In a first for a TV series, HBO Home Entertainment has taken a cue from the movies and is issuing the fourth series of the hit vampire series True Blood in a combo pack containing the series on Blu-ray Disc, standard DVD and digital copy – all in one boxed set.
HBO calls the concept “Blu-ray With HBO Select.” Due May 29, True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season will include five Blu-ray Discs, two DVDs and a digital copy, the latter redeemable through iTunes, Vudu, Amazon or UltraViolet. The release also marks HBO’s first release with UltraViolet, the new cloud-based digital system that allows viewers to watch content on mobile devices anywhere and anytime they want.
Also on May 29, the first three seasons of the series also will be reissued as “Blu-ray with HBO Select” boxed sets.
“With the spectacular growth of tablets, smart phones and other connected devices, consumers have shown a decided preference for entertainment products that they can access across multiple platforms,” said Henry McGee, president of HBO Home Entertainment. “With HBO Select we are launching a home entertainment product that allows consumers to access their purchases on the devices of their choice. Whether it’s a DVD player in the car, a Blu-ray player in the living room, or a tablet on the plane, consumers can easily choose when, where and how they want to enjoy the content they have bought. With HBO Select it’s not a question of disc vs. digital—it’s disc plus digital. It’s three ways to watch in one box at no additional cost.”
McGee said there are two features worth special focus. “HBO Select purchasers will be able to access both an UltraViolet copy and a digital copy from providers like iTunes who are not on the UltraViolet platform,” he said. “And, importantly, the product is called Blu-Ray with HBO Select. We are placing a great emphasis on the Blu-ray product which contains a wide array of specially created features and provides picture and sound quality that is unequaled on any other platform. There has been very strong growth of the Blu-ray format and we have taken special care to make sure that we exceed consumer expectations in terms of both presentation and content.”??Extras include audio commentaries on six episodes; “Inside the Episodes” featurettes with interviews from the writers; and True Blood: The Final Touches, a look at the post-production process with executive producer Alan Ball.??The Blu-ray will include an exclusive enhanced viewing mode featuring character perspectives, vampire histories and a flashback/flash forward function to relive pivotal moments or find out the significance of a certain scene. The Blu-ray also includes True Blood Lines, an interactive guide to how the characters are related.??The next HBO Select release will be the critically acclaimed HBO Film Too Big to Fail. “We are currently analyzing our future release slate with an eye towards expanding the number of HBO Select releases,” McGee said.
