Since our DVDs have always been published with region one rights only, I would be surprised if our BD releases did not carry region encoding. I hope this helps, and thanks for your email!
Aren't most CC DVDs region 0?
Our list only goes up to 305, but yes, most Criterion DVDs are region 0. Region coding on Blu-ray may be a whole new issue, though.
Maybe the Mulvaneys are not "allowed" to say that most Criterion DVDs are, in fact, region free.
Isn't that odd? After all this time, and now we're into another medium and they still can't declare it due to some international agreements? I'm just glad those agreements didn't hold true for the players... Speaking of which, I look forward to the day I can get a Cyberhome blu ray player for $40!
If the technology is available to offer split format releases (BD/SD playback and compatibility on the same disc) and Criterion's price point for upcoming high-definition releases promises to be equal to their standard-def DVD offerings, than why continue to release SD-DVD at all?
Why not simply switch to BluRay format for all upcoming and future Criterion releases and allow for SD-DVD compatibility as well so those who cannot take advantage of the technology will purchase regardless?
Wouldn't that make the most sense to maximize profits and maintain consistency as well as satisfy customers?
OliverB wrote:Why not simply switch to BluRay format for all upcoming and future Criterion releases and allow for SD-DVD compatibility as well so those who cannot take advantage of the technology will purchase regardless?
Pressing Blu-ray discs is very expensive. Even the major studios are losing money on most releases. Criterion is being bold in trying out these releases, but it wouldn't make sense for them to spend all of that money to include a feature that the vast majority of their customers wouldn't be able to use right now.
Matt wrote:Putting Blu-rays in DVD-sized packaging (digipak or keepcase)--when all other Blu-rays are in small keepcases--would be like packaging CDs in longboxes.
The main page at DVD Beavershows the upcoming packaging of "Third Man" and "Man Who Fell to Earth." It appears that the packages are nearly square, which indicates that they will be in the smaller Blu-Ray keepcases, but without the blue outlines.
I don't know what you're talking about. Nearly square? They look the same.
Feego wrote:The main page at DVD Beavershows the upcoming packaging of "Third Man" and "Man Who Fell to Earth." It appears that the packages are nearly square, which indicates that they will be in the smaller Blu-Ray keepcases, but without the blue outlines.
I don't know what you're talking about. Nearly square? They look the same.
The Blu-Ray package is clearly wider than the SD package.
OliverB wrote:Why not simply switch to BluRay format for all upcoming and future Criterion releases and allow for SD-DVD compatibility as well so those who cannot take advantage of the technology will purchase regardless?
Pressing Blu-ray discs is very expensive. Even the major studios are losing money on most releases. Criterion is being bold in trying out these releases, but it wouldn't make sense for them to spend all of that money to include a feature that the vast majority of their customers wouldn't be able to use right now.
So you are suggesting that they are taking a loss on these releases?
If Criterion plans on selling them at equal cost to their standard discs, than by solely offering BR releases that are backwards compatible with Standard-DVD, they will sell the same numbers regardless and make the company more profit than releasing a niche item to collectors (which is really what the company specializes in to begin with, only BR is even more limiting in that scale), no?
Customers who would have otherwise purchased the regular Criterion disc will now be buying the same as before, only the advantage would be the split-format option of having the upgraded High-Def feature encoded on the disc if he/she has the setup to take advantage. No need to chose between one release over the other when both are priced the same. Make BD-DVD the only option but allow for a backwards compatibility for those not able to take advantage of the upgraded resolution. Everyone is happy and there is no need to stir up confusion or split parties on sales.
Along with dismissing the value of being able to determine how many blu-rays sell, of which titles, at what times, to where, etc.
If they combined them to make blu/SD discs, Criterion (or any other producer) would never have a way of knowing if the hugely expensive blu part of the disc was being used, and worth their while to continue pressing.
(Short of a questionnaire included with releases, making the whole thing even more expensive and less accurate: "Hi! Thanks for buying a Criterion Collection disc. Did you buy this disc for (check one):...")
Experience has shown that a new format succeeds when the market is flooded with reasonably priced software of good selection (provided the hardware is also available at a reasonable cost). Laserdisc never took off as a mass medium because it was very expensive. Sony's Betamax was outmaneuvered by VHS (even though it was a superior quality format) because software was not available in large selection. Conversely, DVD was introduced at a reasonable price point, and someone decided to keep releasing new titles at that price point, and the format had an explosive growth.
I think the launch of Blu Ray shows the characteristics of the failed formats. The hardware is still too expensive for many people. The discs are released with caution, and are also considered too expensive (compared to the SD). Region-coding is an obstacle for Blu Ray (from the point of view of consumer) whereas it is easily overcome for the SD. Toshiba keeps persuading the consumer that they need not go for Blu Ray - upconverting their regular DVD's will be just fine.
We need a leader with faith who is prepared to gamble big time on this format. Warner did that with the original DVD (I read about the high cost of pressing Blu Ray. At its inception similar views were expressed vis-a-vis SD also). Instead, we have a plethora of dabblers.
It is not the first time that a superior quality format will have failed or had limited success. We are not yet at a point of no return. But big studios need to show more energy (and discrimination) than they have so far.
Unless the Blu-ray editions include an extra DVD disc, you'll never get both versions on one disc. It's not really a good thing anyway, the combo discs for HD-DVDs were loaded with problems.
I vote for keeping this thread on specific discussion of Criterion blu-rays rather than general discussion of the success or failure of the format as a whole.
Here's the gen from the horse's mouth (Criterion's newsletter)...
Criterion wrote:Are Criterion's Blu-ray discs region-encoded?
Yes. Criterion is licensed to sell most of its editions only in North America.
Why should I buy regular DVDs when I don't know if Criterion will release a Blu-ray version six months from now?
If you love these films, keep buying DVDs. It is going to be quite a while before the Blu-ray marketplace can support many of the titles Criterion releases on DVD. For new releases, if we think a title has a shot of succeeding on Blu-ray, we aim to put out both editions at the same time, so you can make an informed choice. Where classics from our catalog are concerned, to give you a little extra comfort we'll be offering a $20 Blu-ray upgrade program for customers who have already bought the equivalent edition on DVD. You send us the movie disc from your DVD edition, and for $20 (plus tax and shipping) we'll exchange it for the Blu-ray version, simple as that. For more on how this works, click here.*
What is the packaging going to look like?
Our Blu-ray packaging will be similar to our DVD packaging, only in the smaller Blu-ray size. As with DVDs, we'll use a range of paper and plastic packaging, and we'll bring the same care and attention to the design. Where we're upgrading an existing release, the design will match right down to the disc labels, so if you want to take advantage of the $20 Blu-ray upgrade program, your replacement disc will fit right into the design of your existing Criterion DVD edition. In the store, if you want to be sure you're buying the Blu-ray edition and not the standard-def DVD version, you'll know it by the smaller size and the blue Blu-ray sticker on the front.
Will there be spine numbers?
Spine numbers on our Blu-ray discs will match the existing DVD editions. Our Blu-ray releases represent a significant upgrade when it comes to audiovisual quality, and many of our customers will want to take advantage of that, but we're not starting over at number 1, and we're not expecting our longstanding DVD collectors to do so either. Where content is concerned, we aren't planning on publishing anything on our Blu-ray editions that won't also be available on DVD. Whether you collect only DVDs or only Blu-ray discs or a mix, it's all part of your Criterion collection—and they'll all line up in spine-number order.
What will Criterion Blu-ray discs cost?
Criterion's Blu-ray editions will generally be priced to match our DVDs. It makes sense to us: High-definition mastering and restoration has been a part of our DVD production standard for years. And for our customers who might be on the fence about whether to buy DVD or Blu-ray, we thought the best thing we could do was take price out of the equation.
*Rebate offer subject to change.
This is good news for North American customers, but Criterion's wider non-US fanbase will be disappointed and disadvantaged unfortunately...
Last edited by ellipsis7 on Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
and here's the rebate details. On the surface it sounds good. But it costs $25 to swap discs. For like $2 more you can get the new set from DVDPlanet, and then sell your old one for hopefully more than $2...
Criterion wrote:How will the Blu-ray upgrade program work?
Just mail your disc to:
The Criterion Collection
Attn: Jon Mulvaney
215 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10003
Be sure to include your U.S. or Canadian mailing address inside the package, as we cannot ship outside of North America. Please also include your e-mail address in case we need to contact you. You can send in your disc for exchange anytime, but we won’t be sending out the Blu-ray discs until their release dates.
You can pay the $20 plus tax (New York State only) and $5 shipping and handling by a check or money order made payable to the Criterion Collection. You can also pay by PayPal by making a payment to [email protected] (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover welcome). If your shipping address is in New York State, the total is $26.50 for the upgrade of one DVD. If your shipping address is in any other state or in Canada, the total is $25.
We’ll mail the Blu-ray disc in a sleeve, and you'll be able to place the new disc in your existing packaging. This doesn't give you the new Blu-ray packaging, but it does give you an option if you want the Blu-ray version but don't want to buy the entire set again. This offer only applies to "like" editions. For example, you can return disc 1 of the rerelease of The Third Man but not the earlier, out-of-print edition.
If you have any questions about the Blu-ray upgrade offer please e-mail Jon Mulvaney at [email protected]. We reserve the right to change or discontinue this program at any time.
Seriously. The only time I ever considered going hi-def was when Soderbergh recorded exclusive commentaries for the Ocean's films that were unavailable on the standard def releases
But Criterion is doing something that none of the other studios are doing (yet) -- providing par pricing for both formats. There is really no reason not to buy the Blu titles.
Also, exclusive content is one piece of larger puzzle for people deciding to go hidef. I still have a CRT tv, and I know to make it worth my while, I'm going to need a new TV in the equation, along with a BD player (ie. PS3). Going hidef is an expensive proposition and for most people, will go beyond what extras or features on a disc.
I'm sure as BD takes off, Criterion will shift their stance regarding content. It doesn't make sense to start making exclusive content on already niche titles for a niche format.
Good point, but to be honest, I rarely ever watch extras more than once and I'm certainly not going to choose a SD version of the film because the disc might have an extra that the BD lacks. The presentation of the film will trump all else (for me, anyway).
