Gizmo

Moderator note -- this thread was spun off of a discussion in DVD Bargains about Community being released on DVD only.

No, Sony has no faith in TV on Blu-ray. Not looking good for Breaking Bad either, but we won't know until like April.

DJariya

Can you blame Sony? Sales for TV on BR aren't that good. Most people and probably alot in this forum don't want to pay $35-47 for a TV on BR set on release week and will wait until a price drop. Even if Community was released on BR, I think most people in this forum would rather wait until it drops to $25 or less. There is no incentive for Sony and other studios to make these sets and have it be financially beneficial to them.

jwstl

The first 2 seasons of Breaking Bad were released on Blu. Are you saying Season 3 may not?

kstublen

Justified probably won't be getting a Blu-ray release then. Explains why there's been no announcement.

Adam Tyner

That's what he's saying.

There are a number of shows that had started to be released on Blu-ray but stopped midstream, including C.S.I, Prison Break, Damages, Nip/Tuck, Justice League, Burn Notice... I mean, just because something has come out on Blu-ray doesn't mean future volumes are gonna keep coming.

I was holding out for a Blu-ray release of Community, but at $17.99...? I'd have to be kinda nuts not to bite.

kstublen

And this shouldn't come as a surprise to people considering studios have frequently stopped releasing shows on DVD after releasing one or two or even six seasons.

MrSmearkase

Yet another reason why I can't bring myself to buy individual seasons.

Gizmo

I'll go over the history of Sony TV on BD for you:
Damages Season 1 on Blu-ray, Season Two and onward NOT
Rescue Me Season Three on Blu-ray, the following (and previous) Season Not
There was another show abandoned, I just can't remember it at the moment.

So, judging by the 4 year history, I don't see Breaking Bad Season 3 happening. I sooooo want it to, but Sony has very little faith in TV on Blu-ray. Though both Cranston and Paul winning an Emmy might just help.

Gizmo

Actually, The Office has performed rather well on Blu-ray and it was priced pretty high (Season 5 and 6). Sony could have sold Community on BD in the $35ish range, which is about what Warner does. Not a whole lot of other 30 minute comedies that have a sales record (How I Met Your Mother was not enough to get the Fifth Season, still no idea on Big Bang Theory Season 3).

Until Sony decides to Lionsgate their TV on BD (i.e. the same price), they won't get much traction.

kstublen

That's the problem with the way these studios release their shows. It makes them and us responsible for not seeing shows released on DVD and Blu-ray.

We as the consumer have learned our lesson over the years. Either we buy the show at the start and hope the studio will follow through and release the rest of the show, or we get burned in one of several ways. Maybe the studio stops halfway through releasing a show and never releases the rest; maybe they release a few individual seasons then go for a complete series; maybe they release the show season-by-season, then re-release the show as a complete series set.

So we've become cautious, waiting releases out and seeing what the studios are going to do. The studios, in turn, see poor sales and will stop releasing a show because it isn't cost-effective. In this way, they set shows up to fail on home media.

With Blu-ray the problems are compounded. The Blu-rays are usually just so much more expensive than their DVD counterparts for a lot of studios. Sure, they go on sale now and then and you can get the shows for pretty good deals, but your average consumer isn't paying as close attention to all of us to the prices. Add to that the possibility with any show you might not get the entire run released. People are understandably cautious.

It's almost like a game of chicken and we're both losing. We miss out on our favourite shows and the studios miss out on money.

/rant

DJariya

Hypothetically speaking. Let's say there was a Blu-Ray release of Community and the MSRP was $49.99 (I saw the DVD MSRP is $39.99 so it's a fair assumption) With the normal retail 20-25% discount on release week, would you guys honestly be willing to pay around $37-$40 for this on Blu Ray? That's the prices that Sony or most studios would want the consumer to pay. Not the deep discounts during the holidays or later on when the title is older and they are essentially sold at a loss. Everytime I read the What BR's are you getting thread? and there are several high profile TV on BR releases, most people usually say they aren't getting a thing or will wait until a price drop.

But, I get the frustrations. Community was shot in HD and if you have a BR and HDTV, you should be able to watch it the way it was filmed.

Adam Tyner

I would.

Heck, The Office is doing that right now, and Universal's stuck with Blu-ray releases of that for a couple of seasons now. I know that's been out for a week or two, but Amazon currently has the season six Blu-ray set priced a couple bucks less than the DVD set. There's not necessarily a premium attached for going Blu-ray.

Season six of The Office was the third best-selling Blu-ray release (behind Killers and the ninth season of Smallville) the week it came out. I'm not sure if that's based on units sold or is purely dollars. Either way, when you're at #3 on the Blu-ray charts, I don't think that can be considered a failure. Since Community targets a similar audience and would've been released at a similar price point, I don't think it would've been a flop on Blu-ray.

Gizmo

In a heartbeat. As would alot of other people as they are starved for content on Blu-ray as studios cut back.

jwstl

I never said it did. He said "it doesn't look good for Breaking Bad" with no mention of Seasons One and Two already available of Blu. I was asking for clarification so no one got the impression BB wasn't released on Blu in any season.

kstublen

No, and that's the problem. I understand that everything can benefit from Blu, but I'm not willing to pay that much for a 30-minute sitcom.

The only shows I've purchased on Blu-ray are...

• Battlestar Galactica (a show that obviously benefits from HD)
• Firefly (one of my favourite shows, a good sale, and a decent upgrade)
• Lost (a show that benefits from HD, coupled with a good sale)
• Samurai 7 (good video quality and a good sale)
• Sons Of Anarchy (the price was about the same as the DVD)
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (good video quality and a good sale)
• Weeds (Blu-ray is the only place to watch the first season in widescreen)

So obviously my purchases were made for very specific reasons. A show like Community, being a sitcom, I'm not very likely to buy it on Blu-ray and am fine settling for the DVD. That being said, I'm more likely to buy it on Blu-ray than The Office: Seasons Five or Six when I've already got the prior four/five seasons on DVD. I want Modern Family on DVD, but I've got no interest in it on Blu-ray because of the high price and the fact I'm not sure I even care about the different in picture quality between its DVD counterpart.

EDIT: And I'm not your "average consumer" by any stretch of the imagination. I'll get stuff on Blu-ray that I feel warrants the high def treatment. At this point in time, I'd rather spend my money on more "obvious" HD shows. If I feel that way, I imagine a lot of your average consumers feel that way too, and thus the studios being hesitant to really get behind TV on Blu-ray.

doctorthodt

So just to be clear, there hasn't been any legitimate chatter about Breaking Bad season 3 not appearing on Blu-Ray - it's 100% speculation based on Sony's history?

Adam Tyner

As far as I know, it's just speculation. I couldn't find anything through the usual online resources about this, at least. I don't think Sony would publicly announce anything like that until a couple months before street date, if Community is any indication.

calhoun07

If Criterion can put Blu-Rays out cheaper than what they put the DVDs out for because it's cheaper to produce a Blu-Ray disc I have no sympathy for Sony, or TV on Blu-Ray in general when it doesn't sell that well. If they want to charge more for it I can understand since it's higher definition and the disc will technically last longer than a DVD. But when there is a price drop, it's just on the DVD version. Taking Breaking Bad, for example, season one was down to around $12.00 on amazon.com for DVD but still nearing $25.00 or so on Blu-Ray. So if the Blu-Ray is cheaper to produce, at this point the only reason they are charging more for it is a "perceived perception" that the Blu-Ray is better. Which it is. So I don't mind paying a few bucks more for it, but NOT double the DVD price.

Fox does a pretty good job on pricing. Sony needs to pick up the pace.

DJariya

If you look at this week's Best Buy there are several current TV shows being released on DVD with no Blu-Ray release.

Castle season 2
Desperate Housewives season 6
How I Met Your Mother season 5
The Mentalist
30 Rock season 4
and of course Community

Even with 1080p picture quality for a BR, I really don't think it enhances procedural shows like The Mentalist or Castle. For me, I don't think it's worth the extra $10-15 for shows like that. So, KStublen's point is very valid.

Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill are shot in Hi-Def and they also don't have BR releases. For shows like that it would be a waste of money for WB to master them. Plus, the audiences for those shows are mostly young women and not video/audio philes and they could probably care less.

I don't have very many TV on Blu-Ray discs. But, among the ones I did buy, being on HD benefited them and there were other cool things as well.

Example: CSI: Season 1: Special Edition. Paid about $40 for this and it was the 1st time this season was in 16X9 letterbox and was re-mastered in HD. I think it was also shot in HD 16X9 back in 2000, but just was never released that way initially. Plus there was no HD exclusive bonus material. However, it doesn't make sense why they also released Season 9 on BR and then stopped.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2: Paid about $37 for this and it was worth it for the enhanced picture that helped the special effects and action sequences.

Fringe Season 1: Paid about $45 and the price wasn't ideal, but overall it was worth it. Sci-Fi themed show with special effects and there was also an exclusive BR only audio commentary track as well.

I have every season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD, but I'm not going to shell out more money for a BR to see the doctors walking around a hospital and talk...and I do like the show.

So alot of shows not being released on BR, I understand why it really doesn't benefit the consumer and the studio.

NiCK Crush

i want Parks & Rec too

calhoun07

The only thing that holds me off from buying new shows on DVD is the chance there may be a complete series set on Blu-Ray somewhere down the road. Especially with popular shows that have Blu-Ray releases, but were not continued on Blu-Ray for whatever reason. How I Met Your Mother is one example. Another is House. Which is why I hope these shows end their runs very, very soon. I am tired of waiting.

And for other shows not coming out on Blu then I would expect some good discounts on the DVD at some point.

doctorthodt

Film is film. The visual presentation is enhanced regardless of the content.

DJariya

I know that, but you also have to take into account the audiences who watches the shows as well. Procedural shows like Castle, The Mentalist or even CSI cater to mostly older people and I don't think they care or would be willing to spend the extra money to have these shows in Blu Ray. I think that's also what the studios look at when they have communication with the networks after the shows have aired and are ready to be released to home video.

A show like House is going into it's 7th season and season 6 was the 1st one to get a BR release. Even if sales for House are good, which I don't think they will be, I doubt Universal would invest the money to go back and re-do seasons 1-5 on BR when chances are most fans of the show already have it on DVD.

doctorthodt

That's certainly a fair point, but it has nothing to do with your assertion that 1080p doesn't "enhance" the shows.

DJariya

Yeah in retrospect your right. Of course, even the crappiest procedural or 30 minute comedy would like 10X better in 1080p. I think my point in Post #23 is probably the main reason alot of these shows don't get released in BR.