-
Samsung Shows a 75 Inch ES9000 TV in Korea[teaser]The set, sadly, looks to be a Korean exclusive. [/teaser] Samsung has announced a brand new TV for future release in Korea and it's a doozy. The newest ES9000 Smart TV comes in at a whopping 75" of LED backlit goodness. The massive set packs everything you'd expect to find in Samsung's smaller Smart TVs but blows up the screen size from a mere 55 inches. It boasts a retractable webcam for all your Skyping needs and, for those interested in style, it sports a Rose Gold coating around the frame to give it just a touch of color. If you're in the market for a new set and you don't mind swinging over to Korea to get it, you can pick up the 75 inch ES9000 for 19.8 million won, or about $17,500. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Jul 9, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Peace, Love & Misunderstanding' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Jane Fonda is a hippie matriarch in Bruce Beresford's dramedy hitting Blu-ray this October. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MGM is preparing 'Peace, Love & Misunderstanding' co-starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Olsen for Blu-ray on October 2. An uptight NYC lawyer takes her two teenagers to her hippie mother's farmhouse upstate for a family vacation. What was meant to be a weekend getaway quickly turns into a summer adventure of romance, music, family secrets and self-discovery. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Peace, Love & Misunderstanding' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under October 2.Posted Mon Jul 9, 2012 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'Lone Wolf and Cub: Complete 6-Film Blu-ray Collection' Blu-ray Dated[teaser]The legendary assassin and the fruit of his loins will be unleashed on Blu-ray this fall. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, AnimEigo is working on 'Lone Wolf and Cub: Complete 6-Film Blu-ray Collection' for Blu-ray on September 25. He is the most feared assassin in all of Japan, known only as the Lone Wolf. Pushing his young son along the back-roads of feudal Japan in a heavily armed baby-cart, he strikes fear into the black hearts of evil-doers everywhere -- as long as someone can come up with his fee. Nothing, not the legions of a mad shogun, hordes of Yagyu ninja, or even the undead, can stop him! Now for the first time, all six films in spectacular High Definition! Specs and supplements still have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $59.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Lone Wolf and Cub: Complete 6-Film Blu-ray Collection' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under September 25.Posted Mon Jul 9, 2012 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: Assorted War Dramas on Blu-ray Under $11 at Amazon[teaser]Six classic war flicks on Blu-ray are each under $11 this week at Amazon! [/teaser] Amazon is selling 'The Caine Mutiny,' ($9.49) 'The Bridge on the River Kwai,' ($9.49) 'Das Boot,' ($9.49) 'The Guns of Navarone,' ($9.49) 'Black Hawk Down,' ($9.99) and 'Glory' ($10.49) for 53-63% off their suggested list prices. These prices will surely put any war buff in their glory so be sure to click here to check out the sale! This offer is available from now through July 14.Posted Sun Jul 8, 2012 at 08:32 AM PDT by: -
Bonus View Digest - July 6, 2012[teaser]Even though this weekend was highlighted by America's birthday, we were still able to bring you quite a bit of HD-related content. In case you missed what happened on The Bonus View this week, because you were too busy barbequing and watching fireworks, here's a rundown of our coverage.[/teaser] Blu-ray News As always, we have our trusty Blu-ray Highlights post that keeps you informed of the week's releases. Since it was a holiday week the release slate seemed rather slim. Still, check it out and see if there is anything you were just dying to buy this week. Tom Landy has more information on Steelbook packaging you can look forward to in the near future. This week he covered the Steelbook release of 'Cinderella.' Theatrical News The big release this week was 'The Amazing Spider-Man .' The question on everyone's mind is, "How can they be rebooting 'Spider-Man' already?" I was apprehensive at first, but I think once people see what director Marc Webb has created here they may fall in love with this franchise all over again. Luke certainly thinks that this is a great summer movie. This week Aaron went to 'Brave' with his six-year-old niece. On the ride home he asked his niece a few questions about the movie. Find out what she said in an adorable post called 'Brave' Explained By a Six-Year-Old. TV Recaps We have enough television recaps to keep you busy. Josh watched the series premiere of Charlie Sheen's new 'Anger Management' so you don't have to. Seriously, it's not good. We also have recaps for 'Wilfred,' 'The Newsroom,' and 'True Blood.' Videogame News Videogame correspondent Brian Hoss, has come up with a great new feature that he's calling 60 Minute Hero. In this column Brian gives his opinions and comments about a game after playing it for a full 60 minutes. Check out his insight this week as he checks out the PC game 'Quantum Conundrum.' Special Features In the Mid-Week Poll, which happened to land on the 4th of July, we asked you what theatrical releases you were planning on seeing this holiday weekend. With the Weekend Roundtable we discussed the best (and worst) gender-swapping movies. That's it for this week. We here at High-Def Digest and The Bonus View hope you had a fun and safe holiday. Stay tuned to the blog all next week. You never know what we'll talk about or what contests we'll be having. Have a great weekend!Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 01:00 PM PDT by: -
High-Def Digest-Digest, July 6th 2012by Dick Ward [teaser]June was a busy month for everything HD. Gear was announced and a few incredibly good movies were revealed for Blu-ray release. Of course, the most announcements, if not the biggest and best, came in the realm of videogames courtesy of E3 2012. It's a lot to keep up on, but we're here to help with the High-Def Digest-Digest – a collection of the biggest stories from across the HD spectrum.[/teaser] Blu-ray News 'The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection' Officially Dated! In case you somehow missed the big announcement, the Indiana Jones series is finally coming to Blu-ray on September 18th – just a few shorts months away. Details about extra features are sketchy at best, but you can be sure there will be plenty. 'Friends: The Complete Series' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed Been dying for some high definition 'Friends'? Well November 13th is your day. That's when, not just one season, but the entire series is set to go Blu. You'll get 17 hours of special features from the original DVD releases as well as three more hours of retrospectives, a producer's cut and plenty more. 'Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection' Announced for Blu-ray Coming October 2nd, a box set of eight monster movies from Universal, featuring commentaries, special features and, of course, newly restored audio and video. How cool is that? 'The Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Edition' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray There's a new version of the classic film on the way and it's coming October 2nd complete with special features exploring the phenomenon of the film's popularity, audio commentary with Rob Reiner and plenty more. 'The Cabin in the Woods' Dated for Blu-ray September 18th is the day all you Joss Whedon fans can get your hands on 'Cabin in the Woods,' directed by Drew Goddard. Specs are yet to be revealed on this one. Gear and Industry News Best Buy Founder May Buy The Company Outright Founder Richard Schulze is seeking the money to be able to buy the company outright, with plans to turn things around for Best Buy, cutting costs across the board. Google will Launch a Streaming Player of Its Own – The Nexus Q Google's new streaming device is interesting looking, and has some cool capabilities, but a Google TV it isn't. It is pretty danged pricey though, coming in at $299. Vizio's Google TV Set-Top Runs $99, Comes with OnLive Gaming Built In It's dirt cheap and full of features – Sony and Google have some stiff competition here. Sony and Panasonic Partner for OLED Mass Production in 2013 The two companies are planning to catch up to Korean manufacturers who are pretty far ahead of the game. They'll be up and running in 2013. Sharp's 90-Inch Aquos Available Now at Just Over $10,000 Not only is it the largest LED set around, it's also packed with networking features and 3D capabilities. Game News E3 2012 Coverage We've got plenty of coverage of E3, including full recaps of the press conferences by each console manufacturer. Check it all out and see what you missed! 'Indie Game: The Movie' is out Rarely do we get to see a good movie about games, and 'Indie Game' is just that. It's a full documentary about creating games like 'Braid,' 'Super Meat Boy,' and 'Fez.' It's critically acclaimed and well received by fans – a must see if you're interested in what happens behind the scenes. 'Final Fantasy 7' Returning to PC – No Word on Graphical Improvements What's certainly the most popular JRPG of all time is coming to PC, complete with achievements and some other cool features to boot. What's not clear is whether we'll see any graphical improvements to the title. Amazon.de and UK Retailers Set Wii U Prices at Up to $500 While none of the prices that retailers have put up for the Wii U aren't official, we can certainly glean a bit about what they're expecting from the system's cost. And it doesn't sound like Nintendo's new system won't be coming cheap. 'Metal Gear Solid 5' Has Been Confirmed by Hideo Kojima It's not too much of a surprise, but it's nice to see Kojima get back in the driver's seat for another installment of the adventures of Solid Snake.Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
'Haven: The Complete Second Season' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The second season of Syfy's mystery series loosely based on Stephen King's "The Colorado Kid" is coming to Blu-ray in September. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, E1 Entertainment has slated 'Haven: The Complete Second Season' starring Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, and Eric Balfour for Blu-ray on September 4. The series is about a small coastal town in Maine that is home to many supernatural secrets -- including one mysterious connection to the past of FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose). Specs and supplements still have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $49.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Haven: The Complete Second Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under September 4.Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 10:45 AM PDT by: -
HDD Visits Technicolor's New Paramount Post-Production Facilityby Michael S. Palmer [teaser]High-Def Digest recently went behind the scenes at one of Hollywood's preeminent post-production facilities.[/teaser] Tucked between massive soundstages and production company ("pod") bungalows, Technicolor at Paramount opened in September of 2011. Inside the 90,000 square foot complex, you'll find 62,000 square feet dedicated exclusively to audio (mixing stages, ADR recording rooms, etc.). Though it was built for broadcast television and theatrical motion picture sound, Technicolor at Paramount was also designed to accommodate the entire post-production process, including editorial, visual effects, and digital intermediate color correction. Currently, twenty-four television shows mix here, including 'True Blood' (we saw them working on episode 508), 'Dexter', 'Glee' (which shoots across the alley), 'American Horror Story', and all of Seth MacFarlane's animated TV empire. In terms of feature films, they're currently working on 'Guilt Trip' (starring Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen) and 'Jack Reacher' (formerly known as 'One Shot', starring Tom Cruise). We were able to tour the facility's largest sound mixing stage -- "Stage 1" – where they mixed 'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters' and 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation', both of which have been delayed until 2013. While touring Stage 1, we watched a scene from 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'. Though 'DotM' wasn't mixed at this location, we did hear a direct 7.1 output from the ProTools mixing session. Stage 1 sounds so good, it would make most home theatre enthusiasts want to move in and watch as many movies there as possible. Technicolor says post-production used to be split more into separate stages. For example, filmmakers would be warned not to judge picture quality when mixing the soundtrack, or to judge sound when editing, developing the film in a lab, or color correcting. Filmmakers had to travel to other studio lots and/or companies and judge the elements separately before bringing the finished product together. Considering the frantic pace of readying a television episode for airdate or a feature for theatrical distribution, that's a lot of time wasted. Technicolor built its Paramount facility to merge the entire post process under one roof. With professional calibrated projectors in every mixing stage, it's easy for filmmakers to edit a scene in their production office (or tweak colors, or review new visual effects delivered over the worldwide Technicolor Production Network), and then walk down the hall to see final results on a huge screen while mixing surround sound. Because every mixing stage sounds virtually the same, it's also possible to simultaneously mix the same soundtrack in two different rooms. They had do that once already, where the music and dialog where adjusted in one room at the same time as the sound effects in another. Technicolor believes this "merging" allows more quality time with the filmmakers in highly compressed and rushed schedules. There are also a series of private, comfortable green rooms -- with plush couches, fresh fruit, junk food, highly caffeinated beverages and big screen plasmas -- in which filmmakers and talent can take quick breaks. Given that it was constructed during the era of digital filmmaking and high definition surround sound, Technicolor at Paramount is state of the art in its ability to handle almost every format imaginable. The only capability this new facility doesn't have is Dolby ATMOS, which debuted at 14 North American cinemas with Disney / Pixar's 'Brave'. However, Technicolor is considering the upgrade. The stages were built with an eye towards future changes -- the aforementioned Stage 1 features 18 surround channels on the wall, and each speaker is wired and amplified discretely (one of ATMOS' spec requirements). In-house Technicolor sound re-recording mixers, Greg Russell and Scott Millan, are excited about ATMOS (especially the ceiling and full range rear channels). We also heard Michael Bay is listening to ATMOS in consideration for the fourth 'Transformers' film, but no decisions have been made. Up next for Technicolor at Paramount, Russell and Millan will be doing a "pre-dub" mix for the new James Bond film 'Skyfall', before finishing the soundtrack in London.Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 10:25 AM PDT by: -
'Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary' Blu-rays Dated[teaser]The classic musical will be released in a regular and Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray in less than two weeks! [/teaser] As previously reported, Warner Brothers is preparing a special 'Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' for Blu-ray and now the date has been set for July 17. America’s beloved musical gem, starring Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, celebrates its 60th Anniversary on Blu-ray for the very first time with an all new 3-Disc Blu-ray & DVD Ultimate Collector’s Edition. The sensational limited and numbered 3-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition will feature the film both on Blu-ray and DVD, and includes an all new hi-definition documentary, and special collectible memorabilia. Specs have yet to be revealed for the 3-disc set, but supplements will include: Commentary by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, Stanley Donen,Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Baz Luhrmann, and Rudy Behlmer; "Singin' in the Rain: Raining on a New Generation” All New Documentary; "Great Performances: Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM” (1996 PBS Documentary); "What a Glorious Feeling: The Making of Singin' in the Rain"; "You Are My Lucky Star" Outtake; Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed Film Excerpts (A collection of 12 film clips from earlier movies that originally carried the Freed/Brown songs.); 26xScoring Stage Session Cues; Stills Gallery; and a Trailer. The discs come packaged in an individually numbered box with 48 page hard cover production book with never-before-seen memos and photos; a custom full-size umbrella (40” diameter, consumer value $29.99); and theatrical poster reproductions. For those uninterested in all of the swag, a standard 'Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Edition' will also be available on the same date. Suggested list price for the regular Blu-ray is $19.98 and the Ultimate Collector's Edition is $84.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Edition' and 'Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they are indexed under July 17.Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
'They Live: Collector's Edition' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]Rowdy Roddy Piper is getting ready to kick some alien ass on Blu-ray this November! [/teaser] According to their Facebook page, Shout Factory will release 'They Live: Collector's Edition' as the next Scream Factory Blu-ray available on November 6. Horror master John Carpenter ('Halloween,' 'The Thing') directs this heart-pounding thriller. Aliens are systematically gaining control of the earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission. Humanity's last chance lies with a lone drifter who stumbles upon a harrowing discovery-a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal the terrifying and deadly truth. Specs and supplements haven't been detailed yet. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'They Live: Collector's Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under November 6.Posted Fri Jul 6, 2012 at 08:00 AM PDT by:
