As to your last point that's not always true. It costs money to produce distribute and market physical media. There have been plenty of Blu-ray and DVD releases that have lost money; or where the return on investment was not at what would be considered a high enough level. I don't like it either, but as streaming becomes more acceptable, the availability of physical media will decline simply because the studios behind the streaming services see it as more profitable to make streaming the only venue where their Productions are available. Streaming after all is completely content driven and without popular content, or with content available via various means; in the end all that does is weaken their streaming service's draw. I'm pretty sure there will come a point where they are completely willing to forgo the release of any physical media, and believe that one day those of us who prefer having a physical copy of something themselves will eventually die out ( literally). (And yes there will always be those young and old who prefer owning a copy of something themselves, but I expect Studios believe that one day this group of people will be so small, that they can effectively be ignored without a measurable impact on streaming profitability.)
Hell, at this point the only movies or shows I buy on DVD/Blu-ray are from series I've been into for decades and still buy the new discs mostly out of a sense of completism.
I got "The Lower Decks" on plain old DVD, it's a cartoon and having a higher resolution is pointless... I get things I really like on physical media, streaming services can change. Amazon has altered a number of books and IIRC even removed a couple even though people had paid for them. You don't really own streaming media, you pay for the right to view it and the services have a lot of control over it.
I still prefer physical media where possible. I like being able to pay once and watch something as many times as I like with no ongoing costs, whether or not I have an internet connection.
Also love the extras and commentary tracks on disc. Sometimes streaming (Vudu) includes some, but Samuel L Jackson's commentary on Deep Blue Sea is wonderful! (Whrn his character gets killed he get says "ok, I'm done" and leaves the room)
Release date officially announced March 21. The Amazon link I provided on page 2 now shows this as well.
Personally I prefer having 2D animation in high definition. The blocky digital artifacting from upscaling SD really, really bugs me. Seeing stuff like vintage Looney Tunes and Tex Avery cartoons, and Batman: The Animated Series, on blu-ray at 1080p is an absolute joy. Kor
Add me to the list of disappointees. I'd buy SNW S1 on UHD in a heartbeat, but... they don't sell it, I can't buy it.
Why don't they put special features on Paramount Plus? I don't really want to buy the blu rays because I have them on streaming, but I always wondered why they didn't put the special features on the same service that actually streams the episodes. Too much bandwidth?
If they put the special features on Paramount Plus, it would undermine a big selling point of the Blu-Ray releases.
Any word when it will be available for purchase via digital download ? (I have Apple TV 4k in Canada). And if so, will that be released in 4k at least ?
Paramount just announced a 4K UHD version for Station Eleven, which releases in two months. They've also announced Reacher, Jack Ryan... 4K announcements usually lag the DVD/BD ones for new titles. You might end up seeing SNW S1 released manufacture-on-demand (MOD), where the title is produced in limited quantities and available through online retailers. With Paramount eclipsing HBO as the most 4K UHD TV series friendly studio, I wouldn't give up hope just yet.
False alarm, everybody!! It's coming out on UHD after all: http://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/020823-1115 Those of you who need a VHS tape to watch on your black-and-white TV or whatever can get a copy transferred from a friend, I'm sure.
So, it looks like only English-speaking regions are getting this. Maybe rest of the world is getting it later, but this is a bit worrying development.