AMAZING NEWS: Blockbusters....

[TW]Fox;23571620 said:
Music is sorted with digital distribution. Other than the odd audiophile, mp3 is king. It works on all of your devices, it works in every stereo designed in the last 10 years, it works in your car, it's ultra convenient.

But where is the mp3 of video? We all know there are formats that do exactly this but you cannot buy media in these formats. You can only buy media in the formats the publishers want you to have.

You can stream it via streaming services - which is no good if you are not connected to the net, or you don't have decent internet, or you want to watch it on a device that doesnt support the streaming service.

You can 'rent' digital downloads. But again only if the device you use supports this. Many don't.

Where is the ability to buy media in a simple and easy container that plays on anything without hassle? It doesn't exist like it does for music unless you pirate it, which is a bonkers state of affairs.

This means for 90% of the market, if they want to watch a film in the lounge on the big TV or on a laptop on the train or whatever, it needs to be a physical DVD or Blu-ray disc. And now if you want to rent this, you'll need to use one of the online rental services which means the days of being able to go 'I fancy a movie with this Pizza' are heading out the window.

It's all about 'I might want to watch a movie with a pizza in a weeks time, lets request it via LoveFilm' instead. Go progress! Adapt or die, retail scum!
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While I agree with you about the lack of a video equivalent to mp3, I don't think it's such an issue in terms of renting films (which is the big issue for Blockbuster).

If you have had Sky or Virgin Media at any point in the last 15 years you have already had access to the same films that Blockbuster were providing for a lower cost and without the need to leave the house.

You've been able to rent the latest releases from iTunes and through a PS3 for the last four years and now with the rise of Netflix and it's ilk you can access an even wider range of video content from your living room (albeit not the latest releases).

The simple fact is, you haven't needed a DVD player to rent the latest films for a very long time and I'm surprised Blockbuster have latest this long.
 
Irish_Tom said:
If you have had Sky or Virgin Media at any point in the last 15 years you have already had access to the same films that Blockbuster were providing for a lower cost and without the need to leave the house.
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I dont have these services so I dont know how much they cost. How much is a new release?

I have ignored the bit about Streaming as I already covered that.
 
gizmoy2k said:
I dont really see how it is, shops sell things?
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Ok, so if a shop sells all it's televisions for £10 and as a result, is the most busy shop in town, do you think it makes lots of profit or builds up lots of debt?

Or perhaps it's not as simple as just 'Sell as much stuff as you can'?
 
Maybe it will finally push BT into speeding up its colossal ass to upgrading the country's capacities in a more quick manner than they are accustomed to.

Anyway on topic, it is not really about not having enough customers, it is customers using the stores as a catalogue or archive to have a nosey, they may or may not bother to buy anything.

Likely not, i imagine.

By the end of the 'noughties, i just used these stores to see if i liked the look of something first hand, not really possible online...yet.
 
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Not sure if this view had already been posted.

Maybe as these high street behemoths die off, the ridiculously high and absurd rent on units will come down and encourage independent shops to spring up again?

Or they'll keep the rates the same and let the high street rot......yeah, that's what'll probably happen :(
 
[TW]Fox;23572256 said:
I dont have these services so I dont know how much they cost. How much is a new release?

I have ignored the bit about Streaming as I already covered that.
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On Sky on demand movies can be rented for as little as 99p. I can't remember how much the premier on demand movies are as I haven't used that particular service for a long time. Compared to going out of the house, picking movie etc. it is cheaper and far more convenient.
 
shine said:
On Sky on demand movies can be rented for as little as 99p. I can't remember how much the premier on demand movies are as I haven't used that particular service for a long time. Compared to going out of the house, picking movie etc. it is cheaper and far more convenient.
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Decent, recent movies for 99p? Or just the old back catalouge stuff you can probably buy, or could probably buy before they went bust, from the HMV bargain bin for 3 quid anyway? :p
 
[TW]Fox;23572073 said:
Err that is kinda the point :confused:
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No, the point is to have a social responsibility, that means treating your staff fairly, paying your taxes then make a profit. These companies have been creaming it in, keeping there staff on minimum wage and paying there shareholders large dividends. Thats great if your a shareholder, sure there is nothing stoping you apart from a system by design to keep you out if possible. (again transaction charges etc).

The entire system is broken, There is finite resources on our little world and capitalism is based on growth growth and more growth. What are we going to do when there is nothing left to dig up ? Go to the moon and dig that up......

I guess what i am trying to say is people after the war had ideas of social responsibility. The NHS, pensions, jobs. Its being eroded by profit and greed of the few. Its sickens me more and more lately.

Still i guess that mini left wing rant is for another day.
 
Wizzfizz said:
Convenience.

Not having to leave the house or drive (petrol costs) to the local Blockbuster. It's cheaper right away.
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The Blockbuster model was to have stores in close proximity to large residential areas, typically inner-city. Not people who need to drive 10 miles in the car just to get there.
 
My nearest Blockbuster is a good 8-10 miles away.

Many people that I know will drive to the local shop, or their friends house that's just around the corner (walking distance), especially in cold/wet weather, people are lazy.

Again it's the convenience of not having to trek out the house.
 
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[TW]Fox;23572347 said:
Decent, recent movies for 99p? Or just the old back catalouge stuff you can probably buy, or could probably buy before they went bust, from the HMV bargain bin for 3 quid anyway? :p
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What they are forgetting is you need a sky tv package to use this service, So you are going to be paying monthly anyway then on top of that you are paying for your movies. (unless you get the movies pack which is something like £16 a month)
 
[TW]Fox;23572176 said:
It does amaze me that the high street can sustain so many. I was in Hereford on Sunday and there are two EE shops seperated only by a Costa Coffee!
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Only one Costa on the high street? :P

They probably used to be Orange/Tmob shops before the merger, no need to close one of them down really, Game kept the Gamestations open when they bought them out and that worked fine.


[TW]Fox;23572358 said:
The Blockbuster model was to have stores in close proximity to large residential areas, typically inner-city. Not people who need to drive 10 miles in the car just to get there.
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In 1996 it was, however expanded out into small towns where the population was sometimes lower than the DVD count differed from the original model somewhat.
 
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[TW]Fox;23572293 said:
Ok, so if a shop sells all it's televisions for £10 and as a result, is the most busy shop in town, do you think it makes lots of profit or builds up lots of debt?

Or perhaps it's not as simple as just 'Sell as much stuff as you can'?
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Dont be daft
Tv costs £280 for the shop to stock

A shop sells TV at £300, then through lack of competition/exploitation of customers they get away with selling them at £350, cause these are great tvs dont ya know

Amazon comes along, dont have the shops cost, sell Tv at £310 to get into the market

Shop now has loads of stock it was selling and even opened up a bigger shop cause it was doing so well

Amazon start shifting 100s of tvs, shop drops price but cant go below £320 without laying off staff or not being able to pay the rent and running costs, its new order of 1000 tv just arrived from china but they are only selling 10 a week

Hearing of this Amazon decides to sell tvs at £285 making hardly any profit but drives the shop to breaking point, they are after all £40 cheaper

Amazon also stock new model and sell it at £320, this is super duper stuff

And next as im sure you put in another post Amazon raises price to £400 once shop has gone bust :D - with 700 tvs sitting in store room that no one wants

If the shop had not inflated its prices so high and expanded outwith its means it could still be conveniently selling tvs without people waiting on delivery or at least close the gap on its £40 money grab giving customers a reasonable choice, they got greedy early on

Multiply this by 1000s of ipads, coffee machines, hoovers and stereos and you get what happened to Comet....oh and £80 HDMI leads
 
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