Universal to Expand BD/DVD Combos to Catalogs

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is going to expand the use of BD/DVD combos beyond family titles by re-releasing as combos several of its catalog titles already released on BD. The first titles to be thus rereleased include '8 Mile', 'Dawn of the Dead', 'Doom', 'End of Days', 'Jarhead', 'The Last Starfighter', 'The Rundown', and 'Street Fighter', which will reportedly come out as combos on January 5, 2010. Unlike other combo titles, the BD and DVD won't be housed in one double-disc case, but rather in separate cases, held together with a "belly band". It is being speculated that the DVD-only versions of those titles will be discontinued.
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jtwise  » Nov 18, 2009
belly band?

TTC1984  » Nov 18, 2009
This is just Universal trying to compensate for their laziness when it comes to releasing their back catalogue titles on Blu-Ray. Knock off these moronic reissues and bring on the classics on Blu! We're still waiting on Jaws!

fdm  » Nov 18, 2009
Blech.

wnicholas76  » Nov 18, 2009
I knew this was going to happen.

servocrow  » Nov 18, 2009
i agree with TTC.... The Jerk, Scarface, Jaws, Blues Brothers...ALL deserve a decent BR release get with it UNIVERSAL!!

BTBuck1  » Nov 18, 2009
nice for the Laptop or Portable DVD player I guess.

Titanicfave  » Nov 18, 2009
Cool!! More DVDs I could give to my mom!

Bobby Henderson  » Nov 18, 2009

I can't stand that type of packaging. It's crap. Loose DVDs or "digital copy" discs in flimsy paper-board sleeves can't be easily organized with a collection of Blu-ray cases. That stuff just ends up cluttering itself in another pile. If the studio is going to bundle a DVD with the Blu-ray disc, they need to use a multiple disc case. I like what Pixar/Disney did with the 4-disc releases of Up and Monsters Inc. That should be the model to follow -even if it is a little more expensive.

wallendo  » Nov 18, 2009
I actually like the idea of two separate cases. This way, I can keep the BD in my home theatre, and let my wife and daughter take the DVD anywhere they want to (car, playroom, etc)

TTC1984  » Nov 18, 2009
The Jerk, Scarface, Jaws, Blues Brothers.... the list goes on. Universal needs to knock this nonsense off and start releasing the titles that matter!

Russell22  » Nov 18, 2009
Why include a dvd at all?..if you wanted the dvd then you would have bought it already ! I have no interest in digital copies/dvd's period and them being chucked on and makes the box bulkier and in this space saving day and age it just reduces much need shelf space. Ditch the digital copies and dvd's!

blindcat87  » Nov 18, 2009

Whine. Whine. Whine. In what way does combining two existing products effect future releases? One has nothing to do with the other. OTOH, if they price these right and start doing it with more product, they have a handy way to encourage the adoption of Blu-ray. If they do stop putting out the separate editions of some family and catalog titles and only offer combo releases at a decent price, they encourage people on the fence who want a DVD copy to play in the car or in the kid's room to go Blu, and when some people have gathered a number of Blu-rays while going for the DVD, they might just start wondering what the fuss is about while looking at their stack of BDs they can't yet play and again go Blu. Meanwhile, since they have been producing both BD and DVD versions of these releases in the past and combining them requires a small change in the packing process, something not generally done by the mastering department, the number of releases put out by them is exactly the same as it would have been if they weren't doing this so trying to use this as a scapegoat for not getting the titles you want released is, in the end, pretty ridiculous.

Penthouse  » Nov 18, 2009
I have a belly band when I take off my pants and there is a mark around my waist from the band of my underwear.

blindcat87  » Nov 18, 2009

OTOH, I agree with you Bobby. If they are going to do this they should offer it in decent packaging. If separate, it should be full size, or put the BD in a standard BD case with a slim DVD case for the DVD copy. Personally, I would prefer a standard dual BD case. There just isn't any excuse for packaging that is too bulky or wastes too much material. I just got the Farscape box set and it came with 26 DVDs in 5 standard sized DVD cases. If DVD can come up with packaging that slim, BD or combo sets definitely can.

rmainhammer  » Nov 18, 2009

@blindcat87, you could not have stated the reason Universal is doing this any better. I'm assuming that 99% of people that post here are already Blu-ray adopters, so most of us fail to see that this is a marketing strategy by Universal (and Disney) to convert people to the new format. This news is nothing to get mad about, and it won't affect the quality of releases, the number of future releases, or the price. This news is fairly benign unless you are not convinced that BD is the superior format and the studios want to give you some incentive to convert. Me, I could not care less, as I am a full BD disciple (and have been for almost two years).

Meeklo  » Nov 18, 2009
This isn't going to help lower the price point.....they should be looking at more cost effective ways of saving us money. Besides, when DVDs first came out, they didn't package them as a DVD/VHS combo....

dddvader  » Nov 18, 2009
How about the movies that were released on HD-DUD that haven't been released on Blu-ray yet? Come on Universal, let's prioritize.

TTC1984  » Nov 18, 2009
Agree completely with dddvader. And there are A LOT of them.

DetroitSportsFan  » Nov 18, 2009
What a waste of time. Hey Uni, you have a big catalog that we would like to see released, not rehashes that include an inferior format.

Brad1963  » Nov 18, 2009
I may re-buy The Thing if they do this with that title.

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