Bloggin' On: My Blu-ray Collection Grows & Other Developments

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Promotional photo of Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Lucasfilm Ltd.'s 18-disc Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Blu-ray box set.  This is the region-free edition made for the UK/Europe but sold in the U.S. by Walmart. © 2020 Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)


Hi, there! Welcome to another edition of Bloggin' On, the more "personal" section of A Certain Point of View where I just chat about everyday topics and stuff that doesn't fall neatly into the categories that I usually write about ﹘ reviews, politics, or life in the time of COVID-19.

It's a nice morning in my corner of Florida; as I write this, the temperature outside is 78℉ (25℃) under partly sunny skies. According to my computer's weather app, today's forecast calls for a high of 84℉ (29℃) under mostly cloudy skies. It's going to be a humid and maybe even rainy day at times (52% humidity and 60% chance of precipitation), but it doesn't look as if it is going to be as stormy as Friday. In short, the wet season is about to start down here in the Sunshine State.

As you can surmise from the post title and the photo illustration above, my Blu-ray collection has grown. More aptly, my Star Wars Blu-ray collection has grown, by 18 discs, with the addition of a third set of the new Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Lucasfilm Ltd. Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. 

 This variant is the version intended for sale in Europe (mostly the United Kingdom but other European countries as well), but it's also available in the U.S. at Walmart.

The larger (and more expensive) 27-disc 4K UHD/2D Blu-ray "Best Buy Exclusive" edition of Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.   © 2020 Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)


Although the "Walmart" set shares certain thematic features with the "Best Buy" one that Buena Vista released on April 1, there are significant differences as well.

For instance, even though both have the same black-and-silver Death Star themed packaging, the "Walmart" set (released in the UK and elsewhere on April 20) comes in a smaller slipbox with three DigiPack disc holders, one for each Star Wars trilogy (DigiPack I for the Prequels, DigiPack II for the Original Trilogy, and Digipack III for the Sequels). Each DigiPack stores six Blu-ray discs (BDs); three discs present the feature films, whilst the other three BDs contain the various Bonus Features.

The slipbox has a flip-top that lifts up when you open it, and the box's front panel drops down, ramp-like, to reveal the three DigiBooks. The "thank you" letter from actor Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) is printed on the inside flap of the front panel.

Aside from being smaller than its "Best Buy" counterpart, the "Walmart" or "European" version of Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does not include the 4K UHD discs for Episodes I-IX, nor does it come with digital codes for Movies Anywhere. However, at $129.99 plus sales tax and other surcharges, it's more affordable than the "Best Buy Exclusive" edition, which costs $249.99 plus sales tax and other charges.

If I didn't have a 4K UHD TV (which is going to be set up in our house's master bedroom sometime soon) and its associated Blu-ray player, this is the only Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga box set I would have purchased. I bought my 4K TV almost three years ago, at a time when I had the extra cash to splurge on one. 

In other news, A Certain Point of View, Too, my WordPress blog, is doing well as far as readership and feedback are concerned. It's still less than a month old, and right now it only has 27 posts, but so far it has accrued 346 visitors, 781 views, 128 likes, and 35 comments. A Certain Point of View, Too also has 30 followers, either through WordPress itself or via email. 

Yesterday was a record-setting day, as my new blog received 14 "likes" in a single 24-hour period. That beat the old record of 13 in one day, which was set on April 14. 

I still haven't decided whether I'll post on WordPress today. Right now the answer is still up in the air; I haven't had breakfast yet, not even a cup of coffee, and I'm still a bit sleepy, so I don't know if I will. Knowing myself, though, I probably will, though right now I haven't the foggiest idea what I'll post about on WordPress. 

Well, that about wraps up this edition of Bloggin' On. So, until next time, Dear Reader, I'll catch you on the sunny side of things. Stay safe, stay healthy! 

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