No Avatar 3D BD In 2010

Call it the worst kept secret on the planet... but here you go: 20th Century Fox is about to officially announce the DVD and Blu-ray release of James Cameron's Avatar on 4/22. Yes, that's a Thursday, but it's Earth Day, which is the point. Don't expect any extras, however, because you won't get any - just a menu. According to The L.A. Times late yesterday, that's being done to maximize the video and audio quality by devoting all the available disc space to it. Here's the thing though: The studio obviously already knows its going to be double-dipping on the title later this year with a more elaborate multi-disc special edition (due in November according to the Times piece)... which shouldn't come as any surprise to you. But neither this round, nor the November version, will be 3D. That'll likely come in a third dip a year or two from now. You see, in order to sell more than a few dozen copies in 3D, Fox needs the market for 3D on Blu-ray (meaning capable players and displays) to... well, frankly EXIST... first. So for now, it's movie-only versions on Earth Day, more elaborate versions in November and no 3D this year.

Originally Posted by Spanbauer

This is one of the most blatant bold-faced lies a studio rep has ever told; they don't have to wait for a market to exist before releasing something that's backward compatible. They should just be honest and say they want everyone to buy three copies of Avatar, because $3B off a single movie just isn't enough profit to go around.

Apparently Cameron spoke out of turn. A subsequent update from Fox Home Entertainment denied his release date statement, saying "3D is in the conceptual stage and 'Avatar' will not be out on 3D Blu-ray in November."

Twentieth Century Fox have announced that their first 3D Blu-ray title will be the animated feature, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and it will be available from April. According to the Wall Street Journal

Originally Posted by Anthony1

I'm guessing the strategy behind this move, is to try to force Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Mitsubishi and Toshiba to pony up a large fee to get them to release the 3D Blu-ray this year. Those companies would be absolutely foolish not to consider creating a pool of capital between them, to negotiate an earlier release for this movie. Fox is likely trying to squeeze as much $$$ out of the negotiations as possible. They know how important a home version of Avatar in "true" 3D would be.

At the very least, the companies need to at pony up some $$$ for 10 minutes of demo footage, of the real movie, for use in in-store demonstrations of the new 3Dtv's and 3D BD players.

Also today, we've checked with the studio and have learned that James Cameron's Avatar will be presented on Blu-ray in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. Run time is 162 minutes, which appears to be the theatrical cut. Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch that it's 1.78 and not 2.35... our information is that the 1.78 ratio is the preference of Cameron. In his mind, the IMAX presentation is the preferred theatrical ratio - not the 2.35 ratio seen in traditional theatres. By using 1.78, all of that original IMAX presentation image area can be presented. So essentially, you're not losing anything in the image by having it 1.78 vs. 2.35... you're actually gaining more image. So that's the deal. The DVD and Blu-ray are NOW AVAILABLE for pre-order on Amazon.com.

“We wanted the best presentation of any film in the history of the Blu-ray and DVD formats,” said Avatar producer Jon Landau. “Our launch into the home in April will allow fans to return to Pandora again and again.”

Fox will follow the April 22 release with a more expansive set in November and a 3D version next year.

Originally Posted by bdraw

Right, according to Fox no 3D Avatar in 2010, and no Avatar Blu-ray in April -- ohh wait.

So Cameron announces plans and Fox denies them again. What else do you expect Fox to do? Admit in advanced that they are triple dipping? Call me crazy but I believe Cameron before Fox.

Cameron: There just aren’t that many players and screens yet. We have more of a long-term strategy, in that area. But, I think it would be a shame to hold back the Blu-ray when people want it now, and I love it. I think it’s a great format. I would recommend that, if people are thinking of buying a Blu-ray player around this time, make sure you get one that’s 3-D compatible because you’re going to want it.

There’s no significant cost difference to buy one that’s 3-D enabled, at least in some of the sets. The Panasonic set that uses the passive glasses, or Real D glasses essentially, has a little bit more of an up charge because of the cost of putting this polarizing film on the surface of the screen. But, the other sets that use the active glasses have no significant additional cost in manufacturing because it’s really just in the chip set that drives the image. I don’t know exactly what all the price points are. I think most of them are up in the $1,500 to $2,500 range, just in size. If you’re going to go 3-D, go big. Get the biggest set you can, and then sit as close as you can stand. That’s my advice. Get the coffee table out of the way and slide the couch over, right in front of the TV.

Originally Posted by fire407

Does it seem like Cameron is a little bit confused about the 3D TVs? He says he wants to put out the Blu-ray of Avatar because "people want it now", yet he's held back the HD version of The Abyss for years. He should be embarrassed when HBO occasionally runs The Abyss in standard def. I know it's supposed to be released on Blu-ray later this year, but it's taken way too long. In a couple of years he'll probably release a converted 3D version of it.