Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[Bobby Henderson]

I'm a little surprised no one has yet mentioned Bill Hunt's custom package design for the new Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray box set.

I think it's a pretty cool design, but with one exception. I personally would never put any of my Blu-ray discs (or any other optical discs for that matter) into plastic binder sleeves. I've seen plenty of music CDs scuffed up by those things. One of my coworkers put his DVD collection into a plastic binder album and over a short period of time saw many of those DVDs become scratched and ruined.

Blu-ray discs have a scratch resistant surface, but they absolutely are not scratch proof. I've encountered a few rental BDs that fully prove such discs can be scratched and ruined.

I wonder if there are any retail sources where people can buy the basic disc holder trays you see in some custom DVD packaging. Anyone who has the original 2-disc Fight Club DVD with its paperboard packaging would know what I'm talking about. Someone could build a unique multi-disc package while still allowing the discs to be stored without anything contacting the playing surface.

[Uxi]

They should have included the mini-jewel cases like the Star Trek 6-movie set did. Or at least the plastic bookflap thing like the TOS season 1 (and a few other multi-disc sets)

[Jeff Kleist]

Yeah, I've never been a fan of those binder sleeves for the same reasons. I do have a few binders that are just CD trays made into pages though

They should have included the mini-jewel cases like the Star Trek 6-movie set did.

Those are slim keepcases. A jewel case is like what a CD comes in. I'm curious whether 3 slimline cases would fit in those slots, because if future, better series come in similar packaging, I want to be ready

[Mr. Cinema]

It's been mentioned before that the studios' plan is to make the BD the special edition option and then releasing a barebones dvd as a cheaper option.

With the "Observe and Report" BD being the only disc with features, is this kicking off those plans, or is this just something WB is testing.

[Billy Rickey]

Hey Jeff do you know if Fox's has any plans on releasing a Predator Quadrilogy I seen it is being release in Australia

[Jeff Kleist]

Since there are only 2 Predator movies, no

[Billy Rickey]

Jeff have you heard anything about the blade movies coming to blu with in the next year?

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by wallendo

Say it ain't so.

To me, there is nothing wrong with the original version and no need to make another.

Audrey is Eliza and I can't imagine anyone other than Rex Harrison as 'enry 'iggins.

The ONLY good thing about this is it means the original will finally work its way to blu-ray for all of us Hepburn fans to enjoy.

[ranitasus]

Originally Posted by Billy Rickey

Hey Jeff do you know if Fox's has any plans on releasing a Predator Quadrilogy I seen it is being release in Australia

Since when has there been more than 2 Predator movies? lmao

[Billy Rickey]

Originally Posted by ranitasus

Since when has there been more than 2 Predator movies? lmao

In the box set it has both Predator movies and both AVP movies

[ranitasus]

Originally Posted by Billy Rickey

In the box set it has both Predator movies and both AVP movies

AHHH!!!! Ok ok.

[NL197]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

I think it's a pretty cool design, but with one exception. I personally would never put any of my Blu-ray discs (or any other optical discs for that matter) into plastic binder sleeves. I've seen plenty of music CDs scuffed up by those things. One of my coworkers put his DVD collection into a plastic binder album and over a short period of time saw many of those DVDs become scratched and ruined.

I use them for my TV DVDs because of the awkwardness of digipak packaging and other variants, and every one of my TV DVDs is scuffed near the top where the disc is uncovered by the sleeve. No playback issues, but I tried selling off a few titles and couldn't because of those scuff marks, and I barely watched those discs I was trying to sell.

[jaaguir]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I'm sure Sony will be watching Warner's experiment on GWTW and Oz this Christmas with great interest

What's the experiment? Releasing old movies in "collectors only" editions at ludicrous prices? Do you mean this could become the norm for all studios?

So far Sony has been releasing its classics in standard packaging, so I guess they should be watching "North by northwest", which is closer in price to their releases?

[Jeff Kleist]

Classic movies are not selling in numbers to support themselves, the studios want to put them out, so they are banking that a signifigant number of collector types will pay more to have it now as opposed to later, as long as some decent bonuses are attached to make it worth your while ($40 DVD set in the Oz box for example). They can release a far greater number of titles if there's a sustainable ecosystem. Otherwise, I expect them to slow to a trickle for 2-3 more years while the over-40 installed base increases

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by wallendo

Say it ain't so.

To me, there is nothing wrong with the original version and no need to make another.

Audrey is Eliza and I can't imagine anyone other than Rex Harrison as 'enry 'iggins.

Actually Julie Andrews is Eliza...

[BluDomain]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Classic movies are not selling in numbers to support themselves, the studios want to put them out, so they are banking that a signifigant number of collector types will pay more to have it now as opposed to later, as long as some decent bonuses are attached to make it worth your while ($40 DVD set in the Oz box for example). They can release a far greater number of titles if there's a sustainable ecosystem. Otherwise, I expect them to slow to a trickle for 2-3 more years while the over-40 installed base increases

I really don't mind the price if they would only put in the box a
standard blu-ray case with the cover art [as a decent bonus].
Then I could trash the rest. Go Green

Thank you Warner for the very nice Red2Blu issue of Casablanca.
Cover Art is great.

[jaaguir]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Classic movies are not selling in numbers to support themselves, the studios want to put them out, so they are banking that a signifigant number of collector types will pay more to have it now as opposed to later, as long as some decent bonuses are attached to make it worth your while ($40 DVD set in the Oz box for example). They can release a far greater number of titles if there's a sustainable ecosystem. Otherwise, I expect them to slow to a trickle for 2-3 more years while the over-40 installed base increases

Thanks for answering.

I wonder then, is this trend of classics not selling different in Europe? I say this because they released "Casablanca" in ordinary packaging a long time ago there, and they're releasing "TWOO" and "GWTW" in November in standard packaging too. Or do studios treat consumers differently among continents? Just curious.

EDIT: "When the lion roars" is indeed an interesting part of that box-set and it would make me consider buying it, since there's not much chance the documentary will ever be re-mastered in HD. I checked the price of the stand-alone dvd at Amazon and it costs $21.5, so that lets us with $37.5 for the movie and the rest of the items, which still is too much for me. But so they are, the laws of economics, I guess.

It's interesting that Paramount is jumping on the classic (and B&W!!) releases bandwagon soon with "It's a wonderful life" at a reasonable price. We'll see what happens.

[BluDomain]

Originally Posted by jaaguir

.... Or do studios treat consumers differently among continents?

We, in the United States, are very fortunate in having the
largest landfills in the World. And are not charged by the
bag.

Thanks for the heads up.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wizard-Oz-Bl...9311358&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gone-Wind-Bl...9311474&sr=1-1

[Jeff Kleist]

I wonder then, is this trend of classics not selling different in Europe? I say this because they released "Casablanca" in ordinary packaging a long time ago there, and they're releasing "TWOO" and "GWTW" in November in standard packaging too. Or do studios treat consumers differently among continents? Just curious.

Europe is an odd duck in that it's like marketing to the US, if you had a different government and language in every state. Likely they can't hit the critical mass necessary in Europe for each language to make it worth it, or other licensing issues get in the way.

Keep in mind, both films have also been re-transferred and completely cleaned from scratch from their DVD releases 5 years ago. This is EXPENSIVE. The deluxe package is beautiful, but agree that it's awkward to store (though I wouldn't be suprised if they had keepcases inside them).

Europe alone cannot support these releases, so keep that in mind. The US is still far and away the primary market for Blu, and they're going to move these things 2-1 here, and that's what makes them viable to produce in the first place

[FourToedStatue]

its what Ive been saying about tv shows. I paid 100 dollars for the X-files when it hit DVD the first time. If TV shows aren't selling why not premium price them, even temporarily until the base increases?