redford

My only concern is are they going to do all hybrid discs with new releases like WB is doing with Rumor Has It? I hope not. I would hope something like Inside Man's HD title includes just that. I'm assuming/hoping that will get a day & date since it's Universal's first big title this year.

Nimbus

Hybrids are an okay idea on paper, but I don't see the appeal at all with as much as they cost to produce.

I mean, isn't the idea to get people who don't have an HD-DVD player to buy them, and then if/when they eventually do get a player, they'll already have a library in place?

If you release a regular DVD for $17.99 and a hybrid HD-DVD/DVD of the same title for $27.99, what average consumer is going to leap at the latter? The only way this idea would work is if there is no regular DVD and if there's little-to-no difference in price. Otherwise it's just going to annoy everyone...potentially confusing regular consumers and alienating current HD-DVD owners who have to pay a premium for a title with no screened art, compromised space, etc. Plus, where do stores stock these titles? Near the HD-DVDs or near the regular DVDs? Both ways seem like a negative.

I think it'd be a really great idea for less popular catalog titles if they could get the costs down, but the way things stand now, hybrids are a waste.

Augustes

Hybrids are a waste. I hope no Blu-Ray/DVD hybrids ever come out. All they do is increase the cost of the disc for a version that not a single HD-DVD owner actually wants. Plus flippers suck. No disc art and that tiny print telling you which side they are awful. Hybrids putting both versions on a single side are even worse. Those would do nothing but lower the quality for both versions since single layer isn't enough for a full length movie on either format. Hybrids are awful.

redford

I hope they kill this idea quick.

Nero

I am fine with it as long as it adds no extra cost to the release. Since Warner is jacking up the price for the hybrids I have zero interest in them.

Nero

I guess this answers my question:

redford

This will die a quick death. A nice bonus gesture would be to include the SD version seperately in addition. Yet another arrow in the quiver against BR (or BR could do it too).

Nimbus

I thought about purchasing hybrids to hedge my bet on high def DVD releases. But with no clear cut winner yet in the BD/HD-DVD war I'm holding off.
Joined Netflix to rent DVDs rather than buy them now. When next gen players come down in price and there's one format left. Then I'll make the plunge.

Augustes

Quite a bit of money was spent trying to do a BD/DVD hybrid, but I don't think much of anything came of it. One replicator -- Cinram -- seemed to indicate that the studios were really keen on the idea.

The studios won't do HD-DVD and DVD as separate discs in one package out of fear that they'd be diluting their sales to people who give away/eBay the other disc.

redford

If the Rumor Has It poster gets replaced with a Superman Returns poster around Christmas time, I'm going to be severly pissed. I hope they leave that one out of their hybrid plans.