When will most older movies be released in Blu-ray?

[kalby8]

Any idea when older movies will be released on blu ray? Titles like Wizard of Oz, all the classic WB films, etc, etc, etc. It seems that only a few are currently available with more available on HD DVD.

[theknub]

whenver the studios get around to it. remember, dvd is a 10 yr old format and we still haven't seen everything so it could be another 10 yrs.

[Bullseye]

I think at the moment the studios are concentrating on titles which will be "reference material" to push the format. But by all accounts Lawerence of Arabia is looking amazing.

[tron3]

It's a catch 22 at this point. With the advent of the holiday season, all the big titles people want can be expected to ensure a mass adoption for blu-ray. As we enter the first quarter of '08, maybe some of those titles will surface as filler.

Now that Warner has confirmed they are neutral through '08, there is less incentive to compete heavily, except to stay on top. 2008 could be a great year to get the movies we want most, but they aren't going to exhaust all those possibilites in one year, either.

If they saturate us with too much, then the hording effect takes place. First quarter of 2008 could be bloated if they don't pace us. Again, I'd love to see some old sci-fi on blu-ray but those are filler titles for when things slow down and there is nothing else to bring in money. That's how it was for DVD, why is this different?

I hope the studios creates a "classics dept" who has the sole job of putting those beauties onto HDM.

[Rustmonsteru]

Originally Posted by kalby8

Any idea when older movies will be released on blu ray? Titles like Wizard of Oz, all the classic WB films, etc, etc, etc. It seems that only a few are currently available with more available on HD DVD.

When there's more market share.

[ganthc]

I'm guessing they will want to remaster some of the old titles, so they don't look crappy like some of the hd-dvd catalog titles do.

[Kristin Simard]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I'm guessing they will want to remaster some of the old titles, so they don't look crappy like some of the hd-dvd catalog titles do.

I'd rather wait for a stellar transfer than have now a rush job which will ultimately be a disappointment and require a newer transfer much later on.

[Guinness7]

Originally Posted by Kristin Simard

I'd rather wait for a stellar transfer than have now a rush job which will ultimately be a disappointment and require a newer transfer much later on.

I agree with that as well. I would like to have the movies done right the first time.

[Seretur]

I'm in this for the classics; and, of course, this means a Blu-ray victory, because there is nothing like a format war to drain a studio's resources and foster uncertainty about the viability of devoting time and energy into the less commercial titles.

DVD is now at a point in its life cycle where we're getting amazing work done on some fairly obscure films -- not just the blockbusters of times past, like The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind, but films that were never truly commercial. Outfits like Criterion Collection have shown that there is a market for all kinds of cinema.

Of course, Criterion won't release films in any HD format until there is a clear winner.

For now, therefore, I'm doing what I can to support the studios who do release older films on Blu-ray. This means mainly Warner, with titles like Bullitt or The Wild Bunch, or the John Wayne westerns. Buy those, and we'll get a Blu-ray release of Casablanca sooner rather than later, and more disc producers will be encouraged to follow suit.

And I'm overjoyed about the work that Sony people are putting into the David Lean classics like Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. Ideally, these will be a marriage of the best of the two worlds -- A/V reference titles and truly timeless pieces of cinema, all in one.

[3560freak]

Originally Posted by tron3

Now that Warner has confirmed they are neutral through '08

when did they confirm this? I thought that the VP of Warner said that they would choose a side by 1st quarter of 08 (or something close to that) at the Blu-ray Festival?

[whoisquilty]

Did Warner announce that The Wizard of Oz would be on BR and HD in 08?

[Quad]

Originally Posted by theknub

whenver the studios get around to it. remember, dvd is a 10 yr old format and we still haven't seen everything so it could be another 10 yrs.

That's a great point. One of the reasons I still buy those hard to find DVDs online.

[richard lichtenfelt]

This is the 2nd time that I've seen someone claim that WB will be neutral through 2008. How about a link as I have read numerous articles on the topic and never seen this mentioned by anyone except for a couple of non-insiders posting here.

[rad340]

Originally Posted by richard lichtenfelt

This is the 2nd time that I've seen someone claim that WB will be neutral through 2008. How about a link as I have read numerous articles on the topic and never seen this mentioned by anyone except for a couple of non-insiders posting here.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/warnerblu110507.htm

[tron3]

Originally Posted by 3560freak

when did they confirm this? I thought that the VP of Warner said that they would choose a side by 1st quarter of 08 (or something close to that) at the Blu-ray Festival?

I might have misread the article, but that was the perception. They did infact state looking at the market and choosing in early 2008. But hey, these guys are corporate politicians. You never know how things change over night.

I still believe they will ride the coat tails of the Paramount exclusive contract to the end of 2008. After all, Paramount isn't going anywhere, and neither is Universal. Why not double dip until then?

I would be shocked to see them do the right thing and be willing to lose that HD DVD revenue in the process. Why? Again, no reason to do so because of the afore mentioned reasons.