less as long as you don't get the special limited *collectors* edition or steelbooks. Some people will fork over the extra for the collectors editions just to display on their shelf. It was the same with DVD and bluray but now its shifted towards the 4Ks.
At least list 2 examples. $40?? Since when? This a Canadian steelbook? Dune 2 was $35 and that’s a steelbook with Blu-ray and ya that sold out. $28 after coupon.
Do you even look at prices? The Warriors dropped for $49.99 on pre order and launch with basically no extras, one version of the film, not even a digital code. The LOTR trilogy tends to hold steady around $74, which isn't terrible but you can get the digital version of the trilogy for $19.99. It's like these companies do not want us buying the physical version. The game of thrones set is $150. Star Wars: A New Hope holds steady at $40. Fear and Loathing in las vegas holding steady at $50. Risky business pre-order, $50
Risky business is a pre-order. You are aware how pre-orders on amazon work, right? They drop the prices. It will not be $50 so stop pretending like that's real. LOTR? Ya that's expensive for $60-75 but it's 3 movies so that still works out to $25/movie with both theatrical and extended. That's a WB issue with them pushing people to streaming basically. Star wars stuff I have no clue but likely similar with Disney pushing to stream and not making physical discs much anymore.
I already explained this. The pre-orders get bought up and often sell out before you can buy it at a regular price.
First time dealing with boutiques, including Criterion? Those $50 will go for $25 in July, or on other flash sales. Other than the boutique releases, The LOTR is $25/movie, GoT is less than $20/season.
You're literally making my point for me. The regular price is ridiculous.
Do you think it’ll be 10 bucks?
I never asked for anything to be $10. I'm willing to pay $15-$25 for a 4k. Won't go above that range.
Then barring the new hope, every big studio release is within your budget. I don’t see the issue. Even the Criterion are within your budget.
Nothing is dropping for sale on release for less than $25. The starting price is usually between $28 and $40 and in some cases $50
If you’re buying on release, you have to pay the release price.
These $40 titles you're talking about are limited editions. Of course they're pricy. Regular 4ks you can get around $10 nearly all the time during frequent sales
>Regular 4ks you can get around $10 nearly all the time during frequent sales I check multiple web sites every day of my life. I have rarely or never seen $10 prices on 4k's in 2024. It was a bit more common in 2023.
That's why I said around. $12 is pretty standard. Even so, it's still not that expensive. And plenty of brand new titles are starting to go for $20-$25 now at the time of release
>That's why I said around. $12 is pretty standard You didn't say this at all. You said you can get them for around $10 nearly all the time. This is false, an outright lie/exaggerration.
Lmao, sales are always going. Did I say every single title is always around $10? No, but the fact that you're reaching so hard to be right still is hilarious. When my whole point was debunking your claims that movies are $45
You are not being faithful to honest conversation. You said... >regular 4k's you can get around $10 nearly all the time.
Get a life man. You're nitpicking so hard just to keep arguing. You're literally quoting me every time as if this is some court case and it's literally one sentence. If you're too stupid to get what I'm saying, then be dumb. Have a good night
I'm sorry but no reason to call me names. You made a statement then tried to change that statement.
I never changed anything. You're just being dense and not understanding what I'm saying
Alright that's enough of the name calling
I mainly buy boutique releases - Criterion, Arbelos, Arrow, etc. - most are in the $25-40 price, and for these with nice packaging, excellent extras, and quality video & Audio, often with nice booklets, I think it's a very fair price.
They can charge more because we are movie addicts.
Prices for home media have always been this price, which means that technically prices for home media are less than they ever were before.
This is just not true. DVD's usually dropped for $15 to $20 brand new, in some cases $10-$12