Hey, Hollywood, Where Are All the Blu-ray 3D Discs?: BigPictureBigSound

Published: 2010-09-16 - 10:27:50

Hey, Hollywood, Where Are All the Blu-ray 3D Discs?

By Chris Boylan

Nearly six months after the first compatible player and 3D TV hit stores, Blu-ray 3D continues to offer more promise than deliverables. Until two days ago, Sony's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was still the only major release Blu-ray 3D disc one could buy, outside of some manufacturer-exclusive bundle. And now Sony Pictures is tripling their offering of Blu-ray 3D Discs available with this week's release of Monster House and the upcoming release of Open Season which will hit store shelves on November 16th. A National Geographic title (Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure) began shipping last month. Disney has also announced a November release of "A Christmas Carol" on Blu-ray 3D and three IMAX titles have also been announced for November release. That will bring the total catalog to a whopping eight titles.

Samsung was the first to the Blu-ray 3D party, with an exclusive promotional copy of Paramount/Dreamworks' Monsters Vs. Aliens on Blu-ray 3D Disc. With the title only being available as part of a $350 bundle complete with Samsung 3D glasses, copies of the disc soon turned up on eBay selling for upwards of $100. The same is expected to occur when Avatar becomes available on Blu-ray 3D later this fall. The top-grossing film of all-time will be available in 3D exclusively to buyers of Panasonic 3D TV and Blu-ray 3D products, at least for the first few months. Samsung recently announced that they too will have several additional exclusive titles, in partnership with Dreamworks, including the entire Shrek series and the enormously successful How to Train Your Dragon (3D).

Sony Pictures' "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" was the first Blu-ray 3D disc you could buy apart from manufacturers' exclusive bundles.

I can understand that the studios want to maximize their revenue potential by entering lucrative exclusive sponsorship deals with 3D TV manufacturers, who themselves are eager to grab early market share of the burgeoning 3D TV market. And if a prospective buyer is torn between two 3D TVs or Blu-ray 3D players, and finds out that the only way to get Avatar on Blu-ray 3D is by buying Panasonic hardware, then it is possible that this may sway his or her decision. But without a significant increase in the amount of quality 3D content available to everyone, sales of 3D TVs will continue to flounder, and the consumer perception of 3D at home is unlikely to make it past the "gimmick" stage. So we hope that the studios will come around soon, by offering a wider selection of titles that everyone can buy, regardless of whether they choose a TV from Sony, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba or Sharp.

Hollywood, are you listening?

[note - 9/17/10 - Warner Home Video informed us today that they will be releasing six titles on Blu-ray 3D in mid-November].

Where to Buy Blu-ray 3D Discs: