"The Angry Birds Movie" is First 4K/3D Combo Pack

4K TV's are here.  They are currently in stores, studios are pushing them hard, and I think it's safe to say they aren't going away anytime soon.  Hollywood is so serious about 4K content that they launched a whole new video format to maximize the home experience, called 4K Ultra HD.  I myself have already bought a few of these disks despite not owning the TV yet ("Sicario," "Concussion," and "The Revenant," in case you're interested).  I can do this because, like BluRay 3D before it, each 4K Ultra HD copy (or, most of them, I should say) come with a standard BluRay disk, as well as an Ultraviolet code to watch the movie digitally.  It's a win-win situation as I can still watch my movie, and I have content for whenever I get my 4K TV (not planning for that anytime soon, but if I've learned one thing in life, it's that "anytime soon" sneaks up on you).

The struggle 3D fans have been facing is when it comes to the new format is a lack 3D content.  Now, in the studios defense, there is no 4K content that is in 3D yet.  Chances are it will come at some point, but for the time being, we're stuck with it in 720p.  That said, so far, when a movie has been released on the 4K Ultra HD format that was seen in 3D in theaters, fans of the movie have had to choose which combo pack to buy.  They can either watch the movie in 4K, or they can watch it in 3D.  I know that 3D never quite took off in the way studios wanted it to, but the frustrating thing about this is that combo packs were made specifically to give people options.  They were made so that, in essence, people wouldn't HAVE to make a choice which version of the movie they wanted to buy; they would simply have every version!  This doesn't work when "The Peanuts Movie" forces you to choose between two viewing formats.

Thankfully, it looks like at least one movie is going to cut that problem out by making the very first combo pack that included a 4K Ultra HD, BluRay 3D, BluRay, and Digital HD versions... and it's the stinking "Angry Birds Movie."

Yep, a studio finally releases a movie to test whether or not people would buy one of these elaborate combo packs, and it's for "The Angry Birds Movie." I know I'm repeating myself there, but I almost need to keep reminding myself this is how it's working.  I mean, this option couldn't be made available for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" this week?  It's pretty confusing.  I'm not sure why this is the first movie (to my knowledge) where viewers don't have to choose between 4K and 3D, but part of it may be that the movie was designed around 3D, and the effect is so important to the film makers that they decided to make it available for whatever version you buy (except for the DVD version of course).  I have to say, they also unwittingly may have sold me a copy of this movie.  I wasn't exactly a huge fan of this film and I certainly had no plans to buy it, but this is a great idea.

Considering how expensive these combo packs are, it's strange that I have to choose between one of two ways to future proof my collection.  There is no reason for it.  If someone is spending $44 for a 4K Ultra HD combo pack, what is an extra $5 to include the BluRay 3D disk?  So, despite my better judgment, it looks like I will be buying a copy of "The Angry Birds Movie" in this big combo pack to support this idea in the future.  When I buy it, I will also send an e-mail to the studio letting them know this is the main reason I bought this version.  Because I've been a big supporter of the "one combo pack fits all" concept, and it's frustrating to see Hollywood still dance around this concept.  Oh, and for the record, no, this does NOT include a DVD copy!  But really, if you are buying a set that comes with a 4K Ultra HD disk, then chances are you are about as far away from using a DVD to watch a movie as you can possibly get now.