The slim-packs are also an attempt to dissuade people from buying HK bootlegs. They are making it affordable with a vanilla release so people don't resort to non-official releases. It's not like this is something new. Other studios do it all the time. I just bought the vanilla releases of the X-Files for approx. $39 per season rather than the $109 per season they originally asked for. I think Jo had bought the Buffy Mega Boxset collecting all 7 seasons awhile back, which was cheaper than the original release (don't know if that set was a vanilla release or not). In the UK they are releasing the vanilla releases of Doctor Who shortly after they are broadcast, with the sets with extras coming out later.