Universal to offer Blu-ray and DVD films on one "flipper" disc

User Comments: 46

1. December 3, 2009 3:38 AM
   TechDisciple said:

   flipper discs may be too pricey for the "ideal" consumer, who has likely avoided Blu-ray and the HD-scene in the interest of saving money.

   ^^ Nuff Said.

   Reply
2. December 3, 2009 4:38 AM
   Richy2k9 said:

   hello ...

   cool, using the old dual sided DVD/BD like with older DVDs having Widescreen one side & full screen on the other. this is a cheap mean to inject more Blu-ray into the homes & if someone just by any chance try the Blu-ray, let say at some friend's place just to have a look at it, then the migration is assured for will be difficult going back

   nice move Universal, will help me also with my future Collections, for even if i'm going mostly blu-ray these times, i also want a simple DVD option i can use when not at home.

   cheers!

   Reply
3. December 3, 2009 4:41 AM
   

   slh28, TechSpot Paladin, said:

   By the time these DVD/BD combo discs take off, online streaming (/p2p) will already be the norm I reckon.

   Reply
4. December 3, 2009 4:53 AM
   Razerblade said:

   I must admit this is a very good idea. However, The discs will probably cost even more than normal Blu-ray films so I think they will not hit off unless the price is attractive enough! I would rather pay for the DVD when it comes out and then get the Blu-ray when I upgrade to a Blu-ray player and by that time the Blu-ray version of the film would have come down in price!

   Reply
5. December 3, 2009 5:16 AM
   ET3D, TechSpot Paladin, said:

   I don't much see the point of it, unless, as someone said, that'd be the only format the movie is available in. I think that DVD player prices are low enough right now that people would do better to just get one if they want blu-ray, instead of buying expensive movies and watch them on their DVD player.

   On second thought, it's an interesting format if you own a blu-ray player but want to loan the disc to people who don't.

   Reply
6. December 3, 2009 5:27 AM
   manintech said:

   an interesting idea, but don't think there would be many people willing to pay extra for future proof though, in the future the blue ray version might be cheaper than you are paying now

   Reply
7. December 3, 2009 5:43 AM
   

   jtickner1, TechSpot Chancellor, said:

   That's actually a hell good idea. Nice thinking.

   Reply
8. December 3, 2009 5:58 AM
   kaonis92 said:

   Great way of thinking, this is good from many sides.

   Reply
9. December 3, 2009 6:48 AM
   LightHeart said:

   It sounds like a good idea if the price is not too much. The real question is will Blu-Ray become mainstream before streaming HD movies do?

   Reply
10. December 3, 2009 7:37 AM
    

    Vrmithrax, TechSpot Paladin, said:

    Timonius said:

    I think this is a stupid marketing scheme. A case of too little too late. This kind of thing should have been launched at least two years ago. A better 'upgrade path' would be to offer rebates, trade-in programs, or something similar for dvd owners.

    Totally with you on that one... And, isn't it funny, but Sony actually refused to even consider the "flipper" design before, when HD-DVD had introduced it. They didn't want to muddy the waters, or do anything that might jeopardize their BluRay hardware sales. Then, BluRay wins the HD war, but then the HD sales are lackluster, and now suddenly they are considering options like these... And somewhere in the accounting and PR departments in Sony, someone thinks enough people will pay a premium to have both formats... In reality, if you only have a DVD player, you will buy the cheaper DVD, since when/if you actually move up to a BluRay player, you can still watch your entire DVD collection. If, at that point, you want one of your older movies in BluRay, THEN you might go out and pick up the HD version. But there are more people pinching pennies these days than there are people who are planning for their HD future.

    Between this type of product, and the PSP Go, I am beginning to think Sony has really lost touch with their customer base, and the realities of the economic times.

    Reply
11. December 3, 2009 7:56 AM
    swilllx2p said:

    A great idea but more then likely a failure because of what the price will be. The article says it perfectly..there going to miss there target market because of the price. People may also buy these though to be able to take it to friends houses who don't have blue ray or other places without, and still be able to watch there movies.

    Reply
12. December 3, 2009 9:05 AM
    Chazz said:

    I'm sure they will offer DVD, blue ray and combo versions of movies. They won't be forcing anyone to pay extra because of blue-ray.

    Reply
13. December 3, 2009 9:45 AM
    Guest said:

    This is a nifty idea, but in the past dual-sided discs have caused problems. What width are we talking about here? Can you watch the blu-ray side in a PS3 (which doesn't have a tray) without destroying the other side? I'm just thinking about DualDisc CDs, which of course you couldn't play in anything that didn't have a tray or closeable lid.

    Reply
14. December 3, 2009 11:03 AM
    buttus said:

    I like this idea. It's a nice way of future proofing the digital content you buy. Now, the weird thing I find about this is that....the movie and music industry says that if you buy one DVD, you can only have that one DVD (and not say burn a second copy for backup). How is it then that by going this route you are in fact getting two copies of the same content?

    Reply
15. December 3, 2009 11:58 AM
    

    klepto12, TechSpot Paladin, said:

    because they sold it to you as 2 copies. if you buy 1 copy and make yourself a copy thats considered wrong because they only sold you the rights to 1 copy of that movie versus the 2 copies on 1 disk here.

    Reply
16. December 3, 2009 12:38 PM
    wcbert said:

    I like this idea as I have not moved to Blue-Ray, but I not going to pay for brand new releases as I wait for them to be on sale for $10. So giving me a dual format is not going to make me buy it. When the price is $10 I will buy it.

    Reply
17. December 3, 2009 1:04 PM
    AbsolutGaloot said:

    In addition to being more expensive, a design like this means there's twice as much surface area to get scratched up. It'll be years before blue-ray becomes mainstream enough that this kind of disk will be appealing, since most people will look at the flipper disc and the DVD next to it and go for the DVD because it's cheaper now. Unless of course they only offer the release on the dual sided disk, which would be rather dickish since even people who just want DVD pay the premium.

    Reply
18. December 3, 2009 1:37 PM
    Guest said:

    What's funny is I seem to remember the Blu-Ray camp making fun of HD DVD for doing this very same thing.

    Reply
19. December 3, 2009 1:42 PM
    

    klepto12, TechSpot Paladin, said:

    just to let you know Universal is the one doing this not sony thats only one production company not all movie companies are doing it.

    Reply
20. December 3, 2009 5:44 PM
    BlindObject said:

    I rather just spend the money on a tv player and bd. This "in between" deals never last.

    Reply
21. December 3, 2009 6:33 PM
    vangrat said:

    Thank god, this is the one thing that has been stopping me from going full bluray as half of my devices are DVD.

    Reply

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