Into The Woods - Digital Theatre Preorder- Page 4

[binau]

Posted: 4/2/11 at 6:32pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

So irritating. They offered my friend to use the VOD on demand version while we want to get fixed...which is ok, except they asked us to e-mail them back and let them know if we wanted this - i.e. we are probably going to have to wait another 12 hours before they respond again. It seems more reasonable just to enable it immediately, who is going to say no?

Updated On: 4/2/11 at 06:32 PM

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 12:49am

^ They did the same thing for me. It works fine, but it a little choppy at times. The quality is not quite as crystal clear as I'm sure the HD will be, but it's better than nothing!

[Hex3]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 2:10am

CandleShoe, Are you watching it on the player or the website? Watching the VOD on the website helps a lot in terms of the choppiness.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 1:51pm

I just got around to watching it with VOD. As soon as I purchased the VOD option I was able to watch instantly and it never stopped to buffer or anything! It ran extremely smooth but I just would have preferred the HD quality.

Well.... I absolutely LOVED it. The direction, the choreography, the sets, and costumes, were all very innovative and worked wonderfully. The direction was so inspiring! My only issues were the actor playing The Baker ( Mark Hadfield) who just wasn't up to par vocally for Stephen Sondheim music and who I frankly just didn't connect with. My other issue was Cinderella at first; but as the show progressed I grew to like Helen Dallimore in the role. She kind of reminded me of Amy Adams in a weird way as if Adams was a pot smoking-guitar playing- hipster. The stand outs for me were Jenna Russell ( because she's just freaking brilliant) Ben Scott as Jack, and Rapunzels Prince. Hilarious. Also, I've always loved Into the Woods being done in the UK with British Accents. I think Lapine's book works best with british humor and their way of line delivery. It was refreshing to see a production that didn't use basically the exact same beats placement as the OBC.

I was a little upset because this is a show I have ALWAYS wanted to direct but have never had the opportunity to do. I've had a clear vision for how I want to direct this for about 4 years, which is to use a boy as the narrator and end it pretty much the same way as this production did. I can't say for sure if I would have executed it as wonderfully as this production, but it works and it makes the Bakers Wife's Lyrics then going into Children will listen that much more powerful. I had chills.

All in all, I would say this was a FANTASTIC production and worth every cent to purchase it. Watch it.
Updated On: 4/3/11 at 01:51 PM

[Wildcard]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 4:55pm

I purchased the HD version and like most, it would not play on my digital player. I contacted support and they placed the video on VOD for me so I can watch it.

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 8:29pm

Just finished watching it on VOD, which they gave me access to because the download wasn't working. It was a wonderful production!

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 4/3/11 at 10:02pm

I, too, got the VOD version and watched today, and I absolutely loved it. I really liked how the design really made the story feel a lot darker than most productions. I also though the puppetry for the giant was very good and more effective than the usual looking up into the audience at the giant. Throughout most of the show, I wasn't sure of the point of having a child narrate the show, but in Children Will Listen (I won't say what's happening because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it), that moment was just so brilliant and emotional that it gave me chills. I would probably have been crying if I were attending a live performance. Overall, it was a very unique way to present the show that worked amazingly. I didn't love Cinderella, but most of the rest of the cast was great, especially Jenna Russell. I'm so happy that this got to be preserved. Hopefully, the endless community theatres and high schools that perform this show so often will see this and realize that they don't have to copy the original staging (If I see another Into the Woods that begins with three houses placed in the same order, I will be so mad) but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Posted: 4/7/11 at 2:48am

OK so has anyone--at least anyone not in the UK managed to get the HD version to work? I sent an email after buying it a day back but haven't even got a reply, boo... I did check out their info page and it said it should show how much of the HD has downloaded--but it seems not ANY of it has downloaded yet, and when I try to play it just does that DRM license, blank screen that's been detailed here...

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 4/7/11 at 3:39am

I just asked for a refund. Someone really dropped the ball on this one.

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 4/7/11 at 3:40am

Eric: Have you opened Preferences and double-clicked on the download address?

Posted: 4/7/11 at 4:17am

I have but it doesn't seem to do anything... Hrmmm (I do really appreciate any help)

[HBP]

Posted: 4/7/11 at 6:46am

I really want to see the show as I've only heard good things about the production. It seems that the overall consensus is that the VOD option is working relatively well, so I'm probably going to go with that.

[Owen22]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 1:18pm

Is this working for anyone yet?

[musicalfan3]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 1:34pm

EricMontreal22- I was having the same problems as you, but everything works now. Once you have downloaded the player, you need to find wherever it is saved on your computer, and create a new folder (I called mine "Videos"). Then, on the Digital Theatre Player, you need to go to Preferences, click on Add, and then go through and double click on the new folder you've created wherever the player is saved. Once I had done this, all three of my videos started downloaded, and I can now relive this wonderful production. I hope that has helped.

[Overkill]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 4:48pm

This all seems to be too much trouble. I'll just wait patiently for it to leake onto YouTube. lol

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 6:21pm

Downloadables and streaming may be the future, but they certainly AREN'T the present. There's still so much to be worked out with the technology.

I will gladly hold onto my "hard copy" DVDs and Blu-ray Discs until they get everything worked out.

... which I predict will take a minimum ten years. There are bandwidth, legal, and consumer issues (privacy, anyone?) that won't untangle overnight.

I'm glad some of you are really trying to make this work. You're the Guinea pigs. The test audience.

But mass consumption of entertainment like this is a long way off.

[binau]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 6:39pm

Downloading and streaming does work well with some models, in my opinion, like iTunes and Netflix (I mean I'd claim they are the 'present'), it is this company's implementation itself that is poor, IMO. I mean, I personally wouldn't give them any leeway because there are 'technological limitations' - I would just claim incompetence. "9 midnights" (approx.) have gone since I bought the download version and it STILL isn't fixed.

If this was distributed through proven methods (e.g. iTunes), there wouldn't be a problem. The problem is they tried (but failed hard) to implement DRM, to prevent people from pirating it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 6:45pm

Yes, I was talking about managing large digital files like movies, not small "one off" files like songs. And you all are far more savvy than the average movie-watcher. Trust me.

Most can barely handle putting a disc into a player and getting it to work on their TV. That's a fact not a put-down. They still don't understand what those black bars are on the top and bottom of the screen, cutting into their picture, either.

I still predict a decade before people consider this "user friendly."

EDIT: The scariest part of this to me is the privacy issue with online movies and Amazon storage sites, etc. Do you really want them knowing what movies you have in your collection, how often you watch them, where you stop during playback, and how many times you watch a certain scene? They're already doing that with Kindle books. They are reporting to publishers how many times you read books, what page you stop on, and how often you read certain chapters.

No thanks.

Updated On: 4/10/11 at 06:45 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/10/11 at 11:38pm

I am one of the people who don't understand what the black bars are on my screen cutting into the picture...why have a huge widescreen TV only for two thirds of the picture, top and bottom, to be black? Don't mind with some movies, but my Evita is only about an inch high!

[EvelynOakleigh]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 1:05pm

I am in the same boat as many others, I downloaded the player and the HD version of Into the Woods, but it just says DRM license. What do you recommend I do?

[greensgreens]

Posted: 4/25/11 at 2:16pm

"I've had a clear vision for how I want to direct this for about 4 years, which is to use a boy as the narrator"

Kansas City Repertory did a production a few years back that used this conceit and it was, indeed, brilliant. But, everything about that production was. Easily the best production of this show I have seen - leaps and bounds more interesting than the B'way revival.

Posted: 4/28/11 at 9:30pm

Has anyone got this sorted yet?

[binau]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 12:08am

Nope. It pisses me off greatly that they keep saying it only "affects a smaller number of users"...ridiculous.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 12:14am

I can honestly say they're working hard to fix this problem, since they keep using me as their guinea pig. They sent me a beta version of the Desktop Player, which allowed me to actually download the video, but there's a new error message that pops up for me. As soon as they figure this mess out, I'll let you guys know, if they don't get to do it first.

Posted: 4/29/11 at 2:46am

Thanks, it's appreciated. I keep worrying my VOD copy will expire (though it hasn't yet...)