3D Week: No Blu-ray 3D For Avatar Until 2011

Avatar has been confirmed as having its US and UK release on the 22nd April 2010, but this will be the first of three home versions of the film.  The April release will have no extras but according to Fox, this is because they wanted to use all that lovely space for squeezing the best audio and visual experience they could for Avatar.  Next up will be an Ultimate Edition in November that will include the bonus content one expected to accompany a movie this big.

But the Ultimate Edition won't be ultimate, because it won't have 3D.  For this, Avatar fans will have to wait until next year - another April 22nd Earth Day, release perhaps? - for the full home 3D Blu-ray version.  Fox say the reason for this is by that time there will be more 3D TVs in homes, and has nothing to do with milking customers at all.

Sound familiar?  Of course it does.  Lord of the Rings staggered its release with the theatrical cuts coming long before the extended versions, plus more recently, Zach Snyder's Watchmen did almost exactly the same too, even calling its most recent release an Ultimate Edition.  

Still, at least we know, that way we can make a vaguely informed decision as to whether to buy now or wait for a future edition.  The barebones Steelbook will be my choice, as the movie is average and I doubt I will have a 3D TV anytime soon, so a good-looking 1080p version to show off my system will do fine.  How about you?  Will you be buying now, waiting or getting all three?