Why Does it Cost $300 to Buy Avatar on 3D Blu-ray?
http://gizmodo.com/5715733/why-does-it-cost-300-to-buy-avatar-on-3d-blu+ray
Who's buying 3DTVs and 3D Blu-ray players? People who watched 3D movies in theaters, then want to re-live the experience at home. So why are the top movies, like Avatar and Coraline only available as bundles with hardware? What's the deal?
It's a matter of greed. Home theater 3D is still a crawling infant, meaning most of the population still needs to buy hardware. But what's the differentiating factor between Samsung's 3D set and Panasonic's, or even Sony's, if you're a Costco shopper? How can normal people tell the difference between any Blu-ray player that's not the PlayStation 3? It's pretty much impossible, which is why companies' ads don't rely on specs or saying their version does 3D better.
But what they are relying on right now is taking movies hostage in order to force people's hands. Don't believe me? Check this out.
Avatar, the most wanted 3D movie of all time, is only available in a $300 "starter bundle" from Panasonic that includes two rechargeable 3D glasses. How to Train Your Dragon is in a "starter kit" from Samsung for $280, which includes two 3D active shutter glasses. What happens if you already have one type of TV and just want the other type of movie? Looks like you get two pair of glasses that you can't use on your set.
There's also Shrek and Monsters vs. Aliens, which your kids will ask you for, because they're kids, and they want to see their movies in 3D. Because they're kids. Kids who don't know the value of $300.
So what if you go on eBay and try to get some scalped Avatar action? Oh hello, I'm out $150 for a $30 movie. Thanks jerks!It gets worse. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Coraline are only available if you buy a Panasonic 3DTV. A TeeVee! And Bolt, which I'm sure is a fine dog movie in the realm of dog movies, is only gettable with Sony TVs. Same with Michael Jackson's This Is It.
Retailers are also getting in on the exclusivity. My Bloody Valentine and The Last Airbender are Best Buy exclusives, whereas Amazon has some IMAX movies locked down. This, of course, is much less of a big deal, because Best Buy's movies work just fine on any player.
The good news is that some of these seem to be timed exclusives. Alice in Wonderland was the same $300ish dollars if you bought the pack, but is now available for separate purchase. And there are a number of less desirable (apparently?) titles like Resident Evil, The Polar Express, Step Up 3D and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs that the manufacturers didn't think would entice anybody to spend $300 on.
Point being, manufacturers seem to have their heads up each other's asses on this one. If you want people to get on board your 3D train, don't make content for it so hard to get! Imagine the scenario where you could only watch NBC's 3D channel if you had a Samsung TV, then had to get a separate set entirely for ABC's 3D content. Who's going to throw down a couple thousand dollars for that scheme?
Gizmodo 3D! We're excited about the potential of entertainment in Three Ds, so this week, we're looking at everything good, bad and absurd about the current state of 3D.
Send an email to Jason Chen, the author of this post, at jchen@gizmodo.com.
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It may be greed, but Panasonic was smart to pay for exclusivity for the next year.
It may be a shitty movie, but I just watched it on my 3D Panasonic plasma and it looks about as good as home video can look.
The one really major problem with 3D at home is that it loses its "wow" factor on a small screen. The 42" set in my den looks great with 3D, but my 100" screen in the media room kills it with the remaining 1,500 films in my collection. The 2D projector is just closer to the movie theater experience.
3D will ultimately fail however, due to a lack of good content.
Saw Tron and Yogi Bear in the past 24 and neither really blew me away when it comes to 3D. Tron was enjoyable as a film. Yogi not so much. Kids. Reply
It may be a shitty movie, but I just watched it on my 3D Panasonic plasma and it looks about as good as home video can look.
The one really major problem with 3D at home is that it loses its "wow" factor on a small screen. The 42" set in my den looks great with 3D, but my 100" screen in the media room kills it with the remaining 1,500 films in my collection. The 2D projector is just closer to the movie theater experience.
3D will ultimately fail however, due to a lack of good content.
Saw Tron and Yogi Bear in the past 24 and neither really blew me away when it comes to 3D. Tron was enjoyable as a film. Yogi not so much. Kids. Reply
Dear 3D movies,
I will not watch you. This solidifies that statement further. I can't wait until you fail. Please die.
Love,
Sanity Reply
I will not watch you. This solidifies that statement further. I can't wait until you fail. Please die.
Love,
Sanity Reply
The whole movie industry can shove it you know where. I am sick of every actor trying to pull down millions while we suffer with this BS. Thank god I have no intention of purchasing any of this crap.
Everything needs to be easily available in any format. There is no reason I need to pay $20-$30 for a 5 cent DVD or a no cost streaming movie. Reply
Everything needs to be easily available in any format. There is no reason I need to pay $20-$30 for a 5 cent DVD or a no cost streaming movie. Reply
Yeah, this is pretty much going to kill this industry. Why no one has figured this out, is beyond me. Reply
You forget that the manufacturers are not working together to promote the format, they're working against each other to be crowned the king of 3D.
Once/if one company gets a lock on "the company that makes 3DTVs" in the consumer consciousness, then they will all suddenly worry about promoting the format to the masses. Until then, they could care less about what's best for the format.
Think of how Blu-ray took off immediately once HD-DVD died. It took so long (although it seems so long ago now) that many professional commentators were predicting the death of disc-based media based on that factor alone!
(Of course, it's nowhere near the same thing, but from the perspective of the electronics companies, it kinda is) Reply
Once/if one company gets a lock on "the company that makes 3DTVs" in the consumer consciousness, then they will all suddenly worry about promoting the format to the masses. Until then, they could care less about what's best for the format.
Think of how Blu-ray took off immediately once HD-DVD died. It took so long (although it seems so long ago now) that many professional commentators were predicting the death of disc-based media based on that factor alone!
(Of course, it's nowhere near the same thing, but from the perspective of the electronics companies, it kinda is) Reply
I thought customers have already expressed their disgust in needless format wars and gratuitous bundling.
But don't take my word for it. Talk to Mr. HD-DVD up there. Please. He is really lonely and can't afford gifts for his kids since he made no money this year. We are actually pretty worried. Reply
These movies can be bootlegged though, right?? Or is there some mental new encoding for the 3D imagery? Reply
I don't care about 3D or Avatar, so this doesn't affect me at all. If companies want to limit their sales by imposing ridiculous bundles like this, it's their loss, not mine. I am so completely over 3D. I was basically forced to watch 2 3D movies on Sunday. I wanted to see Tron and Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2D, but the only way that I could squeeze them both in on the same day was to see the 3D versions, because of the show times. 3D is just a hassle right now because of the glasses, and it's more expensive. Plus, after a while, I don't even notice the 3D effect. I kind of just get used to it and can't even tell that I'm not watching 2D until something intentionally goes flying off the screen, which is really annoying. I like watching movies for the story and 3D just detracts from that, IMO, when I'm paying more attention to the effects than the actual plot. Hopefully this fad will go away soon. Reply
Wasn't there a lawsuit some time ago against Microsoft because of bundling? Weren't they enjoined from forcing someone to buy product B in order to make product A work?
Isn't this a similar situation? You really only want the movie, but they are forcing you to buy products you neither want nor need to use it.
Cry havoc, and let slip the hounds of litigation! Reply
Isn't this a similar situation? You really only want the movie, but they are forcing you to buy products you neither want nor need to use it.
Cry havoc, and let slip the hounds of litigation! Reply
I'm curious who actually buys these things? Seriously, $300 to watch Avatar? Even if you thought it was the second coming of cinema (it was not), who shells out 3 bills for a movie? Reply
"Imagine the scenario where you could only watch NBC's 3D channel if you had a Samsung TV, then had to get a separate set entirely for ABC's 3D content."
STOP GIVING THEM IDEAS!!!! Reply
STOP GIVING THEM IDEAS!!!! Reply
.....if you don't like it, then don't buy it. And go read a book instead.
Having a temper tantrum because you cannot get exactly what you want right now won't change how this whole pricing arrangement is set up. NOT BUYING IT will, because that will tell manufacturers that you do not like it. Then they will lose money.
We survived with non-3D media for 100 years. Waiting the corporate pinheads out until their new little scheme backfires will not be the end of the world. Reply
Having a temper tantrum because you cannot get exactly what you want right now won't change how this whole pricing arrangement is set up. NOT BUYING IT will, because that will tell manufacturers that you do not like it. Then they will lose money.
We survived with non-3D media for 100 years. Waiting the corporate pinheads out until their new little scheme backfires will not be the end of the world. Reply
Dec 21, 2010 04:00 PM 
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