A Conversation with Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2 Viewers)

[Efrain Lopez]

Part of the reason combos are still expensive even those prices are coming down is because many of them are for better or new titles.

Brokeback Mountain is a major release for Universal. You weren't gonnna find it for $20 whether it was combo or not. Same thing for Tokyo Drift and The Breakup. The reason you can't find those for $20 is because they are NEW movies.

Can somebody tell me where to purchase Syriana for $20, since it's not combo and apparantly combo is what is bringing the price up? If people were to stop spreading misinformation around here, they would notice that the reason it's more expensive even though it's not a combo is because it was released day-and-date with the DVD version. Brokeback Mountain was also day-and-date with the new 2-disc special edition that just came out and you can already find that for $24 on amazon.com before the 10% discount.

Combo pricing is generally coming down, but the fact that some movies on combo are day-and-date with their DVD means studios want to charge more than for movies that have been out for a long time.

 

[Marko Berg]

I don't have a problem with the combo discs. In fact, it's my preferred approach to HD DVD.

Earlier in this thread, someone said the downside to combo discs is having to pay for something you already own if you're looking to upgrade your entire collection. I consider myself a home theater enthusiast interested in quality presentations, but the vast majority of HD DVDs I'm looking to buy are titles not yet in my collection. Since I don't own an HD capable player yet, the SD DVD side is actually the only useful format to me right now, and I don't mind paying what I consider a very small premium in order to future-proof my collection.

I applaud Universal for taking this approach, and I'm very much looking forward to some of the titles on their release schedule for 2007.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I think we ahve all become spoiled by the discount bin. I remember when my wife and I would go to tower records once a month to pick out a $59.00 laser disc. Criterions were $125. When DVD first came out I remember non anamorphic no bonus feature titles going for over $30.00. Universal is taking a beating for releasing combo discs for approx $5 more. I know the majority of you here are expressing that you don't want that, I for one see it as a benefit. If I already have the title on DVD I could sell my current one for $5 and be even. One disc I can play almost anywhere, less shelf space, and still chaper than the Blu-Ray only conent from several studios. It appears that by shopping around a combo only ends up being a few dollars more than the SD release.

 

[Shawn Perron]

I think most of the people that are upset about the additional cost are people that will never play the SD side. Most people with large collections probably watch the average movie in thier collection once. Multiple veiwings in HD and SD probably aren't even something they are even concerned about.

 

[ppltd]

If the price is the same, or close to it, I would rather have the Combo. If I own the disk in SD, it let's me retire it, and reclaim the space. With nearly 1850 disks (SD's, HD's and BD's) space is indeed an issue.

 

[ppltd]

Absolutely. I see little downside on Combo's. as long as the price stays relatively close to the non-combo releases. I still would like to see a hybrid with HD and SD on the same side. .

 

[TonyD]

these arent laserdiscs and the price does not need to be this high.

lasers didnt need to be that high either but it was a small market that would always stay small.
maybe because of the price of the discs.

this could happen to this hi def format if the prices stay high or become high due to all the releases being a combo format.

$20 is my price area.

if they will sell very, very close to that am't i'm in .

if not i rent.

 

[TonyD]

has there been comment on why no one sided combos

 

[Tim Glover]

I put down some serious change for the DTS version of Titanic on LD as well as the DTS Schindler's List. Those were the days

 

[ppltd]

Combos are not keeping the price up. New release prices from many of the supporting studios is still near 40.00, even with out combos.

 

[TonyD]

read what you quoted from me again. it does say if they stay high or stay hi due to combo.

 

[Yumbo]

New pricing is all the same. Combo on catalog is NOT.
So, do people like catalog combos?
Why is Universal releasing catalog as combos? Warner isn't.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Combo pricing is keeping the prices up for HD DVD catalog titles. While the high MSRP of Fox and Disney catalog BRD is another matter being discussed in other threads.

I don't have a big problem with the pricing of titles that had their theatrical run in the last year or so because those titles are still on the books as far as marketing and production costs. As a materials manager, I can't blame a company for trying to recoup as much cost from a recent asset, however, I do have a problem with catalog titles that have longed been off the books when it comes to high marketing and production costs.

Also, my dislike for combos of recent titles is not as strong as my hatred for combos of catalog titles in which I purchased the SD DVD only version within the last couple of years.

 

[ppltd]

Sorry, Tony. I misread your quote.

 

[ppltd]

Robert, this has been true in the past. But the most recent Combo release, Half-Baked came with a retail MSRP of 29.95 (DVDEmpire Listing; 29.99 MSRP, 20.99 Sale price), the same MSRP that Universal has used on the non-Combo catalog releases. I do not know if this pricing was only for this release, or if it is a new pricing structure from Universal. Time will tell.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I need to see a trend and a single release doesn't make it a trend.

 

[ppltd]

I agree with ths. One title does not make a trend.

 

[Yumbo]

Thomas, DVD Empire is the ONLY one priced at $30. Everyone else has $35.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes, it appears to be a pricing error by DVD Empire.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

FWIW, the theatrical cut of Brazil is not available in any form, AFAIK. The Criterion box contains the director's cut and the Love Conquers All versions. Gilliam was asked to cut 10 minutes from Brazil before Uni would release it, which he did, but it wasn't the 10 minutes the studio wanted. The rest of the story is available in the fantastic book, "The Battle of Brazil".

Also, FWIW, I'm holding off on the HD formats until Criterion gets into the game, though I do think the model of releasing only combo discs would decide the war a lot fatser than the current holding pattern.