Seriously, have the studios gone totally insane? You introduce a new format
and then force adopters of that format to spend twice the amount of money to buy a new release because these schmucks have bundled the Blu-ray version (which is what I want) with a DVD version (I have no need) and a digital copy (again-I have no need).
I could see this being one option to sell - but how about the Blu-ray only camp?
I have a player and have bought a total of 4 fucking titles and only one of them was a new title - and surprise it didn’t have the DVD version bundled in.
Get with it you clueless assholes in Hollywood - enough with the bundling.
You may not have a need for both Blu-Ray and DVD, but lots of other people do.
The Blu-Ray is for home use, the DVD might be for those people who have a player in their minivan or their computer, neither of which have Blu-Ray players yet. The digital copy is for use with an iPod or some other video-capable mp3 player. It’s relatively inexpensive for distributors to bundle the three together, so they do.
That said, I’ve never seen one of these bundles. I’ve seen DVD/digital bundles of some family- and kid-friendly movies, but never the Blu-Ray/DVD bundle.
Also, Amazon is your friend for stuff like this. Really.
I see it as the other way around; comparatively few people want or need Blu-Ray, so the studios are forcing them to buy a package deal when all they want is the standard DVD.
The DVD alone (single disk)
The fancier 2-DVD set
The DVD bundled with the Blu-ray + digital copy.
Notice what’s missing? The blu-ray alone.
The argument that a blu-ray buyer needs the DVD too because of watching in a car is bullshit. They make portable Blu-ray players now. This is akin to having to buy the vinyl if you wanted the new fangled CD because - hey you still have a turntable.
Just because portable Blu-Ray players are available doesn’t mean I want to spend the money to buy one if the one in my car or computer is still perfectly functional.
I’ve also looked at Amazon, and they’ve got a buttload of Blu-Ray videos that don’t come bundled. Perhaps you just need to find a better source.
Really, Blu-Ray is barely a halfstep above DVDs. Acting as though it’s the same as providing cassettes with CDs or VHS with a DVD is kind of silly. For one obvious thing, you can’t play a cassette on your CD player. You can play standard DVDs in your Blu-Ray player.
I’m sure someone out there had upgraded all their DVD players to Blu-Rays but anyone I know has (at most) one Blu-Ray player for the fancy TV and crappy $15-35 DVD players for the bedroom TV, the kid’s room, portable DVD players, etc. That’s assuming they’re not just using their old PS2 as a DVD player.
It makes sense to the distributor to bundle them because I’d guess enough people feel like I do and would be hesitant to spend extra money on a disc playable in only one room of the house versus a cheaper version which is “good enough” and plays on the other six players plus on the big TV.
Do the DVD/BR bundles actually cost more than just a BR alone would? I’m no expert at pricing the things, I mean I don’t even have a BR player, but whenever I see them advertised, they’re around the same price the store is selling other movies that just come on BR without a DVD.
As for the digital copy, I’m pretty sure they don’t charge extra for that, it’s just a way to try and sucker people into not ripping the DVD and instead use their DRM’d up file.
You’re damn right the bundles cost more. A typical new release on Blu-ray alone is 29.99 (of course you can find better if you look). My gripe is with these new releases where you can’t get the blu-ray alone. Bundles are typically 39.99 or more. Some as high as 49.99.
A good example is the upcoming release of the Star Trek movie. As one who has made the leap to blu-ray I no longer wish to purchase old-standard DVDs. But I am shit-out-of-luck if I want this movie on blu-ray because the studio is insisting that I purchase a bundled version or a plain DVD at a high price. Fuck them. I’m not paying for what I don’t need. Talk of having a lower grade version DVD version for “multiple players around the house” is assinine at best. We have only one “home theatre” in the house and it’s blu-ray based - and unlike the majority of the dopey households in America, we don’t “live” for television, we actually read.
The studios are screwing themselves because if they think I’m going to buy this film now - ain’t happening. And if they deign to release it alone later (like next year) well the buzz is gone by then, at best I’ll rent it.
A stupid business model for a new format they are supposedly trying to foster.
I’m guessing that the guys selling DVDs care more about the majority of “dopey Americans” than they do about your enlightened minority. Them’s the breaks.
Good point. The 3 discs are two blu-rays and one other disc for the digital copy (to be transferred to your computer). Where’s the DVD copy that the OP is screaming about? To date, I’ve not seen nor purchased a blu-ray set with a DVD version. Some include a digital copy which is handy if I want to watch the video on one of my computers. I’ve only seen straight blu-ray or straight DVD versions of new releases. And contrary to what’s been stated about blu-rays being only marginally better than DVDs, that’s garbage. It’s not just better video quality, it’s the greater interactivity that is possible on blu-rays. Of course, not all blu-rays are created equally and some blu-ray discs are quick hack jobs to get to market quickly. But some remastered blu-rays are truly gorgeous versions of old DVDs.
Fair enough on the Star Trek movie. I apparently misred that one though I got the MSRP correct.
Still, they’re not giving you a digital copy out of the goodness of their hearts. You’re still paying.
I did note another trick that seems to be commonplace. It could be excused with DVDs given the limited disc space. But Blu-rays have an order of magnitude more space and do not use that entire increase for picture resolution. So why the need to space out bonus materials onto 2 disks? All that stuff ought to fit one 1 disc (and hence reduce costs).
Your gripe may be with the pricing rather than with the bundling. I suspect it costs the manufacturer mere pennies to make and throw in the regular DVD version; they could afford to give it for free as a bonus to buyers of the Blu-ray. Except that then, if you didn’t want the DVD, you might give it away to someone else, and they’d lose the money they’d’ve made from that person buying the DVD.
I agree this is a marketing practice. People want value for their money, it probably costs a buck or so to give you these extras, but people see as getting more for their money
Are you going by MSRP, or actual real world prices at places like Best Buy, Walmart, or Target? I just have never seen such high prices in the ads, unless it’s some insane collectors edition (with a cheaper non-collectors edition also available).