Blade Runner Blu-ray Complete Edition arriving with botched Workprint disc?
[Via Blu-ray]
[Via Blu-ray]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
venk @ Dec 20th 2007 12:35AM
Why does Warner keep screwing up their Blu Ray Releases? It's odd that none of these issues don't appear with the HD DVD versions of their movies.
JimC @ Dec 20th 2007 1:44AM
Yeah wasn't the HDDVD combo Harry Potter movie that was giving HDDVD player fits? Could it be Warner is just rushing these things out the door for the holiday season and that is the problem for quality on *both* sides?
locke6854 @ Dec 20th 2007 3:17AM
a way to look at it-- special features intact, remastered movie intact, director's cut is there... the working print isnt. whats the working print? the rough cut, without post processing? is it like the matrix' work print, without a soundtrack? no special effects? how many versions of the movie do we need?
with that said, if you paid for a 5-disc set, you should expect 5 different discs. Regardless whether you'll watch it or not.
GhostDoggy @ Dec 20th 2007 6:17AM
I think Warner may be in cahoots with the HD DVD regime. And this only ticks me off further because I am already holding off on the Harry Potter boxed set, and now I know the wife ordered me the Blade Runner box set and it'll likely be screwed up as well. And both fiasco's on Warner? Seems that someone is deliberately trying to derail Blu-ray during the holidays. Conspiracy theory, conspiracy theory! :)
TrentD @ Dec 20th 2007 8:43AM
Ghost Doggy, please tell me you don't believe that. I know the format war has made us all skeptics, but I wouldn't go that far.
Chaz @ Dec 20th 2007 1:10AM
That is pretty interesting.
I hate to stir up a fanboy flame war; but it seems that all of a sudden Warner's been slacking off on the Blu-ray side of things, and has even stopped their special advertising of the Blu-ray editions of their movies, collectively calling HDM "Hi-Def," while placing the HD-DVD titles prominently on top of their blu-ray counterparts.
I dont know, but where there's smoke, there's fire.
DeadPlasmaCell @ Dec 20th 2007 1:23AM
w00t @ new commenting system
/totally unrelated
Ryan @ Dec 20th 2007 11:06AM
I totally agree on the new commenting system, so far it's awesome!
Drake @ Dec 20th 2007 1:31AM
Another way to be sure is that disc 5 is now so high in the picture quality department while disc 1 looks superb.
Wes @ Dec 20th 2007 1:43AM
I feel sorry for the blu-ray camp. Haven't they had enough of having to put up with poor hd quality discs when their format first started an all the early hd-dvd release looked better?
When will these CE companies stop torturing blu-ray fans with throwing hd-dvd disc into their Harry Potter boxsets and duplicate discs for Blade Runner.
Ah well, you know that old saying. A fool and his money are soon parted? or is it the saying once a sucker? always a sucker for paying twice as much for incomplete spec hardware(reference is to early bd adopters who in some cases paid $800.00 for an incomplete spec).
Alas that would be the 'fanboy' attack. The none fanboy says, Hey! This player costs $100.00 and has the same specs as one costing $500.00 from the blu-ray camp and the discs have problems sometimes! but otherwise I don't see much difference in quality
DeadPlasmaCell @ Dec 20th 2007 1:52AM
I have an unrelated question.. I was just browsing the Xbox Live Video Marketplace and noticed that the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is out in HD on there.. wtf? If Disney is putting out HD movies on the XLVM, why not HD-DVD??
HDpurist @ Dec 20th 2007 1:59AM
@deadplasmacell, Disney and all others don't support HD-DVD because of it's inferior encoding quality and subpar tech specs. However, the obvious reason is that BD is the format winner, and what to do with HD-DVD? No point in supporting a dead format is there?
DeadPlasmaCell @ Dec 20th 2007 2:02AM
HD-DVD dead?? Isn't that the same song you Blu-Ray fanboys have been singing for over a year now? Ne who.. any non fanboy answers out there?
Wes @ Dec 20th 2007 2:08AM
Please ignore the ignorance shown by HDpurist as usually more HD-DVD releases have been high quality VC-1 releases and not somewhat lower quality mpeg2/mpeg4 releases more commonly used with authoring blu-ray. That would make his head explode to know that truth.
Anyways, yes the exclusivity deals that Blu-ray bought with Disney didn't include online downloads. It only included high-def disc format. As a result, Disney isn't exclusive to dvd as its standard def disc format either. They can and do sometimes release their movies on vcd format in China.
I agree with you entirely though. If you can download disney hd movies as microsoft hammered out at e3 2006 just a few months ago with Disney, why can't we buy them on hd-dvd?
Mind you, the good news in a way is it means you can potentially have disney + hd-dvd if you get a 360 + addon. Though, its pretty expensive hardware purchase(the 360 itself + add-on) to add Disney as a studio to your hardware versus a 100-200 hd-dvd standalone player.
h0mi @ Dec 20th 2007 2:17AM
Disney is not a studio that supported HD-DVD. Thats really all there is to it.
Nfinity @ Dec 20th 2007 3:45AM
They just got paid for promotions and replication of discs by Blu-Ray.. Buena Vista dude at IFA pretty clearly went silent when they asked them. Disney loves Microsoft's Xbox Live and they love HD DVD and HDi as they participated in creating it, it's just that Sony and Panasonic filled them with ridiculous amounts of money for promotions and replication and any other costs publishing on Blu-Ray.. of course they are going to accept it.. it's free money.. plus they get to sell movies and make profit.. Just look at what Panasonic paid for that Disney Magic Tour or whatever was called.. they are holding on to Disney like hopeless lunatics. Of course, the contract didn't really prevent Disney from going on Xbox Live, so they went. Simple as that.
The PR Disney uses to explain why they went Blu-Ray is absolutely ridiculous. So they agree to go on downloadable distribution where the bitrate is significantly lower then either BD or HD DVD and obviously quality even though high is still slightly worse then optical versions, yet they publish.. all you need to do is turn on your brain and see that their PR statements make no sense and are actaully fueled by contracts they signed with BDA for that money and nothing else.
HDpurist @ Dec 20th 2007 2:20AM
Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) on Blu-ray is completely SOLD OUT on Amazon.
The HD-DVD version is IN STOCK.
R.I.P. HD-DVD
2006-2007
Nfinity @ Dec 20th 2007 3:18AM
Do you understand how incredibly stupid your comment is when you realize that Blade Runner on HD DVD is like 35 on Amazon's Best Sellers in all DVDs.. The Blu-Ray version is like 67.. what the hell are you smoking? It's more likely that HD DVD version sells out, then they replenish the stock and continue selling..
You gotta stop smoking that Blu stuff.. seriously..it's obviously starting to affect brain and your sight..
JayHDDVD @ Dec 20th 2007 7:24AM
Warner screwing up discs and not supplying enough in an effort to enrage BD supporters. Just what are they up to?
HDpurist @ Dec 20th 2007 5:48PM
nfinity, are you an idiot? Both the versions of Blade Runner were released on the same exact date, so how can Amazon sellout of the HD-DVD version then quickly resupply stock so as to appear "IN STOCK"?
Music Pirate @ Dec 20th 2007 10:15PM
Wow...this guy truly is a sad arse. I see it available on Amazon.com, and Best Buy.com
"Sold out everywhere"
You better wake up from that ill-informed dream of yours.
JimC @ Dec 20th 2007 2:35AM
Blade Runner (Blu-ray) is sold out at Best Buy as well....doh! Plenty of HDDVD copies left though, might have to get an HDDVD player....NOT!
shakes2 @ Dec 20th 2007 6:44AM
The HD DVD version has been more advertised and highly tauted as a targeted release for the consumer group that would choose HD DVD over BluRay. It is then obvious and likely, as Amazon shows, that there are just MORE HDDVD copies made and released. I am glad your bluray copies sold out, that means that while the hd's are flying off the shelf and numbers go sky high, the company responsible for the blu camp supply is trying to destroy their reputation. Maybe in one week you will complain that bladerunner on hd sold more because the blu ray sold out, and that just isn't true.
TrentD @ Dec 20th 2007 1:32PM
I'm glad you Blu-ray fanboys can't resist putting a Blu-ray logo as your Avatar, so I don't have to bother reading your rants anymore.
JimC @ Dec 20th 2007 2:02PM
TrentD, you're welcome, at least I'm being honest instead of most who try to pass themselves off as impartial and then rip into either side....honesty is the best policy.
Nfinity @ Dec 20th 2007 3:37AM
It just seems that WB is kind of dropping the ball on Blu-Ray releases since they are concentrating more on HD DVD starting January so this is just like to do a last few quickies before the final HD DVD switch..
It's quite obvious really.. CES 2008 can't come soon enough.. finally they'll end this debacle and drop Blu-Ray like a hot potato.
In case you failed to realize Blade Runner was the ultimate test for a non-kiddish title. Something that is very important to WB. Blade Runner is really the type of title that is more widely accepted by movie lovers, not gamers and it seems that HD DVD is simply absolutely KILLING in sales.
Btw, Bourne Ultimatum destroyed Pirates since it came out and is number 1 HD title past week. It also outsold HP on both Blu-Ray and HD DVD (almost 2:1)..
Latest numbers 61:39.. pathetic showing from Blu-Ray again considering the 3.7:1 hardware advantage...I thought that numbers need to go UP for "the winner" considering the increase in hardware.. not DOWN! LOL!
Oh 2008 is so gonna be funny.. Warner going red, new HD DVD owners buying movies and you know what's going to hilarious.. when HD DVD standalone base so much less in hardware numbers outsells Blu-Ray in software sales.. LOL.. that's gonna be ABSOLUTE kick in the nutt for the failing gamer format...I wonder what you Blu-Ray kiddies are gonna be brainwashed with.. I can bet that you will be saying Neilsen doesn't matter, the numbers will be paid for etc etc.. LOL..
I can't wait to laugh at the remarks to come..
lucyfan62 @ Dec 20th 2007 4:09AM
Again, comparing a title's sales peformance that is only available on a single format is comparing apples and oranges. If BOURNE and PIRATES were available on both HD formats, then you could fairly compare sales figures. It's like TRANSFORMERS and SPIDER-MAN 3. SPIDER-MAN 3 was a craptastic movie and not even the fans wanted it, so of course it had lower sales figures than TRANSFORMERS. As everyone likes to point out, there are a heck of a lot more stand-alone HD-DVD players out there than there are Blu-Ray players (and according to what everyone seems to believe, PS3 owners don't use their systems to watch movies), therefore, PIRATES sales could only be lower than BOURNE. Since Warners is the only studio offering both formats, the only way to fairly compare the sales of a title is by looking at the sales of that title on both formats. So what are the numbers for Harry Potter and Blade Runner? That's the only true test to see which format is selling better.
Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 20th 2007 11:35AM
More of your nonsense. Again, I love how sometimes the PS3 is relevant and sometimes it's not... it all depends on the point you're trying to make, right? So in the case, you included PS3s in the BR hardware sales because it makes BR look worse because it's not selling as many BR movies as you would expect for 3.7 million players. Of course, in other posts you'll say that movie studios don't care about the PS3 since it's not a standalone player so it really doesn't count. You're such a moron.
Porfirio Reyes @ Dec 20th 2007 3:57AM
LOL, this is funnay! The hint has been dropped on more than 1 occassion BD Boys.........like I said in the other thread, CES will be a huge disappointment for BDA.
TJ @ Dec 20th 2007 4:01AM
Both formats (and standard DVD, for that matter) have had these kind of mixups. I seriously doubt that it signals a preference for either format by Warner. Unless one of the posters on this thread is a highup Warner exec, I wouldn't assume too much about their supposed exclusivity with either format until there's a public announcement.
That said, if Warner goes HD exclusive, you essentially will have a no-win situation. Warner, Paramount, and Universal vs. Sony/MGM, Fox, and Disney. I have both formats, but I prefer Blu-ray because of wider overall support by the CE industry and studios. I don't really care about bonus features, and the video and audio quality look pretty identical. I'm hoping Warner goes BD Exclusive, just because it might help speed along the end of the format war. If they go HD exclusive, its just likely to go on forever.
A single format is the best thing for everyone. VHS may have been technically inferior to Betamax, but it was still preferable to having two incompatible formats. I don't care if its Blu-ray or HD DVD at this point, I just want one to be gone by the end of 2008.
Mike @ Dec 20th 2007 8:10AM
Since Disney is rumored to be going neutral..
What if Warner goes HD DVD exsclusive and Disney goes neutral.
Don't forget the Blue ray titles you can get imported..like both Fantastic Four movies from Fox
benzitor @ Dec 20th 2007 4:19AM
My dear Nfinity,
You are just full of it. Do you know that there is a world out of your mother nation. And in this other world, HD-DVD is quasi non existant. And i dont talk numbers or graph, or even rumors. I am translating what i saw in the different country i am traveling every years. Here is the results i saw on shelves:
france : blu 70% hd 30% ( sales leading on the blu ) players for both camp
germany : blu 60% hd 40% ( almost triple sales on blu sides ) players for both camp
Belgium : blu 70% hd 30% ( sales leading on the blu ) players for both camp
japan : HD almost non existant near no players available
singapore : blu 70% hd 30% ( sales leading on the blu ) saw only blu player
Hong kong : blu 60% hd 40% ( sales leading on the blu ) players for both camp
Thailand : HDDVD totaly non existant ( blu all the way )
Australia : blu 60% hd 40% ( almost triple sales on blu sides ) players for both camp
YOu see, even if the sales are not that amazing for HD yet, if i was a studio ( and i was not paid by microsoft ) i would invest in the blu camp, because people spend money.
Hd camp is full of people waiting to get rebates, free discs, cheaper players...they dont spend.
It is the same war as the ps3 vs 360. MS is winning because the 360 players spend in game.
IF warner lean red, they are on crack, blinds, deaf, or paid.
Maybe a news would come just a few days later like paramount ?
Nfinity @ Dec 20th 2007 5:28AM
Yeah..there's only a few problems with your theories there..
First, if you actually posted the sales numbers you quote there (I don't even know where you get your sources) are only in tens of thousands.. that's absolutely RIDICULOUS. When you realize that all these numbers mean nothing as the only reason Blu-Ray EXISTS is PS3 which will be inevitably outsold by standalone units of HD DVD as we've already seen that no console can outsell standalone units (not even close) the picture starts getting clearer for reasonable people.
Second, the rest of the world doesn't MATTER at this moment.. all studios are American. That means, whatever standard wins in the States, it will be the mainstream format. It is obvious that much larger studios like Universal, Paramount/Dreamworks and Warner all lean HD DVD. You would definitely have to be brainwashed to see otherwise. These 3 studios have the LARGEST library of greatest movie hits from before and definitely have A LOT of awesome blockbuster next year that will be HD DVD only. This is why HD DVD has 51% marketshare in studio support, a fact that somehow gets forgotten by all Blu-poised web sites, announcements and discussions.
Second, Disney is already one leg with HD DVD, just brainwashed Blu-Ray fans refuse to see it. Disney is already ready to switch. Do you really think they don't have all of their promo videos and stuff made with HD DVD logo instead of Blu-Ray. You would be VERY naive if you thought otherwise. Oh buddy, they already have EVERYTHING ready. The fact they voted to SUPPORT triple layer 51gb HD DVD for final approval tells you a LOT.. they are far from "hating" HD DVD and you can quote me.. as soon as Warner goes Red, I give Disney 3 months before they go neutral AT LEAST, if not all red too. You are free to quote me on that.
"IF warner lean red, they are on crack, blinds, deaf, or paid. "
No they are not my friend.. They just understand business. They've said it NUMEROUS times that they are simply NOT INTERESTED in PS3. They know that game console will not sell enough movies in the long run as they have to compete with the game industry with the consoles. Warner was very specific when they said "We are closely watching what Toshiba does with standalone sales this holiday season". Do you think that fire-sales for HD DVD were to get rid of stock? No, they were aimed to put more and more hardware into people's hands.. if HD DVD pushes 1 million players by January (which I already think they have), Warner goes red, it's simple as that.
It is interesting how you are already thinking in terms of payoffs and some conspiracies and not really questioning that Blu-Ray as a format, not as PS3, but as a format as a whole is still a complete mess. Sure, I know BDA will continue brainwashing the gamers that Blu-Ray has everything working, but we all know that's a lie. The only thing is that Blu-bots are trained to say they don't care about extras whenever these topics rise, not to mention how somehow having SD DVD versiona and HD version of a movie on a same disc for the same price is somehow BAD. LOL.. Talk about denial on a mass level.
Let me make it clear:
Blu-Ray = PS3 format (90%+ of Blu-Ray format is PS3)
UMD = PSP format
Ring a bell? We all know what happened with UMD and PSP right? They are LUCKY they are still alive with PSP and that's only cause they ditched movies completely and emphasized the games, the same thing they should be doing with PS3, because the more they bleed money and not win, the more damage they will make to consumers by selling obsolete players for a failing format at high prices.
Mike @ Dec 20th 2007 8:36AM
Benzitor,
Who cares what is selling in belgium? LOL. The fact that you can get so many blay ray exclusives on HD DVD from europe and asia..says studios can release in 1 format here and a different format there if they want to.
"Hd camp is full of people waiting to get rebates, free discs, cheaper players...they dont spend."
What about those that waited for the ps3 to drop to $400 and get 10 movies...are they movie buyers? I waited for HD DVD to come down....got lucky and got a $99 player. I have since bought 6 movies. Just because someone waits for a deal doesn't say anything about their movie buying.
"IF warner lean red, they are on crack, blinds, deaf, or paid."
Maybe they know what will make them the most money in the long run. Warner has said they will not be swayed by game buyers sales. HD DVD is still cheaper to produce...Warner holds patents on DVD and can get royalties if HD DVD wins. I think Warner knows more about being profitable then you.
lucyfan62 @ Dec 20th 2007 4:12AM
Why does everyone keep blaming Warner Brothers for mistakes at the manufacturing plant?? The people at Warners don't press, box and ship their video product. It's done at a plant somewhere. Maybe some HD-DVD fanboy works there and is just trying his darndest to discredit Warners and their support for Blu-Ray by sabotaging that particular product!
Porfirio Reyes @ Dec 20th 2007 4:18AM
HAHAHA! Wow, talk about reaching here! HDD Fanboy at the press plant! LMMFAO!
Porfirio Reyes @ Dec 20th 2007 4:17AM
Ya, I lean Red, but if there were a quality BD profile 1.1 player out there at the right price, I'd be all over it. I for one LOVE Extras content on discs. I'd watch a movie again, just for the PiP commentary. Watching Transformers with the downloadable widget that adds a layer over the movie providing you with GPS location, extra insider info on the characters and the health and status of the 'Bots is awesome! I love technology, but I like my wallet to stay thick even more, so BD for now is just not worth it especially given the fact that Warner is going Red (my best friends Uncle is on the CES/CEA Board). To satisfy my Blu needs, I've been downloading Blu exclusive movies from torrents in the MKV format and they look amazing, huge downloads, but oh so worth it!
Music Pirate @ Dec 20th 2007 5:01AM
Picking this up on HD DVD after I get paid Friday, that is, if it doesn't sell out first. Ive bought quite a few HD DVD titles this past week thanks to bogo sales and other offers online. So money is tight at the moment for any further spending but after payday, I shall grab moar movies, now I just need my 360 HD DVD player to show up. :)
HDpurist @ Dec 20th 2007 5:52PM
don't worry, there are lots of HD-DVD versions of Blade Runner in stock, EVERYWHERE. If you were looking to get the BD version, you'd have to wait till January as it is sold out everywhere. BD version is clearly the more popular choice, since HD-DVD is a dead format.
R.I.P. HD-DVD
2006-2007
Jnas @ Dec 20th 2007 6:49AM
Nfinity, you posts are quite entertaining. Like reading a very imaginative fictional novel.
MAK42868 @ Dec 20th 2007 7:36AM
My favorite is the "my best friends Uncle is on the CES/CEA Board" by Porfirio Reyes.... hehe. As much as I hope that's true, it's just funny to hear that, of all people, we have an insider with such specific information, yet no one else knows about it. Pretty amazing :oP
JimC @ Dec 20th 2007 10:10AM
Farce Teller aka Truth Teller is an insider as well, under an NDA no less....lol
LA26 @ Dec 20th 2007 9:24AM
I went to check Best Buy after work and Blade Runner was sold out for Blu-Ray ;(.
hhaller @ Dec 20th 2007 9:49AM
In case anyone is interested, WB is scheduled to speak during HD DVD's press conference at CES. Doesn't look like they are jumping ship anytime soon.
http://www.soundadviceblog.com/?p=705
Ishimaru @ Dec 20th 2007 9:52AM
I've never even seen this movie before, so I think I might rent it instead of blind buying it...
kcmurphy88 @ Dec 20th 2007 10:02AM
This movie is the best SF movie of all time, and should be on any top-100 movies of all time list. Stunning in all respects.
domerdel @ Dec 20th 2007 10:38AM
wow new commenting system!
I think for people to believe that blu-ray getting bad packaging mis-matches due to the "concentration" of HD-DVD is very ridiculous. This is a plant issue, not a corporate conspiracy.
Bill @ Dec 20th 2007 11:16AM
ok so look at this link: http://www.soundadviceblog.com/?p=705 and tell me which side WB is leaning toward? Funny lil blu-bots.... at this early stage in the format war; standalone players > game console sales .. WB has stated this time and time again!
Miidwest @ Dec 20th 2007 11:19AM
Over and over, I hear it. "Blu-ray is the kiddie video game format"...
Ok, beyond just throwing out blanket statements to support your investment/opinion, why do you feel this is true?
The PS3 has an effect on Blu-ray sales, no doubt about it, and a positive one at that. You can say, "if PS3 wasn't around blu-ray would be dead", but the face of the matter is, the PS3 does exist.
So this is how this is done, I will jot down an opinion and then attempt to back it up with what I feel are facts. I suggest you try and do the same.
I believe that the PS3 is sort of like a "gateway drug". What I mean by this, is the PS3 gives the parents of all those "PS3 kiddies" a taste of high def, now I'm sure you would agree, they probably don't want a PS3 as their main player, after all, they are "adults". SO what do they do, but and HD-DVD player? That doesn't seem to make sense to me, it seems to me they would buy another Blu-ray player.
You'll have to bear with me a bit on this because I can not "prove" that I work for (plug) Midwest Home Media, and design and sell high end home theater systems. My customers are tickled pink with buying a PS3 for their kids that doubles as their first Blu-ray player.
More and more we see customers using the PS3 as the center piece of their theaters.
The importance of the custom electronics industry is highly debatable. I feel it is important but as previously mentioned, I'm a bit biased here, still I think it's worth noting that people whos jobs depend on their knowledge and how they use it to make recommendations, prefer Blu-ray by an overwhelming margin. AVAD for one (very large CE distributor) sells both Blu-ray players and HD-DVD players; the last time I looked in to it, they sold 10 BD players for every one HD-DVD player.
This has become a bit verbose, so I'll conclude. Blu-ray continues to dominate HD sales, as small as that piece of the pie may be right now, it's foolish to say, sales don't matter at this point.
Oh, and on topic, I personally don't read too much in to the Warner slip ups, but I'm a trusting fellow.
Greg @ Dec 20th 2007 11:27AM
Nfinity still at large with his grandiose theories I see ;)
Thing is, you only speculate, and have no facts.
Facts is, Blu Ray has outsold HD DVD on the vast majorities or Warner Titles.
Fact is, Blu Ray versions of Blade Runner are being sold out, and -nothing- telsl us that Warner printed less copies for Blu Ray. If anything, knowing that they sell more copies on Blu Ray, they would have printed more for the format (cf 300).
Fact is, HP Blu Ray outsold HP HD DVD last week.
Fact is Blu Ray outsold yet again (despite the firesales and the supposed "poor attachment rate of consoles") HD DVD by a whoopin 61:39 last week. That is coutning the fact that Blu Ray had -no- exclusive big release (vs Bourne) and that HD DVD had themselves the first BOGO of their format (thus would logically be more successful than the Blu Ray, which was like the 4th of 5th one this year).
Given the release slate for end of year now through February, it's going to be a slaughter on sales.
All facts. But that's something you generally do not bother with too much eh? ;)