10 Ways Blu-ray Is Letting Movie Lovers Down

Studios have had nearly six years to perfect the manufacturing, packaging and selling of Blu-rays, yet they’re still having trouble getting it right. The dwindling amount of movie lovers out there who still buy their movies in physical form — rather than rent or stream them — put up with quite a few customer-unfriendly practices.

A spirited High-Def Digest post run downs the numerous ways in which Blu is doing movie collectors wrong. Here are 10 that stood out to us:

1. Retail exclusives. Releases available only at specific retailers often slip out with non-existent marketing campaigns, and many discs get lost in the shuffle.

2. Ridiculous prices. Many new releases carry laughably high MSRPs of $29.99 or more. These are often deservedly marked down, but not always.

3. Terrible packaging. Some box sets are burdened with overly complex packaging that makes it a chore to remove the discs to watch.

4. Rapidfire re-releases. Too often, bare-bones versions give away to full-featured follow-ups within the span of a year.

5. Unnecessary digital copy discs. Once you use the extra disc to transfer the digital copy, it’s no longer useful. Yet you’re stuck with it.

6. The back catalog is still too large. Studios have been too slow to bring some of their older fare to market. Where are Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Waking Life?

7. Anthology overload. Some movies in long-running series — we’re looking at you, James Bond — don’t merit individual releases, and instead stick to high-priced box sets that force you to buy movies you don’t want.

8. Low resale value. Gluts of discs dilute the resale value of products on the market, increasing buyer’s remorse for those who want to thin out their collections.

9. Tricky re-releases. Studios brand discs as “anniversary editions” while only tweaking the box art instead of adding in new features.

10. Small-studio apathy. Some smaller studios refuse to release many films on Blu-ray, refusing to give their classics the HD treatment.

You’re Still Doing It Wrong: More Blu-ray Blunders!‚Ä®‚Ä® [High-Def Digest]

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