Video stores may not be the
institutions of suburbia they once were, but is this a comment on how consumers
feel about the contemporary state of cinema? Or, are film enthusiasts becoming
slaves to modern technology that is conducive to convenience? As a resident of
Smithfield in Sydney’s south-west, I have had very little luck with signing up
to video stores in the past. N C Video Library at Smithfield and Boulevarde
Video Library at Fairfield Heights are two independent, family-owned video
stores that have been closed for at least three years. Network Video had a
store at Smithfield that didn’t see out 2005, so I signed up to the new
Blockbuster Video at Wetherill Park. Its tenure was about as long as Network
Video—just over a year. Video Ezy and Civic Video both had stores located at
Wetherill Park which are now closed. As of October 2012, there are only two big
chain video stores located in the City of Fairfield: Civic Video at Fairfield
and Edensor Park. I have not become a member of either store, fearing the
disappointment of yet another video/DVD library sinking into obsolescence.
In the United States, legitimate
digital consumption of home entertainment accounts for less than 5 per cent of
the total rental market. Digital delivery methods are not yet as pervasive in
Australia, but the American data suggests that digital consumption is not the
preferred viewing method among film enthusiasts. One of the reasons for this is
that Australian digital movie players are not as rich in titles as the average
video store. In the period from June to July 2012, there were 161 new DVD
titles released into the Australian market. 55 per cent of these titles were
available on services such as BigPond Movies, Quickflix and Foxtel On Demand. A
common view is that, in the digital age, a trip to the video store is not worth
the time or the money when movies can be downloaded illegally. However, the Australian Video Rental Retailers Association
found that almost 30 per cent of the August 2012 new releases could not be
located online. Hence, illegal downloads are not an infallible method of
procuring films, due to a limited range and inferior audiovisual quality.
Another reason video stores may be seen as the most desirable channel to rent
new release movies from is that it can take at least six weeks and up to three
months before a movie is available via legal download or pay TV. The film
distribution hierarchy prioritises cinemas before video stores, with download portals
at the tail end.
DVD vending machines are now commonplace in shopping centres around the
country. The three main players in this growing industry are Hoyts Kiosk
(formerly Oovie), RedRoom and MovieMate. These machines are located near places
most people frequent, such as supermarkets, shopping centres and service
stations. No membership fees are required, and you can collect the movies
instantly, unlike mail-order services such as Quickflix. Hoyts Kiosks have a
‘rent-anywhere/return-anywhere’ policy, edging out brick-and-mortar video
stores on the convenience front. On the downside, these machines just do not
offer the same range available at video stores. Each Hoyts Kiosk contains
between 300 and 400 titles, but all of the films are new releases. Good luck on
finding a rare Krzysztof Kieslowski film from the 1980s. Also, the luxury of
weekly hire associated with video stores cannot be savoured with these
machines, which offer overnight hire only. Unlike snack and drink vending
machines, DVD dispensers only accept credit cards, which is an indication of
what demographic they are aimed towards. There are currently over 400 Hoyts
Kiosks around Australia, and it is expected that another 100 will be deployed
by July 2013. These machines are evidently on the rise, but whether they are
preferred over traditional video stores is up to the individual, who must
choose between convenience and range.
With big chain video stores closing all around the City of Fairfield,
owners of independent video stores are not feeling confident that their stores
will last much longer. Nineveh Video Shop at Fairfield has seen a 75 per cent
drop in patrons since downloads have risen in popularity. The store exclusively
stocks Arabic-language DVDs and CDs, and also operates an Internet cafe
service. Rany, an employee at Nineveh Video, does not hold much hope for the
survival of the humble video store. “People prefer to download because it’s
easier. We convert wedding videos to DVD, and that’s almost becoming our main
function,” he said. Ly Ly’s Video in Cabramatta, which trades in Cambodian DVDs
and CDs, is also suffering the consequences of illegal downloads. Employee Kim
has noticed a change in the customers who frequent the store. “Most of our
customers belong to the older generation who don’t know how to use the new
technology,” she said. She observed that people use video stores as a back-up
option to downloading, and not vice versa. “When a television series is taking
a while to be released online, people will come and look for the physical DVD,”
she said. Like Rany at Nineveh Video, Kim thinks the days of the traditional
video store are numbered. “I’ve lost a lot of young customers, and when that
happens, you know the influence of digital technology is too strong,” she said.
“They [video stores] will be gone very soon.”
It seems as though convenience is the main priority for the contemporary
movie viewer. Downloading a film, either legally or illegally, negates the
hassle of a trip to the video store. DVD vending machines are bridging the gap
between video stores and downloads, but one must wonder if they too will become
a relic of days gone by once digital technology tightens its stranglehold on
the market. Despite the heavy influence of digital delivery platforms, there
are two things that video stores cannot be faulted for: personal service and an
expansive range of titles. Whether the industry can hang their hopes for
longevity on these two things is something only time will tell.
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