James Delahunty
16 Aug 2008 1:45
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that it will offer a rebate to consumers to replace some of their DVD titles with Blu-ray versions of the same movie. The rebate value is $10, and will be offered for select Paramount and DreamWorks titles. Certificates will be placed in the packaging of the Blu-ray products, which must be filled out and mailed in along with the proof-of-purchase tabs from both the DVD and Blu-ray versions. The receipt for the new Blu-ray title is also required.
The rebate applies to purchases of the chosen titles before December 31st, 2009, and all rebate claims must be postmarked by Jan. 31st, 2010. The rebate will be offered first for Transformers, due out on September 2nd, followed by The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration on September 23rd, and then Sweeny Todd on October 26th. Other titles already announced are Stardust, Old School and Zodiac, which are not yet dated.
Owners of Blu-ray equipment are arguably more likely to buy new Blu-ray releases and than old catalog titles they already own on DVD. The Paramount rebate offer might provide enough incentive for viewers to upgrade their favorite DVDs to HD on Blu-ray. More offers such as this should, and most likely will be made by other studios over the next few years to push out more Blu-ray titles.