*May contain spoilers*

Yeah, with BD I once thought that finally we can have all content on one disc, but of course it didn't take them long before they released 2-disc editions, and now we have to put up with this junk! 

Btw, I saw a Swedish DVD with a much smarter format, they simply include a link on the disc so you can download the digital copy over the internet. No need for an extra disc.

I just got back from the store where I purchased Bolt.  It too has 3 discs, BluRay, DVD and Digital copies of the film.

It's was $29.99 (Canadian funds).  I strongly doubt the cost of the extra 2 discs were significant.  I'll take a wild guess and say the pressing of the discs works out to pennies each.  Maybe several more pennies for the 3-disc case.

When you pay for a BluRay, you're paying for the privilege of viewing the movie, not the manufacturing costs associated with pressing the discs, printing the inserts, etc.  Other costs are advertising, transportation/freight, and others I'm likely not aware of.

So even if the extra 2 discs in Bolt cost a buck or two more, I'm ok with it.  I'll be giving the DVD disc to a friend of mine who has yet to make the plunge into BluRay. 

Poo

For what it's worth - the price difference between the single disc DVD and the one with a Digital Copy is $5. Draw your own conclusions...

Quoting GSyren:

Quote:
For what it's worth - the price difference between the single disc DVD and the one with a Digital Copy is $5. Draw your own conclusions...

It's a $6 difference here...which means the digital copy, packaged with the DVD, costs more than the DVD packaged with the Blu-ray. 

Hmm, guess we have it better up here in the Great White North.

Bolt : 2 discs (BluRay and DVD) $29.99Cdn ($24.30US)
Bolt : 3 discs (BluRay, DVD and Digital Copy) $32.99Cdn ($26.72US)

$3.00Cdn ($2.42US) difference.  Current exchange rate is about .81.

However, there is some strange pricing at Future Shop (our big chain up here, Best Buy now owns it).  Check out the DVD prices:

Bolt : DVD Only $24.99Cdn
Bolt : DVD and Digital Copy $32.99Cdn

That's an EIGHT DOLLAR difference!  That's crazy.  $8 extra for the Digital Copy with the DVD, but only $3 extra for the Digital Copy with the BluRay?

Are we being "ripped off"?  I don't think so.  If I did, I'd be "voting" with my wallet and simply not purchasing BluRays. 

Poo

Yep, it isn't the physical contents that are really the cost of these, it's the movie itself.

Here is my best guess as to what it all costs:

Case:        $.20
Disc:          $.10 (each)
Cover art:  $.05
Booklet:    $.15
Shrinkwrap, RFID tag and all those stickers we hate so much:  $.30

So, for a 3-disc release, they would have about $1 in the material.  The rest of their costs are with the advertising, shipping, licensing for the movie and various other administrative costs.  Still a LOT of room for profit.

It's all about marketing.  These companies are in this business to make money.  They keep working to find ways for us to pay more for the same product.  The only way to stop it is to quit buying the marked-up products with 'features' we don't want or need.


Personally, I buy these to watch the movies.  On very rare occasions I'll watch some of the extras.  If the extras are on another disc, it's extremely rare that I would watch them.  So, when I buy my movies, I like the single disc versions if I can find them.  I haven't used the digital copy on any of my movies, so I see no reason I would want to pay extra for this unused feature.

The one feature that I do like is the DVD copy of the movie with the BD.  I've only got one Blu Ray player in my house, but quite a few DVD players.  Plus, we don't have a portable BD player at all.  So, the DVD copy would be nice, since I can't justify purchasing the movie twice.  I'd be willing to pay an extra dollar or two for the extra DVD copy with my BD.

Quoting jgilligan:

Quote:
The only way to stop it is to quit buying the marked-up products with 'features' we don't want or need.

Exactly, I've never bought and never will a movie with a digital copy of it as an extra. Why would I pay or care for something that I can do myself in front of my computer in less than one hour with any movie in my collection? If I'm able to do it, I'm sure that everybody can