Disney's Platinum Editions --- What's Next ?

[Pluto Region1]

It took years for DVD to defeat VHS and DVD was a substantial improvement over VHS. Blu Ray, in the big scheme of things, is only a minor improvement over DVD.....

Consumers aren't too enthusiastic about the discs anyway. I'm sure interest in Blu Ray will increase now that HD-DVD is dead, but most people are still very happy with DVD and don't see any need to upgrade. Besides that the equipment is still way too expensive for the masses and unlike with standard DVD, people who don't own an HDTV will need to buy a new set to see the differences Blu Ray offers. That's an extra expense that in uncertain economic times, people won't be so willing to shovel out.

good points and 2099net also making some good arguments for why I shouldn't jump off a bridge yet . The masses - the price is way too high. If the blu-rays are $25 to $30 a piece who could possibly replace their collections. So if they want us to buy, they will have to make all this affordable and until that happens, sales won't be strong enough to overthrow DVD. After all, DVDs have become so cheap that you can find them on sale at some places for as low as $10....

Now back to the subject at hand. I don't know if Disney would change the name from platinum to something else, just for the sake of what? It would just be so transparently gimmicky. However, if they start re-releasing all the classics on Blu-Ray, then maybe they would use that excuse to change the name of the line - I like the sound of the Diamond collection. Maybe we would get flashier slip covers with sparkly diamonds or something.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Diamond studded slipcovers?

[Lars Vermundsberget]

People took the rather long step from VHS to DVD over a few years since the improvement was indeed substantial. I predict that people will take the step from DVD to blu-ray within just a few years. The improvement may appear "less substantial" to most, but the "step" is also going to be smaller. Blu-ray is basically an improved DVD, and I'd expect players to be backwards-compatible. When it's time to replace your current DVD player in a couple of years, the new one could just as well be a blu-ray player, don't you think? Prices? DVD players weren't exactly cheap in the beginning either, as far as I can remember...

[Widdi]

Diamond studded slipcovers?

Now there's a way to keep the cost of Blu Ray down.

I wish they would do a treasure type series with the Animated Classics with similar packaging. I nice tin with the original poster and release year in the center. With some sort of promotion like one per month or every few months that disappears when the next one releases.

They could make them all two disc and fill them to the brim with stuff only die-hard collectors would want, and at the same time release them on more commercial 1-Disc sets that would appeal more to the general public.

I'm actually designing my own Cover art that looks like what I envision that I plan on re-packing my DVDs with. I love uniform looks and it annoys me to no end that the spines of my Disney DVDs don't look the same. That was on thing I really loved about the Masterpiece VHS collection.

[Widdi]

People took the rather long step from VHS to DVD over a few years since the improvement was indeed substantial. I predict that people will take the step from DVD to blu-ray within just a few years. The improvement may appear "less substantial" to most, but the "step" is also going to be smaller. Blu-ray is basically an improved DVD, and I'd expect players to be backwards-compatible. When it's time to replace your current DVD player in a couple of years, the new one could just as well be a blu-ray player, don't you think? Prices? DVD players weren't exactly cheap in the beginning either, as far as I can remember...

No, but it was after prices come down that DVD began to really catch on. If blu ray's price doesn't decrease (and it can't really, not enough anyway, production costs on the players are still very high and manufacturers and stores won't take loses just to try and get a format up and running) substantially in the next year the format could easily die.

And remember people didn't need to buy new tvs to play DVDs, you need an HDTV to get the benefits from Blu Ray, and those are still extremely expensive too. The average person just can't afford it right now, and with the economy on downward spiral other things will come before a new TV and DVD player.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

A downward-spiralling economy is admittedly a very important difference. If it weren't for that I wouldn't be so sure about the rest, though. This sort of technology tends to become more accessible (less expensive...) eventually.

[Jack Skellington]

I wish there wasn't even a platinum line, because it limits the releases to 2 dvds each year. I'm really glad Aladdin isn't part of the platinum series anymore coz that would mean it would come out on bluray sooner than if it was. Are all the rereleases of the animated classics are going to be in Bluray after SB gets released ?