Posted Fri Nov 23, 2007 at 08:00 AM PST by Peter Bracke
Update: (11/29/07) We've received clarification from Tai Seng that although 'Initial D' is scheduled for Blu-ray only, the company is format-agnostic, and is planning future releases on both high-def disc formats. We'll keep you posted on all upcoming Tai Seng announcements as soon as they are officially confirmed.)
Asian cinema powerhouse Tai Seng is shifting its next-gen support into high-gear this January, with the Blu-ray-exclusive bow of the Hong Kong blockbuster 'Initial D.'
From the acclaimed director Andrew Lau and based on the popular manga of the same name, 'Initial D' is a 2005 live-action spectacular about the dangerous streetcar sport of "drifting." A box office phenomenon in its native Hong Kong, the success of 'Initial D' proved so great it even achieved crossover status on these shores, helping to inspire Universal's hit sequel 'Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift.'
Long one of the biggest domestic distributors of Asian cinema on DVD, Tai Seng has apparently chosen Blu-ray as its next-gen format of choice, and will launch 'Initial D' on January 22, 2008.
Tai Seng has only issued preliminary specs thus far, with the Blu-ray set to include 1080p video and audio tracks in the original Chinese and an English dub(format TBA).
No supplemental details are available yet, but the two-disc special edition of 'Initial D' that Tai Seng issued on DVD last year was loaded with extras, so we'll keep our hopes up that some if not all of that material will find its way to the next-gen version. We'll keep you posted.
Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray will be $34.98.
You'll find disc details for 'Initial D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 22, 2008.
We've also set up a dedicated thread for Tai Seng's next-gen debut in our Forums area -- click the following link to discuss the 'Initial D' Blu-ray release .
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