Are TV shows on Blu-ray failing? - Blu-ray Forum

Samuray · 06-10-2010, 05:30 PM

For the last two years or so I kept thinking "TV on Blu" was just off to a slow start, with high production costs and dropping sales of television shows in general impeding a quicker proliferation of TV series on our favorite format. While this may still hold true, I am now expecting this condition to remain unchanged for at least two more years.

You see, I was quietly expecting 2010 to be the year in which most important shows would make the jump to hi-def. Some of them have done so, yes, but the vast majority is still coming out on DVD, and while that's fine by me in some cases, there are others that really me.

First of all, many shows that saw Blu-ray releases last year are being abandoned and are being switched back to DVD-only. That was the case with "Rescue Me" and "Nip/Tuck" as well as "Damages" and "Robin Hood (2006)", but now you can add "Burn Notice", "How I Met Your Mother", the Canadian show "Flashpoint", "Crash" and -- especially disappointing to me -- the fantastic "Breaking Bad" to that list, although there is still a tiny bit of hope with that one.

And then there is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", which saw a pretty awesome BD release last year, but Season 10 will go back to DVD-only while "Miami" and "NY" still won't make it to Blu-ray. Sure, they're just procedurals and not the highest art of storytelling, but they have compelling visuals and I find it always disappointing when a show goes back to lo-def after a season of Blu-ray.

Another thing I'm really not getting is why most of the new, successful shows haven't found their way to Blu. Some of them have, yes, like "Human Target", "The Vampire Diaries" and "V", but others like "Parenthood" or "Warehouse 13" seem afraid to make the jump. CBS Studios are clearly the worst offender....why won't heavy hitters like "NCIS", "NCIS: Los Angeles" or "The Good Wife" be made available in HD? Then again, "Desperate Housewives" is still rejecting the BLUes, as well...maybe due to the female target demographic, who knows?

Not everything's looking bleak, though: "House, M.D." is finally coming and several newcomers are given the HD treatment, as well. I'm looking forward to "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", for example, and of course "Glee", and quite a few releases from last year will get appropriate successors this fall ("Fringe", "Sons of Anarchy", "Chuck", "Supernatural", "24", "Lost"...). Oh, and HBO's been really good lately when it comes to Blu-ray releases.

Anyway, it seems we have a long road ahead of us before the majority of new TV releases comes out on Blu-ray, as well. I chose that particular headline for my posting because I am surprised how many shows are being abandoned on BD this year, and so it seems this will be an uphill race.

Anyway, I am happy for those shows we do get on Blu and will have to content myself with the DVD sets of the shows we don't.
Thanks for reading.

.Samuray

06-10-2010, 05:30 PM	#1
Samuray Member Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Germany	Are TV shows on Blu-ray failing? For the last two years or so I kept thinking "TV on Blu" was just off to a slow start, with high production costs and dropping sales of television shows in general impeding a quicker proliferation of TV series on our favorite format. While this may still hold true, I am now expecting this condition to remain unchanged for at least two more years. You see, I was quietly expecting 2010 to be the year in which most important shows would make the jump to hi-def. Some of them have done so, yes, but the vast majority is still coming out on DVD, and while that's fine by me in some cases, there are others that really me. First of all, many shows that saw Blu-ray releases last year are being abandoned and are being switched back to DVD-only. That was the case with "Rescue Me" and "Nip/Tuck" as well as "Damages" and "Robin Hood (2006)", but now you can add "Burn Notice", "How I Met Your Mother", the Canadian show "Flashpoint", "Crash" and -- especially disappointing to me -- the fantastic "Breaking Bad" to that list, although there is still a tiny bit of hope with that one. And then there is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", which saw a pretty awesome BD release last year, but Season 10 will go back to DVD-only while "Miami" and "NY" still won't make it to Blu-ray. Sure, they're just procedurals and not the highest art of storytelling, but they have compelling visuals and I find it always disappointing when a show goes back to lo-def after a season of Blu-ray. Another thing I'm really not getting is why most of the new, successful shows haven't found their way to Blu. Some of them have, yes, like "Human Target", "The Vampire Diaries" and "V", but others like "Parenthood" or "Warehouse 13" seem afraid to make the jump. CBS Studios are clearly the worst offender....why won't heavy hitters like "NCIS", "NCIS: Los Angeles" or "The Good Wife" be made available in HD? Then again, "Desperate Housewives" is still rejecting the BLUes, as well...maybe due to the female target demographic, who knows? Not everything's looking bleak, though: "House, M.D." is finally coming and several newcomers are given the HD treatment, as well. I'm looking forward to "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", for example, and of course "Glee", and quite a few releases from last year will get appropriate successors this fall ("Fringe", "Sons of Anarchy", "Chuck", "Supernatural", "24", "Lost"...). Oh, and HBO's been really good lately when it comes to Blu-ray releases. Anyway, it seems we have a long road ahead of us before the majority of new TV releases comes out on Blu-ray, as well. I chose that particular headline for my posting because I am surprised how many shows are being abandoned on BD this year, and so it seems this will be an uphill race. Anyway, I am happy for those shows we do get on Blu and will have to content myself with the DVD sets of the shows we don't. Thanks for reading. .Samuray

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals