Some of my friends are saying that we should stockpile the 2006 DVDs because they'll eventually be collector's items. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, but I'm wondering what other people here think.
If Lucas never releases them ever again, then they will become a collectors item, but not in a monetary sense. 10 years from now after the 2007 SE with more changes, and in say 2011 BlueRay HD-DVD with even more changes, alot of new fans may be curious as to what the original version, now 5 versions ago looked like, so for curiosities sake, they may buy them on ebay just to have them as a completist SW fan would want.
I still think they will be released fully remastered, cause the Superman II: Donnor cut is coming out next week, and that took 25 years for fans of this supposed edit to see the light.
Just remember guys, it aint about vision, it is about money, whether it be the release last September, or the Donnor Cut, these movies are released for one reason only: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Collectors of antiques or Star Wars things in general may, several decades from now, bestow upon them some sort of collectors' status. Until then, the best you can hope for is an irrational craze, like the early 90s comics speculation, but I don't see that happening. The fact that DVDs can be copied cheaply, perfectly, and by anyone kind of suppresses the demand for "rare" discs.
And yes, I bought multiple copies of Adventures of Superman #500, and I still have one in the unopened poly-bag. Never did get a bagged Superman #75, though I once saw the platinum edition hanging in a store in Tennessee.
Originally posted by: Scruffy The fact that DVDs can be copied cheaply, perfectly, and by anyone kind of suppresses the demand for "rare" discs.
That seems logical, but the thing is, a collector's DVD market already exists. Certain Disney films go for high prices on Ebay, and MST3K the movie can be worth up to $100... and that's for the official DVD, which came in a cheapo cardboard case and had no extras to speak of. And this is despite there being a fan-made "special edition" which is filled with extras!
CD-ROM based computer and video games are sometimes collectible as well, despite how easy they are to copy. Case in point: Sierra On-Line game compilations usually go for $50 when most old compilations only go for $10-$20 at most, and the PC-Engine game Dracula X can be worth up to $100.
Just because DVDs can be copied easly and cheaply doesn't mean that the originals will be worthless. People like originals and are willing to pay extra for it to be real. A cheap copy isn't collectable. But I don't see these becoming collector's items. The stuff that becomes valuable is the things that are rare. This seems to be pretty common so far.
I finally bought Return Of The Jedi tonight and personally i love the 2006 release its handy and you dont have to lug that 2004 box set around. I think its great having the Special Editions and the Originals in the same dvd set together. Plus they match the covers styles of the Prequel Trilogy and there not silver like the 2004 editions.
That seems logical, but the thing is, a collector's DVD market already exists. Certain Disney films go for high prices on Ebay, and MST3K the movie can be worth up to $100... and that's for the official DVD, which came in a cheapo cardboard case and had no extras to speak of. And this is despite there being a fan-made "special edition" which is filled with extras!
Yes, and those prices are suppressed by the fact that the materials are available elsewhere at a lesser price -- especially in the long run. Draw two sets of supply and demand curves for what we'll call the Legitimate Market and the Gray Market.
On the left, we see the supply and demand curve for "legitimate" merchandise. The supply is fixed, because there was only a limited release of Star Widget. Let's say the demand is provided by legitimists, who demand "legitimate" merchandise, collectors, who speculate on the value of scarce items, and the ignorant, who aren't aware of the Gray Market.
On the right, we see the Gray Market. The supply is practically infinite; assume data copying, transmission, and storage is free. The demand is provided by illegitimists, who don't care much about copyright, and are also sufficiently online as to be aware of the Gray Market. Illegitimists can freely enter the market, both supplying and consuming, through P2P networks. Keep this in mind: Possessing one of these goods does not prevent others from possessing it, too, and the supply is correlated to the demand.
Over time, consumers move from the Legitimate Market to the Gray Market. (There's some movement in the other direction, too; in the case of out-of-print media, I'd bet it's mostly from Legitimate to Gray.) With every legitimate or ignorant consumer that moves from the Legitimate to the Gray market, the demand shifts left and the price of Star Widgets in the Legitimate Market drops, but it remains unchanged (practically free) on the Gray Market. Collectors are left trading plastic discs with each other. Over in the Gray Market, the supply grows or shrinks with the demand, providing just enough to maintain the equilibrium price (practically free).
As for "stockpiling" Star Wars DVDs, that's just retarded. They're not valued consistently; Darth Fanboy might think the set is worth sixty dollars, but I'd value them around five, and less each year as more fan versions and official versions are released. Speculating on Star Wars DVDs is just gambling that there will be enough Darth Fanboys to keep the collectors' segment of the Legitimate Market afloat until such time as you're ready to cash in. There's much better ways to invest your money.
Oh, yeah. Remember laserdiscs? Laserdisc sets could run a few hundred dollars when they were first released. Unlike DVDs, they can not be perfectly copied. Search eBay for them now. And I guarantee you that a complete Definitive Collection is ten times the "collector's item" than a bunch of surplus special editions and the GOUT.
Judging from the HUGE stock of tins and individuals at my local Best Buy, I'll have to say, "no". If they are supposed to be off the shelves after December 31st, you can bet there will be some amazing after Christmas sales!
Why buy a second copy? Just burn your first copy to a DL disc and watch that copy instead. It's only like $20 for a spindle of 10 discs and burners can be had for around $30. Sure, it ends up being about the same price as the box set, but you can use that drive to make backup copies of all your DVDs.
If you just want the movie, run it through DVD Shrink to get it down to a SL disc. Those only cost 20 or so cents a disc.
Originally posted by: 20th Century Mark Judging from the HUGE stock of tins and individuals at my local Best Buy, I'll have to say, "no". If they are supposed to be off the shelves after December 31st, you can bet there will be some amazing after Christmas sales!
Lucky. I couldn't find one tin at my local Best Buy this evening!
Originally posted by: JamesEightBitStar Some of my friends are saying that we should stockpile the 2006 DVDs because they'll eventually be collector's items. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, but I'm wondering what other people here think.
It's because everyone thinks that if something says 'Star Wars' on it, it'll be worth something someday. These people, and your friends, are morons.