Posted Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 12:30 PM PST by Dick Ward
by Dick Ward
January has been a crazy busy month. The first week was all about recovering from New Year's and Christmas celebrations, and right when it was time to get things back on track, in comes CES. After CES, of course, comes another week of recovery. If your January was anything like ours, you probably had a difficult time keeping up with the big news. Lucky for you, we've gathered up all the really juicy bits and compiled them for you in the High-Def Digest-Digest.
Blu-ray News
'The Adventures of Tintin' Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Pre-orders Live
Peter Jackson produces, Steven Spielberg directs, Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright were among the writers. Add to that a star studded cast and you've got 'The Adventures of Tintin,' which is available for pre-order now. A release date has yet to be announced, but we're hearing sometime in March.
'The Muppets' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray
"Life's a Happy Song" when you've got a brand new Muppet movie on Blu-ray. No longer will the memories of the movie be "Pictures in my Head!" I'll have a "Me Party" and watch the movie on repeat until I can't decide if I'm a "Man or Muppet". It doesn't matter though, because there's a "Rainbow Connection" between the Muppets and I. Also the song "Mah Na Mah Na" is on the soundtrack but I couldn't think of a way to use it in a sentence.
'Harold and Maude' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray
'Harold and Maude' is a classic dark comedy that's getting a Criterion Collection Blu-ray release complete with a 1080p transfer, commentary by producer Charles B. Mulvehill and Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson, and a brand new interview with Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens. This one hits April 17th.
Polanski's classic film starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston is coming to Blu-ray on April 3rd. You get commentary by Robert Towne and David Fincher as well as a retrospective and a few other juicy tidbits.
Vizio Launches a Google TV Powered Blu-ray Player and Streamer
Vizio is bringing Google TV to a streaming device, but also to a new Blu-ray player this year. The Blu-ray player does 3D movies, Vizio Internet Apps and comes with a QWERTY remote.
Gear and Industry News
If you haven't been checking out Aaron Peck's daily recaps of his experience at Sundance, you've been missing out. He's seen a crazy amount of films in one week and he has opinions on all of them. Aaron has also snagged some really cool pictures, in case you're not the readin' type.
Panasonic Reveals Six New Blu-ray Players - Four of Which are 3D Capable
You don't have to like or even care about 3D, it's getting to the point where you won't have much of a choice. The majority of Panasonic's new players are 3D capable and can convert 2D video into the third dimension - even from sources like Netflix.
Samsung's 2012 Blu-ray Player Lineup Includes One Compact and One Sporting HDMI Inputs
Samsung is trying something a little different with the two players its decided to highlight this year. The E6500 gives you HDMI inputs so you can change sources directly through your player while the ES6000 goes for the smallest footprint possible.
Panasonic Unveils 2012 Plasma TVs
All but one of Panasonic's new sets are 3D capable, but only the VT50 offers the Infinite Black Ultra Panel, built in Wi-Fi, Viera Connect and 2D to 3D conversion all in one package with ISFcc calibration software and 8-Train speakers.
Sony Announces Three New TV Lines for 2012
Sony is trying something new this year. Instead of introducing a huge range of TV lines that are just barely different from one another, Sony simply has three - the entry level BX, the step-up EX and the top-of-the-line HX.
Videogame News
'Resident Evil 6' Announced for November - Includes Co-Op Play
You'll be waiting until November, but 'Resident Evil 6' looks like it will be well worth it. You and your buddy will take on the roles of Chris and Leon as you fight the classic 'Resident Evil' enemy - zombies.
'Guild Wars 2' Coming in 2012, Beta Testing Starts in Spring
In February, select press members will be invited to a closed Beta of ' Guild Wars 2.' in March and April, beta invites will ramp up so that more people have the opportunity to get in on the action.
The Vita 3G Launch Bundle Packs an 8GB Card, a Free Game and 250MB of Free 3G
While the 3G version of the PlayStation Vita may not appeal to everyone, the launch bundle might be difficult to pass up. You'll get around $50 worth of bonuses in addition to the ability to activate 3G service if you should feel the need.
Namco Bandai Says Your Cries for a 'Dark Souls' PC Port Have Been Heard
'Dark Souls' is a surprising console hit, considering the game's grueling difficulty and deep, complex systems. That's the sort of thing usually found on PC - a place where 'Dark Souls' doesn't exist. Thanks to a fan petition, Namco Bandai has heard the demand for a PC port and will hopefully listen to the 83,000 fans that signed.
Insomniac is Done with the 'Resistance' Franchise
We knew that Insomniac was breaking off from making Sony exclusive titles, but it's now been confirmed that the company is done with 'Resistance' completely. The company will be looking at new IPs moving forward.
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