At least WB's TV content has been non-combo thus far.

For Heroes, it's a double whammy, since A) I don't want the added cost for an assumed convenience, and B) Uni still hasn't earned back my trust regarding their combos functioning properly.

It seems to be Universal and WB's unofficial policy. Any day-and-date titles are released as combos on HD-DVD.

If something is delayed even by only a few months after its SD-DVD release(i.e. Blood Diamond), it's not released as a combo.

Definitely an accurate assessment, and unfortunately goes to show how myopic the studios are on this issue. They must still think people will buy combos to be "future proof", because obviously, many HD owners (like myself) don't want the SD side.

If Universal is going down this road, they should go full force: Don't release it on standard def. Have everyone buy the DVD/HD DVD combo.

That would help their HD sales in the long run (as that obviously encourages player sales). And it would also allow them to drop the price down, since they'd be selling much higher volume of the set.

I can only hope that since BSG S1 has been out on DVD for a while, they won't do combos for that release.

Got some more street dates, some of these i may have mentioned before but bear with me:

Got 3 Blu-ray movies for 08/07/07:

Arlington Road msrp of $28.95
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within msrp of $28.95
Are We Done Yet? msrp of $38.95

I've also got a street date for the long time rumored Fifth Element remasted edition:

07/17/07 with msrp of $28.95

also Reign Over Me has been cancelled/delayed.

Over on HD-DVD:

I'm showing that Heroes is going to be a 7-disc set with msrp of $99.99

and Nip/Tuck for both formats will have msrp of $79.99

Wow, Arlington Road...I actually just watched that the other night...figured it'd be yrs before it showed up on BD. I don't suppose they'd splurge for a new transfer on it...

Yeah, that's the one that stood out for me on that list. Nice to see a movie every once in a while that doesn't have the Happpy Hollywood Ending. Jeff Bridges rocks.

I'll pickup Arlington Road.

The Fifth Element Remastered BD version is up for pre-order at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Element-...9621806&sr=1-1

That Heroes MSRP isn't bad. With some leg work you should be able to find it for $65 or less upon release. That's a bit more than I'm used to paying for TV series, but it's HD and it's supposed to be very good. I can't think I would be disappointed by it.

I wonder how much cheaper the Heroes set would have been if it didn't use combo discs.

Could not agree more. Why on Earth would Universal NOT do this?

Well, right now HD DVD production capacity is not at the point where they can discontinue standard DVD releases. The expense of manufacturing a DVD/HD combo are also too high.

But I agree with you in principle, and said as much in my recent column:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/hd/high_defin...war_1_y_1.html

They won't do this because they're afraid of turning away consumers. They know DVD sales are guaranteed. HD DVD sales, even combo ones, are not. Now, if they only released a title as a combo, it will sell more than if a standalone DVD were available, but the fear is that it won't sell as well as the standalone DVD would by itself.

If they lower the price to standard DVD levels and modify the packaging, I think they can get over that hurdle.

That would be over half the price of what they're charging now, considering most new release DVDs are in the $15-$20 range these days. At this point, I think even if Universal wanted to go entirely combo for their entire catalogue and would be willing to eat the price difference, I doubt Warner would let them, since they are also releasing combos at inflated prices and Universal dropping the prices so drastically would force Warner to do the same.

Universal would also be flooded with calls about why the HD side doesn't work in their DVD player and forums would be littered with posts about Universal ripping them off by giving them something they don't need.

You're comparing MSRP (HD) to discounted street prices (SD). Universal's new release DVDs typically MSRP for $29.98. Yes, SD discs typically discount far lower than HD discs currently do, but in this new theoretical scenario Combo prices would fall in line with the SD model as soon as economies of scale kick in for DVD/HD disc production. Combo discs can be manufactured on the same production lines as standard DVDs. If Universal were to commit to discontinuing SD-only releases, they'd convert all of their production lines (which is reportedly not a significant cost) to Combo production and reduce expenses through volume. Any remaining difference would be quickly made up in sales, given that they are now targeting the entire DVD buying population rather than just a specialized niche. Additional savings would be found in combined marketing and distribution costs (they now only have to worry about one SKU per title, rather than two). It would benefit both the studio and retailers.

Well, first off Warner doesn't dictate how Universal sets their prices. More importantly, it would set a compelling precedent for Warner to follow the same model as soon as possible.

People are stupid. That's never going to change, but putting an insert in the case with an explanation of which side to watch would nip most of that problem in the bud.

Not if, as explained, the Combo disc prices fell in line with those for traditional DVD. Rather than feeling ripped off, they'd feel like they're getting something extra for free. People like free stuff, even if they don't ever plan to use it.

I understand that WB and Universal are two entirely different companies, but I'm sure they communicate and if Universal were going to do something that would significantly affect WB's business, I'm sure they would put a lot of pressure on Universal if they didn't want it done.

Sony fessed up I see...

'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within' should look swheet!

One of the Sony guys at AVS says they will likely alter the cover art somewhat, possibly the spine. But the new version will have PCM and TrueHD tracks. I hope it has some extras from the 2-disc dvd set.

TrueHD from a Sony release ... oh my stars.... (faints)

Stomp the Yard has it as well.

Is there anything known about Anchor Bay releasing some of their horror classics such as evil dead or dawn of the dead?