Batman The Animated Series coming to Blu Ray

[oldmanwinters]

I received my Blu Ray set in the mail today via Amazon. Me not being a Prime member, Amazon treats all my media orders like they are used clothes, and shipped the big box in a flimsy, bubble-lined envelope without any additional padding. The Blu Ray box was a little bent at the bottom, but thankfully otherwise intact.




My impressions opening the package was that things fit nice and tight into a relatively concise package, about the height of a standard dimension DVD case.
Fortunately, the Funko mini-figures aren't near as annoying and distracting as I thought, and they don't add too much unnecessary bulk to the package; at worst they just make the box require twice as much linear shelf space as it might need.

My biggest complaint about this presentation is the decision made for disc holders, those infamous slip-case pages. The slipcase book-style packaging over the discs certainly looks nice, as I'm glad to see much of the stock art reproduced in the episode guide. But getting the discs out is a pain; truly a nerve-wracking experience for a collector. Fingerprints are guaranteed to get on the discs when trying to pull them out by the top, and discs tend to jam in the packaging about half-way out. I went through my whole set and spent some time trying to widen up the paper sleeves by jamming my fingers into the corners, hoping I didn't break the paper.


Getting the discs back into the paper sleeves is almost as bad as getting them out. One would think the advantage of gravity should help those things slide into place, but they tend to settle halfway in, and I have to push them down to finish the process. It's bad, folks. On the plus side, once the discs are in place, they should hold in place without any rattling around. I expect when WB releases the second run of BTAS Blu Rays, they will use more traditional (but cheap) plastic disc holders that will probably break off their pegs if you shake the case too hard, so if I don't snap a disc trying to pull it out or in, maybe the slip-case book works out fine.


The biggest fan controversy seems to be over the nature of the digital redemption process. The insert included with the discs instructs users to go to https://www.wbdigitalcopy.com/ and then choose a service provider to complete the redemption process. According to user feedback in the VUDU.com forums, the VUDU service seems to be the automatic redirect at present time:
https://forum.vudu.com/forum/vudu/ge...nimated-series
Unfortunately, VUDU only offers the BTAS series in SD, while most owners logically assume they will get getting the HDX version. A VUDU rep commented on the thread that the company is working with WB to get the HDX version added, but that it is not a 100% certainty. Furthermore, the Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero movies are not included in the digital deal, only the episodes with none of the special features; this despite the fact that VUDU offers both movies in HDX and even as Disc-to-Digital conversion options. That is unfortunate and an embarrassing look for WB. I hope some disgruntled fan sues Warners for false advertising if the Digital HD version is never provided. I am content to hold off on my Digital redemption until something gets resolved, as the codes are guaranteed up through the end of 2019.

My Blu Ray player has been malfunctioning, and thus makes for an inconsistent option to play the discs. I haven't yet put in a set of episodes on disc to see the quality, but the Sub-Zero disc does great look in HD. Even the four bonus Mr. Freeze episodes in SD look great. I am happy at the price I paid to get the set from Amazon, but unless you have Prime, you might want to consider other options that might take more care in their shipping process.

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I received my Blu Ray set in the mail today via Amazon. Me not being a Prime member, Amazon treats all my media orders like they are used clothes, and shipped the big box in a flimsy, bubble-lined envelope without any additional padding. The Blu Ray box was a little bent at the bottom, but thankfully otherwise intact.

They treat Prime Member packages the same way. Bubble Mailers for everything and blu ray cases sometimes come damged

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I received my Blu Ray set in the mail today via Amazon. Me not being a Prime member, Amazon treats all my media orders like they are used clothes, and shipped the big box in a flimsy, bubble-lined envelope without any additional padding. The Blu Ray box was a little bent at the bottom, but thankfully otherwise intact.
http://i.imgur.com/ytpGwyJl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SS3mhlxl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ibfltDnl.jpg

My impressions opening the package was that things fit nice and tight into a relatively concise package, about the height of a standard dimension DVD case.
Fortunately, the Funko mini-figures aren't near as annoying and distracting as I thought, and they don't add too much unnecessary bulk to the package; at worst they just make the box require twice as much linear shelf space as it might need.

My biggest complaint about this presentation is the decision made for disc holders, those infamous slip-case pages. The slipcase book-style packaging over the discs certainly looks nice, as I'm glad to see much of the stock art reproduced in the episode guide. But getting the discs out is a pain; truly a nerve-wracking experience for a collector. Fingerprints are guaranteed to get on the discs when trying to pull them out by the top, and discs tend to jam in the packaging about half-way out. I went through my whole set and spent some time trying to widen up the paper sleeves by jamming my fingers into the corners, hoping I didn't break the paper.
http://i.imgur.com/sVjIsEal.jpg

Getting the discs back into the paper sleeves is almost as bad as getting them out. One would think the advantage of gravity should help those things slide into place, but they tend to settle halfway in, and I have to push them down to finish the process. It's bad, folks. On the plus side, once the discs are in place, they should hold in place without any rattling around. I expect when WB releases the second run of BTAS Blu Rays, they will use more traditional (but cheap) plastic disc holders that will probably break off their pegs if you shake the case too hard, so if I don't snap a disc trying to pull it out or in, maybe the slip-case books works out fine.
http://i.imgur.com/ZVYuKtal.jpg

The biggest fan controversy seems to be over the nature of the digital redemption process. The insert included with the discs instructs users to go to https://www.wbdigitalcopy.com/ and then choose a service provider to complete the redemption process. According to user feedback in the VUDU.com forums, the VUDU service seems to be the automatic redirect at present time:
https://forum.vudu.com/forum/vudu/ge...nimated-series
Unfortunately, VUDU only offers the BTAS series in SD, while most owners logically assume they will get getting the HDX version. A VUDU rep commented on the thread that the company is working with WB to get the HDX version added, but that it is not a 100% certainty. Furthermore, the Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero movies are not included in the digital deal, only the episodes with none of the special features; this despite the fact that VUDU offers both movies in HDX and even as Disc-to-Digital conversion options. That is unfortunate and an embarrassing look for WB. I hope some disgruntled fan sues Warners for false advertising if the Digital HD version is never provided. I am content to hold off on my Digital redemption until something gets resolved, as the codes are guaranteed up through the end of 2019.

My Blu Ray player has been malfunctioning, and thus makes for an inconsistent option to play the discs. I haven't yet put in a set of episodes on disc to see the quality, but the Sub-Zero disc does look in HD. Even the four bonus Mr. Freeze episodes in SD look great. I am happy at the price I paid to get the set from Amazon, but unless you have Prime, you might want to consider other options that might take more care in their shipping process.

Good summary of the issues plaguing this set.

That said, I find it to be fantastic overall. I love the slipcase for the disc-booklet, red shine and all. The fact that it comes with two great movies and a bonus disc helps seal the deal. Very happy to have this collector's item.

Now here's a devious little Halloween tip for anyone looking to purchase: To most the outer packaging of this thing doesn't really matter. Inside the paper and cardboard packaging you'll find the actual item - a solid, slipcase booklet (mentioned above) which houses the discs perfectly. Get's those silly little Funk toy's out of the picture as well.
I e-mailed Amazon ahead of shipment to ensure this would be packaged securely. They assured me I had nothing to worry about and that there was nothing they could do for me. Of course, the item shows up in a bag with dented corners all over the (useless) outer packaging. Yes, it's useless, but not a good look and not the way a $90+ Collector's item should be treated. So, I went on Amazon customer service and got a 25% refund of around $23 for packaging I was going to throw out anyway. Should work for you too.

[oldmanwinters]

It's amazing how Warner's incompetence on the Digital Redemption process is almost completely overshadowed by the carelessness of Amazon in shipping everybody's sets in the cheapest 11x14 envelopes they could find:
https://comicbook.com/dc/2018/11/02/...ged-amazon/#10