'Purple Rain' Gets Dual Blu-ray, HD DVD Dolby TrueHD Release

Audiophiles will be pleased to learn that according to updated specs for the July 24 next-gen release of 'Purple Rain,' the title is the latest in a growing number of cross-format Warner releases to include Dolby TrueHD audio on both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Despite Warner Home Video's ongoing format-agnostic approach to the next-gen war, true parity in high-resolution audio specs has been hard to come by on the studio's cross-format releases. Numerous Warner HD DVD titles have enjoyed full-blown Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, but their Blu-ray counterparts have often suffered by comparison with only standard Dolby tracks.

Recently, the studio had begun to bridge this gap by offering uncompressed PCM audio on the Blu-ray versions of some of its high-profile titles, including the recent top-seller 'The Departed,' and today's debut of 'Blood Diamond.'

But the real holy grail for high-res audiophiles is Dolby TrueHD. Warner finally issued its first TrueHD Blu-ray title last month ('Letters from Iwo Jima'), and today it was revealed that the July 24 debut of 'Purple Rain' will be the second, followed by the cross-format bow for '300,' only a week later.

So, is this sudden surge in dual-format support of Dolby TrueHD a sign of things to come from Warner? We certainly hope so, as it's been a long time coming.

We'll keep you posted on all future Warner announcements of Dolby TrueHD-featured titles, as well as all of the studio's upcoming Blu-ray and HD DVD releases.

For full specs on 'Purple Rain' (and all upcoming Warner titles), visit our complete Blu-ray Release Schedule and HD DVD Release Schedule.

You can also talk about 'Purple Rain' in our Forums area -- click the following links to discuss the 'Purple' Blu-ray release and the 'Purple Rain' HD DVD release.