Warner Delays Shawshank Redemption Blu-ray to Dec
Warner Home Video has (re)announced The Shawshank Redemption is coming to Blu-ray Disc, only this time on December 2instead of November 4 as previously scheduled.
With the announcement comes a look at the Digi-book packaging spread and confirmation of a single-disc BD-50 configuration.
Additional details such as disc specs and supplemental features are unknown at this time.
The Shawshank Redemption on Blu-ray will carry an SRP of $34.99. Check back regularly for updated information and pre-order links.
Iron Man Blu-ray Review
The movie of the summer is now THE movie to own on Blu-ray. Iron Man lands on Blu-ray in a few weeks, September 30, but we received an early copy to review. A full, longer review will be forthcoming — but here’s initial thoughts….
Iron Man is one of the best Blu-ray DVD releases. Images look truly high-def, crisp, with rich colors. If you want to impress your neighbors and friends with the power of Blu-ray, this is the DVD to own.
Not to mentioned a great script, acting and overall entertaining movie. What a blast! We love Batman, but brooding, darkness gets a little bit tired. That’s the diff — Iron Man is FUN…
It is obvious this Blu-ray was rushed (no commentary?!) — so I expect a fuller release to come out next year.
DVD to pass 90,000 titles
According to the DVD Release Report, the total number of DVDs available by the end of 2008 will pass the 90k mark. From now until the end of the year, a total of 90,440 titles are scheduled to be released. As far as Blu-ray goes, a total of 684 hi-def titles have been released, with another 191 coming in the end of the year. This includes high profile Blu-ray releases, including Iron Man, Indiana Jones, WALL-E, Sleeping Beauty, and the Godfather Trilogy.
Samsung: “Blu-ray has 5 years left”
Samsung has said that it sees the Blu-ray format only lasting a further 5 years before it is replaced by another format or technology.
“I think it [Blu-ray] has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn’t give it 10″, Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK told Pocket-lint in an interview.
Hoping to capitalise before it’s too late, Griffiths believes that 2008 is the format’s year.
“It’s going to be huge”, he told Pocket-lint. “We are heavily back-ordered at the moment.”
Citing online rental sites like LoveFilm’s adoption of Blu-ray titles, the move to offer cheaper players and a now clear path to adoption following the Blu-ray HD DVD battle, Griffith says the format will be a winner, although not for long.
Instead Samsung is putting its faith in its OLED technology. The new technology, which is “ready to rock”, is being held back at the moment due to high manufacturing costs.
“We will launch the OLED technology when it’s at a price that will be appealing to the consumer, unfortunately that’s not yet.”
Griffiths, citing 2010 as a possible date for your calendar, told us he believes that when the technology becomes mainstream it will replace LCD.
“It’s gonna be big, but at the moment it’s a great story, not commercial, product.”
- from Pocketlint
Sony Sets ‘Hancock’ Blu-ray for November
After weeks of speculation, Sony Pictures has confirmed a late-November Blu-ray touchdown for the Will Smith blockbuster ‘Hancock.’
Originally rumored for an early-December release, fans will get the $200 million-plus-grossing superhero spoof earlier than expected when Sony debuts the Blu-ray of ‘Hancock’ on November 25, day-and-date with the standard DVD.
ADVERTISEMENTAs the studio has only just issued a trade alert for ‘Hancock,’ all tech specs and supplement details are still under wraps. We’ll certainly keep you posted as soon as the full press announce comes in.
Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $38.95.
- from HDDigest
MTV launches global HD service
MTV’s new global high-definition service, MTV Networks HD, will bow Sept. 15 with six European countries taking the web.
The 24-hour channel, which includes a Nickelodeon-branded block, is to launch in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland and Sweden.
Owners Viacom plans to roll out the English-language web, which will be up-linked using a single feed from Warsaw, in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and the U.K. later in the year.
Additionally, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela also will have the HD web, which will broadcast in Dolby 5.1 surround sound, by the close of 2008.
Territories in Asia are expected to follow later, although at this stage there is no specific date.
MTV Networks Intl. prexy Bob Bakish said: “In Europe, there are about 100 million pay TV households of which 4.4 million have HD, so we are in the early days of HD. Obviously, we think those numbers will grow.”
“MTV Networks HD is an international first that will help operators reinforce the value of pay TV. There is great consumer interest in this and the talent are very interested in too.
“In this multi-platform world it is more important than ever to have HD.”’
- from Variety
Disney Classics Coming to Blu-ray! Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and Beauty & the Beast!
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) proudly unveils five additions to the celebrated Platinum Collection of animated features to be released on DVD and for the first time ever on Disney Blu-ray Hi-Def. These include some of Disney’s most beloved classics Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000 and Beauty and the Beast. Each will be available for a limited time only, in new multi-disc sets featuring rarely seen footage and an array of new bonus features.
Fittingly the one that started it all for Walt Disney, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature length animated film ever made, will be the title that will mark a new era in home entertainment around the world, launching Disney’s worldwide BD-Live Network, a revolutionary technological breakthrough in home entertainment that will connect family and friends, allowing unprecedented interactivity and ease, from anywhere in the world.
Disney’s BD-Live Network will be initially launched in the U.S. only, with the first Platinum Edition Blu-ray release, Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition, available on October 7, 2008.
Bob Chapek, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Worldwide President, commented, ”We are excited to announce a magical slate of Platinum titles for the first time on Blu-ray high definition, this celebrated collection of animated features demonstrates Disney’s commitment to deliver great content.”
“The landscape for the Blu-ray format is very healthy, and we believe that the enhanced movie experiences that the format provides, such as Disney’s BD-Live network, offer consumers the chance to reinvent the experience of watching movies in their homes, and the interactivity and connectivity that is being provided will truly make the family room relevant again,” continues Mr. Chapek.
Gordon Ho is Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) adds, “Disney’s BD-Live experience will enrich and deepen the overall consumer experience, and we are delighted that, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be the one that will launch Disney’s BD-Live network worldwide.”
The Platinum release roll-out will be:
Pinocchio, the beloved story of a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy, comes to Platinum Edition DVD and Disney Blu-ray in spring 2009. Disney’s second full-length animated movie, Pinocchio won two Oscars®, one for Best Score and another for the unforgettable song “When You Wish upon a Star.” It returns for the first time since 2002.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, honored with a special Academy Award® for screen innovation this movie has been unavailable since 2001. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Platinum Edition will be released in the fall of 2009.
Walt Disney’s experimental masterpiece Fantasia won two honorary Oscars for its innovative use of animation and music. Most recently released in 2000, the restored and remastered Fantasia Platinum Edition will be available in 2010. Alongside this release, a newly restored and remastered Fantasia 2000 Platinum Edition, will be available. Fantasia 2000 begins where its predecessor, Fantasia, left off, with seven completely new segments and the return of the popular “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, featuring breathtaking images coupled with classical music favorites.
In conjunction with these releases, Destino, the unfinished animated feature film created by Walt Disney and famed surrealist painter Salvador Dali will release. Begun in 1946, it was rediscovered in 2003 and completed by Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney. The collaboration between these two legendary artists will be available to own for the first time along with an all-new feature-length documentary that examines the surprising partnership between Dali and Disney.
Beauty and the Beast, the only animated film ever nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, earned a breathtaking six Academy Award® nominations and won two Oscars®. Beauty in the Beast Platinum Edition will be available in fall 2010.
Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy 6-Disc Blu-ray Announced!
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy: 6-Disc Blu-ray Hi-Def collection, available on September 16, 2008. Filled with spectacular action, irreverent humor, seafaring myth and magic, all three blockbuster films from producer Jerry Bruckheimer will be available for the first time together in a Blu-ray collection. The six-disc set boasts a precious trove of bonus features including behind- the-scenes-documentaries, hilarious bloopers and a captivating Blu-ray exclusive: Enter the Maelstrom, which takes viewers deep into the franchise’s epic conclusion, a perilous whirlpool of unimaginable scale. With feature film presentations created from the original digital source files, Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy: 6-Disc Blu-ray Hi-Def delivers the ultimate home viewing experience.
Get lost in the swashbuckling phenomenon that took the world by storm! All three chapters of the thrilling Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy are now available in one thrilling, eye-popping, ear-stunning Blu-ray boxed set. Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Chocolat), Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings trilogy, Troy) and Keira Knightley (King Arthur) head up a stellar cast that also includes Geoffrey Rush (Oscar® winner, Best Actor, Shine 1991), Jonathan Pryce (“What A Girl Wants”), Chow Yun Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and Keith Richards.
Experience Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Depp) quest from the very beginning as he and his crew reclaim the Black Pearl and discover the cursed treasure that has doomed Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to live among the undead. The astonishing ride continues with amazing battles against the legendary ruler of the ocean depths, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and against leviathans from the deep, culminating in a reunion of the Pirate Lords and a titanic maelstrom battle. With these three epic films and an ocean full of extras, the Pirates of the Caribbean Gift Set is a treasure of entertainment in Disney Blu-ray — Magic in High Definition.
Bonus Features
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
· Scoundrels of the Sea: Piecing Together the Treasured Past of Pirates (In-movie Feature exclusive to Blu-ray Disc)
· 3 Audio Commentaries – Gore Verbinsky and Johnny Depp; Jerry Bruckheimer, Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport
· An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates
· Blooper Reel
· Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
· Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
· Audio Commentary: - Screenwriters Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
· Liars Dice (exclusive Blu-ray Disc game)
· Bloopers of the Caribbean
· Charting The Return Pre-production documentary
· According To Plan The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man’s Chest
· Captain Jack: From Head To Toe
· Mastering The Blade
· Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy Of A Legend
· Creating The Kraken
· Dead Men Tell No Tales: Re-Imagineering The Attraction
· Fly On The Set: The Bone Cage
· Jerry Bruckheimer: A Producer’s Photo Diary
· Pirates On Main Street: The Dead Man’s Chest Premiere
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
· Enter the Maelstrom (Blu-ray Disc exclusive) – An immersive, eye-popping tour like never before!
· Bloopers of the Caribbean
· Keith & The Captain: On Set With Johnny Depp and The Rock Legend – Like father, like son. A revealing look at the dynamic relationship between rock ‘n roll legend Keith Richards and Academy Award® nominee Johnny Depp
· Anatomy Of A Scene: The Maelstrom – A detailed breakdown of one of the most complex and impressive action set pieces in cinema history
· The Tale Of Many Jacks – An in-depth look at the mind-blowing FX that went into creating multiple Captain Jacks
· Hoist The Colors – The inspiration for the movie’s original composition “Hoist the Colors”
· Masters Of Design – Five documentaries highlighting the talented design teams behind this immense production
· Inside the Brethren Court – The secrets of at the legendary Pirate Lords, including their costume designs, origins and unique personalities
· The World of Chow Yun-Fat – A look at the man behind devious Captain Sao Feng, international sensation Chow Yun Fat, and his meteoric rise to fame
· The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer – Meet the renowned composer of the film’s rousing score
STREET DATE: September 16, 2008
Direct prebook: July 22, 2008
Distributor prebook: August 5, 2008
Suggested retail price: US $82.99 CAN SRP: $119.99
Rated: U.S. PG-13 Canada PG
Bonus features not rated or subtitled, and subject to change.
Feature run time: The Curse Of The Black Pearl: 143 Minutes
Dead Man’s Chest: 150 Minutes
At World’s End: 169 Minutes
Aspect ratio: 1080p High Definition Widescreen (2.35:1)
Sound: English 5.1 Uncompressed (48 kHz/24-bit) and Dolby®5.1 Digital (English, French, Spanish)
Languages: English, French audio.
Spanish and French subtitles.
Universal plans Hulk Blu-ray push
Universal will release comicbook actioner “The Incredible Hulk” on Blu-ray day-and-date internationally on Oct. 13.
“Hulk” release, which is ahead of the Oct. 21 U.S. simultaneous homevid release, marks the first time a Universal Blu-ray new release feature has hit the shelves day-and-date internationally.
Move spearheads a concerted push from Universal Pictures International Entertainment to boost Blu-ray overseas. U will release summer pics including “Wanted,” “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” and “Mamma Mia!” day-and-date on DVD and Blu-ray later this year.
“Our Blu-ray slate for Q4 is one of the strongest and most compelling of any studio with the release of no less than five major summer blockbusters,” commented Eddie Cunningham, president, Universal Pictures Intl. Ent.
- from Variety
WALL-E coming to Blu-ray
On November 18, Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release Wall-E on Blu-ray Disc, day-and-date with DVD.
Wall-E will be configured similarly to Disney’s Prince Caspian in two and three-disc packages. The third disc will include Disney File, aka a standard definition digital copy of the film. Unlike Prince Caspian, we expect the two-disc edition to include a slipcover.
Pixar films have always been given a royal treatment on home video and Wall-E is not about to break the trend. Like Cars and Ratatouille before it, Wall-E includes a number of Blu-ray exclusives including popular Cine-Explore. The remaining supplemental features are detailed below with Blu-ray exclusives noted.
Digital Copy (Blu-ray 3-Disc exclusive)
Burn-E: All-new animated short
Burn-E with Boards - picture-in-picture (Blu-ray exclusive)
Cine-Explor with director Andrew Stanton (Blu-ray exclusive)
Axoim Arcade: retro suite of videogames with a twist (Blu-ray exclusive)
Geek Track (Blu-ray exclusive)
BD-Live Network (Blu-ray exclusive)
Preston Animated Short
Deleted Scenes
Sneak Peek: Wall-E’s Tour of the Universe
Animated Sound Design - Building Worlds from the Sound Up
Audio Commentary with Director Andrew Stanton
The Pixar Story by Leslie Iwerks
Additional Deleted Scenes
Wall-E’s Treasures and Trinkets
BnL Shorts - Amusing peek into the inner workings of the Buy n Large Corporation
Lots of Bots Storybook
Making of Featurette
We don’t have technical specs to share yet but you can safely assume a minimum of 1080p video and 5.1 uncompressed audio.
The two-disc edition of Wall-E on Blu-ray will carry an SRP of $35.99 while the three-disc set will clock in at $40.99. We’ll pass along spec and additional artwork updates as received.