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'IMAX: The Greatest Places' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed[teaser]See seven of the world's natural wonders as you've never seen them before on Blu-ray next month. [/teaser] In an announcement to retailers, Inception Media is preparing 'IMAX: The Greatest Places' for Blu-ray on May 17. This dazzling IMAX adventure features Greenland’s massive icebergs, Madagascar’s unique inhabitants, the Namib Desert’s sprawling dunes, the lustrous Okavango Delta, Tibet’s ancient plateaus, the roaring Iguazu Falls and the mighty Amazon river. A tour of our planet’s most natural wonders, featuring remarkable wildlife, mighty natural feats that will make you gasp, natural land formations and brilliant topography … all captured in beautiful detail for a rich, vibrant experience you will never forget! The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and supplements will include an IMAX trailer reel. Suggested list price is only $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'IMAX: The Greatest Places' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 17.Posted Thu Apr 28, 2011 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-ray $9.95 Extravaganza at WB Shop[teaser]Dozens of Blu-ray movies are going for 10 bucks a pop over at the WB Shop! [/teaser] According to a recent e-mail advertisement, Warner Brothers has just launched a sale selling a slew of their Blu-ray movies for only $9.95 each. Some highlights include 'Splice,' 'Clash of the Titans (2010),' and more! Click here to browse the entire selection of titles available! This offer is not combinable with any other offers and expires on May 17 2011.Posted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 11:20 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic Now Offers 3D 'Avatar' with 3D Blu-ray Player Purchase[teaser]The expansion of the deal should make the disc a little bit easier to track down. [/teaser] 'Avatar' fans have it rough. If you want to see the movie in 3D like you did in the theaters, you only have two options for getting it. You can either buy a Panasonic TV or pick up the movie on eBay for around $100. Neither choice is entirely appealing unless you're already in the market for a TV. Panasonic is making things a little bit easier. They still have exclusivity rights, so don't expect to see it on shelves any time soon, but they're giving the disc to those who purchase 3D Blu-ray players and home theater systems instead of just those that buy TV. Panasonic hopes this will give people quite a bit of incentive to upgrade their Blu-ray players. A free 3D Blu-ray with a $150 DMP-BDT110 is a nice setup. The unintended consequence is that there will be more 3D 'Avatar' discs in the wild, which means more for eBay and lower prices for those that don't want to buy a new Panasonic player but still want their 'Avatar' Blu-ray. Source: TWICEPosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
DarbeeVision Announces an HDMI Cable with Built-in Video Processor[teaser]The company says their tech will significantly improve pictures in movies and games. [/teaser] The folks at DarbeeVision have an interesting new piece of technology that they're shipping out to accessory manufacturers now. It's an HDMI cable with a video processor built right in that's said to improve your picture dramatically. DarbeeVision seems to be targeting gamers as their key demographic, since it's a group ripe with early adopters. "Gamers pride themselves on being up to speed on the latest and greatest," says founder Paul Darbee. "They have a rabid appetite for new products, and gaming is truly more than a hobby." Darbee goes on to explain just what the new tech will do. "Our new HDMI cable will put gamers inside the action, drawing them deeper into the game by adding depth of scene and extreme clarity and detail," he says. "Objects in the game will appear to possess a strong sense of depth separation and roundness." The company is offering its new technology to gaming accessory manufacturers now, so don't be surprised if you see special HDMI cables brought out by Mad Catz in the near future. Source: TwicePosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'An Innocent Man' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Tom Selleck does not pass "GO" and goes directly to jail in a few weeks. [/teaser] In an announcement to retailers, Mill Creek has revealed 'An Innocent Man' will have a Blu-ray release on May 10. Selleck stars as Jimmie Rainwood who finds himself framed for drug dealing and sent to prison in this 1989 crime drama directed by Peter Yates. The Blu-ray will feature 1080i video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, and no supplements whatsoever. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $9.98. You can find the latest specs for 'An Innocent Man' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 10.Posted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Netflix Continues to Focus on Streaming - De-emphasizes Discs[teaser]The company boasts 23.6 million subscribers, with streaming content being the main attraction. [/teaser] This may not come as a surprise, but Netflix is doing well. They made $60 million in the first quarter of this year, which is an 88 percent increase when compared to the first quarter of 2010. They've expanded into Canada, introduced new subscription models for the US, and are sitting at a total of 23.6 million subscribers. CEO Reed Hastings, on a call with analysts yesterday, said that the emphasis for Netflix going forward will be streaming. He declined to talk about numbers for disc shipments, but did say that he expects them to decline. Hastings says that the success of streaming means that discs are less important when comparing Netflix to the competition. " In order to prosper in streaming we must concentrate on having the best possible streaming service," he says. " As a result, we are beginning to treat them separately in many ways." Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-ray Gets 'Beastly' This Summer[teaser]The modern take on 'Beauty and the Beast' will bow on Blu-ray this June. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony says 'Beastly' is in the works for high-definition on June 28. The film stars Alex Pettyfer as a popular, spoiled, and shallow high school student who is transformed into a grotesque creature and only has a year to find love in order to break the curse. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a lossless soundtrack, and supplements will include "Be Mine" Music Video by Kristina and the Dolls, A Classic Tale Retold: The Story of Beastly, Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending, and Creating the Perfect Beast. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $34.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Beastly' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under June 28.Posted Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'The Final Destination - 3D' Announced for Blu-ray 3D[teaser]The fourth film in the horror franchise heads to Blu-ray 3D this August, just in time for 'Final Destination 5.' The title of the last movie was a lie! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers has revealed 'The Final Destination - 3D' will hit stores on August 16. The movie has already been released on Blu-ray in anaglyph 3D and you can read our review of that edition here. The Blu-ray 3D contains both the 2D and 3D versions of the film with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Two alternate endings; Previsualization and Storyboards; Body Count: The Deaths on The Final Destination – Deconstructing Key Death Scenes; and Additional Scenes. The release will also include a voucher for up to $8 movie cash to see 'Final Destination 5 - 3D' in theatres on August 26. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray 3D is $44.95. You can find the latest specs for 'The Final Destination - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 16.Posted Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
Mitsubishi Japan's New Blu-ray Player Features BDXL Support and a Double Sided Remote[teaser]They hit Japan late next month, but we don't expect to see them reach the US. [/teaser] The latest Blu-ray player line to come out of Mitsubishi Japan is a particularly interesting one, since it boasts several features not found in most players. That's a pretty big deal, considering how common things like Wi-Fi, access to streaming services and even 3D capability have become. Mitsubishi is branding these players as REAL Blu-ray players, and it's plain to see why they earn the name. They do everything your typical Blu-ray player does, but boast hard drives ranging in size from 500GB up to 2TB so you can record all the TV you want. The player comes with a double-sided remote that offers controls for your TV on one side and your Blu-ray Player / DVR on the other. Flipping it from one side to the other triggers a built-in sensor that can identify which end is up. Source: EngadgetPosted Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 11:30 AM PDT by: -
Top 10 Impending Blu-ray Releases We Just Had To Pre-Orderby Aaron Peck I didn't mean for this whole list to be catalogue titles, but there are so many that are scheduled for the rest of this year, it just turned out that way. There isn't a movie on this list of upcoming titles 2011 that I could leave off. I'm excited to unwrap all of them to see the treasures inside. Will the transfers be handled with care, or will they be ramshackle messes thrown together at the last minute? Will the audio be reproduced with the clarity it deserves (I'm looking at you 'Lion King' and 'The Blues Brothers'), or will the studio skimp on a less than amazing audio presentation? What about the special features? Will we get any new, insightful, high-def features that test the limits of the Blu-ray format, or will we simply get a few extra features ported over from the DVD releases? [teaser]The following are the top ten Blu-rays I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year. There may be many more announcements of great movies coming to Blu-ray, but as of right now this is my be all, end all list.[/teaser] 10) 'Dazed and Confused' I've met people that swear by 'Dazed and Confused'. That if they only had to watch one movie over and over again for the rest of their lives, this would be it. I've also met people that hated 'Dazed and Confused' and never really got why the movie received so much attention and what can be considered today as a fairly strong cult following. There are just some people that love Richard Linklater's comedy about high school. I for one am a fan, although not a rabid one. What I really want to see is how Universal treats this one. Do they give it a remaster, or do they just use the same transfer they used for the HD DVD release? Better yet, will Criterion release a Blu-ray edition like they did on DVD? 9) 'The Blues Brothers' How can you not love John Landis' 'Blues Brothers'? It's an icon of the 80s and features John Belushi (the much better brother) and Dan Aykroyd at the top of their comedic games. This is one of those movies where it could go either way on whether Universal really wants to put the money into giving it a great looking transfer with an equally great sounding audio mix. It's beloved by many, but do enough people love 'The Blues Brothers' that Universal will feel the need to give us a top-notch high-def presentation? I sincerely hope so. 8) 'The Birds' It's easy to celebrate Hitchcock's films being put on Blu-ray, even if 'The Birds' is one of his cornier works. I'm prepping myself right now for how hokey the special effects will look in HD. With that said, anything of Hitchcock's that receives the Blu-ray treatment I'll be all over. I'm just excited to see his movies slowly coming to the format. Emphasis on slowly. 7) To Kill a Mockingbird' Ah, the classics. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' should look great on Blu-ray. Russell Harlan's beautiful black and white photography is going to look stunning. I just know it. Well, I hope it anyway. I never cease to be surprised at the clarity Blu-ray affords black and white movies. It's like watching a brand new film. I can't wait to sit down and watch this one in high-def. 6) 'Twilight Zone Season 4' This one was an easy pick. I've reviewed the last three 'Twilight Zone' seasons, and Image has really done a bang-up job with them. Not only do they look astounding and sound terrific, the inclusion of a massive amount of extras on each set pleases fans like me to no end. I'm just excited to get this one in the collection next to the others. 5) 'Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology' A few of these have already been released on Blu-ray, but not all of them. I'm particularly excited with the inclusion of 'Superman the Movie: Expanded Edition' and Richard Donner's cut of 'Superman II'. It'll just be nice to have all these films in a gargantuan set. 4) 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' You got to love the fact that Monty Python's masterpiece is finally getting a Blu-ray release. Okay, well you don't have to love it, but I certainly do. We already have 'Life of Brian' on the format, which is a good start, but getting 'The Holy Grail' will be wonderful. Again, this is one of those movies that could go either way. We could be staring at a beautiful remaster, or a worn-out master that has been used before. Hopefully some time is put into this one. I can't wait to see what it looks and sounds like. 3) 'Star Wars: The Complete Saga' Finally! It's been a long time coming, but they're finally here. Well, in a few months they will be. At least we're not sitting around in the dark waiting for Lucas to throw us a bone. We know exactly when they'll hit store shelves. I'm a completist so even though I didn't love the prequels I'll still be picking up the 'Complete Saga' edition. If for anything else, there are some fantastic RiffTrax for the 'Star Wars' prequels. For those of you that only love the original three films, then they're releasing them in a separate trilogy just for you. You can also buy the prequels in their own trilogy, but why on earth would you do that? 2) 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions' It was pretty much a resounding agreement when 'Lord of the Rings' fans announced that they were waiting for the Extended Editions. The Theatrical Editions came out not too long ago, but most of us said, “What's the point?” They'll come out with the better versions later, we've just got to be patient. Now our patience is paying off. The extended editions add a tremendous amount of enjoyment to the movies, not to mention the mountains of great extras that come along with them. I'm also holding out hope that the transfers will be just a bit better. We all saw Nate's review, which took 'Fellowship' to task. These movies can and should look better the second time around. 1) 'The Lion King' I love Disney's classic animated titles, and if there was one movie in the Disney catalogue that was built for a Blu-ray presentation, 'The Lion King' is definitely it. With its sweeping scope and vividly colored animation, I expect nothing less than demo-quality. It'll be interesting to see how well the early CG that was used in the film translates to a high-def medium. Will it look dated, or will it look just as glorious as when we first saw it? Lastly, I've got to say that 8-Disc 'Lion King Trilogy' edition looks mighty tempting. Those are the releases I'm excited for as this year moves along. What titles are you excited for? I know my lists are always far from perfect, but I love hearing from our readers. What did I miss? What Blu-rays are you excited to unwrap and dive into in the coming months? Let us know in the forums by clicking the convenient link below.Posted Tue Apr 26, 2011 at 11:00 AM PDT by:
