Your point about enhancements is similar to textbook enhancements -
CD-Roms, workbooks etc. Here is a link to the Government Accounting
Office's report about the tripling of textbook prices:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05806.pdf Spoiler: It is due to the
enhancements and extras that come with the textbooks.
Is there any indication that for face-to-face instruction that these
enhancements or extras are utilized in class or as part of the
curriculum? In the case of textbooks, sometimes professors actively use
the enhancements (for instance test banks, many of which are available
online via password - streaming, as it were) or assign students to use
them, while some do not. If I had the choice to purchase a film for
$100.00 to add to the collection and one for $395.00, I'd select the
$100.00 cut even if I missed out on the enhancements. Because that means
I could buy two more titles at that price for the cost of one film with
enhancement. Perhaps some film/media faculty would make a special
request for a DVD with extras, but as part of a collection development
policy, I'd have to say that the most affordable item would be the priority.
On 9/28/2010 2:43 PM, Dennis Doros wrote:
Matt,
The simple answer is this. A DVD is a physical item that you have to
drop into a player. It is illegal to copy if it's encrypted (in most
cases). A streaming version is a digital file, and if it's on your
hard drive, it's literally forever. (Though, of course, this is
ridiculous because how many people can open files from 1992 even? but
let's assume a file can migrate over the years.)
As Jessica points out, distributors have limited contracts of usually
seven to fifteen years, but even more important, livelihoods (and the
filmmakers') are based on repeated licensing of the same film. That
was the also case in most leasings of 16mm prints before the video age
as well, so it's not a new thing. And of course, if you have a digital
file, you can pass that file on to other hard drives so it's like
buying ten copies for the price of one. And if you have to stream off
of the distributor's hard drive, they would be responsible forever to
make it available to you.
I'm not saying I'm right, but that is the thought process.
And you know, I haven't thought of this before (and this is about us
feature film distributors at least), but even though you guys have
bought 16mm prints, then VHS tapes, then DVDs and now possibly
blu-ray, I can guarantee that with each purchase there was either an
ease of use or greater quality provided with each purchase over the
years. With each technology, the buyer has gotten better and better
film transfers (at least from most of us) and better and better
context. In the old days, you would get a study guide. Today, you can
get commentaries by the director, short films that the director did,
the original script, video interviews of the cast and crew, an essay
by a esteemed critic, etc. Back in 1965, how many students outside the
major cities would have had the chance to listen to a number of
directors talk about his work?
I understand at $395 a crack, those various formats get annoying but
with a lot of stuff at $9.95, it probably balances out to be pretty
good overall. I'd love to see what a media library's budget is
compared to 1970 and what percentage of the overall institution's
budget would have been compared to today.
Best,
Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video/Milliarium Zero
email: milefi...@gmail.com <mailto:milefi...@gmail.com>
www.milestonefilms.com <http://www.milestonefilms.com>
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www.arayafilm.com <http://www.arayafilm.com>
www.exilesfilm.com <http://www.exilesfilm.com>
www.wordisoutmovie.com <http://www.wordisoutmovie.com>
www.killerofsheep.com <http://www.killerofsheep.com>
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On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 2:51 PM, Ball, James (jmb4aw)
<jmb...@eservices.virginia.edu <mailto:jmb...@eservices.virginia.edu>>
wrote:
Hello Everyone,
I’m a bit perplexed by the complex licensing and pricing
structures of streaming rights, and some of the recent talk on
this listserv has helped clarify a question that’s been floating
around my mind for a while, so I figure I’ll pose it to the
collective wisdom.
If I can buy a DVD for, say, $295.00 and I can keep it forever,
and I’m allowed to do certain things with it to meet the
educational goals of my institution, then why is it different for
a streaming version of the same title? Some streaming rights have
to be renewed every few years. Or, if there are perpetual rights
they are often priced exorbitantly high. Doesn’t it make sense to
pay the same price as for a DVD (maybe even less since
manufacturing costs wouldn’t be an issue) and keep it forever,
just like a DVD? Or even an e-book. And, as with an e-book, I
would be bound to restrict access to it only to members of my
institution.
Perhaps this is a gross oversimplification of something that’s
actually quite complex, so consider these the innocent (demented?)
musings of a newbie, but I’d be interested in hearing others’
thoughts on the matter.
Yours in hopefully not opening a Pandora’s box,
Matt
________________________________________
Matt Ball
Media and Collections Librarian
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904
mattb...@virginia.edu
<https://mail.eservices.virginia.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=62fe60f092584617be4c37bdfc2dcf42&URL=mailto%3amattball%40virginia.edu>
| 434-924-3812
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion
of issues relating to the selection, evaluation,
acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of
current and evolving video formats in libraries and related
institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective
working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of
communication between libraries,educational institutions, and
video producers and distributors.
--
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues
relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control,
preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and
related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective
working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication
between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and
distributors.
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues
relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control,
preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and
related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective
working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication
between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and
distributors.
