He who hesitates is lost
 

It's still two weeks before the Heisei Fuuzoku DVD comes out, and it's already sold out at HMV Japan. But don't be too shocked - it happened because they had a much lower price than everyone else, and the recent online-released clips could've also had something to do with that. Other online stores with closer-to-retail prices are still accepting orders. Though I'd be skeptical about YesAsia because they overestimate availability of limited products all the time, and they're internationally more popular than other online sellers of Japanese CDs/DVDs, which means they're more likely to be sold out and less likely to tell you that.

I've ranted about this before (in the old boards), but I think including exclusive content (bonus songs/visuals) combined with making this into a limited product, is a crime against the universe. That other content should come in the form of nonlimited consumer product(s). There are later fans who are going to want this DVD primarily for the audio quality, who can't have it because it's sold out everywhere, because of all the people who wanted it for what are arguably the bells and whistles. Consider that more than 50% the bandwidth on this DVD is being used for audio (even when you're watching "motion graphics"), when for Ringo/Jihen concert DVDs and PV collections, audio is getting no more than 25% of the bandwidth.

I'd bet money that 95% of the buyers can't experience the DVD in 96kHz/24bit (an audio resolution 3 times more detailed than CDs). And "can't" isn't a subjective term here where people technically can play 96kHz but just "won't hear the difference". I mean peoples' players/computers are literally going to be capping them on 48kHz, either for circuitry limitations, or DVD-A protection scheme paranoia, or both. Cheap speakers/headphones don't help the matter either, but I'm not making any generalizations about how little or much money Ringo fans spend on those. I just know that the average person is uninformed and unprepared to deal with DVD-As, whether their speakers/headphones are great or not. And I'm not saying people ought to be prepared & informed, either. I'm just saying if they're not prepared, they shouldn't buy this DVD.

The DVD-A format is such a proprietary mess that I myself almost want nothing to do with it, but I'm enough of both a fanboy and an informed/prepared audiophile that I'll jump through the hoops of dripping bullshit just this once - just for Ringo. I have an expensive sound system, and I own music for a lot of other artists, but I've never bothered to buy a DVD-A before. I've never ripped one before either, but I have the proprietary hardware/software combo to do so, and it's going to be a huge pain in the ass because DVD-A uses a different protection scheme than standard DVD videos. You could try ripping this DVD the same way you'd rip any other, but you're going to be capped at ripping 48kHz audio, because the other half of the audio quality is under the extended protection that DVD rippers (and most playback software/devices) can't decrypt.

I'm actually looking more forward to the LP, even though I'm still buying the DVD. LPs don't go according to digital measurements like 44.1kHz/48kHz/96kHz/etc - they are arguably infinite resolution (while digital is a bunch of dots in one place trying to mimic a solid line), and there's no such thing as proprietary bullshit with LPs. You can either play all of them in their entire quality or none of them - there is no inbetween.

I bought a LP single back in the days, just before they got out of fashion. I believe it was a Scorpions one. Is it time again?

I can't believe people would still want to buy the HF DVD after seeing the clips.

I don't care about the motion graphics, and I refuse to watch the pre-release sample clips whether they're "good" OR "bad".
I want the DVD for listening, and I'll have audio-only rips of it to do exactly that.

It's not my favorite Ringo album ever, but the recordings/mixes are earcandy.

You're an exception with sound though, Glath. Alot of the average listeners don't even recognize the difference just because you need to be used to it. I don't understand the sales of this album.

"Do you like my hat? It's made of money!"

DVD KZK then maybe we'll talk, EMI.

Glath, there are limited quantities cuz there's an even more limited market.

While I understand your point and feel guilty about buying it without being able to notice the difference in audio quality, what do you think about people buying to have a complete collection? I guess that's a bit selfish too (especially for the kind of people you mentioned, that wanted to buy the album in high quality instead of the regular version) but I feel like there's nothing we can do about it. It's just bad fate for the late fans that can't buy the limited editions that were released long before they became fans. As a true Ringo fan, I wish I could buy the limited editions for her solo albums, but I became a fan when Tokyo Jihen was already formed so I can't complain about it. For the extra-hardcore fans (like you) I'm sure there'll be a way for them to find all these early limited editions, so I think everyone can be happy... (Maybe?)

But what you said about YesAsia makes me doubt I'll even get the DVD-A in the first place, since I didn't order it right when they made it available. @_@ I think that happened to me with THE BACK HORN's Koe single, which disappointed me. *considers switching business to CDJapan* =_=;;

About YesAsia: it just happened to me for the first time, I preordered something, and then they "sold out" in the meantime.

I suppose if you're a collector and your goal is to get at least one of every retail Ringo/Jihen disc on the planet, then that's a more legitimate reason to buy the DVD than "WEEEEEEEeeeee!!!! Motion graphics!!", if you already have everything else you could buy. Otherwise it would make more sense to purchase three singles for that much money.

Yes-Asia said they still had the Stem single in stock, and that turned out to be false.
I got that money back in store credit, and didn't use it until a year later - toward the purchase of Korean DVDs.

well personally i'm going to buy the lp. i still have the technology to sample that thing, whereas with this newfandangled dvd-a (not really) i don't have anything to play it on. just like all those damn blu-ray disks.

lp in my mind is more collectible anyway.