Studios load Blu-ray releases with extras

Lee Stewart · 08-02-2008, 05:21 AM

Studios load Blu-ray releases with extras

Quote:

Special features to get consumers to trade up

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 8/1/2008
AUG. 1 | Studios are starting to deliver on their promise of extra features that will give consumers a reason to trade up from standard DVD to Blu-ray Disc.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Planet of the Apes 40 Year Evolution Blu-ray Collection, streeting Nov. 4, boasts five format exclusive features not included on any previous discs.

“For next year’s 30th anniversary of Being There, we found more than 10 minutes of deleted scenes and alternate endings that no one has seen before, and we’re putting that only on the Blu-ray version,” said Jeff Baker, executive VP/general manager of theatrical catalog at Warner Home Video. “The standard-def version will be at a lower price, but we are really trying to trade people up to Blu-ray. We are seeking out our assets that we can apply to Blu-ray to encourage consumers to step up.”

Baker also believes October’s launch of The Matrix gift set in Blu-ray will prove more alluring than its earlier standard-def release.

“It should be the best-selling set that we’ve ever done on Blu-ray,” he said.

Also contributing to growing differences between the old and new formats is this year’s debut of BD Live, Sony’s VP of business development Rich Marty said.

This fourth quarter, Sony will try to trump its earlier Casino Royale Blu-ray release with a special edition BD version that features a distinct peer-to-peer trivia game.

“We want to keep adding to the format, and BD Live gives us this whole new ability to reinvigorate attraction to the title,” Marty said.

Blu-ray boasts better audio and video quality than standard-def, but to date, many Blu-ray titles have been short on even the extras that are routinely available on standard DVD.

“I think at the absolute minimum, Blu-ray customers should get at least everything that’s available on the DVD release,” said Shannon Nutt, editorial director at DVDEmpire.com.

Despite Blu-ray’s higher capacity, the format’s higher resolution and interactivity can limit disc space, forcing decisions about what to include, studio executives said.

Summit Home Entertainment packed the standard-def version of Never Back Down with both the theatrical and unrated cuts. The Blu-ray version just held the unrated one but also had an exclusive multi-angle feature.

“After you put in high-def audio and video, since that is the focus, you might not have as much space on the Blu-ray as you did on a [standard def] two-disc special edition,” said Steve Nickerson, Summit president. “So now you have to choose.”

“We really take a good, better and best approach with our product assortment,” said Nickerson. “Single is good, two-disc better, and the Blu-ray should always be your best product. It might not include everything from the [standard] DVD. But it should be considered the best product.”

One thing Blu-ray has yet to benefit from are exclusive retail premiums.

Best Buy, for instance, offers a free lithograph with pre-orders of all three standard-def Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment titles Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning and Tinker Bell. The lithograph, a reproduction of the classic 1959 Sleeping Beauty movie poster, is not available with Blu-ray purchases.

Similarly, Best Buy exclusively offered a free tote bag and T-shirt with purchase of two-disc standard-def editions of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Water Horse and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, respectively. The same deal excluded the titles’ Blu-ray copies.

Studio and retail sources explained that the added merchandise is mainly used to entice people to buy a premium-priced two-disc special edition over the cheaper single-disc version. The Blu-ray customer is still loading up relatively new players with content and requires less motivation to snag titles in the format.

“And you’re already getting a price premium with the Blu-ray version,” added one source. “You’re already getting a bigger ring there. Retail push for exclusives so the consumer will go up two or three dollars.”

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6583458.html

ImRizzo · 08-02-2008, 10:04 AM

Maybe it's just me, but all I want is the Movie, skip the BS add-ons, Special features, Actors and Directors comments and coming attractions. The only acceptable add-on feature could possibly be the out-takes, and COMMERCIALS, WTF commercials, why am I expected to have to pay to watch an advertiser trailer ?? Removing that crap should cut cost so we can get BRD movies at a reasonable cost. Didn't they make enough money of the movie already, between ticket sales, and movie related gimmicks ( toys, tee-shirts, video games etc.).....JMO (just my opinion).
......Da Rizz....

iDarren · 08-02-2008, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImRizzo

Maybe it's just me, but all I want is the Movie, skip the BS add-ons, Special features, Actors and Directors comments and coming attractions. The only acceptable add-on feature could possibly be the out-takes

Hi Rizzo,

the fact that you want or justify the outtakes shows the precariousness of your position, because once that is justified, then there are those who will feel equally strongly about director commentaries etc etc and then we are back at square 1.

I mean for myself quality commentaries are golden. I think I personally prefer them to outtakes. But I like deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews (not fluff, but quality ones), and quality making of docos (like the one done for Jaws).

jjufon · 08-02-2008, 10:47 PM

“After you put in high-def audio and video, since that is the focus, you might not have as much space on the Blu-ray as you did on a [standard def] two-disc special edition,” said Steve Nickerson, Summit president. “So now you have to choose.”

Seems like even with all its "extra" space, it still can't deliver everything it promised; at least all at once.

iDarren · 08-02-2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjufon

“After you put in high-def audio and video, since that is the focus, you might not have as much space on the Blu-ray as you did on a [standard def] two-disc special edition,” said Steve Nickerson, Summit president. “So now you have to choose.”

Considering that some top rate presentations (according to reports on this forum) are appearing on BD 25's, that quote smells a bit fishy.

sigill · 08-03-2008, 11:25 AM

IMO the BD version of a movie is supposed to be the ultimate experience. To achieve this it must have at least the same feature's as the DVD and hopefully something extra. Whether you care for special feature's or not if you are paying for a premium product i believe they should be there. I don't buy the we don't have enough space argument. If thats really the case release the BD as a 2 disc edition.

Super XP · 08-03-2008, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigill

IMO the BD version of a movie is supposed to be the ultimate experience. To achieve this it must have at least the same feature's as the DVD and hopefully something extra. Whether you care for special feature's or not if you are paying for a premium product i believe they should be there. I don't buy the we don't have enough space argument. If thats really the case release the BD as a 2 disc edition.

It all comes down the HD transfer. If they can get it right and do a really good job, then it would be worth the money.

Mase · 08-04-2008, 09:46 AM

Extras are very important for me, I definitely do not view them as being Fluff.. I always check out the extras and I really enjoy it when the studios do a good job and include quality content.. I like seeing behind the scenes and hearing from the director, writer, actors ect ect.. They can be very helpful to some who might not have understood the story, and also for the actors to give thier take on the role and their method for approaching certain stories and so on..

The last two Blu-Rays I watched (Be Kind Rewind, Doomsday) had decent Extras so I didnt really get into them like I normall would have but I would have liked to have seen more from behind the scenes and into the mind's of the creators/director..

HD Goofnut · 08-04-2008, 10:28 AM

They need to start doing surveys to find out what kind of special features consumers are looking for. I myself like the making of featurettes, but could give a flying hoot about the trailer of the movie or still shots as you can find those online. I think if each stuido came to a "standard" concerning extra features for BDs then it would benefit the consumer and the studios' wallets. It could be something as simple as each BD 25 is required to have a making of featurette mininum and the BD 50 is required to have the making of featurettes as well as few additional items, such as cast and crew interviews.

h0mi · 08-04-2008, 09:01 PM

I've said this before and I'll say it again. It depends on the movie. If the movie doesn't affect or touch you in some way, you're not going to care too much about/for extras. If it does, if you're a fanboy/girl of that movie, you will want whatever extras you can get. And that audience is the one being targeted with the double dips.

I like extra scenes and videos related to the subject. Online extras so far have been disappointing- dont offer to rearrange scenes from the movie and "upload" ... that's a waste of time.

HD Goofnut · 08-05-2008, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0mi

I've said this before and I'll say it again. It depends on the movie. If the movie doesn't affect or touch you in some way, you're not going to care too much about/for extras. If it does, if you're a fanboy/girl of that movie, you will want whatever extras you can get. And that audience is the one being targeted with the double dips.

I like extra scenes and videos related to the subject. Online extras so far have been disappointing- dont offer to rearrange scenes from the movie and "upload" ... that's a waste of time.

hey h, what is your duplicate HD DVD? I have been wondering for weeks.

h0mi · 08-05-2008, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

hey h, what is your duplicate HD DVD? I have been wondering for weeks.

300. I already owned a copy of it but gave it to a friend for Xmas, and took advantage of a best buy BOGO to get it again. But then I bought the HD-D3 player that had 300 in box. If I was sure I was gonna buy the D3 (or A3), I wouldn't have bought that copy of 300 the 2nd time around and would've saved ~30 bucks.

Regarding the topic, I rented harold & kumar's 2nd movie and the "Dude, change the movie" feature was awesome and hilarious. That's the kind of extra I could get into. Maybe not for every movie (see my previous comment) but it was definitely a feature I enjoyed.

HD Goofnut · 08-05-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0mi

300. I already owned a copy of it but gave it to a friend for Xmas, and took advantage of a best buy BOGO to get it again. But then I bought the HD-D3 player that had 300 in box. If I was sure I was gonna buy the D3 (or A3), I wouldn't have bought that copy of 300 the 2nd time around and would've saved ~30 bucks.

Regarding the topic, I rented harold & kumar's 2nd movie and the "Dude, change the movie" feature was awesome and hilarious. That's the kind of extra I could get into. Maybe not for every movie (see my previous comment) but it was definitely a feature I enjoyed.

I have forgotten so please forgive me. What was the difference between the D3 and A3 players?

ack_bak · 08-05-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I have forgotten so please forgive me. What was the difference between the D3 and A3 players?

D3 is the same as A3 except they are sold at places like Costco and include an hdmi cable. I have the HD-D2 model that was sold at Costco. I believe they use the different naming conventions so that places like Best Buy/Circuit City will not be forced to price match..

HD Goofnut · 08-05-2008, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ack_bak

D3 is the same as A3 except they are sold at places like Costco and include an hdmi cable. I have the HD-D2 model that was sold at Costco. I believe they use the different naming conventions so that places like Best Buy/Circuit City will not be forced to price match..

Thanks, I just couldn't remember.

08-02-2008, 10:47 PM	#4
jjufon CMMS Junkie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Frisco Tx Posts: 1,053	“After you put in high-def audio and video, since that is the focus, you might not have as much space on the Blu-ray as you did on a [standard def] two-disc special edition,” said Steve Nickerson, Summit president. “So now you have to choose.” Seems like even with all its "extra" space, it still can't deliver everything it promised; at least all at once. __________________ JJufon

08-03-2008, 11:25 AM	#6
sigill High Def fan Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: United kingdom-Manchester Age: 30 Posts: 2,606	IMO the BD version of a movie is supposed to be the ultimate experience. To achieve this it must have at least the same feature's as the DVD and hopefully something extra. Whether you care for special feature's or not if you are paying for a premium product i believe they should be there. I don't buy the we don't have enough space argument. If thats really the case release the BD as a 2 disc edition. __________________ Phillips 37" LCD 720p/1080i Sony BDP-S350 Sony BDP-S300 Toshiba XDE-500 DVD player Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 AVR KEF1005.2 speakers Latest HD movies bought - Burn After Reading - Jackie Brown - Full Metal Jacket 144 Blu-rays

08-04-2008, 09:46 AM	#8
Mase Way of the Samurai Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tempe,Az Posts: 3,189	Extras are very important for me, I definitely do not view them as being Fluff.. I always check out the extras and I really enjoy it when the studios do a good job and include quality content.. I like seeing behind the scenes and hearing from the director, writer, actors ect ect.. They can be very helpful to some who might not have understood the story, and also for the actors to give thier take on the role and their method for approaching certain stories and so on.. The last two Blu-Rays I watched (Be Kind Rewind, Doomsday) had decent Extras so I didnt really get into them like I normall would have but I would have liked to have seen more from behind the scenes and into the mind's of the creators/director.. __________________ PlayStation 3 : legnd Killer Xbox 360: Legnd K1ller Steam ID: Legnd_Killer Currently playing Battlefield Bad Company 2(360) AvP (360) GOW III 3/16/10 (PS3)

08-04-2008, 10:28 AM	#9
HD Goofnut The Official HDF Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mississippi, U.S.A. Your resident Dune, Star Wars, and war film expert Age: 28 Posts: 7,513	They need to start doing surveys to find out what kind of special features consumers are looking for. I myself like the making of featurettes, but could give a flying hoot about the trailer of the movie or still shots as you can find those online. I think if each stuido came to a "standard" concerning extra features for BDs then it would benefit the consumer and the studios' wallets. It could be something as simple as each BD 25 is required to have a making of featurette mininum and the BD 50 is required to have the making of featurettes as well as few additional items, such as cast and crew interviews. __________________ HD Displays: Sharp LC-46SB57UN 46" 120Hz 1080p LCD (24fps) & Sanyo DP46848 46" 1080p 60Hz LCD A/V Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Receiver Satellite Receivers: DirecTV HR21-100 HD DVR & H23-100 HD Speakers: Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 System Players: LG BH200 Super Blu, Sony 40 GB PS3, Maganvox NB500MG9, & ASUS SBC-06D1S-U External BD Drive Players: Toshiba HD-A20 & A2 My Movie Collection 362~142~DVD186 Latest BD Review: *Dirty Harry Collection*

08-04-2008, 09:01 PM	#10
h0mi High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 293	I've said this before and I'll say it again. It depends on the movie. If the movie doesn't affect or touch you in some way, you're not going to care too much about/for extras. If it does, if you're a fanboy/girl of that movie, you will want whatever extras you can get. And that audience is the one being targeted with the double dips. I like extra scenes and videos related to the subject. Online extras so far have been disappointing- dont offer to rearrange scenes from the movie and "upload" ... that's a waste of time. __________________ : 26 (1 dupe) : 57 "(Format) War's long done. We're all just folk now."

08-02-2008, 10:04 AM	#2
ImRizzo My Death is a Rumor Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Formerly: Brooklyn, N.Y. and now, from Deep within the Bowels of Hell ... Age: 66 Posts: 9,374	Maybe it's just me, but all I want is the Movie, skip the BS add-ons, Special features, Actors and Directors comments and coming attractions. The only acceptable add-on feature could possibly be the out-takes, and COMMERCIALS, WTF commercials, why am I expected to have to pay to watch an advertiser trailer ?? Removing that crap should cut cost so we can get BRD movies at a reasonable cost. Didn't they make enough money of the movie already, between ticket sales, and movie related gimmicks ( toys, tee-shirts, video games etc.).....JMO (just my opinion). ......Da Rizz....

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