Warner makes Rumor first hybrid
Jennifer Aniston starrer will have HD DVD and DVD on same disc
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 4/25/2006
APRIL 25 | On May 9, Warner Home Video will bow Rumor Has It as its first HD DVD/standard DVD hybrid title.
The romantic comedy will be Warner’s first HD DVD/DVD hybrid.
Playable in standard DVD machines and the new Toshiba HD DVD players, the Rumor Has It release will hold an HD DVD on one side of the disc and a standard-definition DVD on the other. The hybrid disc, which Warner is dubbing an “HD DVD and DVD Combo,” carries a $39.99 list price, which is somewhat higher than Warner’s HD DVD-only pricing.
The standard DVD for Rumor Has It also bows May 9, priced at $28.98.
“We are pleased to be continuing our rollout of new HD DVD titles,” Warner senior VP of market management Steve Nickerson said. “Purchasing a disc now in this format is the ideal choice that gives consumers the greatest flexibility in viewing options. If they’re considering a future purchase of an HD DVD player, they can still enjoy the movie until they upgrade.”
Rumor Has It is just one piece of Warner’s second finalized HD DVD wave. Catalog titles GoodFellas and Swordfish street on May 2, and Training Day launches on May 9. These three are rolling out as HD DVD only.
Warner is gearing its hybrid releases toward new movies that many people would not yet own on DVD.
Million Dollar Baby, The Last Samurai and The Phantom of the Opera made up the studio’s first batch of HD DVD releases last week.
GoodFellas and Swordfish are tagged at $28.99 apiece.
None of these HD DVD titles, including the Rumor Has It hybrid, carry bonus features that are unique from the standard DVD versions of the films.
Batman Begins, anticipated for release on HD DVD by the end of May, is expected to be one of the first Warner HD DVD titles to carry extras distinct from its standard DVD version.
