Fox Removing Special Features from Rental DVD and Blu-ray Movies
In the VHS days, rental versions of movies were usually saddled with preview after preview that you'd have to fast-forward through before getting to the main event -- a small penalty for not having to pay full-price to watch it. With the advent of the DVD, and now high-def Blu-ray discs, you're usually just a button-press away from the film itself. Increasingly, however, the real attraction of disc-based movies has become the special features -- deleted scenes, director commentary, blooper reels -- that are currently present on both retail and rental discs. Now, though, Fox wants to put a new penalty for renters in place, by stripping out those special features and restricting them only to the full-price versions that you buy.For example, Fox's retail DVD copy of recent Oscar darling 'Slumdog Millionaire' will feature the usual selection of deleted scenes, making-of documentaries, and commentaries from those who worked on the film. The rental version, however, will only have the film itself and trailers for other upcoming Fox DVDs -- hardly a fair swap. 'Slumdog' will be the guinea pig for this business experiment along with 'Marley and Me,' also being released on March 31. Different films will feature different sets of features, and it remains to be seen whether this will have the impact Fox must surely be hoping for (more movies bought, fewer rented), but we're fairly certain most Netflix subscribers won't be too pleased to hear this news. [From: Boing Boing Badgets]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
aja said 11:57AM on 3-06-2009
And then you wonder why piracy is alive and well. Companies find any and every way to screw its consumers. If a rental company is paying for the movies, why does it matter how they intend to use them--they are still paying for the damn things.
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Peter said 1:00PM on 3-06-2009
aja - Exactly. And a HUGE percentage of rental discs end up in the hands of consumers when they are sold off as "previously viewed".
Then again, I think most people don't watch the extras so maybe they won't care. I only watch them if I really enjoyed the movie. I never listen to the commentary, it's usually just people talking about how great everyone was. And after you've watched a few deleted scenes, you realize they were deleted for a reason. The only extra that is routinely enjoyable is the bloopers.
bastion78 said 6:43PM on 3-06-2009
I agree with you Peter. I don't really pay much attention to the extras myself, but it is more the principle of the matter. I just don't see the point of cutting out extras because a rental company paid for the dvd's. Since the days of VHS, I'm sure movie ownership has increased. I don't see why rental companies should be punished for offering an honest service. And I'm not sure but I bet that along with purchasing the videos, rental companies also have to pay licensing fees in order for customers to view the movies. Competitive capitalism could be good for our economy, but this straight out greed is going to be the end of it.
k manning said 11:45AM on 3-06-2009
I subscribe to Netflix. I watch all the extras on the DVDs after I watch the movie. Generally I like a movie even more after I view the extras and i especially enjoy the "making of" documentaries.
Often I purchase a movie that I like after I return it to Netflix.
I won't be purchasing Slumdog Millionnaire regardless of how much I like it. I'm not a guinea pig and don't care much for being a business experiment. I cannot afford to buy every movie I want to see, I don't have anywhere to store them and I will be resentful if the rental DVDs remove all the extras!
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BumGravy said 9:29PM on 3-08-2009
"With the advent of the DVD, and now high-def Blu-ray discs, you're usually just a button-press away from the film itself."
Sorry, but have you seen any DVD's?
They are full of unskippable parts, trailers, opening menus, logos, all which you cant skip. VHS was better, at least you had some degree of control.
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Ruscular said 11:28PM on 3-14-2009
I pay to go see the movie at the theater, and then rent it to see the extra, basically with their approach I wouldn't have to rent the DVD if I have seen already what to be seen. I notice that some of the movie no longer have extra, and I am left disappointed from renting. I am glad I read this so I know I wont bother renting FOX video.
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KartofflMuter said 12:51AM on 3-28-2009
I will buy Slumdog Millionaire the day it comes out because it's a brilliant film and for no other reason. What other reason is there? I plan to see it at least ten more times this year. I plan to give it for Christmas. I'm sort of stuck. They can attach dancing monkeys to it and I will still be buying it. They can decide to release it only in black and white or in Hindi only-still buying it. I REALLY love that movie.
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Cinthia said 3:13AM on 4-01-2009
are you kidding me!?!?!!!!???? I bought the movie and I was excited to watch the special features and when I get home the only special features it had was THE TRAILERS
the special features were missing, the back of the dvd said it had "the making of " and deleted scenes etc... and NOTHING.
tommorow i plan on going back to the store and returning it for A REAL copy because I BOUGHT the DVD and i got the crappy version that was inteded for renting.... I'm very upset with FOX for not distrubuting their products properly. If the version I bought was inteded for renting then DON'T send it to retail stores.
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fiercebluemonkey said 9:18PM on 4-20-2009
How stupid is Fox. This is just simplifying it for the piraters. One complaint i have read online is that some dvds have too many trailers and special features.. so copying a movie with all of that makes the quality of the rip suffer. But now Fox is making it easier since all it will be is the movie and menus, maybe a few trailers. The quality will be great. How stupid is that? :) How about this Fox.. How about taking out the trailers to so many of your shitty films from the retail versions.. I know i am damn tired of having to skip through them on my store bought dvds. I pay good money for them, I should not have to tolerate such crap. Nuff said. :)
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