Topic: Blu-ray News

[Marl☆1]

Hehe....initially 'Harry Potter Limited Edition Gift Set' Blu-ray are reporting that an HD DVD has infiltrated their Blu-ray packaging....and now the Blu-ray site is being hacked...

lol!    wow, 'tis pretty evident that the RED camp now means business and is dead set to narrow down the gap!   
...and via very creative executions at that! 

[pchin]

Best (and Worst) High-Def Discs of 2007: Kenneth Brown

Source

[Mouldingo]

Harry Potter HD DVDs dominate in Amazon

Top 4 spots in Top Selling DVDs are occupied by Harry Potter HD DVDs. On-going HD DVD players price cuts wet consumer appetite for Potter titles.

Top 100 in the last 30 days

[pchin]

Nice to see that for a change. Hope HD DVD sales can sustain & more BOGO pls....

[Marl☆1]

Harry Potter HD DVDs dominate in Amazon

Top 4 spots in Top Selling DVDs are occupied by Harry Potter HD DVDs. On-going HD DVD players price cuts wet consumer appetite for Potter titles.

Good to hear! Am sure the PDVD members contributed in their own small way to that spike thanks to the fervent Amazon aficionados here!    As Pichin mentioned - hope the deals keep on coming

[Marl☆1]

Am just posting some excerpts from Joshua Zyber's commentary on the 'Year-end Studio Report Cards' recently posted on Hidef Digest, which pertains to his personal review of all the major High Definition studios while handing out his own ratings for each based on how well they've supported their chosen formats in '07. 

I just clipped the major ones and included summaries per studio. One learning here is that holding a Neutral stance does pay-out handsomely - as evidenced by WB getting the highest rating - a perfect A! Enjoy! 


Key Releases: potc, cars, ratatouille   
Ranking: A- 



Key Releases: first blood, basic instinct, crank, saw
Ranking: C



Key Releases: casino royale (co-prod'n with Sony), hoosiers, robocop
Ranking: C-



Key Releases: hairspray, rush hour 3, pan's labyrinth
Ranking: C



Key Releases: transformers, shrek the third, flags of our fathers
Ranking: B+



Key Releases: the fifth element, casino royale, spiderman trilogy
Ranking: A-



Key Releases: die hard collection, the simpsons movie, 28 days later
Ranking: C-



Key Releases: knocked-up, bourne ultimatum, heroes
Ranking: B+



Key Releases: 300, harry potter, blade runner
Ranking: A


For the full commentary, click HERE.

[pchin]

Fox Sets Specs, New Date for 'ID4' Blu-ray



Following a earlier street date delay, the aliens of 'Independence Day' will finally invade Blu-ray this March.

As previously reported, Fox postponed the originally-planned December 4 Blu-ray release of mammoth blockbuster only days before it was due to hit stores, citing last-minute quality-control issues. Now the studio has confirmed a new date for the highly-anticipated release, which will hit Blu-ray at last on March 11, 2008.

Fox has also issued final specs for 'ID4,' which include 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video, a DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround track, plus Dolby Digital dubs and subtitle options in French and Spanish.

Fans hoping for a high-def replica of the same extensive extras found on the two-disc DVD version of the alien blockbuster will be disappointed, as the studio will be offering only a limited numbers of extras on the Blu-ray. Included on the set will be two audio commentaries with the filmmakers, plus a suite of four theatrical trailers. All of the previous edition's other video-based materials have not been ported over.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray, however, will be the "Alien Intercept" BD-Java interactive game, a subtitle fact track, personal scene selections, a content index, and D-Box enhancement

Source

[pchin]

'Bee Movie' Buzzes to HD DVD



In an early alert to retailers, DreamWorks has set a March arrival for the animated Jerry Seinfeld blockbuster 'Bee Movie.'

Scoring nearly $125 million at the domestic box office and bolstered by an all-star voice cast that includes Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick and Oprah Winfrey, 'Bee Movie' is likely to be just as big of a hit on the small screen when it arrives on HD DVD March 11, 2008, day-and-date with the standard DVD.

Due to the early nature of this news, DreamWorks specs and supplemental details for 'Bee Movie' have yet to be announced, but we'll keep you posted.

Source

[Mouldingo]

Japan Imports



21 Dec 2007


21 Dec 2007


18 Jan 2008


21 Dec 2007


21 Dec 2007

 

[Marl☆1]

New HD audio delights from the Blu camp. 



'Across the Universe' Blu-ray Specs Revealed
Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 04:00 PM ET

Full specs are in for the Blu-ray edition of 'Across the Universe,' with Sony promising a host of bonus musical performances and additional high-def exclusives.

As we first reported in late November, Julie Taymor's ambitious rock opera featuring reinterpretations of over two dozen classic Beatles songs is due to hit both Blu-ray and standard-def DVD on February 5, 2008. Full details are now in, with both the Blu-ray and two-disc DVD sharing a wealth of bonus features and never-before-seen musical materials.

In addition to the previously-announced audio commentary with director Julie Taymor and composer Eliot Goldenthal, other extras will include eight extended musical performances, a deleted scene ("And I Love Her"), plus five making-of featurettes: "Creating the Universe," "Stars of Tomorrow," "All About the Music," "FX on the Universe" and "Moving Across the Universe."

Exclusive to the Blu-ray will be an art gallery of "Jude's" drawings (a reference to the film's fictional character based on the classic Beatles tune "Hey Jude"), illustrated by Don Nace.

Tech specs include 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and uncompressed PCM 5.1 Surround audio (48kHz/24-bit)

[pchin]

'Mysterious Aqua,' 'Mountain Winds' Multichannel Audio HD DVDs Announced



Surround Records has announced it will bow the latest two additions to its growing line of HD DVD multichannel audio releases beginning in late January.

Like the company's last batch of HD DVD releases that included 'Uncommon Mozart,' 'Spatial Dynamics' and 'Space or Dream of Life' (all which hit stores last October), 'Mysterious Aqua' and 'Mountain Winds' are produced by Alexander Golberg Jero, and are presented in '3-Dimensional Sound Reality,' which the press materials promise reveals a "clarity and sonic perception of these works [that] will open a new vision of the original masterpieces."

Surround Records has announced it will bow the latest two additions to its growing line of HD DVD multichannel audio releases beginning in late January.

Like the company's last batch of HD DVD releases that included 'Uncommon Mozart,' 'Spatial Dynamics' and 'Space or Dream of Life' (all which hit stores last October), 'Mysterious Aqua' and 'Mountain Winds' are produced by Alexander Golberg Jero, and are presented in '3-Dimensional Sound Reality,' which the press materials promise reveals a "clarity and sonic perception of these works [that] will open a new vision of the original masterpieces."

Source

[Marl☆1]

For the CDion fans    Please find the release below and the discussion in the HDD forum thread HERE.



Celine's 'A New Day' Blu-ray Gets a New Date
Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:10 PM ET

The wait is over, Celine Dion fans: Sony BMG has announced a February arrival for the songstress' long-awaited Blu-ray concert extravaganza 'Live in Las Vegas.'

As we first reported back in October, Sony originally announced 'Celine Dion: A New Day... Live in Las Vegas' for a December 11 Blu-ray debut, day-and-date with the standard DVD and only days before the singer was scheduled to make her final bow at Caesar's Palace. But in a last-minute delay, Sony yanked the Blu-ray version without explanation, offering no new date.

Now the distributor has finally given the greenlight for Celine's high-def debut, setting a new date of February 5 for 'A New Day.'

Confirmed specs for the release include a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer and uncompressed PCM 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio.

Extras will mirror the standard-def version, and include a behind-the-scenes documentary, "Tribute to the Fans" featurette, and additional interviews with the creative team behind 'A New Day.'

Retail for the Blu-ray remains set at $34.98.

[Mouldingo]

Fox Announces Q1 Blu-ray Titles

Fox Home Entertainment has announced six upcoming Blu-ray titles, all with street dates during the first quarter of 2008. Included in the list is the delayed Blu-ray release of 'Independence Day' which will see release on March 11th, the same date as the newly announced and highly anticipated 'I, Robot'.

MAN ON FIRE (January 8th): Authored in BD-Java using MPEG2 compression and presented on a 50GB dual layer disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.

WALL STREET (February 5th): Authored in MPEG2 compression and presented on a 50GB dual layer disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and English, French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:
Commentary by Oliver Stone
Intro by Oliver Stone
Greed is Good-Featurette
Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Director Oliver Stone
Money Never Sleeps - The Making of Wall Street
ME, MYSELF & IRENE (February 5th): Authored in MPEG2 compression and presented on a 25GB disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles: English, Spanish, French. Bonus features include:
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Crap on the Lawn
My Cow Likes The Road
Warming The Melon
Morning After
Can't Find My Wallet
Hat On Fire
Dear Old Dad
Sex Flashback
Hank and Charlie Disagree
Extended Butt Chin Scene
Theatrical Trailers
ICE AGE (March 4th): Authored in MPEG2 compression and presented on a 25GB disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles: English, Spanish, French. Bonus features include:
Commentary by Director Chris Wedge and Co-Director Carlos Saldanha
Deleted Scenes with commentary by Director Chris Wedge and Co-Director Carlos Saldanha
"Paying Toll"with Aardvarks
Sylvia and Sid Introduction
Sabre Stake Out
No More Fruit For You
Sid and the Ladies
Sid and Sylvia
Gone Nutty – Scrat's Missing Adventure
Theatrical Teaser
Theatrical Trailers
INDEPENDENCE DAY (March 11th): Authored in BD-Java using MPEG2 compression and presented on a 50GB dual-layer disc with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles: English, Spanish, French. Bonus features include:
Scene Specific Commentary by Director Roland Emerich and Producer Dean Devlin
Commentary by Oscar-Winning FX supervisors Volker Engel and Doug Smith
Trivia Track
Search Content
Personal Scene Selections
Alien Scavenger Hunt (Java Game)
D-Box Technology
Theatrical Teaser
Theatrical Trailers
I, ROBOT (March 11th) : Authored in BD-Java using MPEG2 compression and presented on a 50GB dual-layer disc English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. Subtitles: English, Spanish, French. Bonus features include: Commentary by Director Alex Proyas and Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman
Commentary by Screenwriter Jeff Vintar
Commentary by Composer Marco Beltrami with isolated cues from the score
I, Robot Trivia Track
Extended and Deleted Scenes
D-Box Technology


http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=805

[Mouldingo]

CES 2008: Disney Announces Upcoming Titles for All Regions

In a pre-CES press release, Disney has unveiled their expected upcoming Blu-ray releases through the summer. While the list is by no means complete, it does give us a good indication of what to look for in the coming months. 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' has once again been put on the Blu-ray release list for May, which should be released around the May 16th theatrical release of 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'.

North America
The Rock (January
Con Air (January
The Game Plan (January 22)

Crimson Tide (February 5)
Gone Baby Gone (February 12)
Becoming Jane (February 12)

The Rookie (March 4)
Dan In Real Life (March 11)

Hidalgo (Spring)
Coyote Ugly: The Double Shot Edition (Spring)
Unbreakable (Spring)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Spring)
National Treasure: Collector's Edition (Spring)

Europe/Australia
The Recruit (January)

Dark Water (February)
Underdog (February)
Starsky & Hutch (February)

Coyote Ugly (March)
The Rookie (March)

Hidalgo (April)
Gone Baby Gone (April)

Signs (May)
There Will Be Blood (May)
Shall We Dance (May)
Ladder 49 (May)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (May)
National Treasure: Collector's Edition (May)

The Game Plan (Summer)
Unbreakable (Summer)

Japan
Hollywoodland (February)

The Rookie (April)
Hidalgo (April)
Meet The Robinsons (April)
Starsky & Hutch (April)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (May)
Coyote Ugly (May)
National Treasure: Collector's Edition (May)

Unbreakable (Summer)
Signs (Summer)

Disney has also announced that they will extend the popular Magical Blu-ray Tour to eight additional cities due to popular demand. The first stop will be to Toronto, Canada the weekend of January 25th and continue on to Nashville, Denver, Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, Hartford and conclude with Chicago at Unity 2008 in July.

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=804

[Mr. Hankey]

Guys, for the time being, I'm incorporating all news related to the Warner shift to Blu-ray exclusivity into this thread: http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=75519.0

It's a major development that probably means the death of HD DVD, and deserves its own thread. Please post your updates regarding this issue on that thread, since if the news is in two separate threads, it will lead to unnecessary duplication. Some members apparently feel bad when their news is accidentally reposted by others on another thread, so this is the only way to prevent that from happening.

Thanks!

[lord_vader]

Fox Announces Q1 Blu-ray Titles

Still no Star Wars? I'm sure everyone's waiting for this...

[pchin]

CES: Fox Touts BD-Live, Previews 'Alien vs. Predator: Requiem' Blu-ray

With an eye toward merging the Blu-ray format's BD-Live capabilities with social networking, Fox touted the message "The Future is Blu, the Future is BD-Live" today at CES 2008.

Taking part in a Blu-ray interactivity conference held earlier today, Fox showcased a number of BD-Live features it plans to bring to Blu-ray in 2008, as well as hinting that the company's ownership of MySpace may play a part in expanding the networking possibilities of the format.

Fox VP Danny Kaye took the stage to show off various BD-Live-based interactive features the studio is currently developing, including the ability for users to store and retrieve information online via MySpace.

Kaye then showed how a user could download a picture from a site like MySpace, and "insert" it into a Blu-ray disc.

The exec also demonstrated the forthcoming "Alien vs. Predator vs. You" BD-Live interactive game, which can be played by multiple players across a network, and is set to be included in the forthcoming 2008 Blu-ray release of 'Alien vs. Predator: Requiem' (street date TBA).

"The whole idea is to extend the movie experience from two hours, to ten more hours of fun," said Kaye. Fox was joined in the interactivity conference by Sony, which pushed its own BD-Live plans for 2008.

Source

[nels76]

Hi-def movies copied to PSPs and memory sticks.

January 7, 2008 - Now, your Blu-ray library can follow you wherever you go. According to an article from PC World, Sony demonstrated the ability to insert a Blu-ray movie into a PS3 and then transfer a copy of that movie to a PSP or a Memory Stick at its booth at CES. Highlighted as the next level of disc copying, this was merely one part of the new "BD Live" functionality, which will include the ability to download ring tones and new content to BD Live players.

According to David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, "This way, you can have a portable copy you can take with you. There was always the promise of greater interactivity. You'll see that coming in the new year."

We tried to contact SCEA, but they were unavailable for comment at the time of publication of this article. While there was no estimated time that consumers would see this new function, it could make 2008 a very entertaining year for PSP and PS3 users, and further strengthen Blu-ray in the format war.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/843/843979p1.html

[barrid]

If i understand it correctly, i can ask a PS3 owner to make me a copy of their movies into a memory stick, and i can watch it on my PSP?

[nels76]

^^ Ganon na nga. Pero the technology is coming soon pa pala.

Read below.

Future Blu-Ray movie releases will include versions of the films optimized for the portable PSP, Sony announced at CES today.

By inserting the disc into a PlayStation 3 and connecting the PSP, disc owners will be able to copy the special lower-resolution version of the movie onto the Memory Stick in the PSP and watch it on the go.

An interesting feature, although it falls short of simply allowing users to rip movies and copy them to the PSP themselves. And Sony hasn't said which films will include this feature. It'll be interesting to see if Sony restricts this to PlayStation 3 owners, or if they allow the files to be copied from BD-ROM readers on PC. Or, for that matter, if there's any DRM attached to the movie files.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/01/ces-download-bl.html

[darkwing]

i'm thinking maybe not the movie itself the but the special features, like the making, documentaries etc.... would be an interesting add-on value ^_^ a BD disc can spare 1GB PSP data from its 50GB capacity for it lols

[SirLaw11]

We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public

http://www.betanews.com/article/Bluray_Early_adopters_knew_what_they_were_getting_into/1199841379

[ThePatriot]

March 4th


February 5th


February 19th


March 11th




February 5th


March 11th


March 11th

[NeilNo]

New Line Details Transition to Blu-ray



Confirming earlier reports that it would follow Warner to Blu-ray exclusivity, New Line says its first HD DVD title ('Pan's Labyrinth') will also be its last.

Though it was widely assumed that New Line (whose parent company is Time-Warner) would follow Warner Home Video's lead and continue to release on HD DVD through May 2008, a company rep tells us that New Line's move will go into immediate effect, with all of the studio's planned HD DVD releases now cancelled (including the HD DVD versions of current Blu-ray releases 'Hairspray' and 'Rush Hour 3,' which had previously been planned for HD DVD release sometime in early 2008).
 
As for 'Pan's Labyrinth,' which hit stores late last year as the first (and only) New Line HD DVD release, the studio says that once current retail supplies are depleted, the title will be discontinued -- making it an instant collector's item.

New Line says it's not planning to issue an official press release trumpeting the move, ending its short-lived HD DVD support with a relative whimper.

The studio also tells us they won't be revealing any new Blu-ray titles at CES, though they do plan to continue to support the format throughout 2008 with a variety of new release and catalog titles to be announced in the future.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/New_Line/Industry_Trends/New_Line_Details_Transition_to_Blu-ray/1351

[darkwing]

Batman Begins and Matrix being "prepped" for blu ray 

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Warner/Warner:_Profile_1.1_Blu-ray_Titles_Coming_Soon/1340

With the studio having thrown its weight behind Blu-ray, Warner Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara says plans are underway to introduce its first Profile 1.1 compliant titles to the market.

Although Profile 1.1 hardware is now readily available, and several Blu-ray-supporting studios have already produced titles with Profile 1.1-enabled features, Warner has yet to utilize the technology on any of its Blu-ray releases.

That appears to be on the verge of changing, however, following Warner's seismic shift late last week to Blu-ray exclusivity. Speaking with High-Def Digest, Tsujishara stated that the studio is preparing several Profile 1.1 titles --specifically the library of nearly a dozen Warner titles previously released on HD DVD that used that format's HDi technology to deliver the studio's "In Movie Experience" picture-in-picture video commentary and other interactive features.

"We held off releasing them on Blu-ray because we wanted to be able to have the full interactivity," said Tsujishara. "At this point in time, we're still working out all the kinks [with the technology], but they will be released soon."

Two titles specifically cited by Tsujishara as being prepped for Blu-ray release were 'Batman Begins,' and the blockbuster 'Matrix' trilogy, although he stopped short of naming actual street dates.

As previously reported, Warner's switch to Blu-ray allegiance will see the studio releasing titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD through the end of May 2008, after which they will back Blu-ray exclusively. At press time, Warner had not announced any upcoming releases (on either format) to feature picture-in-picture interactivity.

[pchin]

Fox Preps 'Predator' Blu-ray



In an early announce to retailers, Fox has set an April Blu-ray debut for the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic 'Predator.'

One of the "monster" franchises of the '80s (along with the 'Alien' series), the original 'Predator' has long been on the wishlish of early adopters for high-def release. Now Fox has heeded the call to hunt, setting an April 15 street date for the Blu-ray.

With a full press announcement still due in the coming days, there are no supplemental details yet available, but we'll keep you posted.

Tech specs are set to include 1080p video and audio flavors in DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround, plus a French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo dub.

Source

[darkwing]

Constantin opts for Blu-ray
German distrib follows Warner's lead

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978808.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

BERLIN — Constantin Film, Germany’s leading independent producer-distrib, is following suit in the wake of Warner Bros. decision to go with the Blu-ray format.

Company said Thursday it too had chosen the Blu-ray format for its hi-def home entertainment products.

Up until now, Constantin had supported both HD DVD and the Blu-ray technology, but as of March 1, new releases will be appearing solely in Blu-ray.

Warners last week rejected a dual-format strategy in favor of Blu-ray.

“By taking this trendsetting decision, the market-leading U.S. film group has helped to bring about faster the urgently needed clarification of the situation and to end the ‘format war’ that has been going on for years now,” Constantin said in a statement.

Franz Woodtli, Constantin’s home entertainment director, added: "In taking our decision in favor of the Blu-ray format, we are clearly following the international trend. The longstanding dispute about the successor to the DVD caused considerable uncertainty among consumers in 2007 in particular and has led to a delay in the mainstream introduction of hi-def as a result. Clear positioning therefore has advantages for consumers, producers and retailers."

[odyopayl]

I Just want to share that HD-DVD is more popular in U.S. compare to its rival Blu-ray. Since Blu-Ray is more popular to us. I just want to share my shopping with Blu-Ray here:

Medyo malabo cell shot lang bawal kumuha sa loob. I use this to review kung saan mas mura either Frys electronics or Best Buy

[Marl☆1]

Nice pics odyopayl, HD-DVD clearly ain't dead yet.  Posted this on the Warner "Breaking News" thread but specifically pertains to Universal's position on the HD-DVD support.  Here's an excerpt: 

"Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.

Click HERE for the full news.

[odyopayl]

Nice pics odyopayl, HD-DVD clearly ain't dead yet.  Posted this on the Warner "Breaking News" thread but specifically pertains to Universal's position on the HD-DVD support.  Here's an excerpt: 

"Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group.

Click HERE for the full news.

Hello Marl_1 HD-DVD is so popular because their player is a lot cheaper than Blu-ray. Blu-ray player is so expensive except for PS3, of course X-Box is cheaper than PS aside from this there are lot of HD-DVD player here. Wag naman sana, I want to invest also with the HD-DVD.
There are more choices of HD-DVD movies here more cheaper than blue ray. I doubt HD-DVD is dying format.