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?

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

OP it hurts don't it?

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice. By not purchasing Blu-ray, you are saying to the world that the additional supplements are not important to you. If they were, then you would go Blu.

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?

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Never. Move on.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

1,727,000 extra pixels if I'm doing the math correctly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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???).

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.

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

One of the problems with BD v. DVD as opposed to DVD v. VHS is that BD is an incremental increase from DVD, where DVD was a quantum leap in quality, features, reliability, sound, hell, you name it.

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

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..

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Might I take this time to give a big FUCK YOU to Fox and Sony, the 2 studios I find most often guilty of this.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

If it makes you feel any better, the BD transfer isn't all that great either. The non-IMAX portions are plagued with EE and some DNR. Apparently it's due to the process that IMAX uses when converting 35mm films to their format. Unlike other films, the transfer for TDK was taken from the IMAX master (since it has IMAX portions), so the results of this process are visible.

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.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I keep reading this argument in the DVD area, and it just makes me worry about the vision of DVD Talkers. To me (I have a 50-inch 1080p HDTV), there is a quantum leap in improvement in the image detail, color fidelity and contrast of BD over DVD (and I have a very good upscaling Oppo DVD player).

It makes me wonder whether the people who see little improvement have poor eyesight, smaller screens (like 37 inches or less), or are just being contrary.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I'm still blown away by complaints about this. My Panasonic takes an average of five whole seconds to load a disc, and it only has to do it once. How impatient can one possibly be? Even if the load times were at one point getting up around two minutes, which is about when I'd start getting impatient, this is obviously the kind of factor that is going to improve with better players and seems really irrelevant to any anti-BD. As I said in the other thread, it's not like you have to hand-crank the fucking player.

Even now, most name-brand DVD players are in the $100 range. I don't know where you decided that $40 is a good price for a BD player when HD-DVD is dead as a doornail and that's what XBOX add-ons are still going for at retailers like Fry's. I understand that you're fine without Blu-Ray, but this is such an unrealistic expectation for the price of a good player, why even bother mentioning it? Plus, when it was $1000, people whined that it should be $500, when it was $500, people whined that it should be $200, now that it's $200, people are whining that it should be $100. Some of the discs are pricey, I agree, but players at $200 is a questionable complaint.

As for the space issues, I was merely speculating. I don't own W., so I wouldn't know. And I still feel calling exclusive features a "tactic" is pretty nitpicky. Even though it is a sales tactic, it's pretty much the most widely-used sales tactic in any business anywhere that something new should offer something superior in order to attract customers.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Studios always do this sort of thing. Is it unfair? Absolutely. Unfortunately, however, that's how it tends to go with formats backed by corporations.

The real reason for Blu-ray adoption should be for High Definition Video and Audio. The improvements over regular DVD on my HDTV is INCREDIBLE. Honestly, I have never been more satisfied in purchasing and collecting movies. I thought I was a huge fan of DVD but my love of that format never even came close to the love I feel for Blu-ray. Film is a passion for all of us at DVD Talk but the fact remains that while we all can appreciate and enjoy our favorite films on ANY format we cannot truly EXPERIENCE them to their fullest without this new technology. It is amazing and well worth the investment.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I agree completely.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I disagree. I'm not calling you out individually, but I get a sense of bias from a lot of posters here. They seem to imply what you just did, that you are a lesser film fan, and/or experiencing a much lower quality if you don't go blu.

For a true FILM fan, audio and video is a small consideration.

Someone can have a passion for film and enjoy them on a 5" black and white screen just as much as someone with a state of the art system.

The story is 95% of the equation. The setting (including audio and video quality) is only 5%.

I own a blu ray player and HDTV, but I still prefer DVD for several reasons.

• The blu ray catalog is mediocre. Of my 500 favorite films of all time, maybe 15 are on blu.
• Price. I'd rather own 2-4 DVDs than 1 blu-ray.
• Portability. I can watch my DVDs anywhere on the planet. They are in every home, car, and computer in the country pretty much. I can watch blu ray in one living room.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Nice post, Trevor. It's all about the story. Seeing every loose thread on a shirt doesn't add to the story. Seeing each scratch on a car doesn't make a car chase more exciting. I owned a lot of Fox widescreen VHS. The quality left a lot to be desired but I still enjoyed watching movies.

Once you get past the WOW factor of HD's clarity, in the end, you still get sucked into a movie's story.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

When DVD first rolled out, the widescreen VHS section of a video store dwindled down and down and down until they just stopped making widescreen VHS. There were a few VHS fans in the day that were kind of upset about this, but since the die hard movie fans are usually the first to embrace new formats, this makes sense to cater to them and to throw more at them for their money spent.

It's not much different than the early days of CDs that featured bonus tracks that the LP and cassette never had.

I suspect we will see an leveling off of this trend...it's mainly being used for promotion right now to draw attention to the new format. The studios invested A LOT of money in this and want to protect their bottom line.

If it bothers you that much, just buy a Blu Ray player that's under a hundred bucks. I don't understand this idea that the media perpetuates that you NEED a thousand dollar TV to watch it. (have any of you seen the Blu Ray commercial they show at certain stores like Target? The announcer is saying, "Can you still watch DVDs on your Blu Ray player?" then they show clips of people from movies laughing and such to perpetuate the idea that you are a drooling MORON if you want to continue watching DVDs. "That would be like taking out a sports car in first gear!" the announcer goes on to say. Uh, not quite there, hoss.) Yes, a 1080p TV on the high end like a Sony Bravia is the way to go if you can afford it but if you watch it on a regular tube TV or a 720p TV, you're going to be OK. If you are really that interested in the bonus features and extra special editions, that is the way to go. Stop bitching about it.

You can do what I do...determine what extra features are just fluff and not necessary to your home viewing enjoyment and continue to buy those on DVD and for those that have really good extra features (such as Dark Knight) just hold off on buying the extra special edition right now until you can get a Blu Ray player. If you are just going to watch it on a standard TV, that's fine...just don't let them sell you the HDMI cable because it would be pointless.

Just something to consider...for event titles, this is going to be the norm. Expect it for Watchmen, too. When/if I decide to buy a new DVD player (and I am in no rush to do so) it's going to be a region free blu ray player just so I can watch the Dark Knight and the Watchmen with all the extra features WB is going to toss on there. But I sure as heck fire am not going to go out of my way and go deeper in to debt to get a bigger and better TV. I've seen several movies in Blu Ray on a 1080p TV and the difference is amazing, but it's not the highest priority to me.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

When will both sides fo this issue quit their bitching. Both sides have to realize that you are going to have your stalwarts on both sides fo the issue, that are never going to back down from their arguments. Sure bleu ray players and discs are expensive now. Sure you should get better picture and audio quality from blue ray discs. Sure there are a hell of alot more movies on dvd than there are on blue ray. Who cares? If I want to read about blue rays, I will go to a blue ray forum, not DVDTalk.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

The studios willl stop doing this once people stop referring to it as "blue ray".

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

...and for every one DVD that is missing features from the BD, there are 10 Blu-rays missing features from the SD counterpart.

As pointed out, as a DVD consumer shouldn't you be complaining about double & triple dips instead? There are far more of those released missing features than the BD argument you've got going.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Speaking of double and triple dips...I wonder if we will see an Uber Edition of The Dark Knight on DVD before the third movie comes out that carries over the bonus features on the Blu Ray that weren't on the DVD special edition the first time around?

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

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Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I agree, I was going to buy 'Milk' on bluray, but went with the DVD because the deleted scenes were on the disc, whereas the bluray only has them accesible via BD-Live.

This seems to be a common practise with Universal titles:

- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Leatherheads
- The Thing


and I'm sure some others, that I'm not thinking of

??

Criterion also made me have to keep 'The Last Emperor' on DVD because the mini-series cut wasn't retained for the bluray edition. Some minor supplemental material is also deleted for the blu-ray edition of 'Ran'

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

I really love your whiny comments everytime a BD has an exclusive over a DVD. YOU do not speak for me. YOU do not speak for any other BD owner. YOU sound like someone bitter because there is a better product out. Sorry, but BD isn't going anywhere and you will continue to see exclusives for the format. You better buy as many 2-disc DVD sets as you can because one of these days, YOU won't have that option.

Of course Blu-ray isn't selling as well as DVD. Gee, could it be because one of the formats has been out for 12 years? Could it be because one format has an install base of over 130 million players? Hmmm.

By the way, BD sales are increasing year to year. DVD sales are not.

Both will co-exist.

Re: When Will This "Exclusive-To-Blu-Ray-Special-Features" Crap Come to An End?
 

Says who?