Warner's third HD DVD/DVD combo title 16 Blocks coming June 13

Looks like Warner will continue with these day-and-date combo disc releases, as they have announced the Mos Def and Bruce Willis flick 16 Blocks will be available next week both on standard DVD and an HD DVD/DVD combo disc. Just like the first release Rumor Has It, the list price is $39.98. This may be an interesting trend to watch, what genres and what specific titles get day-and-date releases, combo releases, or extra features. A quick check on Amazon shows the Rumor Has It and Firewall combo discs going for $27.97 and the standard definition DVDs retailing for $16.96.  Is high definition future proofing worth $11? We will see.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 6th 2006 6:05PM]

I think if HD-DVD really wants to win this thing, having combo discs may very well be the way to go. Many movies already ship like that with the full screen version on one side and the widescreen on the other side. If they can find an inexpensive way to manufacture all new movies as combo discs, and still maintain a $20 or so price point, I think that will give HD a huge advantage over Blu-Ray. I'd buy one knowing I could enjoy the SD DVD now and the HD version later when the players come down in price.