Panasonic looks set to confirm that the 3D Blu-ray disc of Avatar will continue to be exclusively available only to customers buying Panasonic home cinema kit.
A deal announced last month was set to run until the end of January 2011 but according to reports emerging online today, it could now run until February 2012.
This will mean no retail release of the disc for the entirety of 2011 – the disc only being available as part of selected Panasonic promotions.
We're looking to confirm the news, which was reported on the AV Zombie blog site, directly with Panasonic, but it looks set to be a long wait for those of you eager to own Avatar in 3D...
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Published 01.11.2010:
It's official. Panasonic has teamed up with Twentieth Century Fox to offer the 3D Blu-ray version of Avatar free with Panasonic's Viera 3D TVs when bought with either a 3D Blu-ray player or 3D home cinema system.
The deal follows Panasonic's work with Twentieth Century Fox on the 3D authoring of Avatar on Blu-ray at the Japanese firm's Hollywood Laboratory advanced authoring centre in California.
Laurent Abadie, CEO and chairman of Panasonic Europe, says: "Through our exclusive bundling deal with Twentieth Century Fox to offer Avatar on 3D Blu-ray disc, we are bringing this iconic cinematographic experience to consumers across Europe, to enjoy the beauty and excitement of Pandora in 3D in their own home."
The Avatar offer applies to anyone who purchases a new Full HD 3D Panasonic Viera TV (such as the VT20 and GT20 series) package, which includes two pairs of active-shutter 3D glasses and a Panasonic DMP-BDT300 3D Blu-ray player, or a 3D TV/3D all-in-one home cinema combo.
The promotion runs from October 30th, 2010 until January 31st, 2011.