DVDs marked their 10th anniversary in 2007, but the big story of the year concerned the industry's dysfunctional bid to replace them with the rival high-definition formats Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
Although Blu-Ray took the lead this year in sales, the two formats still represent such a tiny fraction of overall disc sales that it's not really meaningful. Late-year price cuts among stand-alone players of both formats compelled some fence-sitters to make a choice, but most DVD buyers have been content to wait while Hollywood studios line up behind each format.
Some analysts predict that hybrid players that can handle both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles will render the whole war moot (see technology trends for the coming year in Tuesday's Source). In the meantime, the Switzerland of the high-def war, Warner Home Video, could cause tremors by choosing a side instead of staying the course as the only major DVD producer to release movies in both formats.
'Blade Runner' returns to life
Considering the fractured state of the industry, it's fitting that the best DVD of the year came out on standard DVD as well as Blu-ray and HD DVD. It's even more remarkable that the title was a re-release. But then Warner got everything right with its all-out 25th-anniversary edition of "Blade Runner."
Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic already had gone through three versions by the time it first appeared on DVD 10 years ago -- the U.S. original theatrical release, an international cut and a 1992 director's cut (the subject of the original DVD) -- but the fastidious director had long been reported to be working on a definitive edition. The recently released ultimate DVD contains not only that modern marvel of a cut, but also all three previous versions and a radical work-in-progress print.
Oodles of fantastic extras, including insightful commentary by Scott, were complemented by a premium version of the five-disc set housed in a briefcase like the one used in the film and containing fun collectibles.
Other 2007 DVD superlatives
