Is the LOTR Blu-Ray due sooner than we think? (1 Viewer)

[Ryan-G]

1. Please note above that this forum is for "High-Definition Software", so you'll have to excuse me if I *really* don't care about DVD. You see, I'm in the "High-Definition Software" forum because I want "High-Definition Software". DVD, I hate to have to tell you, is not "High-Definition Software".

2. Perhaps you may note the irony here that you are in the "High-Definition Software" forum whining about people who want "High Definition Software" and are not interested in "Standard Definition Software". You may even note the extreme irony that your post contains an entire paragraph whining about the lack of niche material on a thread discussing the double-dipping strategy of one of the top mainstream series. In short, you may seriously want to reflect on the meaning of the word whine, the forum you're posting in, and your paragraph on material that has absolutely no bearing on the topic at hand.

 

[Cees Alons]

There's no way we will allow members of this forum to be referred to in a post as "jerks" by another, errr uhm, member.



Cees

 

[RickER]

Yea, 3 movies about the Quick-E-Mart guy on The Simpsons probably was not a good idea, in hindsight.

 

[Jim_K]

I don't know what it is you're not able to comprehend here.

My "gripe" is that studios need to release the most comprehensive presentation of catalog titles when trying to sell this to me again on Blu-ray, instead of holding things back to sell it to us yet again down the road. Whether it's LOTR's, including both versions of Alien, Aliens, Apocalypse Now, The Abyss, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

It doesn't matter which version of whatever film I prefer, some versions of films I flat out dislike however it doesn't change my opinion that all previous versions should be included on a BD release.

Releases like Close Encounters and Blade Runner should be the norm on this format not the exception.

Are you telling me you don't want this?

Not that it matters to me, but your positioning here is pretty strange.

Anyway, I've stated my opinion enough, and believe it or not "tit-for-tat" "back and forth" internet pissing contests that have no end to it bore the shit out of me. So feel free to continue on.........

 

[Carlo_M]

Wow, the entitlement in this thread is choking. I was indignant in the "Let The Right One In" thread when the Magnet rep dissed internet opinions, but now maybe I have to write him an apology.
Pure speculation, but not reality-based. Some people are already complaining with this staggered release which is arguably *NOT* double dipping. Because you're not buying the same thing twice. You're buying the TEs and the EEs later. If they released the TE and EE now, and then 3 years down the line the EEs again, now *that's* double dipping. And you don't think even more people would be up in arms about that strategy?

Oh, and by the way, even though BD sales are rising, it is still nowhere near the mass market penetration that DVD is. So while none of us have the sales figures, I'd even go as far as to postulate that it would *not* be good business practice to release both the TE and EE with so few households (percentage-wise) having BD capability, and given the current economic climate.

Everything I've read about people wanting the EEs (and again, that is absolutely my preferred version as well) is about what you want/need/feel entitled to. There is no real business sense behind it because given the market penetration of BD and the current economic climate, it would make no sense to try to sell both to a public that has low disposable income and double digit unemployment.

They are not selling to the HTF only. If they did, they'd all be out of business. They are selling to the general public at large, and I challenge anyone to come up with a logical sales strategy for New Line/Warners to deliver a set of TEs and another set of EE BDs that would make it profitable for the company to do so.

Because if it did make financial sense, you can rest assured the bean counters would have told them so and they'd have done it by now.

 

[Todd smith]

Last time I checked, rental discs look and sound IDENTICAL to bought discs.....I assume that is still the case

This is my most anticipated rental this year, but is also the most obvious non-buy.

 

[cafink]

This is a definite "buy" for me. The theatrical versions are great films in their own right, and definitely worth owning. Frankly, I think two of them are superior to their extended counterparts, though I plan to purchase the Extended Editions when those are released, too. If that EE release includes the theatrical versions as well, then I can just flip this first set on eBay.

I don't understand why everyone is getting so worked up over this.

 

[Brian Borst]

The studios are always after making more money if they can. If that means holding out on a super-duper release by releasing a more or less regular version first, they are definitely going to do that. What amazes me is that some people think with the coming of Blu-Ray all this would suddenly change, and every title put out on dvd would immediately be released on Blu.
But I'll probably buy it. I don't have the TE's yet.

 

[Todd smith]

I think its because we have all been watching the superior (IMO and many others) EE versions for years now on dvd and we are being forced (if we want to experience LOTR in high def) to take a step back after all this time and go back to the inferior versions........They are just testing our will power the way I see it for those of us who much prefer the EE versions. Even though I understand this from a business perspective does not make it right and does not mean people should not be upset about it IMO. People should make there voice heard even if it does little good.

 

[David Wilkins]

My apology in advance if the question has been asked and/or answered previously, but why does this BD edition consist of 7 discs? I'm assuming that the specs aren't available yet, but either way you slice it, the count seems high unless it's going to be some screwy packaging of standard def and BD discs.

 

[Dave H]

I'm assuming those extra discs are digital copies.^

 

[Ryan-G]

IMO, you put waaayyy too much faith in bean counters.

There's only been 3 home movie formats previous. VHS can't be used as a benchmark because it wasn't managed well from the begining, Laserdisc can't be used because it held extreme niche status, DVD could be but no one ever tried releasing an AAA title early to see what happens. So in short, there's really no data for bean counters, they're just guessing.

It's just as likely that there'd be a sales spike in BR Players and software as anything else with the release of AAA titles. Fans of AAA titles can be swayed by the releases.

In fact, I'd even argue that Harry Potter will be the very first example of AAA sales over time, and I'd bet alot of money that we find that it doesn't hurt sales a bit.

 

[Jari K]

It´s great that these are finally coming to Blu-ray, but since they´re "theatrical versions only", I´ll wait for the "extended versions" (or whatever is coming later on).

I mean I´ve bought the trilogy twice now in SD DVD ("theatrical" & "extended" - and I skipped "Theatrical and Extended Limited Edition"-releases), so there´s a line somewhere.

When "extended versions" (Blu-ray) hit the stores, I´ll be first in line, though.

(I actually like both of these versions - theatrical/extended..)

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

QFT. And how do we know that corners weren't cut effects-wise for the EE DVD-release that would necessitate a re-render, or that Peter Jackson wants to (for example) go back and re-do Gollum in FOTR to match how the character appeared in the subsequent films?

I fully expect that the EEs on Blu-ray will be far more than just a hi-def upgrade to the previous DVD content, and that they will be worth the wait. Until then, we have the choice of upgrading our TE copies if we want to. No-one's forcing anyone, and if you want to stick to DVD for those editions then that's your choice.

 

[Carlo_M]

Again, your opinion and not based on fact or reality. I have lived in L.A. for nearly 20 years and have many friends who work in the industry. My sister works in marketing and sales for a small indie studio but has worked with "the big boys". Ask Ron, Packy or any of the moderators here who have organized the HTF meets at the studios and talked with the people who actually work on releasing the home video product about whether the bean counters opinions have an impact on hoe video release strategies.

Of course creative people have a say in things, and the more powerful ones like Lucas, Spielberg, Jackson, etc. have more of a say than new directors. But in tough economic times like today, you can bet companies are really listening to their accountants and strategists more than they would during boom times. If you can't believe that, we'll just have to agree to disagree, because this is how it is based on how I (and many others here) know it works.

 

[Brian Borst]

Re-doing the Gollum bit in FOTR gets mentioned even in the commentary track, Peter Jackson wants it to be 'fixed'. I don't really mind the older Gollum, you can barely see him.

 

[Sean Laughter]

Well, I did my part by contributing a nice 1-star review to the product on Amazon, complete with a nice little rant.

Tactics and ploys like these are unacceptable to me in this day and age. Do I wish I could buy the EE in Blu-Ray, yes, I wish I could buy the EE in Blu-Ray. I'm not given the choice, therefore I won't be wasting my money on a product which is so obviously analogous to Paramount-like Star Trek release behavior.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Actually that was not a review, as you clearly indicated that you had not seen the version on BD.

I’m in the camp that thinks that we have all been given fair warning as to the forthcoming EE release. As far as calling for a boycott of the current version, that is fair enough, but in the end the decision to purchase or not by any individual surely depends on how one views the merits of the theatrical and EE versions.

I do think that your “rant” was more reasoned than many of the non-reviews.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Post#135 pretty much sums up my views Carlo. And it saved me the typing effort.

 

[Vincent_P]

I just don't get your argument. Are you saying the general public is more apt to buy the theatrical cuts vs. the EEs? Because that's the only thing I can extrapolate from your comments about low disposable income, etc. I just don't get why it makes "economic sense" to release only the theatrical cuts as opposed to the EEs. With the EEs so readily available on DVD, this is more likely to be a bad thing for Blu-ray. The general public will likely ask, "Why does the 'ultimate format' only have the lesser version of such a popular series?"

Vincent