No More In-Ride Movies

[user 1215]

Amtrak's inability to maintain control of their employees (and others) from damaging, stealing, and otherwise maiming onboard entertainment equipment has rendered the in-ride movie obsolete. No such service exists (at least on the SW Chief) any more.

The official explanation is that because DigEplayer is now available (for a fee, of course), that there is no longer the need to have movies in the Lounge/Cafe car any more.

This is the most ridiculous explanation that I've heard. First of all, digEplayers are only available at major hub stations (ie: LAX, EMY, SEA, POR, CHI, and both ends of the Auto Train). You're out of luck to obtain one if you don't board at these major stations.

One of my gripes when I rode the SW Chief in the Summer was that they showed the movie before it even got dark and people wanted to be in the lounge car to enjoy the scenery. So, now in the Winter when it is dark for all but about the first 30 and last 60 minutes between ABQ and LAX, I was really looking forward to enjoying a show (which, yes, they edit to G, but they showed pre-dvd release movies).

I was very bummed that they didn't do this.

 

[AlanB]

Actually starting later this month one will be able to rent digEplayer on board the Empire Builder and the Coast Starlight, in addition to renting it at the end point stations that the trains serve.

The loss of the free movies was extensively discussed back in October at the time it was done. As a quick recap, the movies were basically discontinued on all trains, not just the SW Chief. Movies do remain onboard the Talgo trains.

 

[yarrow]

i don't kow what your evidence is that amtrak employees stole video equipment(i'm not quite sure what there would be to steal anyway). anyway, that is quite an unfounded accusation to just throw out. we personally found the movies disturbing to our use of the lounge cars and are glad they are gone(those shown on the talgo train require headphones so are not a problem). i don't know what amtrak's reasons were(i don't think they will make much from the digeplayers)but to say it was due to employee theft is a terrible accusation.

 

[AlanB]

i don't kow what your evidence is that amtrak employees stole video equipment(i'm not quite sure what there would be to steal anyway). anyway, that is quite an unfounded accusation to just throw out. we personally found the movies disturbing to our use of the lounge cars and are glad they are gone(those shown on the talgo train require headphones so are not a problem). i don't know what amtrak's reasons were(i don't think they will make much from the digeplayers)but to say it was due to employee theft is a terrible accusation.

That's a well known fact that theft occured regarding the on-board movies. Mainly it was the tapes themselves that were stolen, but there were cases of the equipment disapearing too. Many times it occured in the yards, in particular Sunnyside yard. But I believe that there were a few onboard problems too.

 

[haolerider]

i don't kow what your evidence is that amtrak employees stole video equipment(i'm not quite sure what there would be to steal anyway). anyway, that is quite an unfounded accusation to just throw out. we personally found the movies disturbing to our use of the lounge cars and are glad they are gone(those shown on the talgo train require headphones so are not a problem). i don't know what amtrak's reasons were(i don't think they will make much from the digeplayers)but to say it was due to employee theft is a terrible accusation.

That's a well known fact that theft occured regarding the on-board movies. Mainly it was the tapes themselves that were stolen, but there were cases of the equipment disapearing too. Many times it occured in the yards, in particular Sunnyside yard. But I believe that there were a few onboard problems too.

I agree that this is a well known fact, but there were also issues with repair to the equipment, upkeep, replacements, etc. that became too costly to maintain. DigEplayer is a good alternative, since it is available only through headphones and does not bother other passengers wanting to enjoy the lounge car. I beleive there were also complaints about the quality of the TV monitors in the lounges and certainly in the viewliner sleepers.

 

[yarrow]

sorry, i didn't know that. rthat's too bad.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Personally, for my upcoming LD trip I'm going to buy a used portable DVD player (eBay, for like $20).

 

[AlanB]

I agree that this is a well known fact, but there were also issues with repair to the equipment, upkeep, replacements, etc. that became too costly to maintain. DigEplayer is a good alternative, since it is available only through headphones and does not bother other passengers wanting to enjoy the lounge car. I beleive there were also complaints about the quality of the TV monitors in the lounges and certainly in the viewliner sleepers.

Agreed. I didn't bother to mention the cost side of things, but no doubt it too played a role. And I definately agree with the idea that digEplayer now makes the movies private. I didn't mind the movies in the Viewliner sleepers where you were in control of your own destiny, but having them blaring in the Sightseer lounge car was not ideal. There were probably an equal number of people who were turned off by the movies being there, as there were people who actually did like it.

 

[MrFSS]

For Christmas, my wife gave me a GPS unit that also has a built in DVD player, speakers or headphones. The GPS shows all the normal stuff GPS' show including speed, altitude, etc. Has its own suction mount for a window and runs on 110 or a 4 hour battery that has a nice charger.

So, I can tell where I am, or watch a DVD if I want.

 

[haolerider]

For Christmas, my wife gave me a GPS unit that also has a built in DVD player, speakers or headphones. The GPS shows all the normal stuff GPS' show including speed, altitude, etc. Has its own suction mount for a window and runs on 110 or a 4 hour battery that has a nice charger.
So, I can tell where I am, or watch a DVD if I want.

I have not seen a GPS with a built in DVD player. What is the brand?

 

[Railbender]

Are the movies still offered on the Auto Train?? I thought I saw that they were...

 

[MrFSS]

For Christmas, my wife gave me a GPS unit that also has a built in DVD player, speakers or headphones. The GPS shows all the normal stuff GPS' show including speed, altitude, etc. Has its own suction mount for a window and runs on 110 or a 4 hour battery that has a nice charger.

So, I can tell where I am, or watch a DVD if I want.

I have not seen a GPS with a built in DVD player. What is the brand?

Polaroid - see this LINK.
Walmart carries them!

 

[haolerider]

For Christmas, my wife gave me a GPS unit that also has a built in DVD player, speakers or headphones. The GPS shows all the normal stuff GPS' show including speed, altitude, etc. Has its own suction mount for a window and runs on 110 or a 4 hour battery that has a nice charger.

So, I can tell where I am, or watch a DVD if I want.

I have not seen a GPS with a built in DVD player. What is the brand?

Polaroid - see this LINK.
Walmart carries them!

Thanks for the link.

 

[Windy City LSA]

As an employee who formerly was "in charge" of showing said movies, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

I must say they were not my favorite task when working a LD Lounge car...not that it was a difficult task. As far as theft goes, I can't imagine the movies themselves being stolen. If we came back without them, we were held financially responsible. So, any smart LSA has them locked up at all times. I never had a problem with that. And if we wanted to steal it, we bought it, so that doesn't make sense. And using our personal locks, co-workers or passengers could not get to them without a violent break-in. In my experience, the VCR's were located in the lounge bathroom of all places! They were also bolted down pretty good, and not of the highest quality, anyway. Sound was ALWAYS an issue. It was a toss up as to how much (if any) volume control you'd have. Then there would be the annoyed sightseeing passengers coming down to gripe that it was too loud, and those watching the movie asking for it to be turned up. Then if the Trails and Rails folks got onboard, they needed full control of the PA, so no movies. I was surprised by their boarding just once after I'd been telling passengers I'd be showing a movie. One could never make everybody happy.

On my last trip on the EB to PDX, I actually had a videocasette get jammed in the VCR on the last night and couldn't play anything. I feared passenger mutiny when I announced the problem, but all went well. Luckily a mechanical guy was able to get it out of there for me upon arrival at PDX...my hero of the day! One Conductor bloodied his hand trying to release it for me.

Anyway, the equipment was always in bad shape. I think if they had more consistent sound and VCR's, it would have worked out better for everyone. Due to Amtrak's financial situations, I'm sure maintenance and upgrades of this equipment was no priority! I was gone shortly before the Digi player thing started, so I have no clue if there is a money-making conspiracy there.

 

[DaveKCMO]

i always thought that movies in the lounge car were pretty annoying (awful movies, even worse sound). i welcome the digEplayer with open arms.

 

[rmgreenesq]

i always thought that movies in the lounge car were pretty annoying (awful movies, even worse sound). i welcome the digEplayer with open arms.

and open wallet too!

Rick

 

[Sam Damon]

Personally, for my upcoming LD trip I'm going to buy a used portable DVD player (eBay, for like $20).

Exactly. Heck, new ones can be had for around $70. or so; add a splitter and extra set of headphones and one's still under a hundred bucks.

Kids will be perfectly entertained. Welcome to the new world of media, which is making my life a mess at the moment.

 

[user 1215]

The DVD GPS is a crazy $500. Wow.

Thanks for all of the input regarding this topic. I think that so long as the equipment worked and so long as movies were ONLY shown after dark (no scenery to watch), then it worked out well. Again, the biggest problem with the digEplayer is that it's only available at 5 locations and that's a pretty tight market.

By the way it looks (and this is completely speculative), digEplayers are completely provided outside of Amtrak, and Amtrak is just used to market the players.

Again, I wish digEplayer was a bit more widely available before Amtrak stopped showing the movies.

 

[PRR 60]

...By the way it looks (and this is completely speculative), digEplayers are completely provided outside of Amtrak, and Amtrak is just used to market the players.

And, Amtrak is gets a percentage of all sales. The on-board movies were pure expense for Amtrak. The digEplayer is pure profit: it costs Amtrak nothing. It offers the passengers a much wider variety of offerings than the old system (not difficult, since only one movie was shown on each train). Short of installing actual on-demand entertainment at every seat and in every room, this system is the best possible option for Amtrak.

 

[Sam Damon]

The on-board movies were pure expense for Amtrak. The digEplayer is pure profit: it costs Amtrak nothing. It offers the passengers a much wider variety of offerings than the old system (not difficult, since only one movie was shown on each train). Short of installing actual on-demand entertainment at every seat and in every room, this system is the best possible option for Amtrak.

Mr. Pittsburgher is dead on here.

Let me reiterate: new DVD players are going for $70. or so. As D.P. Roberts pointed out, used ones can be found on eBay for $20. Keeping these trends in mind, Amtrak management would be certifiably nuts if they would authorize installation of on-demand entertainment at every seat and in every room.

"Media" is just too cheap now in the sense that, mostly, if you want it you can get it, and take it with you. In the days of yore, Paul Reistrup and others attempted to upsell train travel by showing movies during the trip. That was a neat selling point when YouTube didn't exist. The problem is, YouTube is out there, along with iPods, PSP, Nintendo DS, laptop computers, portable DVD players, and so on.

Odds are, these days, you bring your own entertainment for the trip. Many of us on this forum like looking out the window for our entertainment, but others want a choice.

 

[AlanB]

Again, the biggest problem with the digEplayer is that it's only available at 5 locations and that's a pretty tight market.

And again, as I mentioned above, digEplayer will be available on board the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder by the end of this month. And it's available in the Auto Train's terminals too. That's a whole lot more than 5 locations.

By the way it looks (and this is completely speculative), digEplayers are completely provided outside of Amtrak, and Amtrak is just used to market the players.

That is correct and it has never been marketed as being differently. Even the big ad on the back of the timetable mentions that Railwaymedia owns digEplayer. As PRR60 noted, Amtrak just gets a cut of the profits.

 

[frj1983]

Perhaps one other thing to throw in the mix here would be the fact that you cannot find anyplace that sells or rents VHS videos anymore (Blockbuster, etc.) and try to find a place that sells VHS players. So I assume that with it's limited finances, not to purchase DVD players and deal with the whole thing directly again, makes much sense for Amtrak.

One interesting point that I just recently learned: a major University Library discovered(to their amazement) that DVD's degrade 5 times faster than VHS tapes. Personally burned DVD's even faster. As is normal, technology isn't as foolproof as we think!

 

[Railbender]

Are the movies still offered on the Auto Train?? I thought I saw that they were...

My 72 year-old dad is taking AT in a couple of weeks to FL... He can't work his 1989 vcr let alone the digeplayer. He will be disappointed (as I imagine will others from his generation) at the loss of the movies in the lounge of the AT...

I know the dig-e-player is an AT option now, but is it the only option? NO lounge movies? Anyone?

 

[AlanB]

I know the dig-e-player is an AT option now, but is it the only option? NO lounge movies? Anyone?

Well back when movies in general were eliminated from Amtrak trains, the Cascades service and the Auto Train were the only two trains that were spared from the elimination of onboard movies. I haven't heard that that decision has been changed, but anything is possible.

 

[haolerider]

I know the dig-e-player is an AT option now, but is it the only option? NO lounge movies? Anyone?

Well back when movies in general were eliminated from Amtrak trains, the Cascades service and the Auto Train were the only two trains that were spared from the elimination of onboard movies. I haven't heard that that decision has been changed, but anything is possible.

To the best of my knowledge, the movies on the Auto Train continue as before. Passengers have the option of also renting the digeplayer. By the way, the digeplayer is so simple, even I can make it work and I am in the same class as the person who can't get the VCR to work properly.