Sony Jumps Into TV on Blu-ray with 'Rescue Me'

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is finally throwing their hat in the TV-on-high-def arena, with the June release of 'Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season.'

Despite its major library of classic television titles, as well as its great success with TV releases on standard-def DVD, Sony has so far limited its Blu-ray support to theatrical releases (and music titles through its Sony BMG arm).

But that will change with 'Rescue Me,' which Sony will release on Blu-ray June 5, day-and-date with the standard-def DVD version.

The cult FX show series stars Denis Leary as a local fireman juggling work, romance and career politics. Though not a huge ratings hit, the show has slowly built a loyal following as it prepares to enter its fourth season this summer.

Specs for the set sport a suite of 50GB dual-layer discs that will house 1080p transfers of every episode, plus extras that mirror the standard-def DVD, including six featurettes, deleted scenes and a blooper reel. (Audio specs are not yet available.)

List price on the Blu-ray will list for $79.95, versus $49.95 for the standard-def version.

Sony joins fellow TV-on-Blu-ray supporting studio Warner/HBO, which released 'The Sopranos: Season Six, Part One' late last year, as well as indie Lionsgate, which is preparing its first TV Blu-ray title, 'Weeds: Season One,' for later this spring.

The announcement signals the beginning of what Sony pledges will be continued TV-on-Blu-ray support. Fans of vintage Sony catalog series may have to wait a while though, as the studio plans to initially focus on day and date releases (with standard-def DVD) of more current series already produced (and aired) in high-def.

"Blu-ray is growing with this marriage to a hot category," Marc Rashba, Sony VP of marketing, told Video Business. "Right now, we are choosing to get into this by launching day-and-date releases.We won’t necessarily see some of our classic sitcoms, but our focus is to stay on shows where [Blu-ray] will add to the viewing experience, like dramas."

We've added a new listing for 'Rescue Me' to our Blu-ray Release Schedule, under June 5. Stay tuned for full specs, as well as news on all future Sony TV-on-Blu-ray titles as soon as they are officially announced.