Why no Blu-ray/DVD combo discs?

[STI Jaguar]

I have no need for any combo players. We just need the sorry format of HD-DVD to die so we can get all the movies.

[blindcat87]

A whole pack of reasons.

1. Too expensive to set up. Toshiba has been highly subsidizing the combo titles, otherwise you would see how cost effective they are not. Toshiba pushed Paramount into experimenting with a combo only release in the Star Trek TOS season 1 box set. The attempt tanked.

2. Quality issues. If you haven't read much about it, combo HD DVDs have been plagued by glitching and just plain dud discs. That is where the whole boiling discs thing came from. The interfacing of two different format layers proved to be much more of a problem than the HD DVD PG anticipated. This is why WB started reissuing a lot of their combo titles as HD DVD only versions. They got sick of replacing bad discs. This is also why they never brought their triple format Total HD discs to market, imagine the difficulty of interfacing three different format layers.

3. Every layer added to a disc increases the chances of a coaster exponentially. Most BD releases now are BD 50 dual layer discs. Adding a third layer of another format just isn't a good plan for a studio that wants success and profit on a release.

4. As much as some individuals might like the convenience, most consumers don't want combos and most studios don't want to put them out. The number of consumers that would like dual format support is greatly outnumbered by the number that want a single sided disc and don't want to worry about damaging the DVD side. This is probably the least important reason for studios though, the other reasons are more than enough to make dual format discs a bad idea.

Dual sided DVDs have not done so well, DVD-18 releases were plagued by the same problems that combo HD DVDs have had and proved unpopular with consumers to boot. That is why most studios have or are in the process of abandoning them. For example, my Bones Season 1 DVD set was DVD-18s and took several returns to get one free of bad discs, my Bones Season 2 set is DVD-9s. If I could replace the first season with a DVD-9 set, I would in a second.

Chris

[blindcat87]

Panasonic already has a car player on the way. Can a portable be far behind?

Chris

Originally Posted by Kristin Simard

...?

Well, IMO we should be demanding the new, not lingering with the old. With Blu-ray becoming the standard, it's just a matter of time before there are lots of portable Blu-ray players on the market, likewise car Blu-ray players and HD screens.

[MOONPHASE]

Bandai's anime has already done this but the msrp price they charge is $79.99 so in other words it exists but doesn't need to. I mean come on the whole point on spending the money is for the movie in hd not sd. besides laptops are getting blu-ray players built into them now in days why in the heck would we need a blu-ray disc with a dvd combo in them just to spend more money for a worthless dvd? I say you either buy the movie on blu when it first comes out or get the dvd when it comes out but not both in the same package.

[blindcat87]

The Bandai releases are not combo discs, they are BD discs with a DVD included. They actually don't charge extra for the additional DVD, the high price is because they are simul-releasing in the US and Japan, and the US prices match the prices of their releases in Japan so that Japanese consumers don't skip the local release and import the cheaper US release since we share the same region for BD.

I truly think the best solution for those that want portability is the digital copy trend. Fox's first announced release with digital copy does not raise the MSRP, so that means that those of us who don't really care won't be forced to pay extra for other people's portability wishes.

Chris

I think we have gotten spoiled. I remember drooling over the first portable DVD players, finally a way to watch my movies on the go. VHS and LD sure didn't offer that. Unfortunately, the first portables started at around $800 and went up from there. Like someone else said, this is the price of early adopting. Eventually mass adoption will happen and prices of hardware and software will fall.

Chris

Originally Posted by MOONPHASE

Bandai's anime has already done this but the msrp price they charge is $79.99 so in other words it exists but doesn't need to. I mean come on the whole point on spending the money is for the movie in hd not sd. besides laptops are getting blu-ray players built into them now in days why in the heck would we need a blu-ray disc with a dvd combo in them just to spend more money for a worthless dvd? I say you either buy the movie on blu when it first comes out or get the dvd when it comes out but not both in the same package.

[Scripture]

Originally Posted by bajor27

As much as I'd like them, considering all the issues with the HD-DVD combo discs - NO THANKS!!!

Couldn't agree with you more. I absolutely ABHOR combo discs. If I wanted to buy a SD-DVD, then I would have done so separately. Not to mention the mark up on the pricing, for something that I don't even want.

Please, please, please BDA, do not implement combo discs!

[TheRealBob]

Originally Posted by miokti

Blu/DVD combo was never in the plan... i think.

According to the official Blu-ray Disc site, blu-raydisc.com, it was part of the plan:

Hybrid Disc (single-sided, triple-layer disc. Can hold 25 GB Blu-ray content and 8.5 GB standard def content all on one side of a disc). 50 GB Blu-ray and 8.5 GB hybrid disc currently in the works

Link: http://www.blu-raydisc.com/Section-1...s/4/Index.html

I think it's a nice idea if they can pull it off.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

BECAUSE IT'S A DUMB IDEA!

There... it needed to be said, so I said it.

[cathexist]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

BECAUSE IT'S A DUMB IDEA!

There... it needed to be said, so I said it.

+1

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by BigJay

I'm an owner of one Blu-ray player and there are four other DVD players in my home.

The Blu-ray player (PS3) is for my "home theater" set-up.

The one thing I find discouraging is the lack of Blu-ray / DVD combos.

HD-DVD (the obvious loser) has not all, but several titles available in the HD-DVD / DVD format.

Is there any reason that Blu-ray is not doing this? (Contractual, etc.)

I'd love the ability to enjoy pure and crisp HD on my main set, but sometimes the kids want to watch a movie (Cars, Ratatouille) on the "play room" set and I don't want to have to purchase two copies of the movie.

Are Blu-ray / DVD combos coming out in the future?

If you ask me, it would be a positive step for Blu-ray - hey, sure, you'll get the HD experience on one side of the disc, and the other will be perfect for trips in the mini-van or watching at Grandma's house over the holidays...

I agree. It certainly slowed me from purchasing a blu-ray player, and I suspect many others. I have 4 tvs in my apartment, 2 being hd, 1 blu-ray player. I'd like to have the option of watching something I buy in all rooms, or even in my laptop on the road. Its pretty silly to get a blu ray player for a 20 inch crt, is it not, yet that is precisely what many of the posters here are advocating. Or upgrade all of my tv's to lcds and purchase blu-rays? Seems a bit pricey and impracticable.

I understand the technological limitations, but it is irritating knowing that hd-dvd has a combo disc but blu-ray won't.

[blu-rayfan101]

Why don't you buy them a PS3 for the "play room" so then they can play games listen to their music and watch your blu-ray movies. I also think there is a Panasonic player for your car. And there are a lot of $100 blu-ray drives for your computer if that is an option for you.

[wrsprow]

Originally Posted by BigJay

I'm an owner of one Blu-ray player and there are four other DVD players in my home.

The Blu-ray player (PS3) is for my "home theater" set-up.

The one thing I find discouraging is the lack of Blu-ray / DVD combos.

HD-DVD (the obvious loser) has not all, but several titles available in the HD-DVD / DVD format.

Is there any reason that Blu-ray is not doing this? (Contractual, etc.)

I'd love the ability to enjoy pure and crisp HD on my main set, but sometimes the kids want to watch a movie (Cars, Ratatouille) on the "play room" set and I don't want to have to purchase two copies of the movie.

Are Blu-ray / DVD combos coming out in the future?

If you ask me, it would be a positive step for Blu-ray - hey, sure, you'll get the HD experience on one side of the disc, and the other will be perfect for trips in the mini-van or watching at Grandma's house over the holidays...

Because it would be a step backward. Blu-ray is the future. Your comment would be like saying when DVD was initially introduced, the sound on a CD track should also accompany it. ???

[Xerious]

combos suck for one. flippers suck for two. dvd needs to die a lonely death for three.

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by blu-rayfan101

Why don't you buy them a PS3 for the "play room" so then they can play games listen to their music and watch your blu-ray movies. I also think there is a Panasonic player for your car. And there are a lot of $100 blu-ray drives for your computer if that is an option for you.

What blu-ray pc drive is $100? I'd love to get in on that...

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by wrsprow

Because it would be a step backward. Blu-ray is the future. Your comment would be like saying when DVD was initially introduced, the sound on a CD track should also accompany it. ???

Unfortunately, most people live in the present, not 2-3 years down the road when blu ray players will hopefully be affordable enough to place in every room.

[blu-rayfan101]

Originally Posted by mightypen

What blu-ray pc drive is $100? I'd love to get in on that...

Sorry, forgot that they are $200. My bad!

[reiella]

Originally Posted by mightypen

What blu-ray pc drive is $100? I'd love to get in on that...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106225

180$ though, my guess is creative rounding.

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by reiella

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106225

180$ though, my guess is creative rounding.

Actually, that one has another 20$ rebate, so 160 and then shipping.

Not bad. Not bad at all. I'll probably wait until the burner drops to ~250.

[galz]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I don't know why, after watching Blu, you would want to purchase DVDs? I was thinking about spending a little money on another Blu player. Did you purchase VHS after starting to buy DVDs? Did you want a VHS tape combo?

There are alot of reasons to buy DVD's still. Many people have kids, and I buy them for mine all the time, would I want to give them a expensive BR disk? NO. Would I like to take HD media travelling with me? NO. Do I want a HD player in van? NO.

Those are legit reasons.

[WickyWoo]

Releases that include the DVD, or an extra DVD with the digital copy, you're not paying extra for that.

The additional disc is a trivial expense, a DVD-9 is less than $0.40 in the bulk the studio buys at these days, much
less the DVD-5 that digital copy comes on. Pretty much Bandai and Disney (who did it in Japan on a few J-exclusive titles) have figured out that their Blu-ray consumer, for the most part doesn't want the DVD copy, and it's a PR problem because people think they're paying double.

Any combo disc is pretty much moot now, because by the time it would go through and get approved, the transition would already be well underway anyway.

Digital copies for the back seat are the future. Take out the memory card, toss the stuff on and insert it into the armrest. No hard drives or disc drives to get bumped, no changing discs, no discs to get damaged