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Perkins Cobb wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but many of the Flipside DVDs have been priced at £17.99. So if one isn't Blu-Ray enabled, that would represent a £2 increase, not a price drop, if a bundled edition of the same film were the only option.

Personally, I'm an enthusiastic customer for BFI's Blus, and am delighted at the prospect of paying slightly less for them. I hasten to add that, lest I be thought of as an idiot or a troll.

Perkins Cobb wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but many of the Flipside DVDs have been priced at £17.99. So if one isn't Blu-Ray enabled, that would represent a £2 increase, not a price drop, if a bundled edition of the same film were the only option.

bigP wrote:I only wish Criterion were as savvy as this when it comes to their lack of forewarning over the release of their Blu's sometimes months after the SD has hit stores.

swo17 wrote:

bigP wrote:I only wish Criterion were as savvy as this when it comes to their lack of forewarning over the release of their Blu's sometimes months after the SD has hit stores.

When has Criterion done this? The only instances I can think of that come remotely close to what you're talking about are:

1. The Last Emperor and, to a lesser extent, Pierrot le fou, which had, respectively, eleven months and a year and a half between the release of the DVD and BD editions. But then, both of those came out on DVD before Criterion had even started putting anything out on BD, so it's hardly fair to hold that against them.

2. A Christmas Tale, for which a BD edition was announced one month after the DVD edition was announced. In this case, no one had had a chance to buy the DVD edition yet, so it's really no harm, no foul.

Is there something else I'm missing here?

MichaelB wrote:This is also somewhat academic as I really can't imagine too many people round these parts paying full RRP - the pre-order price of the Ozus is just £13.99 on Amazon at the moment.

MichaelB wrote:Official announcement about the BFI's upcoming dual-format editions:

BFI to launch DVD and Blu-ray ‘Dual Format Editions’

The BFI announces today the introduction of ‘Dual Format Editions’, in which both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of selected releases – main features and extras alike – will sit side-by-side in a competitively-priced single package.

Dual Format Editions launch on 26 April, at RRP £19.99, with two classics from the master of Japanese cinema, Yasujiro Ozu: Tokyo Story (1953) and Early Summer (1951).

The next Flipside releases will be Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (Clive Donner, 1968) and Bronco Bullfrog (1969) by Barney Platts-Mills in September 2010.

Thanks for your email. The version of The Birth of a Nation previously available from Connoisseur Video, which was produced by Photoplay, is indeed in the process of being re-released through the BFI. We are still in the stages of remastering and due to funding we are not sure when the process will be completed. So maybe it's not going to happen that soon, but it will at some point - and we will announce the release via our website.

Sloper wrote: I've yammered on about this restoration more than once on this board, and this is very exciting news, even if the release is not imminent. It really is a different film - scarier, more exciting, more beautiful, dangerous, etc - in this presentation.

Tommaso wrote:What exactly are the differences?

We've been waiting with bated breath for finished copies of our first batch of Dual Format Editions (Institute Benjamenta, The Pleasure Girls and The Party's Over) to be delivered to the office, and, now that they have arrived, we are delighted to say that they look great.

However, it is with no small amount of frustration that I need to report a finding about which we are a little unhappy. Each of our new Dual Format Editions features a prominent sticker across the top of pack which indicates that the release contains both a DVD and a Blu-ray disc. The intention was to have this sticker applied to the outside of the shrinkwrap, so that it would be easily removed when the outer wrap was taken off, but it transpires that our manufacturer has applied the sticker directly to the case.

What this means is that when the sticker is peeled away it leaves a sticky residue which, although not permanent, takes a little bit of dedication to remove. (I've found that 'dabbing' with a piece of cellotape does the trick, but any better ideas are more than welcome!)

While this does not constitute anything close to a fault, and although the situation certainly won't give rise to a re-press or the provision of replacement stock, we felt it only right to let you know what to expect if you are planning to buy one or more of these first 3 Dual Format titles.

Rest assured, though, that once the sticker is off, what you're left with is perfect and most pleasing (even if we say so ourselves). Do also rest assured that all future Dual Format Editions will have the sticker applied on the outside of the shrinkwrap only.