Kodak Financial Woes Deepen: Film Future?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian C. Miller

Witness the rise of texting, and the resultant devolvement of the written language.

---

You do know they said the same thing about the typewriter, right? :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ben Syverson

You do know they said the same thing about the typewriter, right? :)

---

O tnx 4 dat! dats realy QL 2 knw. i thort txtN wz deth 4 en.
(Lingo2Word)

Lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ben Syverson

You do know they said the same thing about the typewriter, right? :)

---

Indeed, language is always changing. It's just that the people who are most worried about it don't read enough (any?) historical literature to understand that.

Definitely—but while I'm fine with English changing, I certainly don't feel the same way about color film availability!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura

Why does it have to be digitized? None of my negatives (or prints for that matter) have ever been scanned and I can think of no reason why they ever will.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian C. Miller

If the information is to be shared through a digital medium, it must be digitized...

---

But the film-originated images don't have to be shared through a digital medium, therefore they don't have to be digitized.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brian C. Miller

...Since the current popular medium of sharing information is digital, then of course people will use the most convenient tool to share within that medium. Witness the rise of texting, and the resultant devolvement of the written language.

---

Your point seems to be that convenience and popularity of a digital medium leads to devolvement. I agree. That's why I'm glad film doesn't have to be digitized. If I want to share my prints, there are a number of mechanisms available. For example, USPS, UPS and FedEx. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ben Syverson

Definitely—but while I'm fine with English changing, I certainly don't feel the same way about color film availability!

---

Mos def!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura

But the film-originated images don't have to be shared through a digital medium, therefore they don't have to be digitized.

Your point seems to be that convenience and popularity of a digital medium leads to devolvement. I agree. That's why I'm glad film doesn't have to be digitized. If I want to share my prints, there are a number of mechanisms available. For example, USPS, UPS and FedEx. :)

---

No, the point is that users in the mass market prefer to display and share photos using digital means. You don't have to be sensitive to that fact in the decisions you make, but the manufacturers whose business model depends on the mass market do. For you it's optional, for them it's not. And Kodak as a manufacturer has always been rooted in creating and responding to the mass market. The whole point of this thread is to ask whether they can and will change to the reality that the mass market displays and shares their photos digitally, so that film can survive as a niche production rather than die as a mass-market production.

Rick "not thinking this thread is about what Sal has to do" Denney

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rdenney

...The whole point of this thread is to ask whether they [Kodak] can and will change to the reality that the mass market displays and shares their photos digitally, so that film can survive as a niche production rather than die as a mass-market production.

Rick "not thinking this thread is about what Sal has to do" Denney

---

It seems that HARMAN, with a smaller plant and more flexibility to meet the demands of various non-photographic coating applications, is doing fine marketing film and gelatin silver paper in its niche market. The mass market has no interest in film, regardless of whether it's from Kodak, Ilford or any other manufacturer. It never again will.

It's very unlikely that Kodak is able or willing to change so that its remaining films can survive as niche market items.

Sal "who only used his practices as an illustration of the type of customer a niche film and paper manufacturer ought to target and never thought this thread was about himself" Santamaura :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura

It's very unlikely that Kodak is able or willing to change so that its remaining films can survive as niche market items.

---

I fear you are correct. It is just not in the American corporate DNA to devolve to a niche market. That's not how those Harvard Biz School graduates keep score.

Rick "wondering if the HBS and its progeny are to blame for the foolishness of corporate America" Denney