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Avatar to DVD, Blu-ray on Earth Day, but no 3D version this year

Fox officially announced that Avatar will be available on Earth Day, April 22, 2010, on Blu-ray and DVD, and though the inevitable 3D went unmentioned, word is it won't come out until 2011.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
2 min read

How many times will you have to buy The Blue Album? Fox Home Video

If industry scuttlebutt surrounding the home video release schedule of "Avatar" pans out, "3D" may as well stand for "third dip." The probable bestselling Blu-ray of all time will see at least three versions, and neither of the two coming this year will be in 3D.

Officially, Fox Home Video announced the initial, "bare-bones" release of the film on Blu-ray and DVD for April 22, 2010, which finally gives Earth Day the commercial sheen it has so sorely missed. Massive mounds of marketing will begin March 23, culminating in an anticlimactic "shelf price" of $19.99 for the DVD and $29.99 for the Blu-ray.

Unofficially, according to the Los Angeles Times, November will see a multidisc "ultimate version." We're sure it will include all of the commentaries, documentaries, deleted scenes, animation schematics, blue body paint, and alternate versions of the film fans could ever want--except a 3D version, says Fox. According to The Digital Bits:

But neither this round, nor the November version, will be 3D. That'll likely come in a third dip a year or two from now. You see, in order to sell more than a few dozen copies in 3D, Fox needs the market for 3D on Blu-ray (meaning capable players and displays) to... well, frankly EXIST... first.

Apparently the wishes of James Cameron, not to mention the earnest naive predictions of yours truly, run counter to market realities. While they wait, people building a market for the new 3D TVs (all two of them) will have to make do with bundled animated titles. Or plan to buy "Avatar" on Blu-ray more than once.

Related: 3D TV FAQ