HIGH-DEF DISC NEWSReceive High-Def Disc News via RSS

Universal Studios' “Flipper” Discs Offer DVD and Blu-ray in one

Thu Dec 03, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Universal, Industry Trends (all tags)

As we mentioned yesterday, starting with the Bourne series, Universal Studios has announced that they'll be releasing what they're calling “flipper” discs, which will feature the Blu-ray version of a movie on one side, with the standard DVD version on the other.

The idea behind the discs, according to Craig Kornblau – president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment – is to allow consumers to have the option to watch their content on non-Blu-ray sources if they so desire. For those with portable DVD players, laptops or game systems with DVD drives, or a DVD player hooked up to a television in their house, this is a very interesting concept.

Pre-Order 'The Muppets'

Hitting Blu-ray on March 20th!

For current Blu-ray owners who want the option, it will all come down to pricing, which has not yet been announced by Universal. Since both formats offer all the special features normally on the discs, there's no loss in content, which means a slight hike in price is likely.

Universal also outlines an interesting demographic that they're targeting. “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” says Kornblau. “The flipper disc offers an easy way for viewers to convert to Blu-ray now or at any time in the future.”

The new “flipper” versions of 'The Bourne Identity,' 'The Bourne Supremacy,' and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' will hit stores January 19th, 2010.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.



» High-Def Digest home page



Like Us!