Do it fast or do it right?

[radagast]

There has been many people impatient to have their favorite movies on BD NOW. They don't want to wait any longer and they're pissed if it isn't ALREADY out on Blu-ray.

Consider these excerpts from Bill Hunt's latest:

"George wanted to stress Warner's absolute commitment to Blu-ray, not just on the new release front but with catalog material too. They don't want situations where people have to wonder, "Should I buy the DVD now or should I wait for a Blu-ray version?" of a classic title. They intend for that choice to be available day-and-date with every new restoration/special edition release they do. Warner doesn't want there to BE a wait.

One of the biggest issues they've had to deal with is something that all the Hollywood studios are discovering with their catalog titles: The previous 1080i films transfers they've done just aren't good enough to release on Blu-ray. So they're having to go back and do all-new 1080p transfers for Blu-ray release. That amounts to four or five years of work that needs to be redone in some cases, and that obviously takes time, because Warner - probably more than any other studio - is determined to do it right."

"One of the challenges Warner faces in releasing its classic titles on Blu-ray, is one of expectations. Warner is obviously spending lots of time and money to complete their classic film restorations, in order to get these films looking terrific on DVD and Blu-ray. But no matter how much time and money the studio puts into them, the reality is that classic films are never going to look as good in 1080p as brand new films, or CG titles like Cars. But many who watch these discs don't fully understand that. It's something we've already heard from even a few experienced DVD watchers in recent months. There were some people, for example, who were initially surprised and disappointed at the look on Blu-ray of Sony's Close Encounters."

"As for other titles, yes... Clash of the Titans is coming. Heat needs a new 1080p transfer, but director Michael Mann has agreed to supervise one, so as soon as the studio can get the work finished properly, you'll see that title released on Blu-ray. Twister is coming to Blu-ray (and HD-DVD, both in May). As for those titles we mentioned yesterday that are going on moratorium (The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Woodstock and North by Northwest), the moratorium begins at the end of February, and then they'll come back to DVD - and be all-new on Blu-ray - in 2009. "

"In general, however, you should know that whenever Warner delays the release of a classic title, it's usually because the studio wants to get it right and really wants to take the extra time to get it there. They won't release ANYTHING before it's ready."

"Finally, there was one other concern many of you Blu-ray enthusiasts had for Warner. Specifically, a lot of you said you wanted to studio to start including uncompressed audio on ALL Blu-ray Disc releases, both new and catalog. Rest assured, the right people have heard your concern..."

So for anyone angry about waiting for Batman Begins on BD, I ask: "Do you want it NOW, or would you rather wait and have it done RIGHT?"