Amen, and thank you. We may be a rear-guard rebellion, but the effort to be kind to us matters. A lot.

The Blu-Ray push is getting very annoying, though I’m sort of happy to hear the aggressive push is actually undermining reviews for their products.

This is just plain insanity on Disney’s part. I mean, it creates a problem for any reviewer without a blu-ray player. Even if they include a DVD of the movie, itself, they cut off the ability to fully review the product.

And reviews of both editions are useful.

What they should have done is taken the time and effort to creating a list for the standard DVD release (which is most likely to sell the most copies) and a Blu-Ray list. I suppose that is more work than Disney wants to do, and it’s easier to just picking one version and saying, “This is it”. But I think if that is the case, “It’s DVD for now” makes more sense.

Am I hearing you right? You are, in the year 2009, complaining about companies wanting to step into the future. Grab a BD-player and go with the flow.

My review of the BD will be up on the swedish site dvdforum.nu tomorrow, and I thank Disney for sending us future formats.

/Gherry

Johanna: “No, I’m complaining about companies trying to force “upgrades” that benefit publishers more than consumers down customer throats at higher prices. Whether Blu-Ray is the future remains to be seen.”

Funny coming from someone who got the movie for free. ;)

Blu-Ray is the future. Everyone benefits from the better quality picture and sound that is available from it. Well, except for people who want something free apperantly.

I’m really pissed that Disney isn’t giving us a copy in VHS format. Hogwash, I say. What’s with all this hype about “digital format” this and that? I want crappy picture and sound; and I love rewinding my tapes, too! I don’t want to upgrade my equipment…. EVEEEERRRRR!

(end sarcasm)

Get a grip, people. DVD is (now sub-)standard definition video and audio. People like the author of this article should be kissing the ground the producers walk upon for re-releasing these timeless classics in Blu, not chastising them for not putting it out on DVD.

You’re pissed about the lack of a VHS copy!

I’m even more pissed that I didn’t get a Laserdisc copy!

How dare Disney not supply a free copy of the movie in the format that I want!!

what?! no hd-dvd copies?

Gotta feel for the people with Beta-Max also.

So…let me get this straight…..
You are complaining that from now on, you will get FREE blu-ray versions of Disney films for you to review on? Oh GOD the horror!!! what will you do? Look, be thankful that you ARE NOT paying for these movies. Do you know how many people who would love to be in your position? Look if you don’t want to use this technology then don’t. Give this job to someone else.

That woman seems to be really mad…are you married?

Another Angry anti-blu blogger with no life.

As a reviewer, in particular one who has been around since the days of Laserdisc (I supported LD for a good 10 years myself), you should know better than to assume ANY format is the “format of the future.” There is always something bigger, better, faster, stronger just around the corner.

The simple fact of the matter is, HD has been in development for a very long time. Since the early 70′s if you actually want to trace it all the way back.

We’ve had HDTV sets for nearly ten years now. HD cable broadcasts for about the same length of time. So how exactly is it a SURPRISE that we now have a home video format that is capable of taking full advantage of this new standard for our televisions? It was the next logical step. And one as someone in the biz, one you should have known was coming ten years ago. It’s not like they just SPRUNG it on everyone out of nowhere, it’s been a VERY slow, gradual transition.

I supported LD until 2001, and similarly felt that DVD was a “forced format.” As a result, I missed out on some great releases that were out of print by the time I wizened up. Been there, done that, not going to make the same mistake with this new format.

In short, love it or hate it HD is the new standard. Cable is going HD, (the digital switchover is only the first step), home video is going HD. It’s been in the works for a long time. It’s not going to change. Blu-ray has already succeeded as a format, it’s not going anywhere for a looong time.

What I find puzzling, is you were a LD supporter back in the day, so clearly you (at one time) considered higher quality picture and sound to be important. So why the resistance to Blu-ray? It gives you better picture and sound that has EVER been possible before. And Disney is actually going one step beyond most of the other studios by including the DVD version WITH the Blu-ray. There is no problem here. If you enjoy movies in the best possible quality, Blu-ray is a no-brainer. As a reviewer you should appreciate that.

Always fun to see the “how DARE the customers believe they have the right to complain” card played, isn’t it.

Especially at this sort of economic juncture.

For myself, I’ve only just started getting settled into buying and enjoying DVDs in the last couple of years, foot-dragger that I am, and already the Big Players want to pull that rug out from under me.

No, thanks.

DVD has already been around for 12+ years. The format has enjoyed great success, and will be around for several more years giving it an overall lifespan comparable to that of VHS and Laserdisc. It’s not the studios fault you waited so long to get into it. Technology is constantly changing, evolving and improving.

It’s nothing to do with the customer not having the right to complain. Complain all you like. The point is, no amount of complaining is going to CHANGE the fact that technology will continue to change, evolve and improve whether you want it to or not.

HD has been in development since before DVD even came out. It’s not new. The only “new” aspect to it is that it’s actually here now. Enjoy it or deny it, it’s not going anywhere. Blu-ray is the current preferred home delivery medium for HD content. Ten years down the line, we’ll have something else. Ten years after that something else. And so goes the relentless march of technology.

Myself, I choose to simply enjoy whatever the latest and greatest thing is rather than waste my time complaining about something over which I have no control. Did that when DVD came out and I was a hardcore Laserdisc supporter. It got me nowhere then, such complaints will go nowhere now. I’m overjoyed that we FINALLY have HD in a format that is easy to access and enjoy.

Johanna, I think we are in lockstep agreement on the perils of early adoption of any technology here.

Johanna,

As far as I’m concerned if you’re not capable of reviewing a Blu-ray disc yet what exactly does your review have to offer that other don’t? Because I’m assuming you don’t even have a proper display to make any kind of valid assessment. If you did, you’d likely already have a blu-ray player due to the amazing picture it offers on your proper display which you don’t have (obviously)..

There are other sites (blogs for that matter) that offer expertise. If you’re still debating if Blu-Ray is a worthy successor to DVD I really have no interest in your opinion..

I completely support what Johanna is saying.

Regardless of whether BD is the format of the future, DVD is the mainstream, dominant format in the NOW. The format responsibile for most of the sales in most of the homes.

Disney not sending out DVDs to review sure seems like a heavy-handed attempt to me to downplay DVD and promote BD.

People who are satisfied with DVD won’t be able to read a review of a disc they want to buy on DVD to find out about the special features, etc. They’ll only find BD reviews.

This will create the impression that DVD is quickly dying when in reality, it still has the majority of the sales.

As a DVD owner, I am still interested to read reviews of the film itself, and the supplements, etc.

If a reviewer doesn’t have a giant display in “high def”, it doesn’t make their opinion of the film itself, the bonus features, etc, or even the picture or sound quality of the DVD version any less valid in my eyes.

Not every film fan obsesses over seeing every last pore on someone’s skin when we are too busy enjoying the artistic merits of the movie itself ;)

Super CD or whatever they called that advanced format went nowhere because customers saw no reason to re-buy.

SACD (Super Audio CD, I think) and DVD-a. I won’t be surprised if, despite Blu-Ray getting a bigger push than those formats did, it ends up suffering the same fate: not enough people feeling it’s enough of an improvement to be worth upgrading to.

“And I remember Circuit City saying the same thing about their DIVX product…”

DiVX, though, was an attempt to compete with DVD and came out at the point when DVD was a brand new format. Much like HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, it was a format war-not the next step from DVD.

But seriously, now…what the hell people. Are we seriously putting down a critic for expressing frustration with a company making a decision that hurts their ability to critique the product? Johanna doesn’t have a Blu-Ray player. Is it really a big crime that she finds it frustrating that Disney is only sending out Blu-Ray players? As a Blu-Ray supporter and owner, if I was doing reviews and the studio would only supply DVDs for review, I’d be frustrated by the limitation.

Johanna is completely in the right to be frustrated by the situation. I recommend Blu-Ray, but this is a tough economic time, and most people I know are in the “replace technology when there is no other option” boat. DVDs work fine for most people, and I do not see the crime there.

I would say that when it comes to ease of use, Blu-Ray discs definitely beat DVD for me. You can navigate the menu while watching the movie. :)

As far as technical reviews, I lean more towards the reviews that focus on the same stuff as yourself. The most technical that matters to me is know “does it sound good?” “Is the picture clear and vibrant”? If I were reviewing Blu-Rays, I wouldn’t get more technical than that.

“But now I can’t review the DVD package, which has a second disc of special features, including a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, art galleries, and deleted songs.”

Aren’t all those special features also on the BluRay? Are you sure?

Johanna,

I understand your point (that DVD is still the mainstream format and Disney should not be forcing upgrades down consumers throats), but it is also clear that Disney and other studios are at a crossroads. DVD sales and shipments are down considerably since their peak in 2006 and the studios are looking for Blu-Ray and digital distro to pick up the slack. If Blu-Ray and digital distro do not succeed, and DVD sales continue to slide at the rate they have, it will greatly affect the studios and us, the consumers of that content.

So while I understand your frustration, I can also understand why Disney wants the reviewers to focus on the Blu-Ray release. They want people talking about the format. They put a ton or work and effort (and most likely money) into Sleeping Beauty and now Pinocchio, on Blu-Ray. If you get a chance, you should view the Blu-Ray versions of both these classic movies as they look amazing in hidef.

It also seems that you are a fan of extras, and that is another big draw to Blu-Ray. It offers extra features (such as PiP commentary, BD Live, extras in hidef, etc) that DVD cannot offer.

That said, is it possible to review the DVD disc and then rent the DVD version that has the extra features and then follow-up? Or perhaps even buy the DVD version if it is a movie you feel that strongly about?

But my recommendation is to buy a Blu-Ray player. Most of them do a solid job of upconverting your DVDs as well and they will look better than ever.

Whats wrong with a studio promoting what it wants with its promotional review copies?

If Blu-ray versions with superior audio and video quality and extras are at near the same cost as the DVD version, how does the consumer not benefit?

All the entry cost then is the sub $149 – $199 to get a Blu-ray player. It seems consumer friendly of Disney to include a DVD version to use in the others players in the household.

Disney has an incentive to promote a format that it can resell its library of titles on in high definition.

Where’e the evil here?

Whats the issue with a Blu-ray player purchase for a reviewer?

If you are in the business of recommending consumer home video options should you not be aware of the potential of the Blu-ray version’s audio video and extras?

Disney is expecting that in the future the Blu-ray market share of its classic titles will increase as many people already have the DVD version and have no reason to re purchase it on DVD.

New families may be a potential market but more and more a possible reason to repurchase these older studio library titles will be the upgrade in video and audio and extras that come with Blu-ray.

As Blu-ray hardware prices fall and more Blu-ray titles get shown at cheaper prices on retail shelves, the more and more consumers will enjoy Blu-ray.

At a projected 80-100 million Blu-ray discs and over $1 Billion in North American Blu-ray sales and dozens of sub $199 Blu-ray players being marketed later this year, Blu-ray is already here to stay and is already far more successful than UMD DAT DVD-Audio or SACD.

If a family can get a $199 Blu-ray player to match their HDTV, a free DVD and digital copy and rent or buy Blu-ray versions for about the same cost as a new DVD release, then how is that an evil corporate plot?

By the way. Cool Blog. You have a new fan.

I’m tired of putting up with being forced to repurchase.

You are not being forced to repurchase. If you buy the blu-ray, you get a DVD of the movie and also a blu-ray, thus eliminating any need to repurchase in the forseable future.

If you buy the DVD, you only get the DVD.

Blu-ray players play DVDs as well. Your existing DVDs work just fine on them, so why would you need to repurchase?

Blu-ray is a waste of time, You can already download better quality HD on Vudu and other platforms. The days of pressing plastic discs are clearly numbered…

Johanna, Disney doesn’t need your review of the DVD to sell copies of it enough to send out promotional copies of it. I don’t understand why you are taking this so personally. The DVD version will sell to Disney fans like you who are interested in special features but don’t care about getting the best quality available–that doesn’t need promotion. What Disney wants to promote is their top of the line product to new fans and they are promoting the fact that you can now get the Blu-ray version even if you haven’t upgraded to Blu-ray just yet.

This is like you are complaining that Dark Horse is only sending you the hardbound graphic novels “robbing” you of the opportunity to review the newsprint & staple version.

One hopes that no comics publisher will ever resort to that kind of “technological protection measure”. :-D

Come on Johanna. How are people going to take you seriously if you don’t have a Blu-ray player when you considered yourself a reviewer? It is a cost of doing business.

“I have found it interesting, as I’ve refused future Blu-Ray screeners (because they’re of no use to me), that Disney’s reps have been asking me “Are you sure?”, trying to get me to take them. I suspect I’m not the only one who takes issue with this decision.”

You should tell them if Disney wants to supply you with a Blu-Ray player, you are willing to receive the Blu-Ray discs. :)

“I’m tired of putting up with being forced to repurchase.”

Actually, the one nice thing about Blu-Ray players is they are back compatible. You do not have to replace everything, it will play your DVD’s fine.

“All the entry cost then is the sub $149 – $199 to get a Blu-ray player. It seems consumer friendly of Disney to include a DVD version to use in the others players in the household.”

This is true if you have an HD television (blu-ray pictures will not look any better than a DVD on a standard def television). But even at that, I do not usually recommend those $150-200 players. They tend to have slower load times, and are not upgradeable, in a few short years we have had Blu-Ray 1.0, 1.1 and now 2.0. And if you do not have 2.0? nifty features like PiP are not an option for you. I generally recommend a PS3, as they are upgradeable as new changes in Blu-Ray technology come down the road. And that is a $399+$24 (for the separate remote) investment. I understand peoples’ hesitation.

“The days of pressing plastic discs are clearly numbered…”

Good grief, I hope not. Legal downloads pretty much cost the same as a DVD, and you do not get any bonus features. Plus, watching movies on your computer? Yuck. And if you watch the download via TV? It’s never actually the full 1080p picture anyways. In every way, switching to digital downloads seems like a step back, not forward.

“And if you watch the download via TV? It’s never actually the full 1080p picture anyways.”

Seriously, have you been living in a cave? You might want to google HDX…

I checked it out. Great, they promise full 1080p. So does Hi-Def cable and satellite. Promising and delivering? Not the same thing. Furthermore? It still offers me nothing I want or need that I do not get through a plastic disc. Blu-Ray and DVD both offer me far more as a consumer than digital downloads do. The lazi-er-ease of just downloading when you just get the movie is a loss.

Hey Johanna. If you’d like I’d love to do Blu-ray reviews for your site. It may be somewhat of a compromise, or means to and end until or if you do decide to switch to Blu-ray in the future.

Johanna says : “I’m old enough that I remember when the laserdisc WAS the format of the future, and I still have some”

You’re right Johanna, LDs were the format of the future, and it had it’s day in the sun. Today LDs have faded to history, like VHS did.

But there was a time when DVD’s were also the format of the future, and it did stay around for a long time and brought enjoyment for many people. Today though, chances are that DVD will follow what happened to LD and VHS. Yes, it will likely fade away.

And if IronMan did not sell 1million copies on blu-ray, if The Dark Knight did not sell 2 million copies on blu-ray, there is a large chance that BD will not replace DVD’s.

But they did sell enough to convince the studios that it is doing well enough.

I collected a total of 1400 DVDs in my lifetime, and I did it after amassing about 200 LDs, half of them in japanese anime, and I never regretted either DVD’s or LD’s, because even when I was in school, I knew that nothing lasts forever. And, the BD players play all my DVD’s.

I don’t know the extent and breadth of your animation and comics reviews, but comic adaptations : SinCity, 300 on Blu-ray are amazing.

And Wall-e, Chicken Little, Ice Age, Happy Feet, Akira, Cars, Sleeping Beauty, Ratatouille, Kungfu Panda, Surf’s Up, Meet the Robinson are a sight to behold.

On my 65″ Sharp Aquos, practically every frame of the animation movies are close to viewing individual cels — something that noone can claim when watching DVD’s.

If people didn’t accept change and new technology around us, we’d still be living in caves and we’d think that etchings on walls are the best form of entertainment.

But we did, and look where we are now, meanwhile, the people who stayed with etchings on walls, they could not compete with the ones who took up new challenges.

You must enjoy the attention your blog is receiving now, I’m thinking it was a well planned and well executed piece of marketing to draw interest to your site.

Nice site.