Who are the angry Blu-ray owners demanding combo discs, and what percentage of the buying audience are they? I suspect the answer is "nobody" and "0%". Any supposed demand for this is entirely the product of Universal's addled imagination.

Lots of consumers would like a DVD copy on the same disc (or in the case). It's an added bonus to what they purchased. You may not see people demanding it, but the addition is a welcome surprise. It's worthless for me, and most of these DCs either end up in the trash or I sell them for a few dollars.

But who gives a shit. This was done so Uni can remove the DVD off shelves and force people (like DVD owners) to purchase the more expensive Blu-ray versions if they want to see the movies at all.

From HDD Poster 'Kosty':

Looks like I won't ever have any new Universal discs in my collection...what a bunch of shitheads

Gizmo, what are the odds that this adoption of flipper-discs will get Universal to consider releasing more catalog titles? Specifically ones that never even made it to HD-DVD?

Seriously, the thought of classics such as Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and Back To The Future only being available on Blu-ray Disc in this flipper format just made me throw up in my mouth a little....

Really? Even if they had a 100% non-defect rate, you'd be so irritated by such a petty thing that you'd refuse to buy them?

yeah..yeah i would. i absolutely despise flipper discs.

If Universal tries to pull that with all their movies, they can definitely count on lost sales from me. No one ever accused Universal of being the sharpest tool in the shed, but whichever executive greenlighted this idea should be fired immediately.

More? Well, I don't know WTF happened at CES but very few titles announcements went on. Disney was set to announce several new 3D BD titles but the only one that even got a date was A Christmas Carol (Carrey). I know of two other Disney BDs that are set for a 3D release (I don't think the current BDs will be discontinued) but nothing was even said. Maybe they didn't want to put out too much information to soon?

The Flipper won't make a difference for new catalog/HD DVD catalog - it will come with it comes. I know Universal is going to push out more new/HD DVD catalog this year, but they still seem very unsure of the format in terms of catalog titles. They may be waiting to see how the Flippers sell, how retailers like them, defect rates etc. before making anymore big announcements. I did hear they plan on doing Flippers for their entire BD catalog eventually (already released and coming soon) if the above conditions seem good.

It's all too early right now. I'm still curious how they work on Gen 1/2 players but not sure if I will buy all 3.

The attitude of people in this thread is ridiculous. You guys are just so hyperbolic. I really don't see what's worth getting up in arms about as long as the product works.

As already mentioned it could affect us in several ways (regardless of how minor they are):
No disc artwork
Potentially defective discs
Potentially higher priced BD discs for this 'added' feature (and the DVDs being discontinued so retailers can raise prices)

If these sentiments are not expressed now, Universal will get the wrong impression and continue at full speed with these releases. I own thousands of dvd, and even on a mature, easy-to-replicate platform like dvd, Universal and other studios had major problems manufacturing defect-free DVD-18s in their television sets. You literally had to open multiple sets to get a complete working set. Then there were the notorious problems with the double-sided HD DVD combos.

Studios care nothing about the consumer. All they care about are costs and sales. Universal's recipe of cutting corners in the manufacturing process will lead to headaches for consumers down the line. No other studio saw this as necessary, which leads me to believe there are serious manufacturing problems with the flippers. Blu-ray insiders said as much when they were more open about the process during the format war.

Bourne Ult has already been recalled. Some claim it was a 'shipping error', but the title is being pulled from shelves and reviewers did NOT get that for review two weeks ago.

I won't buy these releases since the non-flippers are available (though still high priced). I would consider them (if Universal does indeed make them the only option for blu releases) if the studio would guarantee to replace defective versions at any time down the road. But they haven't offered that have they?

They're really pulling out all the stops to sell these I see... Free movie cash! Free pizza!

I didn't buy it, but there were plenty at the Best Buy I went to. Why was it recalled?

Red dots on the UPC mean it's fixed. Not sure why it was recalled. I don't think anybody does.

Agreed. Also, I don't know why people care about disc artwork so much. It's been said by other people before and I'll say it again: do you want to watch the movie or the disc?

I don't care, but some people actually put discs in binders.

I like disc artwork as much as the next guy but if anyone has seen Universal's 'art' of late on their blu-rays, we aren't missing out on anything.

I would assume that the people who put their discs into binders are then ones who don't care about artwork, or else they'd keep their covers and such - otherwise the writing on the hub in an alphabetized binder would be enough.

I put discs in sleeves. The ones I get protect both sides of DVDs (and now BRs) no problem. You can purchase binder inserts that do the same.

Still, I don't like handling these double-sided discs, though. I'd rather not. But if this is how they are going to do it... it is not a terrible inconvenience. Bargains will still be had on these. There will be no premium on these in the end.

4 inch font on the inner ring of a disc is easier to read over artwork proclaiming what a movie is called?

Where did I say "easier"? Just good enough if you're keeping them in a binder?

Not when you are flipping through and have to stop and squint to see what the movie is. Thankfully I don't have binders nor care about disc art, but I know some people do.