This whole thing made me remember the Lost Season 6 / Complete Series fiasco from a few years prior... the same DVD full featured bonus disc made it into the Best Buy Exclusive Blu-ray but not the DVD or something like that.. which was the bonus disc that was only in the Complete Series which was actually a Blu with the bonus content on it..

Here's a breakdown of what's on the Target and Best Buy versions

The Canadian Best Buy release will contain the Best Buy exclusive extras on disc instead of CinemaNow. The German and UK appear to have the same extras as the Target release.

There's also an Australian release that might (I stress MIGHT) have deleted scenes and a "roundtable" discussion, but this is so far unverified.

Click the link; it's well worth reading the review.

Aside from a Commentary, that's all pretty EPK to me

Doesn't make up for the fact that they're splitting it all up like this. This release is a huge fuck up.

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So does the German release really have the shifting aspect ratios? If so, is it region free? Cos I honestly don't give a crap about any of those special features.

I received a screener disc from the studio yesterday (standard 3D release) and watched all the features on that copy last night. As expected, they're all superficial EPK fluff. In fact, two of them are promos for a community service group for veterans that has little to do with Star Trek. (They appear as extras in one scene, and that's it.)

I expect the retailer exclusives to be more of the same. I would personally not go out of my way to collect them. YMMV.

Also according to this article, the iTunes copy of the movie does have the shifting aspect ratio. (They even provide a screen shot.) So that confirms that Paramount indeed struck two different transfers for the movie. IMO, the shifting ratio version is bound to show up as a retailer exclusive at somewhere other than iTunes. We just need confirmation of where.

So do ALL versions contain the iTunes copy with the commentary?

It's hard to tell what's Paramount is thinking.

I wouldn't count on another release being around the corner; it doesn't really seem to be Paramount's current release strategy to offer a lot of double dips. If anything, it's more in line with stripping away extra content; high profile titles like Star Trek '09 and Iron Man had their 2-disc SEs discontinued and replaced with single-disc versions.

Maybe they'll do a trilogy boxed after the third movie is released with all of the stuff that's missing from this release (shifting aspect ratio, deleted scenes, exclusives) like that Avengers briefcase.

It doesn't seem like a lot of thought or care was put into this release, whether the blame lays at the feet of Paramount or Bad Robot.

Does anybody know if the digital copy version that comes with this will work for both Itunes AND UV... or can you only get one?

As already stated, I wish the BB features were an actual disc... now I believe my plan is to attempt a price match at Target with FYE to get the 3D with bonus disc.. yep.. that's the plan.. now if only it works..

I stopped caring about all these extras and Super dupper editions when Bbuy & target started competing this way year's ago, just give me the lowest $$.
That said, I just sent Amazon a notice of fye's price.

This special features fiasco may not be Paramount's fault, at least not entirely, according to a piece at TrekCore:

Here's the full article at TrekCore.

--THX

So are the shifting ratios only in the 3-D version? Do all versions contain the iTunes copy?

They're thinking Trekkies are gullible enough to buy multiple versions of this thing to get all of the extras and they'll still get kickbacks from the retailer exclusives too. It's disgusting, but unless fans boycott the release and take a stand or inundate them with emails, they're unlikely to notice. And even they they're unlikely to lose enough cash to care. They should do what Fox did with Prometheus and do a half-assed two-disc version and a mega-expensive set with the other stuff. I'll pay more for what I want, sometimes more than it's worth, but it has to have what the fans want to see.

That is rather peculiar. Maybe they figure once they have the hardcore fans all sorted out, the only remaining interested parties are casual viewers. If they were planning on double-dipping this, I'd be pissed, but I'd wait it out, but that doesn't seem likely. Bill Hunt is right, they clearly have no interest at all in physical media and are trying to force the hands of buyers. And judging by the fact that the much-requested director's cuts of I, II, and VI haven't come out yet, it's clear that they don't prioritized the Star Trek franchise or fandom much outside of the mega-successful Abrams movies. On the subject of which, did the 2009 Blu-Ray version have any exclusive extras?

That I would pay for. I'd grumble, but I'd pay for it. But I don't want to wait five more years. Wasn't the only exclusive thing in the Avengers briefcase the Phase II disc that also got included on the Target editoin?

By no means do I think JJ Abrams is a saint, but I'd guess that it's more likely Paramount, especially given the asinine decisions they've made with their other releases.

I was asking the same.

See, the fans may be bent out of shape, but they're still buying this. What does that tell Paramount? Though I'm still debating whether I want to just pick up a used copy on eBay after asking if the digital copy hasn't been redeemed, or if that'd make me the biggest hypocrite ever.

For now yes. But even granting that's true, if the fans take this lying down, it's likely to encourage them to be more bold with the same stupid tactics in the future.

Hmm. Intriguing and disconcerting.

On the screener I received, both the 2D and 3D discs are entirely 2.40:1. The only release known to have a shifting aspect ratio is the iTunes download, unless it's later confirmed that one of the retailer exclusives also has it.

There's an insert in the case with a Digital Copy redemption code. You go to the paramountdigitalcopy.com/startrekintodarkness site and enter the code, and it will give you the choice of UltraViolet or iTunes.

Right now, the site says: "We are sorry, this title is not available until its release date."

I'm not talking about a double dip. I'm wondering if, for example, the Walmart exclusive with the Steelbook and the model spaceship will also turn out to have the shifting aspect ratio. I don't think we'll know that until release day, when people start picking up the exclusives.

That's how Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was handled. Walmart got an exclusive "Big Screen Edition" with shifting ratios, while everyone else got a constant 2.40:1.

Given that the iTunes download has shifting ratios, Paramount had to strike a dedicated transfer for that. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I've got to believe that will show up on Blu-ray somewhere.

This is different than Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which never had a transfer with shifting ratios because the director specifically didn't want it transferred that way. The shifting-ratio version of Star Trek into Darkness exists. It's bound to turn up somewhere other than iTunes, I'd hope.

No. The Target bonus disc is sort of an overview of the Marvel Phase I movies. The bonus disc in the briefcase set includes never-before seen bonus features from the six movies including Agent Coulson intros for all of the movies; about a half an hour's worth of deleted and extended scenes from IM, IM2, Thor, and Avengers; and animatic and pre-viz features.

Huh. I wasn't aware of that. It would seem a possibility, then. I had just sort of assumed that everyone would get the same movie disc, and then any store exclusives would be on their own disc.

For clarity, that trekcore.com review says that only the iTunes "Enhanced Commentary" download has the shifting aspect ratios. The iTunes download to watch the movie without the commentary is all 2.40:1.

German version.

I still have an issue with the "Enhanced Commentary" not being available on the Blu-ray disc.

That being said, this brings me to this question... For this "Enhanced Commentary" is the actual film going to 1.78 ("Imax"), or is it the supplemental material? If it's just the supplemental branching points, then everyone's lost their minds for nothing, since supplement are always created in a 1.78 aspect ratio.

fitprod

Where was that confirmed? I can't find a review yet.

That's just stupid.

I've yet to see any confirmation of that.