Warner Brothers Blu-ray Blunder... Again

Posted December 18, 2007 04:16 PM by Josh Dreuth


One of the most anticipated releases on Blu-ray this quarter is the Blu-ray release of 'Blade Runner'. Demand for the release has left many retailers sold-out, leaving fans of the iconic Sci-fi film empty-handed. Unfortunately, some fans lucky enough to get a copy have found that the fifth disc is actually the same as the first disc, instead of the being the labeled "Work Print". Fans are reporting that, while the fifth disc is labeled as the "Work Print", when they play the disc they are finding it to be the "Final Cut" of the movie. To find out if you have the correct version of the film on the fifth disc, play the movie and see which audio options you have in the set-up. If you only have an English track, you're ok. If you see the option for a Dolby TrueHD track, you have a bad disc (only the "Final Cut" has a Dolby TrueHD cut). Warner Home Video has yet to make an official announcement, and with low supplies, returning for replacement copies might not be an option. We'll keep you updated when we hear from the studio.
Source: Blu-ray.com \| Permalink \| [Country settings]

News comments (62 comments)

quexos

Dec 18, 2007

ok Warner, we'll accept your apology if you become Blu exclusive

This has happened to alot of their titles here in Australia. Blade Runner included. I had to ring 7
stores to find a copy of Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire today and this was release day!!

May the Blu be with you...

tru blu

Dec 18, 2007

Hmmm I wonder if Toshiba paid them to release less copies to look like they sold more HD DVD
copies???

bdLuvr

Dec 18, 2007

Hmm from todays findings, there was one copy of Blade in BD and one of the Collectors (case) version. But a ton of HD-Dudders

Thats between BestBuy and Futureshop. I wonder if Im living in BD territory

BluNinja

Dec 18, 2007

Yeah what quexos said, (in mad Adam Sandler voice)

Delta_FX

Dec 18, 2007

Is this only on the Blu-ray version or HD DVD also?

mystiksuicide

Dec 19, 2007

Thankfully this will all be going away shortly. Once they go blu-exclusive they won't have to worry about putting the wrong disk in box sets

luckyMiddlebrook

Dec 19, 2007

Damn, i was planning on buying an HDTV and blu-ray player this xmas and I wanted to see this movie on it first!

tronsdisc

Dec 19, 2007

This totally unacceptable. These movies aren't cheap. Get it together Warner or get lost.

techyted

Dec 19, 2007

I don't know why Warner still makes red, looking at Amazon, the BD version is sold out while the HD=DUD is still readily available. WB, don't you know you stick with the product that sells best... Hello... Economics 101.

DirtHerder

Dec 19, 2007

Forget about this small blunder, because you'll only be losing (for a little while till they 'fess up to the error and do a trade in for the whole disc [which is stupid] or just the swap for the work print) the "work print" alone.

What I truly want is for that Warner gets its head out of it's nethers and start to release movies like.. well BATMAN BEGINS and maybe on the offside, THE MATRIX!!! I mean seriously, what the fudge are they thinking?! Are those Brown's (or putting it less politely: Cow Turds) exclusives alone, because I thought Warner was willing to sell it both ways. 300 came out in both at the same time. A year is fast passing by, and my 80+ library of B-discs still have a hole where "BB's" waits to be welcomed.

Seriously again. Why the hell is Warner twiddling around about those releases?!! Are they afraid of money pouring into their coffers!!?

johnno1986

Dec 19, 2007

I know what you mean tru blu. I had to ring 10 stores to find 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' and about 15 stores to find a copy of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'. Which is ridiculous because both movies were only just released here today.

retablo

Dec 19, 2007

Just checked my copy, which I bought at Best Buy, and I luckily got the correct version.

MerrickG

Dec 19, 2007

Boy, I cant WAIT to see the spin for this:

HD-DVD camp will say that this lack of availability is due to "production issues" and is the final straw to make warner go hd-dvd exclusive.

bluray camp will say that this is proof of how much more popular the film is on bluray and warner underestimated demand.

Let the FUDfest begin

Single_Stack

Dec 19, 2007

Mine has no option for Dolby TrueHD, so I guess mine is fine. (Bought mine directly from WB, btw)

Top reviewer

Thegemte

Dec 19, 2007

I have the Complete Harry Potter Blu ray special edition as it wasn't available to order on australian sites, but then theres blade runner and 2001 space odessey, which is annoying me.

I have pre-orders on those two and they both get delayed. Blade runner for Australia is set back to 28 March 2008 according to ezydvd.

Top contributor

jw

Dec 19, 2007

S$#T HAPPENS!!! DIDNT GET IT NEITHER

johnno1986

Dec 19, 2007

Titles here in Australia are constantly being pushed back and occasionally the realease dates are being pulled altogether. Some titles now say "Release Date Unknown" on EzyDvd!

Top contributor

meatee

Dec 19, 2007

One of my friends surprised me with this today as an early Christmas present. Luckily, my "Work Print" disc is just fine. How many people have said that they've had this problem?

ninjanki

Dec 19, 2007

I hope this is just a similar blunder to what happened with Harry Potter. Since the releases were very close, it is not strange to think that whatever the problem that caused the HP issues also happened when packing Blade Runner.
I doubt Warner would make this on purpose. It is not smart to mess up with your OWN image when trying to favor one format over the other. It would have been much easier to give better extras to the HD-DVD release(still not counting 1.1 availability) or to not release in BD using some poor excuse...

Allan

JT_Designer

Dec 19, 2007

Is this Warner's way of saying they do not support Blu-ray by purposely fudging their release or did someone really screw up at the factory?

adrianf74

Dec 19, 2007

I had to buy the Briefcase version even though I didn't want it. Best Buy in Mississauga, ON, had (0) HD, (0) Blu-Ray and (0) SD of the 5-Disc/4-Disc set. They had (2) HD Briefcases and (1) Blu-Ray Briefcase (which I bought at 7pm).

I asked them to check stores and inventory at most seemed to run 3-4 copies. That said, I wasn't going to risk it. Now, I've gotta open this and make sure the right disc is enclosed.

tru blu

Dec 19, 2007

I bought my Blade Runner from U.K as here in Australia it just shows "Release Date Unknown". Had
it preordered. But thanks to hmv.co.uk it's in the mail. Not happy about spending on the shipping
just a week before it's release date but I want it so had to.

May the Blu be with you...

blukrank

Dec 19, 2007

I will have to check to see if I have the work print.So far I only played The Final Cut.Have yet to check out the other 4 discs. But I think Warner did a poor job with the package.It looks cool on the outside,but the way Warner packaged the discs was pretty poor in my opinion. I have the regular set not the breifcase.

E-Dogg

Dec 19, 2007

I never checked. I guess I will have to do so when I get home later this evening.

groovyone

Dec 19, 2007

Ah crap! Now I have to wait 8 hours before I can head home and check mine!

This isn't the same as Harry Potter. HP had the completely wrong HD DVD disc in it, which is a packaging mishap. In this case it sounds like Waner mislabeled a bunch of the Final Cut discs as workprint! That would be a production error somehow!

E-Dogg

Dec 19, 2007

I am sure this question was asked before, but why are 2 of the disks sd dvd instead of having them all on Blu?

fireclown

Dec 19, 2007

I got mine at Newbury Comics and, luckily, the 5th disk is the correct "work print." They had 3 blu-ray sets, but no blu-ray briefcase.

CptGreedle

Dec 19, 2007

They sure have a strange way of showing how "dedicated to the format" they are.
Get your $h!+ together WB!

TheTenth

Dec 19, 2007

DAMNNNN!!! I'm French, I ordered HP giftset AND Blade Runner 5 disc, and I may receive a HD DVD for HP goblet of fire or order of phenix AND not the BR workprint??? and you guys still think they'll become Blu-ray exclusive? We can 90% be sure they'll become HD DVD exclusive, open your eyes!

Top contributor

Johk

Dec 19, 2007

I had no problem getting a copy in Montreal (futureshop in Ste-Do), even at 8 pm.... (Guess the snowstorm discouraged some people...)

I hope all my discs are ok....

SDG

Dec 19, 2007

It's my understanding that WB does not produce or package the BD's.

BLUpassion

Dec 19, 2007

call me crazy but this could all be a part of a huge Warner going to Blu marketing scheme. They messed up
Harry Potter, and now Blade Runner, two incredibly large releases in HD. Blu community a little peeved at them.
Now to make it up to us they go Blu, we rejoice and buy many many more Warner releases than we originally
intended. (not that we wouldnt when they go blu anyways, but maybe to give us that little push to buy just one
more of their titles)

Sonny

Dec 19, 2007

This is a frikin joke...

mystiquetur

Dec 19, 2007

I seriously think HD-DVD people have infiltrated WB to mess up the blu-ray so fans will be pissed and possibly (not that this would work) want to switch to them since they are not having problems. Then their HD-DVDs will sell more. WB just needs to see this as too much hassle and go only with Blu!

ps3andlovinit

Dec 19, 2007

Bad disc here

Oh well it could be worse..could be dead. By the time I get thru the rest of the discs it will probably have gone thru the replacement process anyway..

Despite the snafu..this is one the greatest bargains to come to Blu so far..$35 for this collection is just fantastic . Boo on WB for the snafu..hooray on WB for this package at this price point.

Had to ask for the BB employee to get it from the back as the floor stock was gone by noon yesterday - HD DVD had one copy left on the floor - not surprising with this release. Just a great bargain all around.

tmok2000

Dec 19, 2007

What's going on in Warner Brothers lately? Harry Potter, Led Zeppelin, and now this? Can they mess up releases bigger than these?

NevadaBLU

Dec 19, 2007

I just checked my WORKPRINT. First, I couldn't select audio options for it. Second, before the movie starts, the Ladd Company tree on the WP is white, on the FINAL CUT it's green. Then, when the movie starts, on the WP it shows the dictionary def on Replicant, on the FC it has the scrolling text about the Tyrell Corp. Finally, the WP has a more grainy image than the FC. I bought my copy from Warner directly and received it 2 days before I could buy it in the stores. The case seems fine to me, none of the discs were loose, and I want as thin of a case as possible - space is a premium to me. I have been very happy with Warner's customer service and have bought most of my WB titles during their 20% off sale. I think people may be getting ahead of themselves! Check for the LADD COMPANY'S GREEN OR WHITE TREE at the beginning of the WP and you'll know right away if the disc is a duplicate. Tru to Blu!

Top reviewer

nathanp

Dec 19, 2007

What's the deal at Warner, is the damn frog running the show now? Wake up, boys!

johnhood

Dec 19, 2007

I hope my copy is OK! Otherwise it'll have to be sent back to the US of A!

k20king

Dec 19, 2007

WB must look into this. It's Obvious that one of their internal employee's are sabotaging the Blu Side.

BUt anyways, I can't wait to get my copy! The Ads look GREAT!

Go Blu!

aiden82

Dec 19, 2007

Guess that still makes the rare working print that much rarer to have.

Shark

Dec 19, 2007

Because Warner creates both the Blu-ray copy and the HD DVD copy from the same Master which is created for HD DVD. This movie is nothing more than a copy of the HD DVD on a Blu-ray disc. I will not be buying Blu-ray discs from Warner until they increase their standard to the sames as SONY, FOX, and Disney. Warner should be creating the Masters for Blu-ray and then mixing them down for HD DVD and DVD. After all they are making most of there money from Blu-ray. The higher resolution of the HD DVD just makes the artifacts created by the higher compression ratio of the fixed rate VC 1 Codac more appearent.

kaliraver

Dec 19, 2007

Warner needs to go Blu exclusive! This is ridiculous that such a big movie studios week after week is having these many blunders. Obviously they can't handle supporting two formats and it is finally to show. I also agree we want lossless audio on all of our movies and also the best Blu-Ray quality video that we can get instead of handicapped HD-DVD transfers!

groovyone

Dec 19, 2007

This has NOTHING to do with HD DVD. The mislabled one of the BDs. It is a BD ERROR ONLY!! This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the formats.

Final Cut on BD was mislabed as Workprint BD. NO HD DVD ANYWHERE!!

Going Blu exclusive WOULD NOT prevent this from happening. One BD was mislabled as a different BD. End of story!

Blu-Ray Buckeye

Dec 19, 2007

I know people will hate to hear it, but I am not buying Bladerunner or Harry Potter right now for these reasons. WB has to get their shizzle together.

jcdDigix

Dec 19, 2007

Why is it that only Blu-Ray-ers have to experience these kind of problems with WB?

kaliraver

Dec 19, 2007

I just checked my copy of the Work Print and mine is the right version. I noticed a problem with the video at the beginning of the movie with the replicant and even the intro where it shows of the city. The video is very shaky through out at least 3-4 minutes. Looks like it was a problem with the encoding. Anybody else the shaking at the beginning of their work print BD?

DrinkMore

Dec 19, 2007

WB needs to get their sh1t straight. Seriously. This much foul up so close to Christmas, two releases back to back both screwed up?

Yeah, thanks WB. If your going to keep fouling up, don't be blu. Not unless you want to be committed to quality. Your recent stuff is NOT blu quality.

groovyone

Dec 19, 2007

@kaliraver69

Mine is also the correct workprint version and does appear to shake through the opening.

My copy came direct from WB.

nennew

Dec 19, 2007

Wow. I got lucky yesterday. I just went out at lunch and got the last copy from Best Buy. I had no idea it was hard to get. I wonder if the quantity produced was low or is the demand for BD just growing faster than WB had expected. You would like to think a company would make more to meet demand. I wonder how many WB would have sold if everyone who wanted a copy could have gotten one? Anyone know how many WB did sell?

socketlevel

Dec 19, 2007

i bought one, bad version... returned it, another bad version.... warner sucks imo. in canada they haven't even released the kubrick films yet, warner go to HD DVD, i dont give a sh!t anymore, you suck.

pokerface

Dec 19, 2007

I guess I got luckey as well. I had pre-ordered from Amazon but they did not ship yesterday like they said they would, I walked into best buy tonight and there was one 5 disc set left. Now I have to find out if it is right.

Top contributor

meatee

Dec 20, 2007

Are these messed-up discs all being found around the same place in the US, or are they spread out randomly? I live in Tennessee (my copy came from Best Buy in Madison, TN) and my copy is just fine. If you have a bad disc, care to share where you're located? Maybe that'll give people a heads-up on where NOT to buy a copy.

bendan

Dec 20, 2007

Hey guys, just bought mine at Future Shop in Lasalle Quebec. I have the bad copy of disc 5!!! Sucks

rigpig

Dec 20, 2007

.....i got the incorrect 5th disc...i live in Alberta. Oh well, shit happens i suppose.....even for a 4 disc set the price is excellent. I'm sure there'll be a mail in replacement of some sort for disc 5.

socketlevel

Dec 20, 2007

well by the looks of it, it appears that mainly canadians were hit by this warner blunder. all
the negative posters on this thread seem live in the northern east coast. so since i have yet to see
an american complaint, don't expect warner to fix it, because who ultimatly cares if the inferior
igloo living neighbors don't get what they paid for.

rigpig

Dec 20, 2007

.........actually i prefer: 'perpetually drunk igloo living neighbors with all the oil'.....actually it's more of a penthouse than an igloo

davidthebruce79

Dec 22, 2007

Just got mine this morning. My workprint disc is correct. Excellent.

cedarpark

Dec 23, 2007

I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't see any difference with the 'work print' although reviews claimed obvious visual and sonic inferiority. It was only when I went looking for the extra featurette on disc 5 that noticed that the menus were the same, and in fact were the same disc.

It seems that it isn't just a mis-printed label, it is a mis-pressed disc. All of the discs have a catalog or serial number on the silver-side hub (it's small and reversed, but still readable). My discs have numbers ending in .1 for disc 1 all the way through .5 for disc 5. So the pressing would show it as disc 5, but it clearly has disc 1 data on it.

Top reviewer

David Craig

Dec 28, 2007

I checked my set of disks. All disks are the correct ones. The Work Print really is the correct disk.

I live in Toronto but ordered my copy from Amazon.com.