Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Combo editions are only useful for 3D movies. That way you also get the 2D version. But if I buy a blu-ray, I don't want a DVD version. If I by a 4K version, I don't want a Blu-ray version. I don't want to pay more for something I'll never use.
And that's also an issue. The codes for the UV version do sometimes expire and if you buy after the code expires, you lose out.
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They sell non-combos.
The value of the combo is for families with DVD players in the minivan or portable dvd players. BluRay for the home theater, DVD (it costs maybe 25 cents to stamp out) for the older hardware, and digital codes for mobile or streamer boxes.
Unlike the corporate publishers, they actually bothered to look at the usage cases and tried to address them. They're no angels (expiring digital codes and prices on the upper end of tolerable) but they do try to satisfy.
And their windowing scheme actually makes sense: theater --> digital sales --> digital rental --> disk sales --> subscription services --> broadcast. It takes time to stamp out disks so digital first is natural and allows them to price it higher than if it came out after the disk release. And instead of fighting RedBox, they just negotiated a price and let them roll.
It helps them that video has always been windowed but they do start the ball rolling as soon as the movies leave theaters. Far from perfect and still evolving but way better than the scams the BPHs have tried.