Movie lovers are dreaming of a Blu-ray Christmas.
But what about the Island of Misfit Formats – the land where HD DVDs, VHS tapes and Laser Discs live out their lonely lives?
Ryan J. Kugler, president of Distribution Video and Audio (DVA), is their savior.
DVA is a family-owned and operated business which buys and sells more than 15 million DVDs and audio CDs annually. It does the same with other entertainment products, including excess inventories of HD DVDs and other dying or “dead” formats.
Kugler checked in with WWTW to give us the skinny on giving old formats a second life.
WWTW: Are formats dying more quickly these days — what are the key reasons why?
RK: No … when Beta and VHS came out in the late ’70s, one of them won, and one of them lost. VHS was the format until 1997. That is a long life! DVD now reigns, whether it’s Blu-ray or standard DVDs and will continue to reign for the next five to seven years.
WWTW: How do you move dying or dead formats – who is gobbling up VHS or HD-DVDs at this point?
RK: We’ve been in business some 20-plus years, and we really know everyone who is interested in entertainment at a value. We know who buys what format so we are able to move it to the last remaining customers who still buy it.
WWTW: How is the current economic situation affecting your business?
RK: We are still finding new customers who want DVDs or CDs to sell in stores and entertainment products do well in a recession/depression. Look at the movie business in the 1930s. That’s when it started and really grew.
WWTW: Can you trace the life of an unwanted HD DVD? What do studios do with product they can’t move?
RK: First, a studio will mark it down at retail level and then they either destroy the product or sell it to a company like us at a very reduced amount.
WWTW: What kind of discounts can buyers expect for these items? (HD DVDs, for the most recent example)?
RK: I would say that consumers can expect to buy these types of items for any where from $1 to $5 for a DVD.
WWTW: Where can consumers buy these forgotten formats?
RK: Anywhere from a Wal-Mart to a specialty store such as Fry’s (HD DVD) to a Dollar Discount store.
WWTW: What’s next? Do you see DVDs falling away soon as digital downloads increase in number and popularity? Or is the DVD format durable enough to keep it alive for a few more holiday seasons?
RK: Blu-ray is a format that is strong and will stay strong for the next seven years plus. While downloads may grow in popularity a tangible product will always be more desirable to the consumer. People want something they can touch like DVDs or some form of tangible product such as a computer chip or memory stick.
(Photo: DVA president Ryan J. Kugler)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I still have my double VHS tape of Spartacus and for this I will never give up my Sony VHS player. I wish I had a laser disc player.
actually there is a really great criterion special edition of ‘Spartacus’ on dvd that is reason enough to get rid of the old vhs copy