Warner boxes Best of high-def sets
Three volumes available on both Blu-ray, HD DVD
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 7/6/2007
JULY 6 | Warner Home Video is repackaging a number of its top-selling Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD releases, including The Departed, Goodfellas and The Phantom of the Opera, into high-definition compilations for new adopters.
Three volumes are available in each format, with each Best of HD DVD and Best of Blu-ray volume holding four movies. Street date is Sept. 18 (prebook Aug. 7), with each set priced at $84.99, representing nearly a 30% discount from the combined titles’ individual pricing.
Warner is gearing the sets toward consumers who are expected to buy their first high-def players around this holiday season.
Lethal Weapon, Road Warrior, Swordfish and Training Day are included in volume one of Best of HD DVD and Best of Blu-ray. Volume two holds The Last Samurai, The Phantom of the Opera, Troy and Unforgiven on HD DVD; and Last Samurai, Phantom, The Fugitive and Unforgiven on Blu-ray. Each volume three set holds Blazing Saddles, The Departed, Goodfellas and Superman, The Movie.
“This is a way to give consumers the opportunity to buy some of our most popular titles as a kind of starter kit,” said Steve Nickerson, Warner Home Video senior VP of market management. “Here’s a group of movies that we know from sales most people are buying. The idea is to offer consumers an easy way to purchase movies—there is a value there.”
Regarding the September street date, he added, “It’s matched up to when we think there will be further uptick of hardware sales.”
Likely spurring those sales are the recent permanent price chops on Toshiba's HD DVD players. Blu-ray manufacturers Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung are now streeting second-generation models, which are all set at cheaper prices than their first-generation incarnations.
Nickerson expects that retailers selling both high-def hardware and software will be most interested in stocking the Best Of sets.
“When someone picks up hardware for the first time, they will want to buy some movies,” he said.
