Criterion and UHD

[Boosmahn]

This is huge. DVDs are still a large part of Criterion's sales, right?

[domino harvey]

They're all up - and wow, only the Lynch has a DVD option due to it being an upgrade- the rest of the UHDs are split between UHD+DVD and blu-ray price points

Aren't the Blu-ray and DVD of the Lynch the same earlier releases?

[domino harvey]

This is huge. DVDs are still a large part of Criterion's sales, right?

Someone posted updated numbers that showed they weren't as much anymore. Still, library/institutional sales are going to take a nosedive. They must know what they're doing, but wow, I truly didn't expect this

[Ribs]

All three of the November UHD titles are with Dolby HDR; which now makes me wonder which of The Red Shoes, The Piano, and A Hard Day's Night won't, seeing as Criterion specifically said only some titles will have it.

[criterionsnob]

So it seems like we might get around three UHD titles per month, especially now with their discontinuation of DVD. I think ibraries are very well served by Criterion through Kanopy, so getting rid of DVD seems to make sense.

[EddieLarkin]

All three of the November UHD titles are with Dolby HDR; which now makes me wonder which of The Red Shoes, The Piano, and A Hard Day's Night won't, seeing as Criterion specifically said only some titles will have it.

They may have been referring to some titles only having HDR10 and not Dolby Vision, as dynamic metadata (which is what DV offers) isn't really needed if the title has a restrained HDR grading (say sub-400 nits, as even the crappiest 4KTV should be able to handle such a range). But if they were referring to some titles being without HDR altogether, then my guess would be A Hard Day's Night as it was released that way already in Japan.

[The Pachyderminator]

So it seems like we might get around three UHD titles per month, especially now with their discontinuation of DVD. I think libraries are very well served by Criterion through Kanopy, so getting rid of DVD seems to make sense.

Libraries pay per view for films licensed on Kanopy. That can outstrip the cost of DVDs awfully fast. Some major library systems (e.g. the New York public library) have dropped Kanopy because it was too expensive. This is bad news for libraries, unless I'm really missing something.

[Ribs]

I was thinking that too - if we look at these six releases as trial balloons for almost every type of movie Criterion could release (excepting foreign language titles, which will assuredly be trialed with the next set), I do wonder if they want to see if HDR does make a difference in sales or production cost or whatever and this got chosen as a sacrificial lamb.

[Glowingwabbit]

So it seems like we might get around three UHD titles per month, especially now with their discontinuation of DVD. I think libraries are very well served by Criterion through Kanopy, so getting rid of DVD seems to make sense.

Libraries pay per view for films licensed on Kanopy. That can outstrip the cost of DVDs awfully fast. Some major library systems (e.g. the New York public library) have dropped Kanopy because it was too expensive. This is bad news for libraries, unless I'm really missing something.

This is true. We've started purchasing blu-rays when there isn't a DVD release of something but we're also a well-funded library which unfortunately is not the case with a lot of public libraries. I will say they don't circulate as much because most people in the community don't own a blu=ray player. So we'll likely continue to purchase Netflix/Amazon titles and a few other titles, but if DVDs go away completely we'll probably just buy less Criterions (unless the circulation stats change)

[swo17]

Worth noting that all the big UK boutique labels largely abandoned DVD editions a while ago

[soundchaser]

For what it's worth: I just checked our database at work, and we have DVDs for all of the announced titles. I assume Criterion is going to stick to big titles like these for that reason, at least for the time being.

[domino harvey]

If they've stopped pressing DVDs, I wonder if any DVDs that run out of stock and aren't ready for an HD upgrade or not financially viable for same will just go OOP?

[tenia]

I think that's an industry standard for UHD, with the exception of a couple of snafus from Shout Factory.

And a handful of other releases, but yes, that's the industry standard, I'm not even sure those geolocked UHDs are technically BDA-compliant.

[Shrew]

I wonder if the pandemic accelerated the DVD abandonment--most libraries surely invested in streaming and alternative access platforms over the last year rather than buying new DVDs.

Has Criterion announced that there will be no further DVD releases? I imagine that most of the UHD titles won't get a DVD release to save on manufacturing and warehousing, but also possibly licensure costs (assuming Criterion may have forgone DVD rights to save money). But it's possible that debut releases of Janus catalog films may still get a DVD.

[Matt]

Ironic that Uncut Gems might be one of the last Criterion DVD releases when it could have been one of their first 4K releases. I'm sure it will come soon anyway. I vaguely remember Criterion announcing one or two BD upgrades of titles within months of their original DVD release.

Relatedly, my (academic) library almost completely stopped buying new Criterion releases because in most cases we already own an adequate DVD version of the film. Blu-ray is still not supported except in a few classrooms, and since COVID struck, streaming is now our preferred delivery option for all content. Criterion is our top provider on Kanopy, so they're still getting lots of our money, probably more now than they ever did in the DVD era.

[criterionsnob]

If they're planning on releasing any more DVDs, surely La strada would've been on DVD too. I think DVD is done, and good riddance.

[cdnchris]

For most "upgrades" recently they haven't bothered with a new DVD edition, usually just leaving the existing one (if there is still one in print), so La strada not receiving one isn't entirely out of the norm.

[Drucker]

Ironic that Uncut Gems might be one of the last Criterion DVD releases when it could have been one of their first 4K releases. I'm sure it will come soon anyway. I vaguely remember Criterion announcing one or two BD upgrades of titles within months of their original DVD release.

Relatedly, my (academic) library almost completely stopped buying new Criterion releases because in most cases we already own an adequate DVD version of the film. Blu-ray is still not supported except in a few classrooms, and since COVID struck, streaming is now our preferred delivery option for all content. Criterion is our top provider on Kanopy, so they're still getting lots of our money, probably more now than they ever did in the DVD era.

This is how I see things. There are tons of very old DVDs sitting in the shelves of the library I used to live near in NJ. They had the original releases of Amacord, Red Shoes, etc. but not the reissue. How many films are Criterion introducing to the DVD market at this point?

[FrauBlucher]

If they've stopped pressing DVDs, I wonder if any DVDs that run out of stock and aren't ready for an HD upgrade or not financially viable for same will just go OOP?

As I noted earlier, two Jean Pierre Melville films that are still DVDs are now listed as "currently unavailable". Maybe this will be the way going forward. They will list them as such until an upgrade happens

btw... I could Criterion upgrade Army of Shadows to UHD

[petitdelon]

Here's to hoping for CC Le Cercle rouge 4KUHD release that SC put out last year! Both an OOP title returning and a new 4KUHD release for them. Would be great if they paired it with Mr. Klein for a Delon December!

[Drucker]

I'll randomly speculate that I think there's going to be a fair amount of UHDs forthcoming. Three of the launch titles were announced today, so hoping there's far more pipelined.

[swo17]

I'll randomly speculate that I think there's going to be a fair amount of UHDs forthcoming. Three of the launch titles were announced today, so hoping there's far more pipelined.

Well, vote with your wallet!

[Amazing Goose]

I'll randomly speculate that I think there's going to be a fair amount of UHDs forthcoming. Three of the launch titles were announced today, so hoping there's far more pipelined.

Well, vote with your wallet!

During a 50% off sale, a UHD release should be only $5 more than an HD version, so even if you aren't 4K-capable yet, you can future-proof yourself and support Criterion's new venture!

[denti alligator]

I don't fully understand HDR. Is Dolby Vision a "kind" of HDR. Will Criterion only be using that kind? There's HDR10, too, right? Difference? Is this something that requires both the right player and display or just player?

[soundchaser]

They're basically the way the dynamic range is encoded - HDR10 is considered the standard, and Dolby Vision is a more recent and more involved development. (There's also HDR10+, but I don't think many - if any - discs are using it.) I really haven't noticed a difference between the two, personally speaking. There are all sorts of technical comparisons with brightness, banding, etc. that are really beyond me. Regardless: you'd need both a player and a TV capable of handling Dolby Vision, which I think is most now minus Samsung.