Matt asked: "How much does it cost to burn a DVD from one's computer?"
I'll go ahead and answer that even though it was a rhetorical question.
Buying a one-off title from a filmmaker / distributor has costs, even if
the 'sticker price' of the disc is minimal. This often involves
extensive work on the procurement side of things, especially for larger,
more bureaucratic institutions (setting up tax ids and other fun I only
know about peripherally). But the highest cost to those of us in an
environment with lots of playback variables is frustration -- a burned
DVD-R is much, MUCH more likely to cause playback problems than one that
is pressed. We have problems with DVD-R technology all the time, and
especially with those that appear to have been made on a smaller scale
(not so much the more professionally-made titles from, say, the Warner
Vault). Sometimes they skip randomly (maddening), and sometimes we
can't get them to play back at all (pointless). We often have to test
these dvds in multiple players before adding them to the collection, and
send them back when they don't work consistently (frustrating for all
involved -- our Library's staff and the seller). Ones that pass through
our preview process and are added to the collection are sometimes
returned with complaints (could not play in the classroom, etc.). We
adhere bright green stickers to all DVD-Rs in our collection,
essentially warning instructors to test on playback equipment ahead of
time. I felt like these might be important points to make, especially
since there are distributors on this list. I agree that dubbed copies
can have research value, but as a teaching tool I would MUCH rather wait
for a professionally-made release. Of course there are many times where
this just isn't going to happen, but a DVD-R pressed on someone's Dell
is as likely to cause more problems than it solves.
And, libraries most certainly do have VCRs these days. Especially as
players are being removed from classrooms, it's becoming more and more
important that we do maintain older equipment to meet our patrons' needs.
--
Meghann Matwichuk, M.S.
Associate Librarian
Film and Video Collection Department
Morris Library, University of Delaware
181 S. College Ave.
Newark, DE 19717
(302) 831-1475
http://www.lib.udel.edu/filmandvideo
On 7/24/2014 3:08 PM, Matt Ball wrote:
Libraries don't have VCRs anymore. A video that no one can watch
might as well not exist. I would rather have a crappy VHS-to-DVD copy
than nothing at all. And I'm willing to pay for it.
Also, it's just a matter of time before VHS is an official obsolete
format and then, as my mom would say, "Katy, bar the door!" It might
be to filmakers' advantage to get out in front of that eventuality.
Matt
*[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> writes:*
Seriously Matt? Dennis is MUCH better at this. But you have to go back
to the original material often 35mm fillm elements do a decent new
transfer, box it, promote it etc. The whole point of digital is to get
high quality looking material. If one just took some old VHS master
and dubbed it , it would hideous and strange as it may seem filmmakers
and distributors really want their stuff to look good. Oh and I
completely forgot PAYING FOR THE RIGHTS including the possibility of
re licensing expensive music. Ask Dennis how much has been spent on
things like KILLER OF SHEEP, Shirley Clark films etc.
I remember a now forgotten doc I really liked that had long fallen out
of distribution. I asked Kino to check into it, and it was now owned
by reasonably friendly French rights holder but between licensing and
production you were probably looking at 20 grand and it was a small
title but also one that would have been pirated the day it became
available.
Imagine trying to put small films out in the increasingly decreasing
DVD market, it almost impossible just to cover costs.
On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 2:50 PM, Matt Ball <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Just curious about the enormous cost of putting smaller titles out in
digital format, how much does it cost to burn a DVD from one's computer?
Matt
___________________
Matt Ball
Director, Woodruff Library
Pace Academy
966 W. Paces Ferry Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30327
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
*[email protected]*
<mailto:[email protected]>*writes:*
the catch 22 is that when institutions make copies of out of print VHS
titles it makes it that much harder for rights holder to justify the
enormous cost of putting smaller titles out in digital format. In
theory libraries say they will be only to glad to upgrade to a legal
copy if one is released but in reality rights holders can't count on
that. Ironically I think this is pushing some rights holders to have
titles only available via stream or download which libraries hate.
Also the law is VERY clear that if you make copies they may not ever
be "checked out" for home use and there is an intense debate (
focusing on the definition of "premise") if they may in fact ever
leave the library to be used in a classroom.
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.
