Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Depending on what is coming out, as a non-blu-ray owner I would buy into this. The combo packs that is, not the weak Double Feature offerings.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

And in an unrelated story....Universal will be adding Divx along with their flippers....

Guess Warner's realized how well Disney is doing with this. With that SRP, I'm guessing we'll be seeing $14 or so prices? I'll definitely upgrade on some of my older titles.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Combos are moving units, I guess. A combo pack for $19.99 or less of a new release is a winner, I think.

2-Packs already? I guess we can expect 3/4 packs next year for $19.99.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Warner has been offering DVD/DC on the same disc for about 6 months now for their kid titles (Harry Potter 6, Inkheart, 17 Again etc.) Disney includes a DVD and DC both on separate discs. Still unsure why they have not gone over to Warners method as it would be cheaper.

Who knows if these low 'sale' prices will hold up after the Holidays. I sure as hell hope so!

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I like both ideas, though I hate when they put two only marginally related titles on a double feature. Parts of a series/remakes are fine, but two "rom-com's" or two "action movies" (even if they're the same actor, but different characters) have little to no appeal to me. I think the only DVD I have like that is Last Man on Earth/Panic in the Year Zero, and that was just to get a 16x9 copy of LMOE.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I feel the same way.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I like the 2-movie sets they're putting out. Grumpy and Grumpier is nice since you can't get either in Widescreen on DVD. And I already own the Frantic/Presumed Innocent 2-Pack on DVD, which was stuck with a Full Frame transfer for one and a non-anamorphic transfer for the other. So it's nice they've decided to go back and fix stuff like that.

As for why Disney doesn't put the DC on the DVD disc, it comes down to size. A DC usually runs around 3 gigs, which means unless you're putting a bare bones DVD in there you're going to run out of space pretty quick. Disney has been doing it the simple way and just using the same discs they release separately. It also makes the Disney method a full replacement for buying the DVD at all, since you get the extras.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

A DC is 3 gigs? I have 3 DCs in iTunes
Twilight (121 mins; 1.6GB)
Fired Up (90 Mins; 1.3GB)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (110 mins; 1.2GB)
Unless there is a bunch of extra 'fluff' on the Digital Copy disc?

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

The first GOM is already out on BD in widescreen. Kind of sucks for those who already have it since I bet the second one isn't released separately.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I don't care if they're on the same disc or not, as long as Warner puts them all inside the case. I hate when a disc is "taped" on the outside like with Sleeping Beauty.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I'll give them credit there. If we're gonna get an extra disc it might as well be the DVD.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Agreed. A DVD (to me) is much more versatile than a digital copy.

Kudos on the Combo Packs idea. I wouldn't buy into the Double Features thing, though. Didn't with DVDs, definitely won't with Blu-Rays. If a title's good enough to buy, it's good enough to buy in its own case.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Boo to the combo idea. A waste of discs. Warner should save the money manufacturing 2 extra discs and invest it in other movies.

Think about it, all 1 disc BDs will now become 3 disc sets, with the same content repeated.

What if Sony decided to press all PlayStation-3 games in a combo pack?
a PlayStation-3 BD, a Playstation-2 DVD, a PlayStation-1 CD, and a PSP disc all in a combo pack? Makes no sense....

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Put me down for Grumpy/Grumpier. As a very recent blu ray adopter who doesn't plan on rebuying his dvds those are titles I never bought in dvd since none were ever ws. Glad all new releases will be too. I loved it with UP which was my first blu purchase (before I had bought a player).

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

It makes plenty of sense for anyone who owns one Blu-Ray player and a multitude of DVD players.

The money Warner should "save" is probably ridiculously negligible at this point. How much could a single DVD cost Warner at this point? Less than a dollar, certainly, if not less than 50 cents apiece.

I hope Frantic is in WS. I have always wanted to watch it but couldn't bring myself to quite do it since it is FS. I will also upgrade to the Analyze Blu Double Feature if all the extras are included.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

i really wish they weren't doing this but as long as ALL the special features can be found on the blu-ray disc, i'll live. however, if the special features only end up on the dvd then i'll have a problem.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Agreed. It is easier for me to justify buying a movie on BD to the wife when we can take some part of what we bought and use it in places where there is no BD player.

As it seems that studios are finally realizing that having a DVD in pack helps sales (something I have been saying since day one) I would rather have the extra disc than a combo.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Yes, if that person actually wants to watch it in SD at times. Personally, if I have a movie in HD, that's the only way I'll watch it from then on.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I'm all for the combo packs. I understand thinking the SD DVD is a waste, if you're only going to watch the Blu-ray, but it's a help for a lot of people, especially with children/family movies. I love getting the DVD with my Disney movies as I know that my son (when he gets old enough) will want to watch them in his own room, in the car, or on a portable DVD player. Will I buy him a blu-ray player for his own room? Possibly in a few years if they're cheap enough and I have the money and he has a good TV in his room. But right now, I'm just planning on a smaller TV and a cheap DVD player in his room. Plus who knows if there will be portable blu-ray players or blu-ray players in the car down the road, or how long it will take for them to be affordable. Plus I'm not so sure I want my son to mess with the blu-ray discs. I'd feel a little more at ease if he took the DVD in case he broke it than the blu-ray. Though in a few years the general prices (not the great deals we've been getting lately) of blu-rays may be cheap enough that I can feel more at ease, too.

As for the studios, it's still a win situation. They're already producing the DVDs. The cost of one DVD (when they're making hundreds of thousands if not millions of them at a time) is probably very minimal. And people who still haven't switched to blu-ray may feel more comfortable purchasing a blu-ray/DVD combo so that if/when they decide to switch to blu-ray they won't have to repurchase their movies, even if the blu-ray is a few dollars more than the DVD (though lately the blu-rays have been equal if not cheaper than the DVD in a lot of cases). Granted, there will always be those people who will purchase a blu-ray and give the DVD away or sell it cheap, thus the studio possibly losing a sale on a DVD. I know I thought about that with G-Force, as I wanted to get it for my cousin's kids with the Target deal and they have no plans on changing to blu-ray since they can't even afford an HDTV. I have considered just giving them the DVD and keeping the blu-ray. But I think the benefits of the combos outweigh the downside.

To me, this is a great marketing concept to get people switched over to blu-ray. I thought the HD DVD combo discs were a great idea (in theory, if they worked right), even if I did miss my disc artwork. I purchased some movies on HD DVD and when my in-laws wanted to watch one of them, I was able to let them borrow it and watch the DVD side. I've already been doing the same with my parents letting them borrow the DVD copy of movies, as I know they wouldn't go out and buy it anyway. Having the DVD gives extra value to a lot of people. And if they're not charging any more for the movie, why complain? I understand having the opinion that you don't want it, but it's a huge value to a lot of other people and it's no more cost to those who don't want it, so I believe it's a smart idea. I have no interest in the digital copy, currently, but don't mind the disc being in there.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I love the combo packs. I have BD players hooked up to my TVs but when it comes to taking movies on the road I don't have a built-in BD player in my Explorer, it has a Standard DVD player. I also LOVE having the digital copy for my iPhone for plane trips so I don't have to drag out my laptop just to watch a movie. With 16gb of space at 1 gb per movie that is a lot of entertainment! I think that the costs are coming down and deals are available for these combo packs. I was able to get UP for $10 as a combo pack. I also tend to buy from half.com and there are good deals there too.

Anyhoo, my 2 cents worth.

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Then seriously, make it optional!
If they made 2 versions, 1 with JUST the Bluray disc version.
Another with a Bluray disc/DVD combo for $5 more. Then there's no problem.

There was a reason why in the old days the CD/cassette combo releases were hopeless in sales....

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

Thankfully that was only a one or two shot deal. All DVD/DC have been included in the case for some time now.

But it's DVDs, not Blu-rays. There is no 'wasted' Blu-ray titles because they had to press the disc. One could say Disney re-releasing No Country for Old Men was a waste of a potential Blu-ray title, but these DVD/DC are cheap to make and do NOT take away from new Blu-rays hitting shelves.

They (Disney) made it optional (WALL-E; Narnia 2) and upped the MSRP for those that included DCs. Sales were not high enough to continue doing two separate releases and retailers certainly don't want to stock two copies of the film with two different price points. That's the whole point of these Combos - retailers can order more Blu-ray versions and cut back on their DVD orders. Not only is Blu-ray more profitable (retailers and studios), but they take up less space. It's a win-win-win ;)

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I'm ok with both ideas here. As long as we aren't getting charged more for the combo packs, which it sounds like (for now) we're not. And I wouldn't mind buying some titles as a double feature, like Grumpy Old Men/Grumpier Old Men. Hey, isn't that news? It's not out on BD yet, is it?

Re: Warner to make ALL Theatrical releases in 2010 "Combo Packs"
 

I don't understand the rage, the first paragraph of the press release shows they're doing this at no additional charge. So if you don't want the extra discs, just toss them and 'pretend' you bought a one disc version.

This also solves another problem for BD. Since most discs can easily hold the film + bonus features they can now advertise this as a 3 disc version. And we all know how effective that is.

If this works, I'd expect we could see the end of standalone DVD releases within a year.