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Coming Soon to Streaming: VERONICA MARS, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, and More[teaser]Private eyes, lions, witches, and wardrobes all headline this week's crop of streaming news and teasers.[/teaser] Netflix and Hulu have released new trailers and info for several of their upcoming shows and films. Here's a full rundown of titles scheduled to arrive on each service: Harlots: Season 3 (Hulu, July 10) - Margaret Wells struggles to reconcile her roles as brothel owner and mother to daughters Charlotte and Lucy. When her business comes under attack from Lydia Quigley, a rival madam with a ruthless streak, Margaret must fight back even if it means losing her family and possibly her life. Veronica Mars: Season 4 (Hulu, July 26) - Spring breakers are getting murdered in Neptune, thereby decimating the seaside town’s lifeblood tourist industry. After Mars Investigations is hired by the family of one of the victims to find their son’s killer, Veronica is drawn into an epic eight-episode mystery that pits the enclave’s wealthy elites, who would rather put an end to the month-long bacchanalia, against a working class that relies on the cash influx that comes with being the West Coast’s answer to Daytona Beach. The Amazing Johnathan Documentary (Hulu, August 16) - Begins as a seemingly ordinary profile following the final tour of a dying magician, but becomes an unexpected and increasingly bizarre journey as filmmaker Ben Berman struggles to separate truth from illusion. DARK: Season 2 (Netflix, June 12) - Jonas finds himself trapped in the future and desperately tries to return to 2020. Meanwhile, his friends Martha, Magnus, and Franziska are trying to uncover how Bartosz’ is involved in the mysterious incidents occurring in their small hometown of Winden. More and more people are drawn into the events orchestrated by an obscure figure who seemingly controls everything that is connected throughout different time zones. The Chosen One (Netflix, June 28) - Determined to bring a Zika vaccine to the remote Pantanal, three doctors clash with a faith healer and are pulled deeper into the mysteries of his cult. Authors Raphael Draccon ("Dragons of Ether") and Carolina Munhóz ("Keeping Up with Magic") wrote this adaptation of Mexico’s "Niño Santo." Starring Paloma Bernardi, Renan Tenca, and Gutto Szuster. Family Reunion (Netflix, July 10) - When the McKellan family moves from Seattle to Georgia to be closer to extended family, the transition is like being a catfish out of water. From three-hour church services and huge humidity hair to M’Dear’s home cooking and family bonding, the everyday ups and downs of Family Reunion are real, memorable, toe tapping, heart stopping, laugh out loud authentic moments. The series stars Emmy-Award winner Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy, The Carmichael Show) and Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister, Instant Mom). My First First Love: Season 2 (Netflix, July 26) - Tae-o and his friends navigate the twists and turns of friendship and love, as they face new challenges in their relationships with one another. Starring Ji Soo, Jung Chae-yeon, and Jinyoung. The Naked Director (Netflix, August 8) - Profiles the unusual and dramatic life of Toro Murinaishi, the man who revolutionized the adult video industry in Japan. The 10 episode series will chronicle his rise to fame, filled with big ambitions as well as spectacular setbacks in his unflinching attempt to turn Japan’s porn industry on its head. It will also be a portrait of an ensemble of characters who experience success and failure in Japan’s "bubble" era of the 1980s, a time that gave rise to unprecedented splendor and excess. In addition, Netflix has announced that Matthew Aldrich will serve as the creative architect for the platform's upcoming live-action adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia series. Though exact details have not been announced yet, Netflix's multi-year deal includes the rights to develop shows and films based on the fantasy books, and Aldrich will now oversee creative development of all of the streaming service's projects related to the franchise. Aldrich's previous credits include co-writing duties on Disney and Pixar's Coco. Meanwhile, Netflix has also picked up the rights to the upcoming film adaptation of Tom Clancy's The Division video game series from director David Leitch (Deadpool 2). The movie will star Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain, and the script is being written by Rafe Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Here's a logline for the film per Netflix: In the near future, a pandemic virus is spread via paper money on Black Friday, decimating the city of New York and killing millions. By Christmas, what’s left of society has descended into chaos. A group of civilians, trained to operate in catastrophic times, are activated in an attempt to save who and what remains. Finally, Netflix and Dreamworks Animation have announced a new animated show set in the Jurassic World franchise called Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. The series is set to debut in 2020 and comes from showrunners Scott Kreamer (Pinky Malinky) and Lane Lueras (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny). Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Colin Trevorrow all serve as executive producers. Here's a synopsis per Netflix: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. But when dinosaurs wreak havoc across the island, the campers are stranded. Unable to reach the outside world, they’ll need to go from strangers to friends to family if they’re going to survive. - A current Netflix subscription starts at $13 per month for HD streaming and $16 per month for Ultra HD streaming. - A current Hulu subscription starts at $6 per month with commercials. In addition, ad-free playback is available for $12 per month and Live TV bundle is available for $45. Sources: Netflix (YouTube), Netflix, Hulu (YouTube)Posted Fri Jun 14, 2019 at 09:45 PM PDT by: -
New Poll Asks Viewers to Help Choose Sony's Next 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Releases[teaser]The studio has launched a new survey asking users to help decide future 4K releases.[/teaser] While several big catalog titles and classic films have already made their way to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from a variety of studios, there's still plenty of great older movies that have yet to make the leap to the new format. Thankfully, Sony has apparently heard our cries for more catalog titles and wants to know exactly what films viewers want to see on 4K. In fact, they're even letting users vote on what movies they'd like to buy next! As part of a new poll included on the company's website, Sony is asking fans to select the title they'd like to see most on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from a list of 10 "modern classics." According to the site, the winning film could then be included on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as part of a larger special giftset scheduled for release in 2020. The survey is now active and is set to close on June 30. CLICK HERE to select which movie you want to see included. And here's a rundown of the titles available to vote on: A League Of Their Own As Good As It Gets Awakenings Big Fish Captain Phillips Jerry Maguire Moneyball Sense And Sensibility (1995) The Age Of Innocence The Remains Of The Day In addition, separate from the upcoming giftset, the poll also allows viewers to suggest even more Sony titles that they'd like to see arrive on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the future. Users can choose three films from a larger list of 43 movies. Likewise, visitors can also write-in a film suggestion if it's not already included on the list. CLICK HERE to select your choices. Based on the selections available for the giftset, I'd personally love to see Big Fish, Jerry Maguire, or The Age of Innocence get the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray treatment. And from the larger list of potential titles, I'm pulling for 4K releases of Call Me By Your Name, Das Boot, The Lady from Shanghai, Drive, Looper, and Whiplash. Curiously, however, Sony's Lawrence of Arabia is nowhere to be seen on any of the included lists, which is a bit odd considering its classic status, breathtaking visuals, and the fact that 4K digital versions are already available on several platforms. Though this is just pure speculation on my part and perhaps simply wishful thinking -- is it possible that the film's exclusion here means that a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release is already being planned? One can dream, anyway. Either way, it's nice to see that Sony is taking fan suggestions into account when it comes to selecting its next 4K Blu-ray releases. Be sure to let Sony know which titles you'd like to buy most in the poll before it closes on June 30, and feel free to let us know your picks in the forums and comments section! Source: SonyPosted Fri Jun 14, 2019 at 02:30 PM PDT by: -
HDD Attends 2019 Value Electronics TV ShootoutFour 4K HDR TVs enter, but only one can leave victorious. Yes, it's that time of year again. The time to get holed up in a dark room for hours on end in order to watch the ultimate Ultra HD TV cage match. As part of CE Week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC, Value Electronics recently held its 15th Annual TV Shootout.[teaser] The event pitted the year's top displays against each other in a side-by-side competition in order to choose the new "King of TV." [/teaser] The lineup of opposing displays in 2019's Shootout included four flagship premium 4K HDR TVs: LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV Samsung QN65Q90R LCD/LED TV Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV Sony XBR-65Z9F LCD/LED TV In order to evaluate the displays, the competition placed the four TVs side-by-side as test patterns and demo content from a variety of films were used to judge various picture quality attributes, including dynamic range, color accuracy, color saturation, and motion resolution. A panel of professional video colorists, finishers, TV reviewers, and video scientists then scored all of the attributes from 1 to 10 to determine winners across four categories. Likewise, the display with the most overall total points was then named the "King of TV." All of the TVs were visually matched to and evaluated against a Sony BMV-X300 30-inch OLED Reference Monitor used for professional color grading applications. Demo material and calibration patterns were sourced from test generators, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, Kaleidescape digital downloads, and Spears and Muncil's new 4K HDR Demo Disc. Content was played from a Panasonic DP-UB9000 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player and a Kaleidescape Strato S 4K HDR Media Player. Switching, distribution, HDMI cables, and test equipment were supplied by AVProStore and Metra Home Theater. The Shootout was presented by Value Electronics' owner Robert Zohn. Scott Wilkinson served as moderator for the event, and the evaluation was guided by Joel Silver of the Imaging Science Foundation and Kevin Miller of ISFTV. And now that the dust has settled, here's a rundown of the winners in each category based on all the judges' scores: King of TV: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV Best SDR Reference Mode: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV Best SDR Day Mode: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV Best HDR TV: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV Best Streaming TV: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV and LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV Below, I'll offer details on the tests conducted in each category, along with my own impressions on how each TV fared during the competition and my general feelings on the winners. Let the shootout begin! SDR Reference Mode For this category, the focus was on which display had the best SDR reference performance in a dark room. All of the TVs were calibrated for a home theater environment and all of the lights were turned off. A mixture of movie clips and test patterns were used for judging, and the TVs were evaluated based on how well they matched the professional BMV-X300 Reference Monitor. Key testing material included clips from The Art of Flight and Aquaman, along with color bars, ANSI checkerboards, pluges, and other calibration material. Right off the bat, it was clear that both OLEDs matched the colors and contrast of the Reference Monitor just a tad better than the LCDs. The Samsung Q90R LCD, in particular, carried a slightly magenta push compared to the other sets. Likewise, the reds looked just a hair washed out on the Samsung in the color bar pattern. Comparing colors and contrast between the two OLEDs, however, proved to be quite challenging as they were so incredibly close. Overall, I'd say the Sony OLED was a tad cooler than the LG. In some instances, this made it look a bit closer to the Reference Monitor, but in others, I actually think the LG had a closer resemblance. Both OLEDs also offered very similar black level and contrast performance in SDR mode, providing genuine blacks that disappeared into the room. With that said, the LG did offer a small, but still noticeable uptick in brightness over the Sony, giving it just a bit more luminance in brighter portions of the image. On the other hand, while both LCDs did look brighter, their contrast was comparatively washed out compared to the OLEDs. The Samsung Q90R did maintain impressive black levels, though, thanks to its full array local dimming. The Sony Z9F's local dimming was also solid, but light bleed into the letterbox bars was more visible. TV Shootout Winner - Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV My Winner – LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV Final Thoughts – This one was really tough and I can't really argue with the Sony OLED winning. To be honest, both OLED models were nearly identical during a lot of the material, but I thought that the LG's slightly superior brightness gave it just a bit more dimension which better matched the Reference Monitor's capabilities. SDR Day Mode This category was designed to determine which display had the best overall SDR daytime viewing in a bright living room setting with a lot of ambient light. All of the TVs were set to their brightest calibrated SDR mode with motion interpolation activated. Likewise, all of the lights were turned on in the room. Unlike most of the other tests, however, the Reference Monitor was not used for comparison here since it's not designed for bright room viewing. For testing purposes, several calibration patterns were displayed on all the TVs, including ANSI Checkerboards, brightness pluges, and color bars, along with demo clips from movies like The Art of Flight, which featured footage of skiers on a snowy mountain. While the ANSI Checkerboards were up, light readings were also taken from the white boxes on each TV to give the judges an idea of their luminance capabilities. Here's a rundown of the results: LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV - 78.4 nits Samsung QN65Q90R LCD/LED TV - 115 nits Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV - 64.6 nits Sony XBR-65Z9F LCD/LED TV - 155 nits As one might expect based on the numbers above, I found that the LCDs did indeed offer a perceivably brighter image that gave them an edge for standard dynamic range under daytime conditions. The Sony Z9F LCD, in particular, set itself apart from the rest with a punchier image. Meanwhile, motion remained superior on the Sony A9G OLED, offering a smoother look during pans and quick moves during the skiing clips. Likewise, colors appeared just a hair more accurate on both OLED sets. Meanwhile, all of the TVs struggled a bit to show darker shades of black with the lights on, but the Sony LCD managed to keep shadows visible at a step or two below the competition. TV Shootout Winner - Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV My Choice - Sony XBR-65Z9F LCD/LED TV Final Thoughts - Though the OLEDs and Samsung's Q90R LCD all did quite admirably, I thought that the Sony Z9F LCD maintained a better overall picture with the lights on thanks in large part to its superior brightness and shadow detail. Motion and color were indeed a bit better on the A9F OLED, but considering the Day Mode designation of this category, the added luminance of the Sony LCD made a larger impression on me. HDR Reference Mode This category focused on which display had the best reference 4K HDR10 performance in a home theater environment. All of the TVs were calibrated for a dark room and all of the lights were once again turned off. Likewise, the professional BMV-X300 Monitor was used as an evaluation reference for the majority of the tests. With that said, the BMV-X300 is only capable of 1,000 nits and does not include tone-mapping support for scaling content beyond that. In other words, it completely clips out anything that's graded to be brighter. As a result, it was not used as a reference for specular highlights beyond 1,000 nits. For testing purposes, 4K HDR10 clips from Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Aquaman, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet Earth II, Baby Driver, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout were used, along with various calibration patterns. As a whole, all of the TVs really shined here, fully demonstrating why they're considered flagship models. But while the competition was very close, certain key quirks and limitations did arise in some material. As a whole, both OLED sets matched the Reference Monitor the best during the majority of the testing material with deep blacks and very similar colors. There were times, however, when the Sony OLED looked just a hair undersaturated compared to the LG OLED and the Reference Monitor. On the other hand, though, certain colors on the Reference Monitor, like the red used in a field of roses, ended up appearing much more in line with the Sony OLED. Meanwhile, green on the Sony LCD looked a bit washed out compared to the other sets, and blue on both LCDs veered more toward violet compared to the Reference Monitor and OLEDs. As one would expect, overall contrast and black levels were superior on the OLEDs. The LCDs and their full array local dimming backlights were also capable of achieving very deep blacks, but not at the same level of precision as the OLEDs. The Samsung LCD was actually able to get a bit deeper than the Sony LCD and produced far less booming. One test pattern that featured a small scrolling white square across a completely black background resulted in a lot of light bleeding to the surrounding areas on the Sony Z9F LCD. But while the square pulsated in intensity as it moved from zone to zone on the Samsung Q90R LCD, there was virtually no blooming. Unfortunately, the Samsung LCD was prone to its own troublesome local dimming quirk, this time related to crushed shadow detail. One clip of a starfield was darkened too much on the Samsung compared to the other TVs causing many stars to disappear. Likewise, a test pattern used for setting brightness levels was almost completely invisible on the Q90R as a result of its dimming process. The moderators actually had to pump up the brightness all the way to get it to show up. Of course, it should be noted that extreme local dimming issues like this did not occur during the demo material from real-world content. And though the OLEDs were nearly perfect performers when it came to black levels, the LG model did crush shadows a bit more than the Sony. The stargate scene from 2001 offered a perfect example of this. The black levels are actually intentionally elevated just a hair on the 4K HDR transfer during this scene, and the Sony OLED and Sony LCD both managed to match the Reference Monitor in this regard. The LG OLED and Samsung LCD, however, both crushed the blacks. Finally, HDR brightness performance was quite impressive across the entire lineup, though the Sony Z9F LCD definitely had the punchiest and most intense specular highlights. With that said, the Sony LCD's method of tone-mapping did result in more detail being lost in very bright objects. As calibrated here, however, the Samsung Q90R LCD didn't look quite as bright but usually ended up preserving more detail in highlights. Meanwhile, both OLEDs were a little less intense than the LCDs, but the LG had a small but noticeable edge over the Sony OLED in peak brightness. One shot of the sun peeking out behind a mountain ended up being one of the most telling images for HDR performance. The Sony OLED and LCD both came very close to matching the color tone, detail, and intensity of the highlight on the Reference Monitor. For whatever reason, however, both the Samsung LCD and LG OLED rendered the sun too red and less bright compared to the Reference Monitor. TV Shootout Winner - Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV My Winner - Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV and LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV (tie) Final Thoughts – Wow, this one was really hard to determine. To be honest, the differences between the sets were often incredibly small and all of the TVs ended up displaying their own key strengths. But while the LCDs had a bit more kick in their highlights, the pixel-level contrast of the OLEDs once again won me over. Picking between the two models, however, ended up being a bit of a wash. The LG OLED could get a little brighter for a bit more intensity but it also crushed blacks a tad. Meanwhile, the Sony OLED's colors seemed to match the Reference monitor just a bit better in some scenes, but looked a little undersaturated in others. As a whole, I'd call this one a tie. Streaming For the final category, all of the TVs played back streaming clips from Netflix's Lucifer and Our Planet through their internal smart TV apps. The shows were played in HDR10 on the Samsung LCD, and in Dolby Vision via the LG OLED, Sony OLED, and Sony LCD. Since the Professional Monitor does not have streaming apps it was not used as a reference here. This one was incredibly close as well, and all of the TVs did a very similar job of streaming the material with no major discrepancies outside of the picture performance quirks already revealed in the other testing categories. With that said, the Sony Z9F LCD's superior brightness capabilities seemed to be more readily apparent here, producing noticeably richer highlights in the Lucifer clip while maintaining better detail than the Samsung LCD (perhaps thanks to the Dolby Vision encode here). The Samsung could get a little darker, however. Meanwhile, the OLEDs were similarly great, with better blacks and overall contrast but less intense highlights than the Sony LCD. TV Shootout Winner - Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV and LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV (tie) My Winner – Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV and LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV (tie) Final Thoughts – At the end of the day, I don't really think any of the TVs did a demonstrably better or worse job streaming the content played. Instead, they were all still prone to the same strengths and weaknesses found in the HDR Reference section. As such, this one was still an OLED tie for me. Conclusion I've been covering the Value Electronics TV Shootout every year since 2016, and this is by far the closest competition I've seen. In fact, I think it's important to stress just how close the picture performance was on all four of these displays. There were several shots and scenes that looked nearly identical across the entire lineup, with only extremely minor differences that would never be noticeable outside of a side-by-side comparison like this. Of course, that's what makes the TV Shootout so special. Getting to see the same content played back on four TVs right next to each other is the only way to truly judge which one is superior. And while picking a winner for different picture attributes was often like splitting hairs, some key strengths and weaknesses did arise. In the end, I agree with most of the judges' selections. Though I think the LG C9 OLED is pretty much tied for the overall top spot, the Sony A9G OLED definitely deserves recognition as the "King of TV" for 2019. We'd like to extend a big thanks to Robert Zohn (President of Value Electronics) and the rest of the Shootout's dedicated team for hosting the event and for setting up all of the tests! And for those interested in seeing a more detailed breakdown of the judges' scores, CLICK HERE to see the full results chart.Posted Thu Jun 13, 2019 at 05:25 PM PDT by: -
The Story of Stephen King's THE SHINING Continues in First DOCTOR SLEEP Trailer[teaser]"I don't know about magic. I... I always called it the shining."[/teaser] Warner Bros. has released the first teaser trailer for Doctor Sleep. The film is based on the book by Stephen King, which serves as a sequel to the author's horror masterpiece, The Shining. Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the "shine." Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra's innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past. Check out the teaser trailer below! The movie stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, and Kyliegh Curran as Abra. Additional cast members include Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, and Cliff Curtis. Doctor Sleep comes from writer/director Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus, Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House). Trevor Macy and Jon Berg serve as producers on the film. Meanwhile Roy Lee, Scott Lumpkin, Akiva Goldsman and Kevin McCormick are all on board as executive producers. The movie is set to hit theaters on November 8, 2019. Source: Warner Bros. (YouTube)Posted Thu Jun 13, 2019 at 09:50 AM PDT by: -
Samsung Unveils The Wall Luxury MicroLED Modular Display With up to 8K Resolution[teaser]The company's latest MicroLED screen has been revealed.[/teaser] Samsung has debuted a new display model using its modular MicroLED technology. Dubbed The Wall Luxury, the customizable screen is geared toward the luxury consumer market and can be configured in a variety of sizes and resolutions. "Throughout the last twelve months, we've closely monitored interior design and technology trends to shape the product planning and development of The Wall Luxury," said Mark Quiroz, Vice President of Product Marketing for Samsung Electronics America. "We set out to create a product unlike anything else — matching the lifestyle and taste of those looking for the most exclusive and premium visual experiences in their homes." Like previous iterations of Samsung's The Wall, The Wall Luxury uses MicroLED technology with individual tiles made of self-emissive MicroLEDs. These MicroLEDs feature millions of inorganic red, green, and blue microscopic LED chips which are capable of producing their own light -- resulting in superior contrast ratio performance and near perfect color. In addition, the screen utilizes a 30mm slim, bezel-less infinity design with a modular construction, allowing users to configure the display in a variety of sizes and ratios from 73-inches in 2K resolution up to 292-inches in 8K resolution. Under the hood, The Wall Luxury is powered by Samsung's Quantum Processor Flex. The advanced AI picture quality engine uses machine learning to optimize images on a scene-by-scene basis, enabling lower res content to match the screen's resolution. Likewise, the display offers Quantum HDR technology with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and support for a 120Hz video rate. A customizable décor frame is also included, allowing the screen to better match a user's particular room. Finally, The Wall Luxury also boasts a 100,000-hour lifetime thanks to its self-emitting diodes, resulting in a display that is designed to stay on. When not in use as a TV, the screen can switch to Samsung's Ambient Mode, turning the massive display into a digital canvas for paintings, photographs and video art. Pricing for The Wall Luxury has not been announced, but the display is set to launch globally in July. Source: SamsungPosted Thu Jun 13, 2019 at 09:20 AM PDT by: -
Marvel Is Remastering All of Its MCU Films in 4K Ultra HD[teaser]The studio is prepping its entire catalog of movies for 4K release.[/teaser] While Disney and Marvel have been releasing all of their new MCU films on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray since the debut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, several earlier movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have yet to make their way to 4K. Thankfully, it looks like that's about to change. During an interview with Collider, Captain Marvel executive producers Victoria Alonso and Jonathan Schwartz elaborated on Marvel's larger 4K home video plans, confirming that more Ultra HD releases are on the way. In fact, it turns out that the studio's entire back catalog is set to receive the 4K treatment. When asked about the prospect of more Ultra HD home video releases, Victoria Alonso told Collider's Steve Weintraub, "We are going to remaster all of our films in 4K. We're in the process of doing that, so it's all happening." Check out the clip below to watch the entire exchange! Beyond 4K news, Alonso and Schwartz were also asked about the potential of a new Phase 3 movie collection or a massive 22-film Infinity Saga box set, and though the pair don't appear to be aware of anything specific, they seem to think both are good ideas. Likewise, despite the upcoming arrival of Disney+, which will serve as the streaming home for the entire MCU, Alonso doesn't think that the digital service will impact plans to release physical media versions of the studio's future movies. Exact release dates for additional Marvel 4K films have not been announced yet, but the upcoming titles will join the company's currently available collection of 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays, including Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Solider, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Captain Marvel. Source: Collider (YouTube)Posted Wed Jun 12, 2019 at 05:10 PM PDT by: -
Sony XBR-65A9G OLED Wins 2019 Value Electronics TV Shootout[teaser]A new "King of TV" has been crowned![/teaser] Value Electronics has announced the winner of its 2019 TV Shootout event. The competition was held earlier today as part of CE Week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC. And now that the dust has settled, an overall winner has been named: the Sony XBR-65A9G OLED. The competition placed four flagship displays side-by-side as test patterns and demo content from a variety of films were used to judge various picture quality attributes, including dynamic range, color accuracy, color saturation, and motion resolution. A panel of professional video colorists, finishers, TV reviewers, and video scientists then voted on all of the categories to select 2019's "King of TV." Here's a rundown of the overall placing based on the judges' scores: Sony XBR-65A9G OLED TV LG OLED65C9PUA OLED TV Sony XBR-65Z9F LCD/LED TV Samsung QN65Q90R LCD/LED TV The 2019 competition was the event's 15th year and now marks the second year in a row that Sony's flagship OLED has come away with the top prize. TVs used in the competition were taken randomly from Value Electronics' inventory and no manufacturer supplied samples were used. The TV Shootout used switching, distribution, HDMI cables, and test equipment supplied by AVProStore and Metra Home Theater. Scott Wilkinson served as moderator for the event, and the tests were presented by Joel Silver of the Imaging Science Foundation and Kevin Miller of ISFTV. High-Def Digest was on hand to cover the competition, so make sure to check back soon for a more detailed rundown of the TV Shootout with full impressions on how each display stacked up! Source: Value ElectronicsPosted Wed Jun 12, 2019 at 03:45 PM PDT by: -
Calculating High-Def Digest's "Overall Score" (A Small Change)A lot has changed since High-Def Digest started reviewing movies in 2006. We've changed with the times, naturally, but remain focused on sharing our subjective movie opinions as well as our objective analysis of video presentations, audio mixes, and bonus materials. Back in the halcyon days of DVD and physical media, multi-disc boxed sets with hours of special features were much more common. Here in 2019, most studios release a handful of featurettes, a few trailers, and maybe an audio commentary or two. The best releases still have in-depth documentaries, but they're pretty rare. What does this have to do with review scoring, you might ask? Before today, we calculated our Overall Score by giving equal weight to Story, Video, Audio, and Special Features. But, in an era where Special Features are less common, or non-existent, it feels like Special Features carry too much weight. It's not like you're going to skip buying a great movie with demo-worthy audio-video because the bonus featurettes are on the light side, right? As such, we plan to treat Special Features a bit like extra credit. To be clear, we're still going to grade the Special Features and let you know if they're good, bad, or somewhere in between. As fellow movie collectors, we understand how a fantastic set of bonus materials can be a value-add, or make a re-release worthy of a double-dip. (Longtime readers may recall our old HD Exclusives section, which was created to cover Blu-ray special features not on the DVD. That section was also treated like extra credit.) So here's how our system works, starting today: We now calculate our Overall Score by averaging Story, Video, and Audio. BUT if the Special Features are -- Lackluster, we knock said Overall Score down by 0.5 stars Good, we leave said Overall Score unchanged Amazing, we bump said Overall Score up by a 0.5 stars Admittedly, this is more subjective than what we've been doing, but based on a few experiments, this adjustment should course-correct scenarios where Special Features tank the Overall Score of otherwise worthy 4K, 3D, & HD releases. Ultimately, the goal is to make our Overall Score reflect whether or not you should buy a disc or digital download. And we hope this quick note lets you into our process, explaining how we work and why this choice was made. Thanks so much for your time and readership!Posted Wed Jun 12, 2019 at 02:04 PM PDT by: -
HELLBOY (2019) Dated and Detailed for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray[teaser]The hellborn hero returns to home video this July. [/teaser] Lionsgate says Hellboy (2018) will be available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on July 23. Hellboy is back, and he's on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola's seminal work, this action-packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world. The 4K release will feature a Dolby Vision video presentation, a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and supplements on both releases will include: "Tales of the Wild Hunt: Hellboy Reborn" (3-Part Documentary) Deleted Scenes Previsualizations You can find the latest specs for Hellboy linked from our 4K and Blu-ray Release Schedules, where it is indexed under July 23. Order the 4K Blu-ray Order the Blu-rayPosted Wed Jun 12, 2019 at 07:47 AM PDT by: -
Coming Soon to Blu-ray: GOOD OMENS, THE FLASH, and More[teaser]Angels, demons, superheroes, and more are all coming to Blu-ray.[/teaser] Pre-orders are now available for several new Blu-rays from Amazon, Cohen Media Group, Eagle Rock, Severin, Acorn Media, Cinedigm, PBS, FilmRise, and Warner Brothers. Here's a full rundown of recently revealed details and title announcements: First up, Amazon has announced plans to bring Good Omens starring Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Frances McDorman to Blu-ray. Supplements and an exact release date have not been revealed, but pre-orders are now live. Order the Blu-ray Cohen Media Group is set to release Joan Micklin Silver's Between the Lines starring Jeff Goldblum, John Heard, Lindsay Crouse, Jill Eikenberry, Bruno Kirby, and Michael J. Pollard on June 18. The disc will feature a new 2K remaster of the film, and supplements will include: BRAND NEW interview with director Joan Micklin Silver Original trailer New Re-release trailer for the 2K restoration of the film Order the Blu-ray Eagle Rock is prepping the concert film The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Bremen for Blu-ray on June 21. The release will feature 2 CDs to go along with the Blu-ray, and supplements will include: Four tracks from the band's Soldier Field performances in Chicago Order the Blu-ray Severin is bringing Bruno Mattei's Robowar starring Reb Brown, Catherine Hickland, Massimo Vanni, and Jim Gaines to Blu-ray on June 25. The disc will feature a new 4K remaster of the film from the original camera negative, and supplements will include: CD Soundtrack Bonus Disc Robo Predator: Interview with Co-Director/Co-Writer Claudio Fragasso Italian Rip Off: Interview with Co-Writer Rossella Drudi Violence She Wrote: Career Interview with Screenwriter Rossella Drudi Robo-Lady: Interview with Actress Catherine Hickland Papa Doc's War: Interview with Actor John P. Dulaney The Robowarrior: Interview with Actor Jim Gaines Jr. War in the Phillipines: Interview with Actor/Stuntman Massimo Vanni Catherine Hickland's Behind The Scenes Home Movies Trailer Likewise, Clyde Anderson's Night Killer starring Peter Hooten and Tara Buckman is also set for release on June 25. The disc will feature a new 4K remaster of the film from the original camera negative, and supplements will include: The Virginia Claw Massacre: Interview With Director Claudio Fragasso Mindfuck: Interview With Screenwriter Rossella Drudi Trailer And rounding out the company's upcoming lineup will be Luigi Batzella's The Beast in Heat starring Macha Magall, Gino Turini, Edilio Kim, Xiro Papas, and Salvatore Baccaro on June 25. The disc will feature a new remaster of the film from the original 35mm elements, and supplements will include: Fascism On A Thread – The Strange Story of Nazisploitation Cinema: A new feature length documentary featuring interviews with Dyanne 'Ilsa' Thorne, Malissa 'Elsa' Longo, Filmmakers Sergio Garrone, Mariano Caiano, Rino Di Silvestro, Liliana Cavani, Bruno Mattei and many more. Nazi Nasty: Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of MURDEROUS PASSIONS Trailer Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Acorn Media is prepping Marc Evans' Manhunt: Season 1 starring Martin Clunes for Blu-ray on June 25. Supplements will include: Interview with Martin Clunes and Philippa Braithwaite (7 min.) In addition, the label will release Murdoch Mysteries: Seasons 9-12 Collection starring Yannick Bisson, Helene Joy, and Thomas Craig on July 30. Supplements have not been detailed yet. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Cinedigm has announced plans to release Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman's Loving Vincent: Collector's Edition starring Saoirse Ronan, Aidan Turner, Helen McCrory, Douglas Booth, and Chris O Dowd on July 9. Supplements will include: Walking through Vincent's Neighborhood The Making of Loving Vincent Interview with Douglas Booth 3 Paintings in 1 Interview with Eleanor Tomlinson Creating the Props Beginning the Animation Theatrical Trailer Insert Containing a Digital Download of the Film + Featurette 4 Stunning, Collectible Postcards Order the Blu-ray PBS is bringing Robert Stone's documentary American Experience: Chasing the Moon to Blu-ray on July 9. Supplements have not been detailed yet. Likewise, the label will also release Johnny Kenton and Leanne Welham's Endeavour: The Complete Sixth Season (Masterpiece Mystery) starring Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, and James Bradshaw on July 9. Supplements have not been detailed yet. Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray FilmRise is prepping Alex Jablonski's documentary Wildland (Special Edition) for Blu-ray on July 16. Supplements will include: Alternate Trailer Theatrical Trailer Stills Gallery Deleted Scenes (Logging, Aidan and Maddie, Porter) Likewise, the label will bring Alex O Eaton's Mountain Rest (Special Edition) starring Natalia Dyer, Shawn Hatosy, and Frances Conroy to Blu-ray on July 16 as well. Supplements will include: Theatrical Trailer Interviews (Director & Writer Alex O Eaton, Natalia Dyer, Kate Lyn Sheil) Deleted Scenes (Opening Dream Sequence, Lunch, Swimming in the lake, Clara visits the barn) Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Warner Bros. is set to release Matt Peters' LEGO DC: Batman – Family Matters starring Troy Baker, Alyson Stoner, Scott Menville, Jason Spisak, and Steve Blum on Blu-ray on August 6. Supplements have not been revealed yet. In addition, the studio is prepping The CW's Arrow: The Complete Seventh Season starring Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Susanna Thompson, and Emily Bett Rickards for Blu-ray on August 20. The release will feature all 22 one-hour episodes and 2 full crossover episodes. Supplements will include: The Best of DC TV's Comic-Con Panel San Diego 2018 Inside the Crossover: Elseworlds Villains: Modes of Persuasion Gag Reel Deleted Scene And rounding out Warner's upcoming lineup will be The CW's The Flash: The Complete Fifth Season starring Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Cavanagh, and Jesse L. Martin on August 27. The release will feature all 22 one-hour episodes and 2 full crossover episodes. Supplements will include: The Best of DC TV's Comic-Con Panel San Diego 2018 The Evolution of Killer Frost Inside the Crossover: Elseworlds Villains: Modes of Persuasion Deleted Scenes Gag Reel Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule.Posted Tue Jun 11, 2019 at 05:55 PM PDT by:
