DVD and Blu-ray Disc bargains!

[best12bars]

For those of you curious about the Warner Archive, I was a little skeptical at first. These are on-demand discs. They're DVD-Rs, meaning they're burned to a disc when you order them. They're not replicated from a glass master for 1,000s of copies and stored in a warehouse, waiting for shipping.

They're also not restored or remastered for DVD. But they are generated from the current broadcast masters, and come from the "best quality source" available (short of a full restoration).

So, how good are they?

Better than I thought. At least so far. I have the "Our Gang" 5-disc set, and we bought the Lace and Lace II miniseries 2-disc sets, too. (Gasp!) Such trashy soap-opera stuff, but still a lot of fun.

The quality is just fine! Sound and picture are solid, and they look better than they do when airing on TV (probably because TV signals are compressed to some degree, and there isn't much if any noticeable compression flaws on these DVDs). They have labels on the discs, but they are either super-thin, glossy labels or they're burned onto the DVD-Rs. I can't quite tell (which is a good thing). I've had bad luck with paper labels on DVDs. After multiple plays in a hot player, the labels can start to separate ever so slightly from the discs and cause skipping issues during playback.

I recommend trying them out, if you find titles you like.

I'm also hoping the other movie studios start similar on-demand disc services. I understand that Warner Archive has been very successful as a business model, and they're making money when so many now in the Home Entertainment (DVD/BD) industry are not.

[Borstalboy]

Oooh! All this talk of buying cheap DVDs has made me wet for shoppin'. Just picked up VALLEY GIRL on Amazon for $5! Don't judge me!!

[tazber]

I saw Idiot's Delight (Warner Archive) and was very impressed with the transfer.

Universal is doing MOD also, but for some reason they are being sold exclusively through amazon.

There are about 30 titles available currently under "Universal Vault" series.

[best12bars]

Taz, I didn't know that! I'll have to check it out.

Also on the Warner Archive site, multi-disc sets are all on sale.

The "Our Gang" set I got is MUCH cheaper now. So are "Lace" and "Lace II."

And so it goes ...

[TimesSquareRegular]

For the Warner Archive sale, I'll make it even better:

Instead of 5 for $55, use these codes (enter one, the price will be reconfigured, then enter the second one) each of which will deduct $5 from the shopping cart - WELCOME09 and CABINWB. This will bring your total down to $45, with free shipping. (Sales tax additional). And it can get even cheaper .... if you're an Ebates member and access WB from the Ebates site, you'll get a 4% ($2.20) rebate.

I love the internet!

[best12bars]

Great info on the codes! Thanks, TSR!

[tazber]

Also MGM has an MOD seires avaliable exclusively through amazon.

Search for "MGM LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION"

[best12bars]

The Universal titles are kinda pathetic and the MGM search isn't working for me. It's pulling up regular stuff.

Hey, but it's a start! Thanks, Taz.

[morosco]

Damn! Why is the CHICAGO blu-ray so expensive?

[morosco]

Saw CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND at Walmart for $15.00.

[best12bars]

Great price for a great BD, morosco. It has all three versions of the movie (original theatrical release, special edition, and the director's cut, which has scenes from both, but also removes the scene inside the spaceship at the end, which he never wanted to begin with).

I still like the original 1977 release the best. And yeah, it's got film grain, indicative of that era and the stock that was used. They didn't over-clean it. And the details, picture and sound are all terrific!

... and I got Chicago on sale for $14.98 or something like that. About 6 months ago. It doesn't go on sale often. Must be a solid seller.

[morosco]

Just finished skimming though CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. The clarity of the night scenes with the stars in the sky are amazing.

[tazber]

85 dvds for under $10.00

Scroll down to the bottom of the AICN story for the amazon link
Cheap

[morosco]

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull blu-ray on amazon today for 12 bucks.

[morosco]

This blu-ray is an absolute steal at the current $9.99 price. La Traviata Live from La Scala 2007. As a bonus, more than 70 minutes of highlights from critically acclaimed opera and ballet productions.

Stunning DTS-HD 7.1 and pristine 16x9 images. Highly recommended.
Verdi: La Traviata Special Edition Blu-Ray - Exclusive Bonus Feature (2010)

[Marquise]

I have some Warner Archives titles and they've done a decent job with them. No complaints...so far.

I have these titles: ALL FALL DOWN (Warren Beatty, Angela Lansbury, Eva Marie Saint), THE SINS OF RACHEL CADE (Angie Dickinson), KALEIDOSCOPE (Warren Beatty), A NIGHT FULL OF RAIN (Candice Bergen), MADE IN PARIS (Ann-Margret), SCRUPLES (Lindsay Wagner), ANY WEDNESDAY (Jane Fonda, Dean Jones, Jason Robards), THE FOX (Keir Dullea, Sandy Dennis, Anne Heywood), THE RAIN PEOPLE (Shirley Knight), THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES (Ann-Margret & Claudette Colbert), THE BABY MAKER (Barbara Hershey), THE GRASSHOPPER (Jacqueline Bissett), ONE ON ONE (Robby Benson),.HAYWIRE (Lee Remick, Jason Robards).

I have a mix of the hard copy DVD-Rs and Digital downloads. To Warner's credit they are now putting more effort into packaging. The last release I received, A NIGHT FULL OF RAIN had full artwork, front and back. Earlier releases had a shiny blue background with a picture of the film's star or a still dead center framed by a yellow border and the film's title (usually the logo) above that.

Next purchase: LACE and LACE II

[morosco]

I picked up AVATAR blu-ray at Wal-Mart for $19.99. I cannot put into words just how astonishing the picture quality is. And the DTS-HD Master Audio is unbelievable. AVATAR is now my reference Blu-ray.

WOW!

[DAME]

Oh good. I got it .. but probably wont watch it for a little bit. You know that ricky Martin Blu Ray has not left my player.

[Marquise]

i know the feeling DAME.

[best12bars]

I'm ready for some new bargains now! It's the same 40 or 50 BD titles at "basement prices."

Omega Man, Phantom, The Shining ...

I hope they change it up soon.

Signed,
Greedy

[best12bars]

"Liza's At the Palace" on Blu-ray for $14.49.
Amazon link

[Roscoe]

Has anyone done a digital download from Warner Archive? Problems, suggestions?

[morosco]

Interesting to read what this critic says about NINE. Movie is blah. Image quality is inconsistent. But DTS HD Master Audio is STUNNING:

I am going to start out with the audio on Nine because I was really blown away by its outstanding DTS HD Master Audio track. While it was not the best looking video I have seen and the movie itself was just...well...blah, the sound kept me going. One number in particular, 'Be Italian' sung by Fergie was a real stand-out. The clarity of her voice and the mix of the music behind her was stunning. The Drums sounded almost three dimensional in my room and the low end had that perfect thump to it. What was really, for lack of a better term, 'ear candy' was when Fergie was throwing and playing with sand. You could feel the grains rubbing together and when she whipped it across the stage it flew across my room. The surrounds are used with taste, and add depth more than effect. I am giving this a perfect score as I don't think it could sound any better. No it’s not an action blockbuster with planes and gunfire shooting around the room and no, it doesn't have huge LFE room shaking explosions. It does have an amazingly clear, crisp and tonally balanced three dimensional sound-stage that should be a pleasure in any correctly set-up system.
Nine (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

[morosco]

Would You Pay $5 To Upgrade an Old DVD to Blu-ray?

[sgv123]

Dvds at Big Lots range from $3-$6(newer titles.

[best12bars]

Morosco---that's a very interesting strategy! Thanks for posting that. While I wish the selection was a little broader, there are definitely a handful of titles I would consider upgrading. It will be interesting to see how well this does. And I'm curious as to what they do with the DVDs that are turned in. Repackage them as "used?"