CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[WanMan]

I have often wondered why it seems harder than not to find a collection of music videos for a given artist than it is finding anything else on that artist. For instance, I can find various concert offerings in audio formats (LP, CD, MP3, etc.) and in video (VHS and DVD, and even BD), but finding a collection of music videos seems to be deliberately missing.

Ok, I grew up watching Friday Night Videos, a show that predated FNV on NBC, and the inceotive offering of MTv (when they actually played music videos). I married a women that, like me, grew up in this time and got to liking the videotainment offerings of the various artists.

And with the certain successful artists coming out of this generation, and the one before and after it, with compilation of videos in their portfolio, both the wife and I have been bewildered for years why they seeming are not offered. In fact, we've been looking (not hard) for volumes for artist XYZ on DVD, and then again on BD, but there continues the apparent missing condition.

So, is it us, is it no one actually likes music videos, or is it a complex maze of legal wrangling that prohibits this kind of offering from ever seeing the light of day? Let's use an example (and only an example) of Madonna. Ok, she has made plenty of music videos. Who makes a BD of her compilation of music videos offered in high definition on BD? How about Marilyn Manson? Etc., etc., etc.

[zaphod]

one of the reasons i still have laserdisc players. there is a lot of music videos on LD. dunno why that LD lucked out.

a lot of people hate LD for the resolution, but i'd rather watch something in that resolution than no resolution at all, so i keep the LD players

[greg_mitch]

Not BD and most aren't even in HD but youtube has a LOT of music videos.

They are pretty great too because you can make playlists. So you choose an artist and then they either have a playlist already or you create on of your own and make it full screen and it goes through all the videos.

Here is what that looks like...of course you maximize the video and don't see all those adds.

[ecrabb]

I was gonna say the same thing, Greg. Lots of videos on YouTube! There are also some ebay sellers selling DVD sets of hundreds of videos. A buddy of mine thought about going in on a set but we just haven't gotten around to it. Not sure if the DVD's came from the YouTube videos or the other way around, but the stuff is out there if you take the time to look for it.

As for why they're not more available on disc, there are a few DVD's from various artists with music video collections, but they're pretty few and far between. Don't know if it's contractual/legal stuff or just commercial viability.

On the HD question, see my previous response, but more importantly, I suspect it's because very few labels had the incentive or budget to shoot and edit 35mm film when the videos were destined for good 'ol early-80's SD MTV anyway. So, other than a few big-time videos like Michael Jackson's Thriller and some other big budget pieces from the era, most stuff would have been shot and mastered on SD video. Add to that the fact that very few people would be interested in spending $20-30 for a BD of a dozen or so music videos of some hits (what, 30-40 minutes?), and other than a few huge acts with huge fan bases, it ain't happenin'.

SC

[WanMan]

Yes, it is true that there are a lot of videos on YouTube, but a lot of them are not in HD, some not even qualified as SD, and a bunch not even legal. Now add to this the advertisements that like to run in them and the requirement to feed a HTPC and its a bust for me.

Besides, I would much rather just pay the money and be fed the uninterrupted entertainment. I have seen some 'videos' which had nice HD transfers and I think that is fine. Heck, even something shot on SD video was probably better than how it was broadcasted.

So, no one on here likes videos? Is this something that is a common enough anti-sentiment to not warrant any effort? It is surprising that bad 70's and 80's can make it to DVD, and in some cases BD, but music folks hate thinking about video forms of entertainment.

[zaphod]