Anyone remember DivX?  No? Anyone recall the HD/DVD combo format?  Not really?  In about two or three years, I have a feeling people are going to be saying, “Hey, remember that flipper disc idea that fizzed out back in 2010?”  Universal has announced the first Blu-Ray/DVD ‘flipper disc’ will be rolling out on January 19th, 2010.  The film?  I should say “films,” because all three entries in the BOURNE trilogy are going to come out in this format on that date.  This comes according to Universal Home Entertainment.

The technology, much like the HD/DVD combo format, will feature a film in both formats (Blu-Ray and standard definition) on a single disc.  The catch?  Much like a laserdisc, you must flip the disc to watch the other format.  See?  That’s why it’s called a “flipper disc.”

Other than having a rather uncool sounding name, this new technology is sure to fall apart long before it takes hold of the marketplace.  Who is really going to buy one of these discs?  They are surely going to be more expensive than the basic, Blu-Ray version of the film, and those who own a Blu-Ray aren’t chomping at the bit to buy any more DVDs.  The only market I can see who would jump all over this is people who are planning to move up to the world of Blu-Ray but haven’t yet.  With the price of Blu-Ray players falling like a weighted feather, people who are considering purchasing a Blu-Ray player are sure to do just that sooner rather than later.

According to Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, this new technology is a sure-fire way to “future proof” one’s collection.  However, with more and more stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy offering combo packs that give you both versions of a film separately, the idea of “future proofing” your collection doesn’t seem so imperative as it once did.

What do you think?  Would you be interested in purchasing a flipper disc of a movie so you can play it in all the players in your home theater?  Who do you believe would benefit most from having this technology around?  Is it just late and I’m cranky?  If so, tell me to shut up.  Either way, let us know what you think in the comments section below.  Regardless of what you think of the technology, you have to admit.  There are much better and cooler names that could have been used than the “flipper disc.”

Netflix has recently announced its new partnership with TiVo to provide 12,000 movie and television titles to TiVo subscribers at no additional charge. With the ever-changing home video market becoming more and more digital and “discless” this proves another step in what I consider to be a greatly convenient and ultimately brilliant progressive movement for indie filmmakers of all kinds. Once the initial bugs, glitches and “issues” are sorted out (and they are inherent), this will reinvent the entire distribution market for films and open up the doors to more indie filmmakers getting bigger and more diverse audiences.

The companies said Netflix subscribers who are also owners of one of the three latest broadband-connected HD TiVo boxes can stream content on-demand at no extra charge beyond what they pay for their Netflix and TiVo subscriptions. — HollywoodReporter

Source: HollywoodReporter.com