Universal "flipper" BD/DVD discs coming to Bourne

[disneyboy20022]

In other news today, and speaking of Blu-ray, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced something I... well, I'm afraid I'm not particularly excited about. Presumably in an effort to reduce the number of SKUs they have to prepare and ship, they've announced that they've developed new Blu-ray "flipper" discs, which have Blu-ray content on one side and standard DVD content on the other. In other words, DVD/BD Combo discs. I really kind of hate this. In principle, it's a great idea - give people one disc that includes both versions, making it cheap and easy to upgrade to Blu-ray. BUT... let's look at Universal's track record with this kind of thing. They pushed hard to get DVD-18 format DVD discs (dual-sided, dual-layered) into the market, and various bonding and layer rot problems meant that a very high percentage of these releases either shipped defective or stopped working within months of release. Then, a couple years ago, Universal pushed hard to get DVD/HD-DVD Combo discs into the market, and TONS of those didn't work properly. Frankly, more than half of the Combo discs I had skipped, glitched or simply wouldn't play. Are we now to expect that they're going to have better luck with DVD/BD Combo discs? I highly doubt it. Let me tell you, most experienced and avid movie disc consumers I know HATE these combo discs. More than likely, Universal is going to release some titles exclusively in this new Combo format, and at least some of them aren't going to work right or will fail more quickly over time, and it's going to be a consumer NIGHTMARE. From the studio's press release:

"Universal's flipper discs are the perfect way for consumers to future-proof their collections while still enjoying their favorite movies on all their existing DVD players," said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "The flipper disc offers an easy way for viewers to convert to Blu-ray now or at any time in the future, confident in the fact they will be able to experience their home entertainment purchases in the highest quality picture and sound when they do."

Well... on my honor, I'll EAT MY WORDS if this thing goes off without a hitch. But I sure as heck wouldn't bet on it.

Anyway, the first titles to be released in this new DVD/BD Combo format (that's MY term - Universal is just calling them "flipper discs") will be single-movie editions of The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, which will arrive in stores on 1/19. Let the circus begin...

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 14402.html


Oh great......I guess that will be a turn off for me buying Universal Blu rays....if they are these flipper discs.......didn't the HDDVD double side discs turn out like......crap...

Also how many people thought that this post was goign to be about Flipper the Dolphin on blu ray or something to that effect

[Cordy_Biddle]

Oh, Universal, when will you EVER give these flipper discs a rest? Haven't you learnt your lesson yet...

[SpringHeelJack]

WAVE OF THE FUTURE! WAVE OF THE FUTURE!

[2099net]

What? Sound good to me. I really don't see a problem. (But then I liked the HD DVD flippers)

[dvdjunkie]

Cordy Biddle wrote:

learnt

Universal will probably come around when you learn how to spell and correct your English. No such word as "learnt", it is spelled "learned".

[Cordy_Biddle]

Cordy Biddle wrote:

learnt

Universal will probably come around when you learn how to spell and correct your English. No such word as "learnt", it is spelled "learned".

Whoops! My bad. In this age of texting and Facebook, I normally pride myself on good spelling.

BTW: "Learnt" is commonly used in British spelling, "Learned" tends to be more commonly used in American sentences. I'm Australian so I do tend more towards the way things are spelled in Britain (eg: "colour" instead of "color").

[dvdjunkie]

Having a flipper disc is really not a problem. You just have to be more careful with the product when you take it in and out of the DVD player. I have a lot of 'flipper discs' when they came out with the Pan & Scan on one side and Widescreen on the other, and have never had a problem.

For the person who hasn't made the switch to Blu-ray yet, the flipper disc will be a welcome addition to the collection and let the consumer keep up with the technology while still being able to see his movie.

That's why I thought the Combo-Packs were so good, and I notice more and more of the companies are shipping combo-packs with the "A" list movies.

[ajmrowland]

Yeah, never had any problems with any flippers here. you have to be extra-careful, sure, but at least here we're still talking blu-ray.

[Cordy_Biddle]

Yeah, never had any problems with any flippers here. you have to be extra-careful, sure, but at least here we're still talking blu-ray.

Most of the widescreen/fullscreen flipper discs are single-layer so they are pretty much guaranteed to always be OK. It's when those discs are dual-layered that you are taking a gamble, careful or not, you won't be able to reverse the layer rot process if it decides to strike. I went through two copies of the old Fox Classics "Diary of Anne Frank" flipper disc because of layer rot.

[Margos]

What on earth is "layer rot?" Sorry, but I'm not familiar with flipper discs...

[DisneyFreak5282]

What on earth is "layer rot?" Sorry, but I'm not familiar with flipper discs...

Layer rot is not only on Blu-Rays or flipper discs, it can happen to regular DVDs and even CDs too. It's basically when discs get warped over time and can become unplayable.

[Margos]

Does it happen often, or only on occasion? Because I have a lot of DVDs, and I can't be replacing them all.... is it inevitable, like the deterioration of a VHS?

[Cordy_Biddle]

Here's a conversation/explanation of layer rot:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/ ... 46360.html

New, better adhesives and glues used in the DVD manufacturing process mean it's less frequent to encounter now (knock wood) but was very common in the early days of DVD.

[Margos]

Oh, well that's OK then. But what about older DVDs still in circulation, like Disney's gold collection or the DVDs for like Dinosaur and stuff? Older things.

[Cordy_Biddle]

If you do come across layer rot on any DVD (be it old or new) you should first contact the company to issue a replacement. Technically, layer rot is considered a manufacturing defect and the company is obligated to provide another disc for you.

[Margos]

Oh! What a relief! Thanks for the info, Cordy Biddle!

[Cordy_Biddle]

No problem!

[dvdjunkie]

Again it comes down to the handling of your DVD's, Blu-Rays and CD's. If you leave a disc in your player for a length of time or you don't place the disc back into its protective case, then you are truly asking for trouble.

Out of the 15 original DVD's that I bought the first week DVD's were made available, none of mine have any signs of "rot". I never leave a disc in a player if it isn't being used. I used to have a five-disc changer, and people used to laugh at me because I would empty it every night. That is just called protective maintenance of your DVD's or CD's.

I have never had a disc, even my few "bootlegs", go bad on me, because I don't let any one handle them but me and my wife. Where we here about the 'rot' is those people who think that a five-year-old can handle his own DVD player and discs, and that usually is where the trouble comes.

[ajmrowland]

All troubles that I've ever had with dvds stopped a couple years ago.

A couple Harry Potter HD-DVDs do freeze on me, but nothing I can't skip through and rewind. It's a pain, still.

[Margos]

My DVD for "Treasure Planet" glitches up a bit, but it was always like that. Usually, if I fast-forward and then rewind it back once or twice, it plays normal. Could that be a sign of rot? Because it did that from the moment I got it.