coolrun
April 7th, 2004, 09:42 AM
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
Video tech's fast forward
by David Hinckley
Wednesday, April 7th, 2004
Because "Something's Gotta Give" is the best popcorn movie my wife and I have seen in quite a while - thanks, Diane Keaton - we were looking forward to picking it up on home video. It came out on home video last Tuesday. Happy us.
But we couldn't pick it up.
Seems "Something's Gotta Give" is one of those movies that is initially released only on DVD. The VHS version will be along in, oh, a couple of months. Oh, we could get a VHS if we wanted. We could pay the price video stores pay for rental copies: $107.99. Or we could order the Spanish version for $85.60.
How much do we really love Diane Keaton? Sorry, Diane. Not that much.
I'm sure there are marketing reasons for not releasing the home VHS at the same time as the DVD. I also hear a little voice telling me they add up to this: The entertainment-technology complex wants to force us to buy a DVD player.
Actually, we own a DVD player. But we don't have DVD players for all our televisions, simply because we do not and should not need them. VHS serves us just fine. It's a simple machine. We are happy with VHS quality. We have never worn out a tape. We don't want the "bonus extras" on a DVD. We just want the movie.
Except we can't get it. Okay, we'll survive. But this is one of those moments where I find myself wishing a plague of locusts on the whole technology industry.
An industry that switched us from LPs to CDs, quietly forcing us to rebuy much of our music at extortionate prices.
An industry that sells us personal computers that are obsolete 20 minutes later. (You really need to replace that, kid.)
An industry that can't repair any item costing less than $500. (Cheaper to replace that, kid.)
An industry in which cameras and phones now come with manuals the size of a Buick.
Thing is, I don't dislike technology. I understand that CDs are more convenient and cleaner than LPs. I understand personal computers make life easier and routinely do things today that were exotic two years ago. And it's great that futuristic stuff is available to its target demographic. If I were Bill Gates, that 72-inch plasma screen would be a cool stocking stuffer.
But there are also people who are perfectly happy with old-fashioned, modest, low-tech things and now can't find a stylus for their turntable, can't find a ribbon for their typewriter AND can't watch most ballgames on free TV.
When we first heard about "the promise of technology," this isn't what we thought it meant.
Video tech's fast forward
by David Hinckley
Wednesday, April 7th, 2004
Because "Something's Gotta Give" is the best popcorn movie my wife and I have seen in quite a while - thanks, Diane Keaton - we were looking forward to picking it up on home video. It came out on home video last Tuesday. Happy us.
But we couldn't pick it up.
Seems "Something's Gotta Give" is one of those movies that is initially released only on DVD. The VHS version will be along in, oh, a couple of months. Oh, we could get a VHS if we wanted. We could pay the price video stores pay for rental copies: $107.99. Or we could order the Spanish version for $85.60.
How much do we really love Diane Keaton? Sorry, Diane. Not that much.
I'm sure there are marketing reasons for not releasing the home VHS at the same time as the DVD. I also hear a little voice telling me they add up to this: The entertainment-technology complex wants to force us to buy a DVD player.
Actually, we own a DVD player. But we don't have DVD players for all our televisions, simply because we do not and should not need them. VHS serves us just fine. It's a simple machine. We are happy with VHS quality. We have never worn out a tape. We don't want the "bonus extras" on a DVD. We just want the movie.
Except we can't get it. Okay, we'll survive. But this is one of those moments where I find myself wishing a plague of locusts on the whole technology industry.
An industry that switched us from LPs to CDs, quietly forcing us to rebuy much of our music at extortionate prices.
An industry that sells us personal computers that are obsolete 20 minutes later. (You really need to replace that, kid.)
An industry that can't repair any item costing less than $500. (Cheaper to replace that, kid.)
An industry in which cameras and phones now come with manuals the size of a Buick.
Thing is, I don't dislike technology. I understand that CDs are more convenient and cleaner than LPs. I understand personal computers make life easier and routinely do things today that were exotic two years ago. And it's great that futuristic stuff is available to its target demographic. If I were Bill Gates, that 72-inch plasma screen would be a cool stocking stuffer.
But there are also people who are perfectly happy with old-fashioned, modest, low-tech things and now can't find a stylus for their turntable, can't find a ribbon for their typewriter AND can't watch most ballgames on free TV.
When we first heard about "the promise of technology," this isn't what we thought it meant.