All Warner theatrical Blu-ray releases to include DVDs
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted December 22nd 2009 5:31PM
posted December 22nd 2009 5:31PM
Here's a trend that Disney started that's taking over the Blu-ray landscape -- in the first quarter of 2010 all Warner Brothers theatrical Blu-ray releases will include a DVD and a digital copy. This is obviously good for consumers when the price stays the same as it adds value to Blu-ray without adding that much of an additional cost to the studio -- and we have to say that we prefer two discs in the box to the double sided disc that Universal seems to want to use. We expect both discs in one box to be the new norm and the bottom line is we think this is a good thing because we only want to pay once to see a movie, but totally love the flexibility to watch it any way we please.
Especially for a title like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which was $15.99 with Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy, it makes no sense to buy the DVD-only or iTunes versions.
Easiest way to handle all of this multi boxing which requires even more subsidizing by the studios... just get rid of all but one of them... I bet you the first to go would be Blu-ray though, because DVD still outsells it and Digital Copies still have a potential future.
@3dpenguin So you want studios to toss out 20% of their sales on Blu Ray? Smart
@(Unverified)
The question is was it smart supporting a format which was released during a time frame which was considered interim or end of format type? Blu-ray and HD DVD were released in a time frame which DVD Forum had concluded was the last 5-10 years for optical media, ALL OPTICAL MEDIA... Thinking people are going to pick up Blu-ray just because you box multiple media types together is like thinking a bomb won't go off just because you reset the timer... (see Starship Titanic). None of the companies which have done this or something similar have seen much of an increase in their Blu product sales, just an increase in price for the product. You don't think those DVD discs and Digital downloads are completely free do you?
can someone explain to me what the big deal about this is? Didn't hddvd have this tech and it not make a difference with it's downfall? and looking at my hddvds right now it looks like it was WB and Universal that were the ones doing it.
@frostbiteh2o
The big deal is primarily for kids' movies; having both copies bundled together would allow you to watch the Blu-ray version on your big HDTV in your living room and let you stash the DVD version in your SUV for your kids to watch on the road. I suppose it would also make sense if you had a bedroom DVD player and wanted to be able to watch the film up there, but considering how cheap Blu-ray players are getting, you might as well replace that DVD player anyway.
I'm all for this, it costs them like 5cents more to make and if it gets people buying BDs that would normally be buying DVDs then they are going to make more money and people who already buy BDs are going to get a free DVD.
By the time they finally figure out this whole BD bundling DVD thing though, everything will be BD, lol
I'm all for this unless they charge $35 for a movie, just like they did with HD DVD. It irritated me that I was basically buying a dvd version of the movie when all I wanted was the HD DVD. Keep the movies under $20 and blu-ray may have a chance.
@AndrewSLC
Uhhh shop Amazon. I have yet to pay over $20 for a new release, many of which included the DVD and digital copy.
I love that studios are catching on to this. I much prefer having 3 or 4 discs than having a dual flipside disc like universal is pushing. They are investing too much time and effort into that, when all they need to do is toss in an extra disc.
this does become a problem for the rental business. if you rent this on bluray, do you get the blu-ray/DVD or Bluray/digital copy. what will hapen for now is you get the bluray by itself and the digital.DVD is left out. but what if this becomes the norm and you rent DVD's you are screwed...
@raaaaaa
Uh, why? The rental companies will give you the BD if you rent HD, or you can continue to rent the DVD version, just like you can now.
Damn it, I HATE double sided discs.
Or, wait, I'm a bit confused, do they want to include the DVD separate or as a double-sided disc? I kind of hate it either way, who has a Blu-Ray player and yearns for the DVD? And most people still on DVD absolutely refuse to believe that Blu-Ray is better and are only going to buy Blu-Ray when they have no choice.
I have 4 Disney movies on Blu-Ray that came with the DVDs, and I have absolutely nothing to do with them. Their picture quality is terrible, even for DVD. They just add more plastic to the case, or in the case of Sleeping Beauty, a stupid little cardboard sleeve that I have no where to put.
@travis8214
The DVD quality is horrible? Good thing you weren't born 3 decades ago when all we had was.... DUM DUM DUMMMMMM..... V-H-S!
@mrsantovalentino I WAS born when all we had was VHS. I was mostly referring to the Pixar offerings on DVD, though. Moneters, Inc. looks dreadful on DVD, and strangely enough, it'd not even the full width, it's some really odd crop. Up! is the same. Like a bad TV rip from before HDTVs. That said, it looks better, but, really, come on.