Blu-Ray - OOPS!

[Fairweather Pure]

I still have no desire to enter into the latest format wars, but I did find this amusing.

The Blu-ray format has suffered a few surprising glitches at both manufacturing and publicity levels this week after having a generally strong year.

Most notable is that three separate major releases in the past two weeks from dual-format studio Warner Bros. Pictures have seen big enough problems that replacement discs are already being churned out by the bucketload.

First up, the Five-Disc "Harry Potter" Giftset has seen a big problem - namely that HD DVD copies of the fourth film in the series, 'Goblet of Fire', have made their way into the Blu-ray versions of the disc sets.

Soon after it was discovered that some copies of the Blu-ray versions of the much-promoted "Blade Runner" five-disc sets contained not the 'never before seen workprint' as labelled on the back of the set, but rather a mislabeled duplicate of the first disc containing the film's final cut.

Finally, the recently released Blu-ray edition of "Terminator 3" (the HD-DVD version came out last year) has a manufacturing glitch which means that regular playback of the disc is being limited to 1080i output.

The title was the first Warner Blu-ray title to include an 'In Movie Experience' - a technology that's been available on HD-DVD from its launch which is why Warners has been holding off on publishing several titles (eg. Batman Begins, The Matrix) in Blu-ray that they have had out on HD-DVD for months.

In all cases, Warner has set up a dedicated phone line to deal with the issue, and has apparently begun sending out replacement discs. Affected consumers wishing to participate in this exchange program should call 1-800-553-6937.

If that wasn't enough, its now been revealed that select scenes on the "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" Blu-ray disc have suffered from framing problems that wreaked havoc with the film's intended compositions (ie. heads fully visible in the regular DVD version are being cut off in the Blu-ray version). For those seeking a replacement disc, call Disney's customer service line at 1-800-723-4763, and have your name, address, phone number and UPC number ready.

Capping off the bad week the official Blu-ray Disc Association site was apparently hacked on Friday afternoon, redirecting visitors to the official HD DVD site. No one so far has claimed responsibility for the apparent hack.

In good news for the format though, Sony launched Firmware Update v2.10 for the Playstation 3 this week, officially upgrading the game console to a Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player which will enable it to play back discs encoded with "true" picture-in-picture functionality.

In other good news in the high-def format war front, the Samsung BD-UP5000 - the first true combo HD-DVD/Blu-ray player (the earlier LG had limited HD capability) that can play both formats has gone on sale for $799 in various online stores including Amazon and C ircuit City.

[Fash]

I've made my choice in the format war... it's HD DVD. I dislike Sony and their attempts to force unique and restrictive media formats (umd, md, bd) on us, and putting Java into the BD spec really turned me off.

Convinced my father to get a Toshiba A30 for $250, it came with 300 and Bourne Identity, and a mail-in offer for 5 more. Hooked it up to the net and updated the firmware, and everything is great. My bro and I got him the first season of ST:TOS in HD for Christmas, and he's ordering BBC Planet Earth HD for himself.

WTF does anyone need blu-ray for? To play Blu-Ray exclusive titles? What a joke... Why are they exclusive in the first place? It's a corporate cock-fight and the consumer will always lose. HD has shown to be the easiest switch, especially with dual format discs.

[Boogahz]

First up, the Five-Disc "Harry Potter" Giftset has seen a big problem - namely that HD DVD copies of the fourth film in the series, 'Goblet of Fire', have made their way into the Blu-ray versions of the disc sets.

I found this to be the best part of that story

[Xouqoa]

Just get one of these, problem solved.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VD ... AFE8SKHHM3

The price will come down as more manufacturer's get on board and realize that the slow adoption rate of HD discs is due to the lack of a unified format.

[Boogahz]

Oddly enough, the Sony version of that combo player is quite a bit cheaper:

[Zaelath]

That appears to just be a Bluray player...

Regardless, I'm not buying any of either format until I have the ability to rip the ads and other shit out.

[Boogahz]

oops, I had clicked on a referral from another site and when I was trying to find something without a combo package, I seem to have mixed up my links/products

here is what I was originally looking for more info on when I started clicking on Amazon.com links:
LG - 16x Internal Blu-ray Disc/ HD DVD Double-Layer DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive

[Animalor]

I'm waiting till a clear winner is crowned.
At the moment, I think that BD will be taking it, however this will ahve to be much clearer before I jump.

(The fact that noone rents the media in my neck of the woods doesn't help. I think the closest rental spot is ~ 25 miles away.)

[Canelek]

I had bought the HD-DVD addon for the XBOX360. So far, I have Hot Fuzz, Transformers, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining in that format. Tits on a tulip.

[Legenae]

First up, the Five-Disc "Harry Potter" Giftset has seen a big problem - namely that HD DVD copies of the fourth film in the series, 'Goblet of Fire', have made their way into the Blu-ray versions of the disc sets.

I found this to be the best part of that story

All of the discs in the set I got for Christmas were all Blu-ray.

[Xouqoa]

I picked up a PS3 since I had $100 in gift cards. I just got the 40gb version, so the price was only $299 + tax.

The hardware itself is very nice (way nicer than the xbox 360) and I think it'll make a fine BRD player. Added bonus, it'll play some games. I couldn't see spending $500 on a stand alone player when I can get the game system for less.

If HD-DVD ends up winning, I'll pick up the 360 HD drive and be done with it.

[miir]

First up, the Five-Disc "Harry Potter" Giftset has seen a big problem - namely that HD DVD copies of the fourth film in the series, 'Goblet of Fire', have made their way into the Blu-ray versions of the disc sets.

Funny, I traced this BIG PROBLEM back to 2 posts on two different forums started by the same person.
Judging from those threads, roughly 3-4 people were affected by this packaging error.

[Fairweather Pure]

First up, the Five-Disc "Harry Potter" Giftset has seen a big problem - namely that HD DVD copies of the fourth film in the series, 'Goblet of Fire', have made their way into the Blu-ray versions of the disc sets.

Funny, I traced this BIG PROBLEM back to 2 posts on two different forums started by the same person.
Judging from those threads, roughly 3-4 people were affected by this packaging error.

So you believe that Warner Brothers set up a hotline and exchange policy for four people? Are you really that dense or are you trolling?

At least the people experiancing the skipping, stuttering, and inability to play the Blu Ray Goblet of Fire can call the same number! You also need the latest firmware upgrade for your PS3 to even play it.

The recent Terminator 3 Blu Ray release was a cluster fuck too.

In regards to the HP box set mix up, I rather enjoyed this comment from a poster on an AV board I frequent:

If you ask me, the fourth disk was the only one that was correctly packaged

[Dregor Thule]

nm, just saw there was another thread about it.