-
'The Hedgehog' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The funny and heart-breaking film based on the worldwide best-selling novel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery is bound for Blu-ray in June. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, NeoClassics Films will be releasing 'The Hedgehog' on Blu-ray on June 12. 'The Hedgehog' is the touching coming-of-age story of Paloma (Garance Le Guillemic), a gifted young girl hellbent on ending it all on her upcoming twelfth birthday. Using her father’s old camcorder to chronicle the hypocrisy she sees in adults, Paloma begins to learn about life from her stuffy building “concierge,” Renée ('French Twist’s Josiane Balasko). When Paloma’s camera reveals an extensive secret library in Renée’s back room, and that the usually gruff matron reads Tolstoy to her cat, Paloma begins to understand that there are allies to be found beneath the prickliest of exteriors. As an unlikely friendship deepens, her own coming of age becomes a much less pessimistic prospect. 'The Hedgehog' was a Washington Post Critic’s Pick and the winner of the Seattle International Film Festival’s Space Needle Award for Best Picture. It also won audience awards at FilmFest DC, the COL-COA (City of Light/City of Angels) Film Festival and Best of Fest at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. 'The Hedgehog' is Mona Achache’s feature film debut. Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements include deleted scenes, photo gallery, and a Blu-ray exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $34.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Hedgehog' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 12.Posted Tue May 22, 2012 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Hulu is Launching 10 Original Shows This Summer[teaser]Things kick off with a open-forum movie review style show from Kevin Smith. [/teaser] The folks over at Hulu aren't slowing down with their original content acquisition and have announced that they'll be debuting 10 new shows this summer, starting with a new series called 'Spoilers' by actor/writer/director Kevin Smith. The concept of the show is to get fans involved with movie reviews while mixing in opinions from "pop culture icons" as well as some animated shorts. 'Spoilers' begins airing on June 4th. 'Up to Speed' is another of the shows that Hulu is going to be pushing. It's a travel documentary in the spirit of 'The Cruise' and 'No Reservations.' The show stars Timothy "Speed" Levitch and was created by Richard Linklater. "At Hulu, we want to offer exclusive shows and make original TV programming that speaks to a passionate group of fans," says VP of content Andy Forssell, "because today, you don't have to settle for watching something mildly entertaining." Source: EngadgetPosted Tue May 22, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Rosetta' and 'La Promesse' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Two films from the Dardenne brothers are in the works for Blu-ray in August. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion is preparing the 1999 drama 'Rosetta' for Blu-ray on August 14. The Belgian filmmaking team of brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne turned heads with 'Rosetta,' an intense vérité drama that closely follows a poor young woman struggling to hold on to a job to support herself and her alcoholic mother. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Conversation between film critic Scott Foundas and filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; new interview with actors Émilie Dequenne and Olivier Gourmet; trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kent Jones. The directors' 'La Promesse' will also be available on Blu-ray on the same date. This is the breakthrough feature from Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, who would go on to become a force in world filmmaking. 'La Promesse' is a brilliantly economical and observant tale of a boy’s troubled moral awakening. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Conversation between film critic Scott Foundas and filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; new interview with actors Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet; trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Jones. Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Rosetta' and 'La Promesse' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under August 14.Posted Tue May 22, 2012 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic's VT50 Wins the Value Electronics HDTV Shootout[teaser]Three plasmas and three LED sets went head-to-head and Panasonic came out on top. [/teaser] It may not be the biggest competition around and you probably won't see Panasonic advertising the Value Electronics HDTV Shootout win. Nonetheless, the contest is one worth checking out, especially if you're in the market for a new high-end set. Robert Zohn, owner of Value Electronics, set up the competition. The Shootout pitted six of the best HDTVs around – two Panasonic, two Samsung, one LG and last year's Shootout winning Elite PRO 60X5FD. The sets were calibrated by a trio of ISF technicians, who also helped to not only set up, but explain test patterns to the audience. After a night of thorough testing, the votes were tallied and the Panasonic VT50 came out on top, with Samsung's 8000 series plasma coming in second. Official results for each category have not yet been posted. Source: Big Picture Big SoundPosted Tue May 22, 2012 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'Los Lobos: Kiko Live' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Los Lobos' seminal album in high-definition this August. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony will be releasing 'Los Lobos: Kiko Live' on Blu-ray on August 21. Released in 1992, Kiko was embraced by fans and hailed by critics as the band’s defining moment, the album that put Los Lobos back on the innovation track. The album, wrote All Music Guide, “demonstrated the breadth of their sonic ambitions.” Kiko was produced by Mitchell Froom, who received a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year for his work on the album, and who had previously collaborated with the band on La Bamba. Dubbed “the album of the year” by the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, and one of “The Essential Recordings of the ‘90s” by Rolling Stone, Los Lobos also took home an MTV Music Video Award for Breakthrough Video for “Kiko and the Lavender Moon” in 1993. Prior to Kiko, Los Lobos had been “segregating our influences, treating them parochially,” as Steve Berlin puts it: a rockabilly tune here, a Tex-Mex there, some folk, a bit of country, an R&B tune, plenty of classic rock. This time, they decided to take all of those myriad influences out of their separate boxes, toss them into the air and let them fall where they might. “Whatever our unconscious minds’ response was to the stimuli, that was what we wanted. We let our imagination take over and didn’t try to control it.” They began recording new original Hidalgo-Pérez compositions such as “Two Janes,” “Peace,” “Arizona Skies,” “Short Side of Nothing” and “Rio de Tenampa,” self-producing and following their instincts sound-wise. Comments the band’s Cesar Rosas, “With that album we didn’t want to be tied down to all the conventional ways of recording, so we started experimenting and making up sounds.” To date the beloved band from East L.A. has recorded 18 albums, including their most recent studio album, 2010’s Tin Can Trust. They’ve won multiple Grammy Awards, and continue to tour regularly. Born out of the desire to have a community-conscious event celebrating food, culture and music in their hometown, Los Lobos recently held the 1st Annual Los Lobos Cinco de Mayo Festival at Los Angeles’ iconic Greek Theatre. The festival featured performances by preeminent LA bands X and Mariachi El Bronx, among others, with special guests Neko Case, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, and Flaco Jiménez joining Los Lobos on stage. Next year Los Lobos will celebrate 40 years together, a monumental achievement in a world where bands come and go in the blink of an eye. A rare example of longevity in a volatile music world that stresses style over substance, Los Lobos’ lineup has remained uninterrupted since 1984, when Berlin joined original members Louie Pérez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, and Conrad Lozano, each of whom had been there since the beginning in 1973. “This is what happens when five guys create a magical sound, then stick together for 30 years to see how far it can take them,” wrote Rolling Stone, and indeed, Los Lobos is a band that continually reboots itself and expands its scope with each passing year, while never losing sight of where they came from. The Kiko 20th Anniversary Edition features bonus material including demo versions of album tracks and live recordings, and new liner notes written by Los Angeles journalist and longtime friend of the band, Luis Torres. Kiko Live captures their February 24, 2006, performance at the House Of Blues in San Diego, CA, where the band performed the critically acclaimed release in its entirety, during a string of shows devoted to the album. Never before released or broadcast, Kiko Live also contains interviews with the band and others involved in the making of the studio album. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray/CD combo is $24.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Los Lobos: Kiko Live' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 21.Posted Tue May 22, 2012 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'The Avengers' Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Announced[teaser]The superpowered moneymaker will assemble on Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D in September! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Disney/Buena Vista is preparing 'The Avengers' Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and 'The Avengers - 3D' Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack for September 25. Joss Whedon's action/adventure based on the Marvel Comics team of superheroes features an all-star cast including Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Audio Commentary by Director Joss Whedon; Disney's Second Screen; Assembling the Ultimate Team; A Visual Journey; Gag Reel; Item 47 (Marvel One-Shot Short Film); 9 Deleted/Extended Scenes; and Soundgarden's Live to Rise Music Video. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray will likely be set at $39.99 with the Blu-ray 3D $49.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Avengers' amd 'The Avengers - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're both indexed under September 25.Posted Mon May 21, 2012 at 01:30 PM PDT by: -
'Bond 50' Blu-ray Release Date Announced![teaser]James Bond fans get ready for the ultimate 007 Blu-ray collection containing all 22 films in September! Pre-order yours NOW![/teaser] As previously reported, in celebration of James Bond’s monumental golden anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is bringing 'Bond 50,' a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in one complete offering. The longest running film franchise of all time, the 'Bond 50' collection marks the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray. Fans around the world can pre-order now with participating online retailers. 'Bond 50' showcases fifty years of Bond neatly packaged into one cool, sleek collectable box-set featuring all six iconic James Bond actors. Produced using the highest possible picture quality and audio presentation, the collection includes all 22 James Bond feature films from 'Dr. No' to 'Quantum of Solace' and more than 130 hours of bonus features including some new and exclusive content. The first 22 discs will feature the 22 feature films along with audio commentaries, featurettes, photo galleries, deleted scenes, trailers, and much more. This set will also include a 23rd disc with the following exclusive features: The World of Bond – The 007 films have a look, style and attitude that is signature Bond. From the cars, to the women, to the villains and even the music, Bond films stand apart. The World of Bond takes the viewer through the best of five decades worth of classic James Bond in one thrilling montage. The World of Bond showcases the fascinating and entertaining interplay among unforgettable moments of danger, seduction, adventure and a dash of that distinguished humor that fans have cherished from the beginning up until now. To add to the experience, The World of Bond featurette will also offer a Pop-Up Trivia option to challenge even the sharpest of fans with little known facts and interesting trivia from the Bond Universe. Being Bond – There’s only one James Bond – but he’s proven too much for only one actor to play the role. In the franchise’s 50-year run, six distinguished actors have taken on the part and secured a spot in cinematic history. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig each reflect on the impact and importance of taking on such a famous role. With this piece, gain insight into what each actor brought to the character and discover how they shaped the world’s most timeless secret agent. SKYFALL Videoblogs – Behind-the-scenes look at the making of SKYFALL from the cast and crew. The suggested list price for the boxed set is $299.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Bond 50' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 25.Posted Mon May 21, 2012 at 12:30 PM PDT by: -
HDD Demos Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K UpsamplingBy Michael S. Palmer Before we get to the good stuff, the SEC, FCC, NCAA, or some governing body says the following disclosure is manditory. NOTE: this article exists because Dolby Laboratories bought me a round trip airfare to San Francisco, housed me in a hotel I probably couldn't (or wouldn't) afford normally, and stuffed me silly with meals and beverages of adult and/or caffeinated varieties. Take that for whatever value you apply, but at the end of the day, I'm just a guy -- probably a lot like you -- who loves home cinema and was fortunate enough to see what the pros are cooking up for our next generation theatrical and home theatre auditory experiences. Second disclosure. I've been to Dolby Laboratories three times now. It's terribly depressing. Sorry, that's not true; these trips have been the most explosive audio experiences I've ever had, whether sitting in Mix Room A, which features seven Pelonis Signature Series Model 110P 2-way Passive Reference Monitors and a Velodyne Model DD-15BG Subwoofer, or the Dolby Cinema Lab, which is completely isolated from the rest of the building and set up for 26.3 surround sound. No, the depressing part about Dolby is returning home, flipping on my consumer surround sound system (Denon powering 7.1 KEF iQs), and realizing it all sucks-to-my-asthmar compared to the sonic bliss my spoiled ears had grown accustomed over the previous couple days. Oh well, such is life. [teaser]Fidelity Forum 2.0 was a two day event with over 20 journalists and bloggers from a variety of sound hobbies. Everything from the guy who bled for the San Francisco Symphony and high-resolution stereo audiophile recordings, to guys like me who wants his action blockbuster Blu-rays to be swirling infernos of percussive chaos.[/teaser] HDD's own resident technical guru, Josh Zyber, also attended and, from what I understand, is writing up a couple articles as well. For our purposes here, consider this piece a general introduction and mini-review of what I experienced. In layman's terms, "on a scale of awesome to lame, how much should I get it up?" Josh will attempt to go more in depth with the technology itself. Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling Day one was dedicated to Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling, which has just been announced to the public. From my minimal experience getting to know the Dolby culture, it's evident how much Laboratory best describes this company. Their engineers and neuroscientists and craftsmen of all types seem to be driven by one simple question: How can we make an audio experience better? In our first demo, the question was, how can we improve Dolby TrueHD? But the challenge was where to make the change. They can't upgrade Blu-ray itself because the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) has strict product specs. You could put new chips or software into Blu-ray players or AV Receivers, but that could be terribly expensive for the consumer or processor heavy on the gear itself. Then it hit them, what if the key to improving Dolby TrueHD was at the encoding level? What if there was an improvement that not only fits TrueHD's current capabilities -- up to eight full-range channels of 96 kHz/24-bit audio and six full-range channels of 192 kHz/24-bit audio -- but also works with gear consumers already have sitting on shelves and in closets? I'm probably about to butcher this explanation, in terms of the science, but when sound is digitally recorded at 48 kHz, artifacts are introduced into the sound files. One of these is called Pre-Ringing; think of it like digital noise that shows up a millisecond before the real sound, and is most commonly found in things with fast attack rates -- drums, gunfire, explosions, glass breaking, etc. At 96 kHz, this phenomenon is apparently minimized. What's important to remember here is that most (if not all) television and theatrical motion picture audio is recorded at 48 kHz. Because multi-track soundtracks are so complicated, and because source materials are recorded in many places, upgrading the mixing process to 96K would take a lot more gear and storage. But what if the professional sound designers could keep their current workflow, but still produce a better product? Because TrueHD can natively handle 96K, Dolby thought if they could upsample finished audio from 48K to 96K, there would be a noticeable fidelity upgrade. But, again, what's the best way to make this happen? Sure, some AV Receivers have DACs (digital to analog converters) capable of such upsampling, but in a 7.1 mix, it requires a lot of horsepower. Also, up-resolution algorithms introduce their own flaws, which can only be fixed with expensive "apodizing" filters. How expensive? Consider Meridian Audio's 808.2 Signature Reference CD Player. It does everything we're talking about here…for $16,000. Dolby realized that the only way for them to increase the fidelity of soundtracks and reduce digital artifacts while not making it more expensive for movie studios or consumers is after the mix, but before the TrueHD encoding process. So Dolby licensed Meridian's apodizing filter technology and cooked it into the latest version of their professional encoding software. This means we're about get all the benefit of 96K recordings from 48K source material without having to change anything in our systems (assuming your AVR is capable of doing 96K digital to analog conversions). Okay, I've butchered the behind-the-scenes long enough. The most important questions are, does this really matter to the average consumer (the will I care quotient)? To be honest, I was pretty skeptical. I can tell when someone's playing a low res .mp3 file on a nice home or car audio system because it sounds tinny and harsh, but Blu-ray sounds awesome as is. 48K has to be good enough, right? To be fair, 48K is good enough and will most likely remain a standard for most Blu-ray presentations. But when you hear 96K, you might just hope studios encoding in TrueHD will click literally one button, in the encoding software bundle, and instantly upgrade all their Blu-ray soundtracks. Is it change-the-world dramatic? Not always. Sometimes the difference is subtle. And, it affected each listener a little different. As a demo, Dolby played back-to-back recordings at 96K and 48K straight out of ProTools so there would be no difference in volume levels between the demos. We sampled scenes from 'The Lost Bladesmen', 'The Dark Knight', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'Flowers of War' and a couple music selection. To be very clear, the only demo currently slated to appear with Advanced 96K Upsampling is 'Flowers of War'; the other clips were for test purposes only, courtesy of the various studios. To my ears, because I'm an action-junkie, 'The Dark Knight' scenes had the most impressive improvements. We heard the scenes where Batman HALO jumps into a Hong Kong skyscraper as well as Batman riding the Batpod (I mean to say motorcycle, whatever that's called) through the mall, an alley, and racing towards the Joker in the 18-wheeler (though sadly, the clip ended before it flipped). What I felt and heard, as we jumped back and forth between 96K and 48K, was akin to listening to the sound in a large room with lots of echoing surfaces, and then listening in a smaller room that had been professional calibrated. The 96K material sounded warmer and precise. Gunshots and shattering glass seemed more lifelike and realistic. At 48K, those sound were still pretty excellent (the speakers for this demo looked very expensive), but those percussive, explosive moments had much more noticeable harshness and edge to them. As long as the studios don't charge a crazy-premium over standard Blu-rays -- they shouldn't because it doesn't cost extra, save for a little more encoding time -- I personally cannot wait to pick up Advanced 96K Upsampling Blu-ray titles. In terms of what's available now, you can currently pick up 'San Francisco Symphony at 100' as well as the Joe Satriani concert film 'Saturated: Live in Montreal'. Also, as I said a moment ago, the Asian market release of Christian Bales 'The Flowers of War' (from Best * Original Production Limited) is slated to release this summer in the format; I'm not sure about the North American Blu-ray. To tell whether or not a title has this technology, look for the special gold badging, which will appear as a circular sticker (pictured), a gold bar along the lower portion of the Blu-ray's front cover, or as a technical specification on the Blu-ray's back cover. For more information, be on the lookout for Josh's blog posts, read this detailed .pdf from Dolby, or check out these two videos. First, we have a short piece on the ' San Francisco Symphony at 100' Blu-ray Disc: San Francisco Symphony at 100 Blu-ray Disc In Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96K Upsampling from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo. And, here's the full 45 minute Saturated Panel from Fidelity Forum 2.0: Saturated: Live in Montreal Panel from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo. Dolby Atmos On day two of Fidelity Forum 2.0, we finally heard the technology I've been most excited about: Dolby Atmos. Atmos was announced a couple weeks ago and, if you don't know what I'm talking about, have a look at this short video explaining the technology: As I said above, we went into the Dolby Cinema Lab for this, which is set up for 26.3 surround sound, including six speakers on each side (two of which are full range), five rear speakers, and six overheads. The Atmos logo trailer was mixed at Dolby Burbank in a 38.1 speaker array, the Atmos launch demo took place in Las Vegas in a 47.3 configuration, and Skywalker Sound just built a new Atmos-capable mixing stage in a 41.3 setup. Sounds complicated, right? Atmos actually begins with a 9.1 based configuration (the current Dolby 7.1 format plus stereo height channels), which sound designers will mix in a familiar workflow. However, what makes Atmos amazing is that it includes "object" mixing. Meaning, any individual sound effect or music clip can pan anywhere in a 180-degree hemisphere. The Atmos cinema processor -- which can be configured for any professional theatre -- will place that object discretely in as few or as many speakers as the filmmakers intend. What's particularly impressive is how scalable it all is for any venue. In terms of technical requirements, Dolby suggests a pair of height channel speakers for every pair of side channel speakers, full range surrounds because of added LFE capabilities, and individual speaker amplification (this allows for more discrete placement). So how does it sound? We were fortunate enough to demo the Atmos logo trailer (created by Erik Aadahl, best known for his sound work on 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'), four sound only clips, the climax of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', and a secret clip about which I may not write despite it being the presentation highlight. Overall, when I first heard 7.1, I felt as though I had been sucked forward towards the screen. With Atmos, it sounds like you're literally in the world of the movie; the height channels are a big part of this, but the precision with which bullets ping and helicopters fly is impressive and perhaps the most lifelike I've ever encountered. But remember, all of these demos was designed to call attention to the new format; like anything, Atmos can be as aggressive or subtle as needed. The Atmos logo sounds like a cross between the THX and 'Transformers'. It has a wide dynamic range with heart-stopping base and an incredibly immersive surround experience. The four sound-only clips were fun as well. A thunder and rain sequence was akin to sitting in a covered porch during a summer storm; I could hear the individual drops of rain hitting the ground, while others dripped off a roof. It was incredibly realistic. Next, they panned a song 360-degrees around the room, first in 5.1, and later in Atmos. The 5.1 had gaps, uneven levels, and bled across multiple speakers at a time. In Atmos, a single voice traveled in an exact line. Then, Dolby took two conversations from 'The Dark Knight' and played them at the same time on the same side of the auditorium. In 5.1, you couldn't understand anything. In 7.1, things were clearer, but the conversations sounded on top of one another. In Atmos, it was like sitting at a restaurant and isolating two other tables conversing around you. The last sound-only demo was originally created for Vodaphone commercials in the U.K. It began on a in-flight jetliner. After a terrifying crash sequence, a man swims to safety and encounters cannibals on a jungle island. While not as good as 'The Grey' plane crash, this was also incredibly immersive. Fellow passengers opening overhead bins sounded like they were doing so above you. In a moment where we were bobbing up and down under the water, you could hear the water rising up around you and receding. It was pretty cool. 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' wasn't my favorite demo, but the sequence where the gorillas leaps into the crashing helicopter was pretty good. Perhaps in its current form a little too chaotic and not as discrete as the other clips, especially the finale that followed, which was perfect. When properly mixed, Atmos is an unmatched force in theatrical motion picture sound capability, but when and where will you get to hear it? Dolby just went over to Skywalker Sound to do a "test-mix" on Disney/Pixar's 'Brave'. If all goes well, Atmos will debut on 15 screens in the US when 'Brave' hits cinemas on June 22. Though the official list hasn't been released (look for that in the next couple weeks), these select cinemas will all be in major cities. AMC's "ETX" auditoriums, which already have built-in height channels, are likely conversion candidates. Again, this is mostly a test. Atmos doesn't officially debut until next year, when Dolby is planning to run a "Road to 1000" campaign in hopes they'll have 1,000 Atmos screens by the summer of 2013. In the meantime, they plan to work with Hollywood's top filmmakers to mix the biggest movies in the format for next year. To learn more about Atmos, here's the Launch Event and Panel: Dolby Atmos Launch Event & Industry Panel from Dolby Laboratories on Vimeo. Fidelity Forum 2.0 Wrap Up Visiting the Laboratory is an aural treat. Despite the amazing demos, my favorite part was probably the visit to Mixing Room A, where we sampled the B.O.B. (featuring Halley Williams) song Airplanes and the Owl City song Fireflies in 7.1. Not only was the equipment drool-worthy (sorry about the puddle, fellas) and the room perfectly tuned, but we were able to isolate vocals and other track elements and learn how mutli-channel audio is mixed. Fascinating. As for the other technology explored, Dolby TrueHD Advanced 96K Upsampling is a fun new home theatre improvement. I could hear it and I look forward to hearing as many movie soundtracks in the format as possible. Since I've already got the gear, why not, right? I suppose the only potential downside is the inevitable studio double-dip release, but that would probably happen anyway. Dolby Atmos won't be in our homes anytime soon, but as a theatrical experience, I'm eagerly waiting for 'Brave' and whatever follows. Will either change the movies forever? For some, yes; for others, no. But at the end of the day, what's most important is Dolby, and many other companies out there, won't settle for what's "good enough." Because they always need to make it better.Posted Mon May 21, 2012 at 12:05 PM PDT by: -
'Django Kill...If You Live, Shoot!' Blu-ray delayed[teaser]The controversial 1967 cult spaghetti western from director Giulio Questi originally gunning down Blu-ray at high noon in June has been delayed a few weeks. [/teaser] As previously reported, Blue Underground was preparing 'Django Kill...If You Live, Shoot!' for Blu-ray on June 19, but now the date has been changed to July 3. "SHOCKINGLY VIOLENT AND SURREAL... A MASTERPIECE OF THE GOTHIC WESTERN!" - Spaghetti Cinema "SO EXTREME IN EVERY WAY - IT IS ONE OF THE HANDFUL OF GREAT ITALIAN WESTERNS!" - Alex Cox, Director of Repo Man and Sid & Nancy Tomas Milian ('Traffic,' 'Run Man Run') stars as a half-breed bandit double-crossed and left for dead who rises from the grave to seek his revenge. But when his quest leads to a bizarre town called The Unhappy Place, he is plunged into an odyssey of gruesome torture, graphic violence and relentless sexual depravity. This is the landmark movie that fans and critics still consider to be the strangest and most controversial Spaghetti Western ever made. This is 'Django Kill!' Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, and suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Django Kill...If You Live, Shoot!' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 3.Posted Mon May 21, 2012 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
DirecTV Will Launch TV and Broadband Bundles[teaser]Starting later this year, you'll be able to get a 10Mbps connection through your satellite. [/teaser] One of the oddities that comes with satellite television providers is that you need to go through another company for your internet. By the end of 2012, that won't be a problem. DirecTV has announced a plan to launch bundled internet with its satellite subscriptions, giving you up to a 10Mbps download speed. This uses the Gen4 technology pioneered by Hughes and ViaSat. "We look forward to offering every single DIRECTV customer access to fast, affordable broadband options through DIRECTV, no matter where they live," says senior VP Oswin Eleonara. "With greatly improved capacity and speeds, satellite broadband services provided by ViaSat and Hughes will fully support our customers’ connected home experience." Details will emerge later this year as the service comes closer to launch. Source: Electronic HousePosted Mon May 21, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by:
