Blu-ray players, while becoming more and more widespread, still remain rather inaccessible when compared to the ubiquitous DVD players. These days, most consumers have DVD players in multiple rooms, and enjoy the mobility and freedom that this offers them. Additionally, almost all portable computers boast DVD players, and the widespread use of these also goes toward making DVDs the choice with the most portability and ease. Add to this again the lower cost of DVDs and the resulting players: a disc generally retails for around $20, but can often be found discounted 75% or more. The cost of everything associated with Blu-ray discs, not merely the discs themselves, can be prohibitive: a Blu-ray disc can retail for $25 where its DVD counterpart costs only $10. When taken into consideration with the fact that consumers are naturally reluctant to start over and invest their time and money in yet another "latest-and-greatest" video format, these factors point to the fact that distributors need to come up with a solution to bridge the gap.

Fortunately, a new solution is becoming more and more widespread: a combination Blu-ray/DVD package that distributors are using to help consumers make the transition. Producing these discs is also cost-effective. Even small-time distributors who utilize the services of middlemen can make this idea work for them: Blu-ray authoring and DVD authoring services are easy to find online, most of them respected and accredited businesses that will make Bd authoring, and, for those who need a new run of discs, Bd replication a snap. DVD authoring services can, in some circumstances, be replaced by home computers with production DVD software, and while Blu-ray duplication is still difficult to achieve on a machine not designed for it, services that offer Blu-ray duplication are affordable and often give discounts for bulk orders involving Bd authoring and duplication.

Shortrun DVD technology is a more familiar thing to most distributors, and consequently, shortrun DVD duplication is more readily available and even less expensive than the Blu-ray services. A shortrun DVD can be originated on most computers, but shortrun DVD duplication services provide benefits over home production in that they can give the disc and the packaging a smooth, appealing, professional feel that a production DVD made on a smaller system may not possess.

Following in the steps of the major Hollywood distributors and offering consumers the combination Blu-ray/DVD packages that will help them transition into the new format is not as difficult an undertaking as it may seem at first. Blu-ray authoring and duplication, as well as DVD authoring and duplication, are available from many reliable sources that will help small distributors create a combination package just as appealing as that of a major production. The wave of the future is here, and catching it is easier than you may think.