Are there Blu-ray replication problems with Blade Runner?! (1 Viewer)

[Ron Reda]

My local Best Buy (a larger store around a large mall) had them yesterday, but when I went to get my copy today, all of the 5-Disc BR and HD-DVDs sets were completely gone. I had to get mine at Fry's.

 

[Matt Butler]

Got one at Target so Im happy.

The transfer -->

 

[Chris S]

I'm a Prime member and still haven't had my BR version shipped yet. I went to 4 different stores today (2 Targets, BB & CC) looking for a copy but only found a single copy in HD DVD. Problem was that it was already in someone elses hands. Guess I'll just have to be patient...

From my own experience it appears that this is a neutral sales projection vs. demand issue for both formats.

 

[Kento]

Howdy! I had a one month trial of Amazon Prime that ended today.

Went to Best Buy and Circuit City on Tuesday to get (among other things) the Blu-Ray of Blade Runner (in the briefcase), only to find that neither had it. Best Buy had about five of the standard one, so at least I know what the thing looks like.

Ordered it from Amazon right after getting home (about 1PM). According to the email I got today, it's on the way and will arrive on Friday, December 21. Weehaa!

Toodles;
Kento

 

[Ron-P]

Get used to it if you want something by street day. There is no other online company that has worse customer service. If I want anything on time Amazon is that last place I'll buy. The local B&M's do so much better and usually at the same price or sometimes even better.

I use Amazon as a last resort for any shopping.

 

[Paul Arnette]

That's not quite true. Afterall, the Stanley Kubrick BDs had a similar issue. However, I do agree that, while replication issues could be the root cause of the shortage, it is presumptuous to assume that that is the case.

One thing the Kubrick titles and Blade Runner have in common is that they are catalog titles, and, as such, Warner Bros. could have underestimated their demand and BD's demographic. There didn't seem any problem replicating Harry Potter BDs out the wazoo.

Anyway, Warner Bros. has been on my shit list recently for sticking HD DVDs in BD HP boxsets, including HP BD boxset discs in the individual BD release of HP: GoF, and, most recently, having scratched BDs in the Blade Runner boxset. They clearly don't have their act together across the board, so I'm not ready to blame BD replication wholesale at this point.

 

[Citizen87645]

I ordered the 5-disc from Best Buy using a $10 off coupon they gave me after the Lost S3 BD mispricing and it is on its way.

I ordered it before I knew that I'm supposed to be getting a review copy from Warner. That has yet to show; the reviewer of the HD DVD got his last Thursday and just posted his review.

 

[Nelson Au]

As a matter of reference, here in the SF Bay Area, at a large Best Buy located in the mid-peninsula, or at the northern edge of Silicon Valley, I grabbed one of 3 HD-DVD briefcases. I didn't look, but I saw one copy of the regular HD-DVD version and I did look for the BD briefcase, and non where there.

By the way, I didn't know these were numbered, but my is in the 80,000's of 103,000.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

A few quick comments based on the responses I have read here.

I am a Amazon PRIME member. That BR title was preordered
months ago and it was not going out under SUPER SAVER shipping.

Our reviewer received a HD-DVD copy for review, but no Blu-ray
copy ever showed up.

Nuff' said!

This has nothing to do with format neutrality. It has everything
to do with the fact that I see for one reason or another there's a
problem getting Blu-ray stocked with the largest online etailer and
screener copies out to reviewers. For that reason I simply refuse to
purchase any more WB Blu-ray releases. I'll continue to support the
studio through HD-DVD.

...and I don't blame the studio for this. I am certain there are
some things here that are out of their control.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm in the same boat as you as I'm stilly waiting on my BRDs of those same two titles ordered even before your August 8th date. Furthermore, I happened to order the BRD of Blade Runner too on that same order so I might get it before flowers bloom in the springtime.





Crawdaddy

 

[Sam Davatchi]

There is a problem with the blu-ray edition.


Blade Runner Blu-ray Complete Edition arriving with botched Workprint disc? - Engadget HD



I ordered two sets! Can't they do these major releases correctly anymore? Jeez!

 

[RickER]

I had this on pre-order since July 31st, and i chose standard shipping. since Monday morning it has been in "shipping soon" hell! Today, now 3 days past release day, i got an e mail saying it will arrive Dec. 24th. I had called Amazon last night to ask what was up. Why an order placed almost 5 months ago is not filled, when i read about guys getting one after i did. Now i know, if you used overnight, you might have gotten one. The guy told me he couldnt upgrade the shipping or anything because its allocated, and getting ready to go. Course he also didnt offer to credit my shipping. I know its only 3 bucks, but whats the point of a 6 month pre-order if your not going to fill them. I have also read its a Warner distribution problem. They had the same problem with the Kubrick set, as others have said. No one seems to have stock now. But i could have, and would have gone to BB if i had known it was not really shipping. Amazon is playing games with this shipping soon crap, and its not!

 

[Craig Beam]

Checked my copy, and it's fine. *whew*

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Any order for a New Release from Amazon of Late has gotton to me approx 1 week after release date. But I've been using some promo discounts and have gotton some good deals so I'll live with the wait.

 

[Paul Arnette]

Are you speculating, or do you know something you're not telling us?

Regardless, you're free to support Warner Bros. via whichever HDM format you choose, but it seems odd to create this thread with a question mark in the title if you already assumed replication issues exist.

 

[RobertR]

This would certainly seem to dampen any notion that Warner is ready to go BR exclusive (as was claimed in BusinessWeek recently).

 

[TonyD]

cameron, did you order a hdm version from Blockbuster.com?
i cant find a link to it online.
i couldnt find it on the in store version of the store either.
i work there , i had to go into the database to find it.

 

[RickER]

Like others have said Ron, Warner got plenty of Harry Potter Blu-ray discs out. I think its Warners new crap distribution, AND the fact that maybe they underestimated how many people wanted the 5 disc set. Searching Best Buy shows me its all but sold out in Tulsa. They must have had 30 copies of the 4 disc set in the store nearest me, and now its gone in this region. The HD, Blu-ray, briefcase, all gone, and show a 1 to 2 week backorder. You can get the 2 disc, and thats the only one i saw in my local Wal-Mart when i went on my quest.
By the way, my 30 minute bitch session to Amazon last night must of paid off. My Blade Runner Blu-ray just shipped. The Amazon CS guy i talked to yesterday even sent me an e-mail, saying he saw i got an e mail showing a delay, but just disregard it. It was gonna ship, and now it has. I hope my little call helps with the 3 days "shipping soon" status, which was not a new problem for me. But it was the first time i PAID for shipping, and still i got service like i had clicked free shipping!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Ron: I'm not getting this either. If you're not willing to lay blame at the feet of Warners, why boycott their BD product?

And, have there been other instances where Amazon has specifically let you down with WB BD product? Seems like maybe you should be looking more closely at Amazon's service rather than Warner's.

 

[TravisR]

Isn't the problem more widespread than just Amazon though? To me, it seems like the blame is on whoever is replicating Warners' Blu Ray discs (unless a problem with the packaging is slowing things down). Warners knew when they had to get the sets on the shelf and presumably met those deadlines but something must have been screwed up in the manufacturing process.