Single Sided Blu-ray Disks vs Double Sided Disks: Where Do You Stand?

[kemcha]

not a serious thread, but an opinion-based one

While I've gotten myself in trouble, on occasion, with the staff here. I'm curious where everyone stands. Now, I've heard all of the argument that double sided Blu-ray disks don't have any playback issues but with those of us who hate them with a passion, we've kind of developed an enraged hate over these type of disks.

Some of you may remember the double sided DVDs that were released via DVD boxed sets and how many problems they caused many consumers over the years. With Blu-ray, everyone who loves them tries to convince the rest of us that there's no problem. Well, that may be fine but we have developed such a hatred for these disks that it runs everywhere where our hatred for them lies.

For me, there's a lot of hate I have for these disks.

1. Blu-ray/DVD Combo.
The reason I purchased a Blu-ray player and a 32 HDTV was so I could enjoy the superior quality of this format. After sitting for many years on the fence, I found myself jumping into this new format, despite the many reservations I still had about it. Now, studios start releasing these "combo" disks with the DVD on one side and a Blu-ray on the other. I never saw the reasoning behind this. Why would I want to go back to an inferior format?

My main argument was that why couldn't studios do like Disney and many other studios, release a single title that has the Blu-ray on one disk and the DVD version on a second disk. Apparently, studios like Universal, Summit, Warner Brothers, etc., still have a morbid fetish with double sided disks and so they stick their customers with them because it saves them on manufacturing costs. That's just fine. But, why not also pass on those savings to the customers by lowering the price of that double sided disk?

2. "The Myth of Fingerprints" is a real problem for Double Sided Blu-ray (or Customers Will Boycott Your Releases).
Double sided disks? With the backlash over double sided DVDs, studios decided that they still like the format but they limit the growth of their sales because some customers won't purchase any title that has a double sided disk.

The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultamatum, Out of Africa, Twilight Eclipse, The Jackal and many others feature double sided disks and yet the studios don't realize that there are a lot of customers who won't buy these disks because of the "double sided disks".

3. The final solution?
I miss the artwork on my Blu-ray disks.

I simply boycott any Blu-ray release that is touted as a double disk. I don't boycott the company but I simply dislike double sided disks so much that I refuse to buy titles that include these disks. While I'll admit that there's a psychological impression when it comes to double sided disks, I have had too much experience with playback problems with double sided DVDs that I won't take that chance with Blu-ray disks.

[Adrock]

Originally Posted by kemcha

I simply boycott any Blu-ray release that is touted as a double disk. I don't boycott the company but I simply dislike double sided disks so much that I refuse to buy titles that include these disks. While I'll admit that there's a psychological impression when it comes to double sided disks, I have had too much experience with playback problems with double sided DVDs that I won't take that chance with Blu-ray disks.

I think you could have just wrote that last paragraph instead of all the other mess.

Me? I don't like double sided discs personally, but if that is the only way a film is available that I want, then I'd probably pick it up.

[kemcha]

I generally avoid such disks. I was just fortunate that the "Bourne Trilogy" was eventually released as single sided disks along with Twilight Eclipse. I just have an abhorrent hatered for these double sided disks.

[AgentOrange]

I hate double sided discs. I like to have nice artwork on the top side of the disc, rather than a disc surface which is just asking for me to put my fingerprints on it. I'm slightly annoyed even when I see "generic" labeling on the top of the disc (usually a silver disc with nothing but the film title and blu-ray logo), but if it's a budget priced blu-ray I guess I can overlook that. I really can't overlook the double sided/flipper discs though. I hated them in the DVD days when they did the "widescreen/fullscreen" nonsense, and I hate it now. If I know it's a flipper disc I will try to avoid it...

The "combo packs" don't really bother me, but they don't really do anything for me either. I would prefer blu-ray release only, and in a sturdy case rather than those crappy eco cases.

[shawz0311]

I try and avoid flipper disc, only have one, Goodfellas DVD. But if that's the only thing avaliable, so be it.

[Pirate King]

I do not like two-sided discs...I would rather not have a two-sided disc... however, I do not purchase discs... I purchase movies. If that is the only way it is available, and I want the movie, then I would purchase it.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by kemcha

not a serious thread, but an opinion-based one

While I've gotten myself in trouble, on occasion, with the staff here. I'm curious where everyone stands. Now, I've heard all of the argument that double sided Blu-ray disks don't have any playback issues but with those of us who hate them with a passion, we've kind of developed an enraged hate over these type of disks.

Some of you may remember the double sided DVDs that were released via DVD boxed sets and how many problems they caused many consumers over the years. With Blu-ray, everyone who loves them tries to convince the rest of us that there's no problem. Well, that may be fine but we have developed such a hatred for these disks that it runs everywhere where our hatred for them lies.

For me, there's a lot of hate I have for these disks.

1. Blu-ray/DVD Combo.
The reason I purchased a Blu-ray player and a 32 HDTV was so I could enjoy the superior quality of this format. After sitting for many years on the fence, I found myself jumping into this new format, despite the many reservations I still had about it. Now, studios start releasing these "combo" disks with the DVD on one side and a Blu-ray on the other. I never saw the reasoning behind this. Why would I want to go back to an inferior format?

My main argument was that why couldn't studios do like Disney and many other studios, release a single title that has the Blu-ray on one disk and the DVD version on a second disk. Apparently, studios like Universal, Summit, Warner Brothers, etc., still have a morbid fetish with double sided disks and so they stick their customers with them because it saves them on manufacturing costs. That's just fine. But, why not also pass on those savings to the customers by lowering the price of that double sided disk?

2. "The Myth of Fingerprints" is a real problem for Double Sided Blu-ray (or Customers Will Boycott Your Releases).
Double sided disks? With the backlash over double sided DVDs, studios decided that they still like the format but they limit the growth of their sales because some customers won't purchase any title that has a double sided disk.

The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultamatum, Out of Africa, Twilight Eclipse, The Jackal and many others feature double sided disks and yet the studios don't realize that there are a lot of customers who won't buy these disks because of the "double sided disks".

3. The final solution?
I miss the artwork on my Blu-ray disks.

I simply boycott any Blu-ray release that is touted as a double disk. I don't boycott the company but I simply dislike double sided disks so much that I refuse to buy titles that include these disks. While I'll admit that there's a psychological impression when it comes to double sided disks, I have had too much experience with playback problems with double sided DVDs that I won't take that chance with Blu-ray disks.

me personally. I don't care. I had 2 issues with flippers back in the DVD days and 0 in my blu ray days

1. combos are for people who don't have a blu ray player yet to entice them in the "hey I have it already why don't I buy a blu ray player, to give blu ray owners the flexibility to take it over to someone's house that doesn't have a blu ray player, a dvd player in the car or other such stuff.

2. the amount of people who won't buy flippers are relegated to internet geek forums like this. aka 0.000000000000001% of the blu ray buying population.

3. the reason for flippers instead of blu and dvd combo's is to keep people from buying the combo pack and selling off the dvd or blu ray (thus having them buy from the studio instead of some guy on ebay for a cannibalized set)

4. artwork ... *shrug, no biggie for me. as for fingerprints. that's what a soft cloth is for. handle a disc by the edge like it's supposed to and I have no more fingerprints on flippers than I do single sided discs

[42041]

I really don't care, though it's funny how passionate people get about the topic I had some HDDVD flippers back during the format war days and they didn't inconvenience me one bit.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by kemcha

Some of you may remember the double sided DVDs that were released via DVD boxed sets and how many problems they caused many consumers over the years.

How could I forget? Those discs were an invention from hell, or pretty close to it. I lost count of how many discs got easily damaged, and finally gave up.

1. Blu-ray/DVD Combo.
The reason I purchased a Blu-ray player and a 32 HDTV was so I could enjoy the superior quality of this format. After sitting for many years on the fence, I found myself jumping into this new format, despite the many reservations I still had about it. Now, studios start releasing these "combo" disks with the DVD on one side and a Blu-ray on the other. I never saw the reasoning behind this. Why would I want to go back to an inferior format?

Agreed, though I don't have an HDTV myself yet. The only DVDs I buy now are titles which haven't seen a Blu-Ray release yet.

The Bourne Identity...Supremacy...Ultimatum

Actually, the originally-released boxset contained all 3 films on single-sided discs. The "flipper" monstrosities were done later.

3. The final solution?
I miss the artwork on my Blu-ray disks.

Agreed; it ticked me off that many of my fave TV shows were released on flippers.

[kemcha]

Moviefan, are you sure about that? I remember when Universal first released the Bourne Trilogy on Blu-ray. They released a boxed sey as double sided Blu-ray disks and then later released the movies as single release titles, also double sided.

It was later on that Universal released the films only in a boxed set and that was when they were released as single sidede Blu-ray disks.

I don't recall Universal originally releasing the Bourne films as single sided disks. I'm sure that cam later. Matter of fact, they were released about two years ago as single sided disks.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by kemcha

Moviefan, are you sure about that? I remember when Universal first released the Bourne Trilogy on Blu-ray. They released a boxed sey as double sided Blu-ray disks and then later released the movies as single release titles, also double sided.

It was later on that Universal released the films only in a boxed set and that was when they were released as single sidede Blu-ray disks.

I don't recall Universal originally releasing the Bourne films as single sided disks. I'm sure that cam later. Matter of fact, they were released about two years ago as single sided disks.

he's right. the ONLY flippers for the bourne sets came in the singles. the first boxset and all subsequent boxsets have all been single sided

[kemcha]

I'm not saying that you guys are wrong but before the single sided versions were released, via that economy boxed set just recently, that Universal had released a boxed set that had the same Blu-ray/DVD combo disks. I know it had been a matter of serious debate in the Bourne trilogy topic. There was a lot of complaints from members here that Universal hadn't released the films as single sided disks. If the original releases were single sided, they may have been the first wave of the releases for this trilogy.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by kemcha

I'm not saying that you guys are wrong but before the single sided versions were released, via that economy boxed set just recently, that Universal had released a boxed set that had the same Blu-ray/DVD combo disks. I know it had been a matter of serious debate in the Bourne trilogy topic. There was a lot of complaints from members here that Universal hadn't released the films as single sided disks. If the original releases were single sided, they may have been the first wave of the releases for this trilogy.

I can GUARANTEE that they NEVER had a trilogy boxset with the flippers. the Flippers have ALWAYS been the singles


the original $90 boxset with the fliplid was the ONLY way to get the movies for almost a year or so. those were ALL single sided. then they released the singles, and they were the flippers. that's when all the hullabaloo started. after that they released a boxset without the fancy packaging. that was the same 3 single sided discs as the original boxset. the 100th anniversary editions are the same flippers as the original singles but with the new slipcover and the digital copy code added. there are NO other editions (at least in the united states)

[supercutz]

I dislike double-sided discs and so far have avoided purchasing any movies that are only available as "flippers".

[MrBrown]

As far as I know, I have no BD/DVD or BD flipper two sided disc, yet. It seems publishers in GErmany tend to release 2 Disc Combo Sets with a BD and a DVD Disc, and not a combined Disc.

I really don't like the idea, of messing different Type of discs into one. I have few DVD flippers (afaik two of them: El Mariachi / Desperado from Germany and Terminator 2/Bonus Features from US) and its always a kind of anoying find the correct side. Even if I love the LaserDisc format, I hate the fact, that they are two sided.

I may like to have a Combo Disc Set (1 DVD and one BD for a movie) but I think two sided Discs seem to get more problems with fingerprints. a normal disc has at least one side where I may put my fingers onto.

[Cevolution]

Double sided discs died here in Australia with the introduction of blu-ray. Not 1 blu-ray has been released here with double sides since blu-rays debut to the market in 2006. Personally I don't like double sided discs, I used to own 2 of them on DVD, and they were an inconvienence too me. I have a medical issue where sometimes my hands sweat a lot, so whenever I would handle the discs to put them back in their cases after watching them, they would always get sweaty fingerprints all over them from having to lighting push them down so they would lock into the button. Since both sides of the disc had readable information, I was having to consistently clean the sweaty fingerprints off, and with dvd's being so fragile, the discs would always get light surface scratches on them from cleaning them with a lint free microfibre cloth (gently wiping from the inner edge to the outer edge in a straight line).