Posted Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 08:00 AM PST by Peter Bracke
Confirming online reports of an encoding defect on its recently-issued Blu-ray release of 'Terminator 3,' Warner has begun taking consumer information in anticipation of a future disc replacement program.
One of Warner's more eagerly awaited Blu-ray catalog titles, 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' finally hit stores this past Tuesday, but excitement soon turned to disappointment for some early adopters when it was discovered that regular playback of the disc is being limited to 1080i output -- not the industry standard 1080p, as listed on the box art.
According to early reports, it would seem something went wrong while encoding the movie's picture-in-picture "In Movie Experience" track. (As we've previously reported, 'T3' is the first Warner Blu-ray title to include an IME, although instead of utilizing the format's newly released Profile 1.1 technology to power two concurrent streams of audio and video, Warner has stated that it planned to burn a PiP window onto a second high-def encode of the film itself, effectively matching the PiP experience without requiring Profile 1.1-compliant hardware.)
We spoke with a Warner rep late Thursday, who confirmed to us that the studio is aware of the 'T3' issue and is investigating its source, but said that they have no immediate plans to recall Blu-ray copies of the title currently on store shelves.
Instead, the studio has begun taking consumer information via its Customer Support hotline in anticipation of a future disc replacement program. To arrange for a replacement disc, you can contact Warner Home Video at 1-800-553-6937.
At press time the studio was unable to provide a timeline for when corrected 'T3' discs might be sent to affected consumers, nor when any new pressings might hit stores. Needless to say, we'll keep you posted.
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