When the "war" is over, when do you think the exclusives will start coming?
 

I was reading the current SD exclusives thread and it got me wondering. Personally I think it will happen very quickly, maybe by June (assuming the studios switch as reported). Obviously the stores involved have been making it worth the studios effort.

And personally, I see this as a bad thing. I'm sick of Target having something with their version and Best Buy having something different for the same title. Especially anything content related vs a figure or t-shirt.

I don't think it will happen until they start selling at least a half million or more copies of a popular title rather than 100,000.

I don't really mind exclusives but it is a pain sometimes when every store gets something different and you have to make sure you read up on what is out there.

Speaking of exclusives, what was up with only some copies of Lost getting that hardcover case? Was Disney just being cheap? I'm thinking of emailing their customer service and asking if I could buy one from them or something.

Maybe that was actually the first exclusive. Were those cases only at one store? I haven't seen one. All I have seen the standard thick blue case that was also used for Planet Earth and Blade Runner.

You mean, when will see titles like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings?

As early as next holiday season. I don't think that we do any earlier than that.

No. I was trying to describe when we will start seeing Best Buy or Wal-Mart having bonus discs with big titles like those, or even with something like the Spider-Man or I Am Legend. We sure have seen exclusives with similar SD titles.

IMO one of the things holding stuidos and retailers back from doing creating bonus items was the format war. I agree sales were a part of it, but not all of it.

I agree. I hate this practice. I would assume sales would have to reach some level where it would make financial sense to market different "editions" of the same title.

The only exclusive I care about is price. If you sell it for $2 less than the place with the t-shirt or mug, you get my money.

Since many of the exclusives are just simple add-ons to the standard release (in many cases something just shrinkwrapped on the outside or even totally seperate) I don't think the cost would be as much of a factor. I also suspect the cost is at least partially picked up by the retailer carrying the bonus item.

Target carries Lost in the plastic case only, not the hard book cover. It might be because it won't fit in their plastic display thing. I imagine its a space thing as they reduced the size of the Spider-Man trilogy as well from 3 separate cases into one case.

Gizmo, my Target has them in the hardcover case. I know because I had a hell of a time getting one out of their cases to look at.

There has already been at least one Blu-ray exclusive....Circuit City had an exclusive bonus disc with their copies of Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer....
The disc was just a regular DVD, but it was included in the package with both the DVD and the Blu-ray editions at their stores....

Come to think of it, Walmart also had an exclusive.....they had a copy of the Close Encounters soundtrack CD included with their copies of the new 30th anniversary edition on both Blu-ray and regular DVD....

I thought the Close Encounters soundtrack was on the SD version. Didn't know the Surfer disc came with the BD as well. Guess it's not when it starts but rather when it becomes more common.

Yeah, the soundtrack was included with both formats....but I think it will be a bit longer before any exclusives become more widespread right now, after all, Walmart had the bonus disc for Lost: Season 3 this time, but it was only on the standard set, not the Blu-ray....

Interesting. All my Targets (4) have had Lost sans the hardcover case. Maybe a regional thing or copies from the Canadian distribution center?