RedBox pulling their rental machines out of Canada

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Nah I discover way more with Netflix and AppleTV. When I'd walk around Blockbuster I'd feel like I had seen everything. Then I'd settle for some crappy movie I didn't even want to watch. You guys are being too nostalgic...on demand is so much better, which is precisely why there aren't video stores anymore. Photon has a fair point about Blu-Ray, but that's about it.

But can you get Old Yeller, Lassie and Benji on Netflix?

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Video rental has gone the way record stores are. It is sad that everything is electronic now and you lack the connection with the hardware.

I'm not surprised Redbox going under. There are far too many options renting movies. Granted their blu ray has the best quality but people don't care about quality nowadays.

I counted a few times how many titles were rented out at the machines and I bet their daily revenue is less than $100 per machine and that's not enough to keep this business going.

Record stores are back... There's half a dozen in Calgary and there are records even in drug stores.

I was surprised how many Blu Rays are at the Calgary Public Library. Memberships are now free as well. I've never bought a Blu Ray in my life though. It seems common among younger generations to have not ever owned a film on physical media.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I really enjoyed Netflix until i was in the States recently and saw what they have on theirs. Now mine seems like crap in comparison. So many good titles on the American one that we don't have, pretty much literally double our selection for the same fee.

For all the extra convenience we now have in the future, it feels like movies/games is an area where it was actually more convenient a decade ago...at least in terms of selection (and getting to test a game for a wknd first to see if you like it before committing, hate how that's gone now).


Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

You do know Chrome + hulu extension solves this for free, yes?

[billybob123]

Originally Posted by pylon

You do know Chrome + hulu extension solves this for free, yes?

I think you mean "Hola" extension. It's fantastic, though I'm sure it's days are numbered. I'm enjoying while I can. Unlimited Octonauts for my kids...

[cupofjoe]

This is so disappointing to me. I install home theatres / media rooms for my clients and ALWAYS recommended that they use redbox (or bought blurays) when watching movies. On a nice system, the differences between streaming or the arrrrr matie downloads are very significant.

In my perfect world, redbox would have eventually carried UHD blurays (4k) when they become available. UHD blurays are going to make alot of people's jaws drop when they first see them. Streaming services like 4k netflix are not going to even come close for a long, long time. UHD blurays are going to support higher color bitrates, HDR etc which are going to make a much larger impact on video quality than the 4x increase in resolution.

The new sound formats (which are going to be amazing) such as aura, dolby atmos, DTS UHD, will unlikely be streamed by any source online as well.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Seriously, does nobody remember how much fun it was to go rent movies? Spending 45 minutes wandering up and down the aisles, laughing at crap JCVD titles from the 80s, getting excited over crap Arnold titles from the 80s... It was a total social experience.

Now everything just sucks.

This is the best post/avatar combo.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by cupofjoe

This is so disappointing to me. I install home theatres / media rooms for my clients and ALWAYS recommended that they use redbox (or bought blurays) when watching movies. On a nice system, the differences between streaming or the arrrrr matie downloads are very significant.

I wholeheartedly agree but the people have spoken, they prefer convenience over quality. If Blu Ray is FM radio and DVD is AM radio, UHD disc must be satellite radio. It'll never go mainstream and will always be niche. So I doubt the survive of Redbox or not is going to make a difference to the acceptance of UHD.

[Igottago]

So what's the best source for renting movies digitally?

I have no problem with going digital but is the selection as good as physical stores would usually have? What if I want to watch a more obscure older movie, or a foreign film?

I think iTunes seems like a decent library, but sometimes it doesn't give you the option to rent a movie, you have to buy it. What's with that?

Sometimes it seems like we've chosen convenience over quality. I'll just order whatever the latest super hero movie is because its there, rather than find a good quality movie because I can't rent it online.

At least with digital music you can get your hands on absolutely everything easily.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Record stores are back... There's half a dozen in Calgary and there are records even in drug stores.

Boutique record shops are not carrying many CDs anymore.

The demand for vinyl seems to be a hipster fad, not based on any objective improvement in sound quality. Why pay $40 for a record?

Neil Young says the rise in vinyl sales is a fad - is he right?

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...04-135l4x.html

So why is it being bought? There's a market of older buyers who still have affection for the form and the equipment to play it on. There's a younger market who have seen their favourite artists release vinyl versions and buy it to be completists or to share in the experience. And there's some who insist vinyl sounds better.

Are they right? As reported in the LA Weekly recently, an "objective" study casts doubt on many of the claims of vinyl superiority. In a solid examination of some of the issues too long to go into here, one argument was that "of vinyl's inherent deficiencies, reproducing bass is one of its most glaring. The other is that the last track on each side of a record sounds worse than the first, due to the fact that the player's stylus covers fewer inches of grooves per second as it gets closer to the centre."

[CaptainCrunch]

I remember renting pootie tang, 10 people died that night and the video rental place was burned to the ground in the ensuing riots.

[undercoverbrother]

I use to love renting. I can remember when we had to rent a VCR to get a movie. It came in this big solid case, looked like you were transporting uranium for the gov't.

When I was in jr high, Roger was my rental store of choice, as they would list on the back if there was nudity in the movie, HOT DAMN!

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by troutman

Boutique record shops are not carrying many CDs anymore.

The demand for vinyl seems to be a hipster fad, not based on any objective improvement in sound quality. Why pay $40 for a record?

Neil Young says the rise in vinyl sales is a fad - is he right?

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...04-135l4x.html

So why is it being bought? There's a market of older buyers who still have affection for the form and the equipment to play it on. There's a younger market who have seen their favourite artists release vinyl versions and buy it to be completists or to share in the experience. And there's some who insist vinyl sounds better.

Are they right? As reported in the LA Weekly recently, an "objective" study casts doubt on many of the claims of vinyl superiority. In a solid examination of some of the issues too long to go into here, one argument was that "of vinyl's inherent deficiencies, reproducing bass is one of its most glaring. The other is that the last track on each side of a record sounds worse than the first, due to the fact that the player's stylus covers fewer inches of grooves per second as it gets closer to the centre."

Is that big one that was on 17th Ave still around? It was a couple of blocks east or west (can't recall) of 8th St.

[habernac]

yeah, Recordland is still there.

duh, Recordland isn't on 17th

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Igottago

So what's the best source for renting movies digitally?

I think Amazon prime has some titles as well. For the price, it's not bad. Speedy shipping, streaming media, ebooks, music streaming...


EDIT: NVM, only if you're in the States. Free photo back up and better shipping only for Canada.

Anyone know anything about Shomi and Crave?

[sevenarms]

Originally Posted by photon

I can't access the Calgary library system, so I have to put in requests to have stuff transferred to my library from around the province.

Not sure how quickly they get stuff in. Gone Girl has copies in the system, John Wick has 2 for the whole province and they're still on order.. Maze Runner there's nothing yet.

So maybe not great for new releases, but it's something at least, thanks for the suggestion!

I've found that the Calgary library will order new releases a couple weeks before the title is released on Blu-Ray/DVD. They won't have the movie until a week or two after it's released.

If you place a hold early you can typically get it in the first week or two they have it. If you're late it can be months.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by habernac

yeah, Recordland is still there.

duh, Recordland isn't on 17th

Thanked for the "duh"

[getbak]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I remember renting pootie tang

Written and directed by Louis CK.

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I think Amazon prime has some titles as well. For the price, it's not bad. Speedy shipping, streaming media, ebooks, music streaming...


EDIT: NVM, only if you're in the States. Free photo back up and better shipping only for Canada.

Anyone know anything about Shomi and Crave?

Shomi is the Rogers/Shaw service and Crave is the Bell/Telus service. You need to subscribe to one of their services (cable/TV or internet) to access either streaming service.

[polak]

Redbox was a great idea when it came out in the states as this was before streaming was online. My dad even looked into bringing them into Canada but got turned down as they already had a deal with someone else. Luckily for my dad, a few years later Netflix came around and digital streaming improved immensely and there was no market for this anymore.

Although there are pretty much no more cheap movie options for the non-tech savy folk.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is that big one that was on 17th Ave still around? It was a couple of blocks east or west (can't recall) of 8th St.

There is Sloth Records (close to the old Melrose), and Melodiya further west across Crowchild.

Megatunes has been gone for a while.