When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
#1
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When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I was going to buy "The Dark Knight" (2 disc) on DVD the first day it came out, but I was furious to learn that the exceptional History Channel documentary "Batman Unmasked" was excluded from this set *but* was included in the Blu-Ray edition. Isn't that sweet?
(Hell, I would've bought "W." if it included the deleted scenes that the Blu-Ray had.)
I'm sure you're all aware that this garbage is something the studios have been pulling since the damnable BD format came out. To some that's not a big deal, but to me, that's total bullshit. To expect me to shell out my hard-earned money for a product they used to put EFFORT into only a few short years ago, just to expect me to re-buy all my favorite movies all over again *plus* a thousand plus dollar set. Hell with that.
Look, for some this isn't a big deal, but to me, special features are an enjoyable part of the home video experience for the last decade, otherwise why not just buy the movie off iTunes or something?
Someday, *someday* I'll switch over to Blu-Ray (probably by the time it's going out of style), but why should we DVD get bent over a hobby horse and Marcellus Wallace-d by the studios we help make filthy rich to begin with?
When will the madness end?
(Hell, I would've bought "W." if it included the deleted scenes that the Blu-Ray had.)
I'm sure you're all aware that this garbage is something the studios have been pulling since the damnable BD format came out. To some that's not a big deal, but to me, that's total bullshit. To expect me to shell out my hard-earned money for a product they used to put EFFORT into only a few short years ago, just to expect me to re-buy all my favorite movies all over again *plus* a thousand plus dollar set. Hell with that.
Look, for some this isn't a big deal, but to me, special features are an enjoyable part of the home video experience for the last decade, otherwise why not just buy the movie off iTunes or something?
Someday, *someday* I'll switch over to Blu-Ray (probably by the time it's going out of style), but why should we DVD get bent over a hobby horse and Marcellus Wallace-d by the studios we help make filthy rich to begin with?
When will the madness end?
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Hopefully, never... Blu-ray is a premium format and, as such, we deserve premium content for our extra $$$ spent.
I would imagine that VHS owners said the same thing about Laserdisc and DVD extras, too.
All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.
I would imagine that VHS owners said the same thing about Laserdisc and DVD extras, too.
All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.
#4
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Besides you got you're premium content the 500+ extra pixels. There's no reason for loyal consumers to get the shaft.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
This isn't like VHS-to-DVD at all. The difference is a lot of these extras *could* be included on DVD, the studios just won't do it. If it was stuff that was exclusive to the *function* of the format I wouldn't be complaining. (Kind of hard to do multiple audio commentaries on VHS!)
Besides you got you're premium content the 500+ extra pixels. There's no reason for loyal consumers to get the shaft.
Besides you got you're premium content the 500+ extra pixels. There's no reason for loyal consumers to get the shaft.
The nature of the business is that new formats are introduced all the time and the studios have to ensure that people will take the leap to the new formats. Therefore, if they start offering premium content (in addition to HD picture and sound), they know that they will win over the consumer who is interested in extras.
My decision to go Blu was based on the additional extras... I wanted the bonus features on Pixar's Cars Blu-ray. The bare bones Cars DVD was a disgrace. It was released before Blu-ray and they kept promising that they were going to eventually release a Special Edition with bonus features. Ultimately, they did, but only on Blu-ray. One day, I decided that the pain of not having these extra features was greater than the cost of a Blu-ray player, so I purchased one.
Your exact same argument could be made about double and triple dips of DVD releases, each one offering more bonus content. Why aren't you mad at studios over this practice? I mean, technically, they could have offered all of the bonus content on the first release, right?
Last edited by packaok; 03-21-09 at 03:45 PM.
#6
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Quite honestly, I would have thought the bigger complaint was why Dark Knight was released on DVD with such a craptastic transfer. I don't mind BR getting exclusives. If folks are willing to pay that much, they should get some extras. I just mind the studio going out of their way to give me a piece of garbage when they used to produce reference quality discs.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I noticed that with new movie, I dont have a Blu Ray player and I am not going to get one for awhile well if my mom lets me get one but I need a new DVD player first. But it would be nice to get all the special features on the DVDs as well even if it costs a little more.
#10
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Never. As explained above, studios rightfully put more content on blu-rays. It would be a bigger "crap", and larger thread I'm sure, if they wasted the space of a blu ray by just porting over the exact same DVD content.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I love all the hostile comments of Blu-ray supporters who are obviously VERY threatened by the VERY uncertain Future and durability of the Blu-ray format.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
#12
Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
It's not necessarily always possible. W. runs 129 minutes, plus Stone commentary and featurette running 18m, and the complete screenplay with 88 pages worth of notes and annotations in PDF format on the DVD-ROM side of things. I don't know how much space is left or how long the deleted scenes run, but that seems like a coin-toss. Had Lionsgate done a 2-disc set, and we suggest that the deleted scenes run about 20 minutes (seemingly the norm for deleted scene reels), I think people would have been let down by a double disc with only 56m of content (the other featurette on the BD is 16m). I'm guessing the real reason is W. didn't make enough money for LGF to feel a 2-disc set was warranted.
As for TDK, they chose to put the IMAX-framed scenes on Disc 2 instead.
And don't forget, there are cases -- albeit rare -- where the DVD has the extra features. The
Departed has an 85-minute TV special the Blu-Ray doesn't.
It's your perception that we are threatened, and you would be wrong. I still have 40 DVDs to every Blu-Ray, and those discs becoming obsolete is not something I have any concern over. It's more like your own desperation to discredit the format because you chose HD-DVD. It's not like you'd have said adding exclusive features to HD-DVDs was a "desperate" tactic, because it's merely logical that when something has more space, you put more stuff on it.
You can hate Blu-Ray, and no one will stop you. There are reasons to hate everything. Exclusive features and users enjoying them, however, is not a very good one.
As for TDK, they chose to put the IMAX-framed scenes on Disc 2 instead.
And don't forget, there are cases -- albeit rare -- where the DVD has the extra features. The
Departed has an 85-minute TV special the Blu-Ray doesn't.
I love all the hostile comments of Blu-ray supporters who are obviously VERY threatened by the VERY uncertain Future and durability of the Blu-ray format.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
You can hate Blu-Ray, and no one will stop you. There are reasons to hate everything. Exclusive features and users enjoying them, however, is not a very good one.
Last edited by tylergfoster; 03-21-09 at 04:48 PM.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
To be fair, there are a few Blu-rays that don't carry over all the supplemental material from their DVD counterparts. So, technically, some DVDs have their own "exclusive content" in a sense.
^Seriously though, that's far more upsetting -- spending extra money on an HD format with 5X the storage capability and getting less.
Fuck both formats!
^Seriously though, that's far more upsetting -- spending extra money on an HD format with 5X the storage capability and getting less.
Fuck both formats!
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Yet another reason "Why Blu-Ray is better than DVD". Must suck holding onto the belief that those DVDs are still the way to go.
#15
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
What about the crap that WB pulled with Nights in Rodanthe?
The DVD has nada, zilch. However, the Blu Ray has some featurettes and deleted scenes with commentary.
Didn't Ocean's 13 have the same thing as well, the DVD had zilch, but the Blu Ray had some featurettes and a Soderberg commentary?
The DVD has nada, zilch. However, the Blu Ray has some featurettes and deleted scenes with commentary.
Didn't Ocean's 13 have the same thing as well, the DVD had zilch, but the Blu Ray had some featurettes and a Soderberg commentary?
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I completely understand the OP's p.o.v. but, as a consumer who has shelled out significantly more $ for a BD version of certain films, I feel like I should be getting more than a BD-Live enabled disc to reward my purchase. I think that crucial features such as deleted scenes, commentary tracks and trailers should be available to owners of both formats, but throwing BD buyers an exclusive featurette or doc sweetens the package just enough to warrant the purchase, pq and aq benefits aside.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I wish that crap would stop because I don't plan on switching to Blu-Ray until I'm forced. I have no interest in BR & it really pisses me off we get screw out of additional features because we still buy standard DVDs.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
What burns my ass isn't just the exclusive special features going to bd but the movies we aren't getting now that we NEVER got in the first place. Grumpy Old Men is going to bd. Never got it in enhanced ws in dvd & now I guess we never will. Just a pathetic foolscreen edition. Been waiting years for the extended cut of Da Vinci Code (23 extra minutes that were included in other regions originally). BD is geting the director's cut but no dvd release (MAYBE we'll get the director's cut when Angels & Demons hits video & a box set is released but otherwise we get screwed out of it). A lot of other movies got full screen releases and we can only hope that when they get the bd treatment we get anamorphic widescreen releases on dvd too. After all dvd is still the biggest selling format and these companies are supposed to want to make money (aren't they???).
#19
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I'm more pissed about Blu-rays not having as many special features as the DVD. That seems pretty common.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
Not to mention exclusive and special packaging. Blu Ray gets screwed when it comes to steelbooks and other special packages.
#21
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I love all the hostile comments of Blu-ray supporters who are obviously VERY threatened by the VERY uncertain Future and durability of the Blu-ray format.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
Kinda like how the studios started adding Blu-ray features ONLY to try and entice any and all hesitant customers to the Blu-ray format to buy BLu in a desperate move.
No one really wins here though. Blu-ray is NOT selling anywhere near DVD numbers and the growth is steadying and tapering off. Blu-rays future= Uncertain. DVD's future= Not going anywhere.
DVDs look great on my 720p set. BDs look great on my 720p set. I know BD will only get even better as time goes on, while DVD is going to slowly (okay, very slowly probably) decline.
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
It's not necessarily always possible. W. runs 129 minutes, plus Stone commentary and featurette running 18m, and the complete screenplay with 88 pages worth of notes and annotations in PDF format on the DVD-ROM side of things. I don't know how much space is left or how long the deleted scenes run, but that seems like a coin-toss. Had Lionsgate done a 2-disc set, and we suggest that the deleted scenes run about 20 minutes (seemingly the norm for deleted scene reels), I think people would have been let down by a double disc with only 56m of content (the other featurette on the BD is 16m). I'm guessing the real reason is W. didn't make enough money for LGF to feel a 2-disc set was warranted.
As for TDK, they chose to put the IMAX-framed scenes on Disc 2 instead.
And don't forget, there are cases -- albeit rare -- where the DVD has the extra features. The
Departed has an 85-minute TV special the Blu-Ray doesn't.
It's your perception that we are threatened, and you would be wrong. I still have 40 DVDs to every Blu-Ray, and those discs becoming obsolete is not something I have any concern over. It's more like your own desperation to discredit the format because you chose HD-DVD. It's not like you'd have said adding exclusive features to HD-DVDs was a "desperate" tactic, because it's merely logical that when something has more space, you put more stuff on it.
You can hate Blu-Ray, and no one will stop you. There are reasons to hate everything. Exclusive features and users enjoying them, however, is not a very good one.
As for TDK, they chose to put the IMAX-framed scenes on Disc 2 instead.
And don't forget, there are cases -- albeit rare -- where the DVD has the extra features. The
Departed has an 85-minute TV special the Blu-Ray doesn't.
It's your perception that we are threatened, and you would be wrong. I still have 40 DVDs to every Blu-Ray, and those discs becoming obsolete is not something I have any concern over. It's more like your own desperation to discredit the format because you chose HD-DVD. It's not like you'd have said adding exclusive features to HD-DVDs was a "desperate" tactic, because it's merely logical that when something has more space, you put more stuff on it.
You can hate Blu-Ray, and no one will stop you. There are reasons to hate everything. Exclusive features and users enjoying them, however, is not a very good one.
OK:
1. Regarding the W. DVD. Lions Gate SHOULD have and COULD have fit everything from the Blu-ray onto the DVD. They only Chose not to. Cool with me. I'll pick it up used when I find it for $5 or less. Synecdoche, New York managed to feature the entire 124 minute feature (with more than decent picture and audio) and over 100 minutes of video based special Features.
2. I have no hate for Blu-ray itself. Just the tactics the studios are resorting to (and this is the only appropriate phrase to use because it is indeed the case) to get people to switch. I wouldnt be surprised if makers of Blu-ray models are giving studios payoffs for this practice so they can try to sell more players that have been sitting on the shelf gathering dust. This is just a conspiracy theory of mine though. It probably isnt the case but wouldnt be surprised if it was something similar...
3. I went HD-DVD for ONLY 1 reason and that was the "Exclusive special features" offered on the Alexander: The FInal Cut. ANd I DO ( and DID i believe you may be able to find posts of mine even saying so) say the tactics used then were "Disgusting" and "Desperate". The features should have been on the DVD version (particularly the 2 exclusive commentary tracks) but they were not and I payed for an HD-DVD player solely because of this (it didnt hurt the player was only $99 and it came with 5 free DVD"s) . But still I never would have picked one up if it weren't for the Exclusives. I didnt then and still dont give a shit about the HD'DVD player itself. HD-DVD and Blu-ray both take so long to load up its fucking disgusting and I never even use the player. I really truly doubt I will ever go Blu-... maybe if the players drop to about $40 and the Blu disks themselves are the same exact price as their DVD counterparts.
4. Again the issue of more space is BULLSHIT. SO they couldnt have fit one commentary on the Oceans 13 disk? really? Ditto for Charlie and the Choc. Factory, etc..
#23
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I'm a Blu-Ray owner, and I think that argument is bullshit. The big selling point should be getting to watch the movie in high definition video and audio.
#24
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
#25
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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
I'm a BD supporter, but I agree that it sucks that they're withholding features from the DVDs. BD should succeed on its own merits, not because of artificial measures like this.