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TV/Movies Not Coming To Blu-Ray?

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TV/Movies Not Coming To Blu-Ray?

Old 12-29-08, 11:58 PM
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TV/Movies Not Coming To Blu-Ray?

I like blu-ray I have only a couple movies/shows right now but is there a way to know for sure weather or not a TV/Movie will never be released on Blu-Ray. Is there some list somewhere of titles that will not be released because the last thing I want is to buy a movie or show in standard then to find out it is coming out on blu-ray will tick me off. Like for example. I bought Smallville - Season 6 and 7 on Blu-Ray but I like the other seasons too but haven't bought them on standard DVD because the second I do it will probably be released on DVD and I wish there was a way to know now if a show or movie is going to be put on blu-ray because for the earlier seasons of Smallville I just have to hold off on it, which I really don't like doing? Is there a way to find out?
Old 12-30-08, 12:08 AM
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Originally Posted by PHMustang2000
Is there a way to find out?
Not really, no.
Old 12-30-08, 12:16 AM
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If I had a crystal ball that could predict the future....then I would use it to get rich with tomorrow night's lotto numbers so I could retire and live a life of leisure, not tell you whether or not titles will or will not ever be available on Blu-ray....

But seriously....I don't think anyone has any idea of which ones will definitely NOT be released in the future...it will depend on a multitude of factors:

1. Will this format even be half as fully successful as DVD became? Even though DVD was/is a giant success, there are still thousands of titles still not released that were available on VHS, and Blu-ray is still too new to say if it will definitely last for decades...

2. Will it benefit the title to even be released in HD? There were many TV shows recorded completely on standard definition videotape, it would be meaningless to put it onto a high definition format as there would be no visible benefit....

3. Will it be profitable for the company releasing the title? It all comes down to the bottom line for the studios, and as we have all seen with some TV shows that have crapped out on regular DVD, if the sales don't make them any money, the next season releases will quit coming....
Old 12-30-08, 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by PHMustang2000
is there a way to know for sure [whether] or not a TV/Movie will never be released on Blu-Ray[?]
Potentially anything can be released on Blu-ray, but what I'm thinking you meant is if there's a way to know if a TV/Film title will never be released in HD on Blu-ray.

The answer for that is: If a TV show was originally filmed on SD video (Like All in the Family), then it can never have an HD release.* The SD DVD releases have the most resolution available for those shows (although potentially not the best quality, since BD can use higher bitrates or better codecs for the video).

The number of TV shows affected by this is fairly small though, limited to mostly sitcoms filmed in the 70s-80s, and possibly a few low-budget shows (The Starlost).

For the rest of TV shows, even those shot on film but originally mastered in SD video, there's always the possibility of an HD release.

With Theatrical Movies, the percentage of them shot on video is even smaller. Even super-low budget films typically shoot on film stock, even if it's left over stems from other productions., or expired film. Mainly lower-budget documentaries have been shot on SD video, since the amount of footage shot doesn't make film an option economically. Even with those though, I imagine that newer productions are shooting on HD video, so again you're limited to a time period from the 70s through the early 00s when SD video was an economical choice.


*Just to clarify: something shot in SD can be released in HD, however the "HD" in this case is just going to be upconverted from the SD source. This has kinda already happened with the film 28 Days Later on BD, where the majority of the film is just upconverted SD, with only the last 5 minutes of the movie being shot on film (and thus capable of showing more detail in HD).

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