Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has started a program to encourage owners of DVD versions of its movies to upgrade to the high definition Blu-ray version by offering a $10 discount off the purchase of the Blu-ray title.

The first movie eligible for this program is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which will be released as a Diamond Edition Blu-ray on October 6, 2009, and then it will expand to other catalog titles a few weeks later.

Owners of Snow White on DVD or VHS can visit the Disney Upgrade Program web site for instructions for obtaining the $10 coupon towards the Blu-ray version. The coupon is good between 10/6 and 10/20/2009, so it appears that they are trying to get you to buy right away instead of waiting.

Disney has done a very good job of their Blu-ray releases to date, and this program is sure to encourage DVD owners to make the upgrade to enjoy the new features as well as the better picture and sound quality possible with the Blu-ray format.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment launched a program called Red2Blu back in April, where owners of the now-defunct HD DVD format could receive Blu-ray versions of many WB movies for an attractive upgrade price.

As Blu-ray player prices continue to drop (we expect to see prices below $150 this holiday season), more and more people will be taking the plunge and doing right by their HDTV's by feeding them high definition movies on Blu-ray. These promotions reward customer loyalty and encourage purchases, which is a really good thing for everyone involved. It looks like the Blu-ray companies are finally taking my advice!

Source: Home Media Magazine