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Redbox Teams With CinemaNow
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 06:00 PM ETTags: Industry Trends, Redbox, CinemaNow (all tags)
Redbox and CinemaNow have announced they’re currently testing a program to determine the consumer demand for digital distribution.
With a good chunk of the studios and most of the video rental world at its heels, Redbox needs all the friends it can get. CinemaNow, on the other hand, seems to be hooking up with just about everyone these days. Together, they’re hoping to gauge the mass market demand for digital delivery.
Frequent customers of Redbox kiosks, and those who buy certain prepaid packages, will be given gift cards that will let them redeem titles on Roxio’s CinemaNow service. Representatives from Redbox would not say how far reaching the initiative is, but they did state that the program started on October 29th.
“We think this is a space that we should be testing in and understand better,” said Paul Davis, CEO of Redbox’s parent company Coinstar. “It’s an interesting space that we’d like to explore.”
CinemaNow appears to be the company that will receive the most benefit from the arrangement. After the announcement last week that the CinemaNow service would be embedded into electronics sold at Best Buy, this move seems to cater towards a different, but just as noteworthy, demographic.
Source: Video Business
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'District 9' Blu-ray Comes Early
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 05:00 PM ETTags: Sony, Disc Announcements (all tags)
Now the invasion will hit Blu-ray before Christmas.
As previously reported, Sony announced 'District 9' for a high-definition debut on December 29, but now the release date has been pushed up a week to December 22.
Nothing else about the release has changed: The Blu-ray will feature 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus; Innovation: Acting and Improvisation; Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9; and Alien Generation: Visual Effects.
The Blu-ray will also include: Director's Commentary; Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 - Interactive Map; Koobus Big Gun; The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log Three-Part Documentary; The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log - Chapter 3: Refining District 9; Cinechat; Sony's MovieIQ and BD-Live.
Here's a look at the packaging:
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Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95.
You can find the latest specs for 'District 9' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 29.
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- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- District 9 (Blu-ray)
Asus Debuts New O!Play Wireless Media Player
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 04:00 PM ETTags: Asus (all tags)
The newest model of the O!Play media player from Asus brings a few important improvements over the previous model.
The most notable difference between the older O!Play and the new O!Play HDP-R3 is 802.11n wireless networking support. By eliminating cable clutter, or the need to run an Ethernet cable to the back of the device, the O!Play HDP-R3 makes the whole networked media streaming thing a bit easier to deal with.
Also new to the HDP-R3 is a multi card reader on the side. The additional inputs allow the use of CF, SD, MMC, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo cards for audio and video playback.
Asus is one of few companies that provides information on every single format their media player can handle without tacking “and more” onto the end. They’d be pretty well justified in doing so though, as the list is impressive.
The O!Play HDP-R3 can play a wide range of video files, and offers support for mp4, mov, xvid, avi, asf, wmv, mkv, rm, rmvb, flv, ts, m2ts, dat, mpg, vob, mts, tp, trp, and iso files. It supports all the audio fromats one would expect: MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG, FLAC, AIFF, LPCM, WMA, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS. The HDP-R3 supports the usual range of image formats, as well as four different subtitle formats.
An official price has not yet been announced, but the player is expected to launch later this year at around $129.
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'To Live and Die in L.A.' Blu-ray Back on Track
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 02:00 PM ETTags: MGM, Disc Announcements (all tags)
The on again/off again Blu-ray release is back on again for February.
Originally slated for June, MGM has finally rescheduled William Friedkin's modern crime cult classic 'To Live and Die in L.A.' starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe for Blu-ray release on February 2.
Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $24.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'To Live and Die in L.A.' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 2.
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- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- To Live and Die in L.A. (Blu-ray)
LG Sets Their Sights on Businesses
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 01:00 PM ETTags: LG (all tags)
LG has introduced a series of energy saving LCD and plasma televisions aimed directly at hotels, hospitals, and long term care facilities.
Going to a hotel, even a relatively nice one, can often feel like a trip back in time. Going from a 50” plasma in the home to a 27” standard definition television is a pretty abrupt change. Perhaps even worse, a hospital featuring a clunky old CRT presents patients with the idea that maybe the rest of the equipment isn’t up to snuff.
More than fifty percent of Americans have high definition televisions in their homes. We’re used to that sixteen by nine aspect ratio and a certain amount of video quality. LG’s new line of televisions – aimed directly at hotels and hospitals, packs in a huge amount of features that make them efficient, eco friendly, and easy to set up.
For hotels comes the LG710H series, available in 32,” 37,” and 42” sizes. Each of these televisions sports a 720p resolution and a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1. The LH300C series, on the other hand, offers 1080p and a glossy black finish.
Hospitals and long term care facilities are being shown the HealthView series of TVs, which offers 26” and 32” screens. The HealthView displays won’t blow any minds with their specs, but they do feature the unique ability to be set as Bed1 or Bed2, ensuring that patients are only able to control their own TVs.
Each of the new models also feature a USB cloning tool, which allows settings and programs to be simply copied using a USB storage device.
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'Walk the Line' Announced for Blu-ray
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Disc Announcements, 20th Century Fox (all tags)
The Man in Black will become a boy named Blu next February.
In an early announcement to retailers, it has been revealed that 20th Century Fox will be releasing the biopic 'Walk the Line' starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon on Blu-ray on February 2.
Specs and features haven't been announced yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $29.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'Walk the Line' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 2.
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- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Walk the Line (Blu-ray)
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'Road House' Blu-ray $7.99 at Amazon
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 11:00 AM ETTags: High Def Deals, Amazon (all tags)
See Patrick Swayze rough up a small town in high-definition for under $8.
The online retailer has just reduced the price of the guilty pleasure 'Road House' to just $7.99 (68% off suggested list price).
Click here to check out the sale before Dalton puts his method of "southern hospitality" to use, and we ain't talking dancing.
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- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Road House (Blu-ray)
Sharp Wins ITC Ruling – Recommended That Some Samsung LCDs Be Banned
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Sharp, Samsung, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
After much deliberation and investigation, the International Trade Commission has determined that certain new Samsung LCD televisions contain patented technology belonging to Sharp.
Specifically which models would be prohibited from entering the US under this ruling is still a bit of a mystery, but with four total patent violations, it’s likely that this will affect more than a few displays.
The patents in question involve technologies created by Sharp, and not licensed to Samsung for use. Two of these patents have to do with liquid crystal alignment, which affects brightness and response time. Another is for a display with a wider viewing angle, and the fourth has to do with a technology created to reduce display flickering.
Samsung has a sixty day window to continue bringing these displays into the country – just enough to make sure that they have a happy holiday season – pending further review. If it is determined that the ban on these items would be against the public interest, the ruling by the ITC can be overruled.
Samsung states that they have workaround technology for their displays, and that their sales will not be affected. “We are fully committed to honor our responsibility to our business partners and are taking appropriate actions to meet the market demand for Samsung LCD panels and products without any interruption,” said Samsung spokesman James Chung.
Source: Reuters
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'Gone with the Wind' Target Exclusive Blu-ray
Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 09:00 AM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Warner Brothers (all tags)
As previously reported, Warner Brothers will be releasing 'Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' on Tuesday, and Target stores will have an exclusive edition.
One of the greatest films of all time will debut in a remastered high-definition edition on November 17 .
“You're going to see, hear and experience so much more with this Blu-ray edition,” said Jeff Baker, WHV Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog. Viewing Gone with the Wind again on Blu-ray is like seeing it for the first time. You're brought into the saga of the war torn Tara so intensely, you feel as if all the characters literally come alive. At times, I felt as if I was on the set standing next to the camera watching Gable and Leigh as the whole scene unfolded."
Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but it appears this release will contain the same discs as the Ultimate Edition without all of the swag.
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The price for the Target exclusive Blu-ray has been set at $34.99.
You can find the latest specs 'Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 17.
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- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
We Now Return You To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
Sun Nov 15, 2009 at 07:00 PM ET
High-Def Digest is back on the job after some unexpected technical difficulties!
You probably noticed problems with the site over the last few days. High-Def Digest experienced intermittent website outages caused by a cyber attack. (Editor's Note: I'm not convinced Michael Bay wasn't retaliating for our 'Transformers 2' review).
Our troubleshooting team has resolved the issue, and the site should now be functioning normally. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and apologize for the inconvenience caused by this attack.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
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