Decided to make this thread based on a lot of common random musings we share amongst each other from what I read.
Here's my checklist of what I require when I'm looking for a Blu-Ray!
For New Releases:
- Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack
- Love the convenience of having the DVD even though I don't use them at all hardly. Loan them out to friends, or take them to the office on a rainy day to watch on the computer since they don't have blu-ray readers. I confess personally to have NEVER ever used any of my digital/ultraviolet copies EVER.
- Slipcover in very good condition
- If I'm at Best Buy, I try to find the one in the back of the row that's least damaged/bent around the corners top. Otherwise, I'll just go with Target since they usually have them in the plastic anti-theft case. I
really hard though when I see the cashier try to rip the blu-ray w/slipcase out of the plastic case when it's almost stuck/too tight …
- No hard to remove price tag on slip cover
- I'm looking at YOU Best Buy. Your price tag stickers I've had to fight over the years with… leave terrible residue and it makes my slips look terrible.
- Try to avoid gift/boxsets (like Batcowl TDKR boxset)
- Why you ask? Ain't nobody got the shelf space for all that! I like my blu-rays organized on the shelf like books and cassette tapes. Don't like having HUGE boxes everywhere. I own the huge Lion King box blu-ray collection only because my sister bought it for me… otherwise probably would've gotten all the individual releases with individual slipcovers.
- I will make an exception to the rule on TV show boxsets. I don't own any TV shows on blu-ray yet, just because I get annoyed that most of the shows I like don't have fancy cosmetic boxsets like their DVD counterparts. A lot of them like Sons of Anarchy, Always Sunny, Breaking Bad are just regular/thicker blu-ray cases with basic artwork. Not brochure styled open boxes or box with multiple blu-cases inside. House has nice boxes for a blu, but I will wait in the hopes that one day the entire series is released on blu-ray. Would hate to have just the last 3-4 seasons on blu then buy the first 4 on DVD.
Older Movies with a Modern Release- Slipcover! (makes it nice since most older movies aren't combo packs that usually come with slips! saw The Funhouse with a slipcover at Moviestop!)
- Special Edition > Regular Release (makes it sound nicer in my collection)
- When Bourne movies came out on blu, they're Blu/DVD combo with no slips. When the Universal 100 Anniversary released them with the hardcover slips, I couldn't resist. I'm still trying to track down Bourne Identity though. Only found Ultimatum and Supremacy.
Things I try to avoid like the Plague!- 3 Movie Packs
- My reasoning is simple. I'd rather own each movie in its own separate case and artwork than have 3 in 1. I know it's cheaper to get 3 in one and more convenient, but I have too much respect for some classic movies like 2001 and Friday and Watchmen to get them clustered in a 3 movie pack as opposed to letting them have their own space on my shelf.
- Single Blu-Ray releases if I know there's a combo lying around somewhere.
Put it simply:
Blu-Ray+DVD+Digital Combo w/ Slipcover (ex
ark Knight Rises)
Blu-Ray+Digital Combo w/ Slipcover (ex: X-Men First Class / Expendables 2)
Blu-Ray+DVD Combo no slipcover (ex: Remember the Titans/ Quantum of Solace)
Blu-Ray Steelbook
> Blu-Ray Digibook
Single Blu-Ray (sometimes for my favorite pre-blu-ray era movies I have no choice like Collateral/Dumb and Dumber, Tears of the Sun).
There ARE some slippery slopes for me. I didn't start buying steelbooks until I saw the ones at Best Buy. I was looking for a copy of Batman Begins when Rises hit theaters this past summer, and I opted for the steelbook over the regular case because of how nice it looked and I know Begins would never get a combo pack + slipcover. The steelbook for Begins also looked better go with my Dark Knight and TDK Rises slipcovered combo packs. I bought Sherlock Holmes solo when Game of Shadows came out in theaters, but recently a steelbook was released that I double dipped and just gave away the old copy I had. I've almost bought The Departed several times in regular solo casing when I see it in the $7 deal section at BB... but I always stop because I know it comes on FX every week. The steelbook looks really nice though, so I might buy it when the U&S deal comes in a few weeks. Same for Book of Eli. No combo w/slip, but the steelbook looked too darn sexy for me NOT to buy it.