As soon as Blu-Ray high-definition films became available, geeks the world over waited with bated breath for one group of films: Lord of the Rings.

Then, those geeks were smacked smartly in the face. Why? Because after already releasing both the theatrical and extended cuts separately on DVD, in a clear attempt at a money-grab, Warner Bros. decided to release the theatrical cuts on Blu-Ray now, but save the extended high-def versions for later, when The Hobbit movie is released. Awesome, right?

Well, now it seems that dedicated fans have been spat on again, as an astute member of AVS Forums has noticed that the Blu-Ray is significantly lower quality than it should be, even when compared to an HD version broacast on TV.

Apparently, these versions make too much use of Digital Noise Reduction, which makes the picture soft and fuzzy - hardly what one expects from a Blu-Ray or a film with what was possibly the best picture quality on DVD when it was released.

Tell you what, Warner - why don't you stop doing in things in half measures and  just get done with it: release a version only viewable on mobile phones that comes with a vial of the bubonic plague. At least that way, you'd be honest in how you actually feel about the fans of your films.

The Blu-Ray Blog