Posted Thu Mar 1, 2012 at 01:30 PM PST by Dick Ward
by Dick Ward
The leap year really helped February out. What will probably be the biggest Blu-ray release of the year was announced on the 29th, earning February a place in history. Were it a normal year, those honors would have gone to March. We've got that announcement and plenty of other news from last month here in the High-Def Digest-Digest. And yes, I do labor under the assumption that months fight against one another to be the coolest.
Blu-ray News
'The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection' Announced for Fall 2012
You didn't think the big announcement was going to be about 'Dirty Dancing,' did you? We're still waiting on the release of some of the biggest action movies of all time, but we'll be getting closer this fall when 'Indiana Jones' finally goes HD.
'Dirty Dancing Collection' Blu-ray Announced
With the 'Indiana Jones' movies you get three great movies and one really bad one. The 'Dirty Dancing' collection contains the same amount of terrible movies, but since there are only two, the ratio isn't quite as good. Still, you'll be able to get your Swayze on in HD when May 8th rolls around.
'Being John Malkovich' Dated and Detailed for Criterion Blu-ray
When I went to see 'Being John Malkovich' I had no idea what I was in for, I just knew the guy who directed Weezer's music videos made the movie. Turns out a 16 year old me got a dose of Charlie Kaufman's brilliant insanity - something that's explored further in the Criterion Blu-ray due out May 15th.
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' Blu-ray Announced
Anyone else notice how 'Mission: Impossible' got completely snubbed at the Oscars? It was an easy pick for sound editing and even more for visual effects. It's also a damn good movie that's going to be hitting Blu-ray sooner than you might expect - April 17th.
'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray
Max von Sydow picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in this Best Picture nominated drama set against the backdrop of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. You'll find it on store shelves May 27th.
Gear and Industry News
Blockbuster Will Close 500 Stores in the First Half of 2012
A third of the remaining Blockbuster retail locations will be shutting their doors in the next few months. CEO Joe Clayton seems optimistic that profitable stores will be able to remain open, but these underperforming locations have to go.
Over-the-Air TV is Gaining in Popularity
Sales of antennas are up in the wake of cord cutting consumers who use the internet as their main source of entertainment. One business in particular expects to double its antenna sales in 2012.
Starz Play Leaves Netflix this Week
There's a whole lot of good content that's being removed from Netflix this week due to a licensing agreement, or lack thereof, between Starz and Netflix. The streaming service has more on the way, but this big content hit will certainly affect the current customer base.
Google TV Patent Shows Voice Control is on the Way
Voice control seems impractical when compared to the alternative. It feels like it might be more time consuming than simply using a remote. Being able to call your Google TV while on your way home and set up your favorite show or get some romantic music playing though, that's something we can all get excited about.
Certain models of Samsung TVs ran into issues with a very specific capacitor. If you happen to have one of those TVs and you ran into the problem you can get a free fix or, if you prefer, money.
Videogame News
'Borderlands 2' is Coming September 18th
The original 'Borderlands' was an easy pick for my favorite game of 2009 and thanks to the extensive and exciting DLC, it was also my favorite of 2010. 'Borderlands 2' packs new characters, more skills and 96.5% more wub wub.
Capcom, Namco and Sega Teaming for... Something.
Your guess is as good as ours on this one, or better if you've got a particular talent for guessing things. The group effort was announced by Nintendo and that's about all we know so far.
'Jet Grind Radio' is Coming to XBLA and PSN
The Dreamcast favorite is getting an HD makeover for release on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. With all the graphical advances and new cel shading techniques since the original release, this game is certain to look stunning.
'Assassin's Creed 3' Coming Out October 30th
Finally we're getting the next installment of the 'Assassin's Creed' franchise. We'll be moving on from the Italian Renaissance to something new. The new game comes out in October so you can expect to see a full reveal of the game when E3 comes around.
Team Ninja Will Tame 'Dead or Alive 5' - Possible Crossover with 'Virtua Fighter'
Itagaki is off of Team Ninja and, for better or for worse, the fighting game developer is going to try and clean up its act. The next 'Dead or Alive' game will feature toned down sex and violence - the only question is "what else is there?"
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