The Price of TV on DVD

[Tessian]

Flip's post in the Death Note thread made me think of this... and it being 2am and me in Florida probably has to do with this.

Why are TV shows' seasons so f'ing expensive on DVD? I mean seriously, I don't get the costs. Why is a disc more than a movie? Why does it cost much at all?

TV shows aren't even put together with DVD sales in mind (might be these days a bit) so they aren't needed to offset costs... I mean a show's expenses are offset in advertising during the initial airing anyway; so such an expensive DVD? It should be treated as just extra cash... yet companies put these things out at ~$100+ per season. Anime is still $30+ a DVD which is just horrid... but at least in the most part they've not enjoyed an on-air release... still doesn't excuse this though.

I don't get it... are they begging people to start stealing? Is there a hidden cost in labeling DVDs I'm missing?

[Eric]

Eh? I don't find TV series THAT expensive, most season collections go for $30-40, which is a really nice deal in my opinion.

Now anime on the other hand can get insanely high up there.

Mainly because MOST isn't mainstream enough, and doesn't get on TV, doesn't find an audience other then the core fans who wanted it on DVD in the US to begin with.

You can find DBZ's seasons for about $30 each for instance

But if you try to pick up Gundam Wing's 52 episodes it's fucking $150+

Compare this to 24 Season 5 for $40, and you start appreciating the price tags on these much more.

TV Series DVD sets also include special features, bonuses, behind the scenes, they give you the millage for the bug in addition to the episodes, I usually think it's well worth it and fair.

[SineSwiper]

In other news, tv-links.co.uk was shut down Friday. The website was so popular (ranked #42 on Alexa) that our NOC actually got an alarm on it. (I have DNS monitors that use the top 100 websites as a baseline.)

[SineSwiper]

Eh? I don't find TV series THAT expensive, most season collections go for $30-40, which is a really nice deal in my opinion.

Actually, $30-40 is rare. I almost never see seasons at that price.

[Kupek]

The only TV season DVDs I've purchased are Simpsons, Buffy and Firefly. All were under $45.

[Zeus]

The vast majority of shows are in the $40-50 range for 22 episodes, which is about $2 an ep. That's perfectly fine if you're a fan of the show IMO. 24, Simpsons, Seinfeld, Married with Children, Earl, etc., are all that price

The HBO shows are much more expensive, about $80 for 12 episodes. At over $6 an ep that's way too fucking expensive IMO. So I got them all used (Sopranos, Six Feet, Oz) or waiting 'til there was a price drop. That way, I was able to get Sorpanos and Six Feet for $40-45 for 13 eps (a more reasonable $3 an ep or so) and Oz for $20 for 8 eps ($2.50 an ep). Considering the quality of these shows, they're worth it IMO.

Anime is nuts 'cause they know the fans will pay for them. Stop buying them and they'll stop making them so expensive. This is why I only get anime movies used and download all of my eps, not to mention I prefer the subs in most cases.

$2 an ep for regular shows or $3 an ep for high-quality ones, that's what I go by.

[Julius Seeker]

Rome the series is $59.99 per season at Futureshop, and that is a fantastic value for what the show is. I find it is much cheaper to buy the shows you want on DVD instead of getting cable.

I am not really sure about anime, you can finds tons of generic anime for like 3-5 bucks a pop in Zellers bargain bins.

The question is, how much do each of you pay for cable? The full monthly bill.

[Blotus]

The HBO shows are much more expensive, about $80 for 12 episodes. At over $6 an ep that's way too fucking expensive IMO. So I got them all used (Sopranos, Six Feet, Oz) or waiting 'til there was a price drop. That way, I was able to get Sorpanos and Six Feet for $40-45 for 13 eps (a more reasonable $3 an ep or so) and Oz for $20 for 8 eps ($2.50 an ep). Considering the quality of these shows, they're worth it IMO.

Fuck dude, i can remember seeing Sopranos DVDs for $100 when they were new. Same with some other HBO shows.

I agree that HBO sets are overpriced when they're first released. Otherwise, $30-50 isn't asking too much IMO.

[Tessian]

Maybe it's gotten cheaper over the years? I remember everyone bitching when I think Star Trek came out on DVD and it was $120 per season. I guess American TV show DVDs are much better priced these days... but anime needs to get better pricing. At those prices they're not going to become mainstream ever.

[RentCavalier]

Must...buy...cheap...Rome...

[bovine]

you can usually find cheap sets on ebay.... whether or not they are the authentic retail versions is another question.

[SineSwiper]

The problem is that when I watch a series, I generally don't have time nor the reason to watch it again. I don't really see the value in buying any TV series. Anime, maybe, but like many have said, they really need to drop in price.

[Tessian]

I see Netflix's Instant Watching as being an answer to that, Sine. They already have a half decent selection of TV series... actually the only thing holding IW back IS its selection which still sucks overall.

I've been watching episodes of stuff on there-- it's awesome. Watch it whenever you want, wherever you want, and no extra fee.

[Blotus]

I recall the X-Files DVD's being $100 a season. I don't know what they've changed about the newer sets, but the case is smaller and now they're about $30-40.