Warner Bros. Launches Red2Blu Program, Offers Blu-Ray Copies Of HD-DVDs You Own (For A Small Fee)

By David Chen/April 22, 2009 1:07 pm EST

Tell me if this describes you: When Toshiba and Sony were going at each other during the great format war of HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, you placed your bets on HD-DVD, the cheaper, more sensible option. Then, you watched in horror as the tides shifted and Blu-Ray won the day. Since then, you've sat idly by, watching others gleefully build up their Blu-Ray collections while you've decided not to really indulge in Blu-Ray and vowed never to spend another $30 to buy Batman Begins again.

Well, brother, have I got some good news for you: It seems that Warner Bros. feels your pain, and with the recent launch of their new Red2Blu program, are seeking to bring you back into the fold. They are offering HD-DVD owners an extra Blu-Ray copy of any HD-DVD discs they own in exchange for a small fee per disc ($4.95, plus $6.95 in shipping and handling). Hit the jump for some more details.

If you head on over to the Red2Blu site, you'll have access to Warner Bros.' HD-DVD collection. Choose the discs you want Blu-Ray copies of, then mail in the sleeve only of each HD-DVD (keep the disc!) and you'll get a brand spanking new Blu-Ray to put next to that HD-DVD copy on your shelf. A few restrictions apply: This offer is only available in the U.S., and you can only replace up to 25 discs. Download this PDF to see all the rules.

This seems like a pretty damn good deal, whose attractiveness improves the more discs you have to send in (since the shipping and handling is a flat rate). Unfortunately, I don't have that many Warner Bros. HD-DVDs, but I'm thinking that it might be worth the $15 it would cost me to get a new 5-disc Blu-Ray copy of Blade Runner: The Final Cut. If other studios launch similar programs, I'd definitely see it as an incentive for me put more effort into building up my Blu-Ray collection.

Are any of you planning on taking warner Bros. up on their offer? If so, let us know how many discs you're sending in for and what your experience is like, in the comments below.