January 19 is going to feel like a blast from the past for early adopters into the high-def home video war when Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum on combo Blu-ray + DVD discs.
For these adopters, it seems like yesterday when Universal, the biggest supporter of HD DVD, used an identical combo pack of HD DVD + DVD in an effort to push that then new high definition format into a world mostly oblivious of its existence. The tactic failed not because of an abrasive reaction to the idea, but because HD DVD soon after was put out to pasture and with it the perceived need for flipper discs.
Times have changed and Blu-ray is the only high-def player in town. Over the past couple years post Blu-ray’s win, other studios have tapped into Universal’s original idea and have been packaging standalone DVDs with Blu-ray titles to further adoption amongst non-videophiles. Universal, however, is returning to its old flipper ways to once again defy the mainstream movement of its studio peers.
For newer Blu-ray adopters, the flipper discs refers to a single disc where the Blu-ray version is on side A and the standard definition DVD version on side B. Switching between the two versions requires ejecting the disc from the player and literally flipping it like an old vinyl record.
From a convenience standpoint the flipper has a leg up on its competition, the standalone DVD pack-in disc. With only one disc to keep track of you can easily slip it into a small travel case and have instant access to both.
Conversely, if you are traveling with a flipper or using the DVD side on a kid’s player, it being damaged destroys both versions of the film in one disastrous moment. The standalone pack-ins would not have this issue and the destruction of one disc would not affect the other.
Universal provided us with The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy flipper discs (Ultimatum is coming at a later date) for an early look at what’s in store for this reincarnation. One look confirms Universal is taking a less is more approach rather than putting together a pretty multi-disc package.
Each flipper disc is devoid of disc art with a small inner ring denoting side A as the Blu-ray side. The DVD side is not marked at all which makes the disc look no different than a blank CD. This creative decision was likely a cost cutting measure to bring the price in as low as possible. A little disc art would have gone a long way towards branding these discs, especially since they are designed to be removed from the case more often than a traditional Blu-ray Disc.
I was able to test both sides of a flipper on a PS3 console, an Oppo Blu-ray player and an Oppo DVD player. Neither of the Blu-ray players had an issue playing either side and the DVD player handled the DVD side with ease. Ensuring compatibility with as many players as possible is important to the success of these discs – should they sell – as issues would send the format to an early grave.
It will be interesting to follow Universal’s release plans for Blu-ray + DVD flipper discs throughout 2010. Thus far, the Jason Bourne films are the only titles announced. A wait-and-see approach, perhaps? Probably a good idea as every other studio continues to stick with the standalone DVD pack-in format that continues to build steam a year after its introduction.
– Dan Bradley
