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'The Mikado' and 'Topsy-Turvy' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Two Gilbert & Sullivan films are in the Blu-ray pipeline for the end of March. [/teaser] Criterion has revealed the 1939 musical comedy 'The Mikado' for Blu-ray on March 29. The legendary Gilbert and Sullivan troupe the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company joined forces with Hollywood for this 1939 Technicolor version of the fabled comic opera, the first complete work by the famed duo to be adapted for the screen, directed by musician and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Victor Schertzinger ('One Night of Love,' 'Road to Singapore'). The result is a lavish cinematic retelling of the British political satire set in exotic Japan, with such enduringly popular numbers as “A Wandering Minstrel I” and “Three Little Maids from School Are We,” and featuring performances by American singer Kenny Baker as well as a host of renowned D’Oyly Carte actors, including Martyn Green and Sydney Granville. The Blu-ray will feature a 1080p transfer, an uncompressed mono soundtrack, and supplements include: New video interview with Topsy-Turvy director Mike Leigh on The Mikado and its adaptation for the screen; New video interview with Mikado scholars Josephine Lee and Ralph MacPhail Jr., tracing the 1939 filmed version of the opera back to its 1885 stage debut; Short silent film promoting the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's 1926 stage performance of The Mikado; and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien. Criterion will also be bringing 'Topsy-Turvy' to Blu-ray on the same date. The world of Gilbert and Sullivan comes to vivid life in this extraordinary dramatization of the staging of their legendary 1885 comic opera 'The Mikado' from Mike Leigh ('Naked,' 'Secrets and Lies'). Jim Broadbent ('Moulin Rouge,' 'Iris') and Allan Corduner ('Yentl,' 'Vera Drake') brilliantly inhabit the roles of the world-famous Victorian librettist and composer, respectively, who, along with their troupe of temperamental actors, must battle personal and professional demons while mounting this major production. A lushly produced epic about the harsh realities of creative expression, featuring bravura performances and Oscar-winning costume design and makeup, 'Topsy-Turvy' is an unexpected period delight from one of contemporary cinema’s great artists. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Audio commentary featuring director Mike Leigh; New video conversation between Leigh and the film's musical director, Gary Yershon; A Sense of History: Leigh's 1992 short film written by and starring actor Jim Broadbent; Deleted scenes; Featurette from 1999 including interviews with Leigh, stars Broadbent and Allan Corduner, and other cast members; Theatrical trailer and TV spots; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Amy Taubin. Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'The Mikado' and 'Topsy-Turvy' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they are indexed under March 29.Posted Mon Dec 20, 2010 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'National Geographic Ultimate High Definition Collection' Blu-ray $34.99 at Amazon[teaser]Amazon's deal this week is a boxed set of six great documentaries from National Geographic! [/teaser] The online retailer is now selling 'National Geographic Ultimate High Definition Collection' for $34.99 (59% off suggested list price). Programs include: 'Atmospheres: Earth, Air & Water,' 'Relentless Enemies,' 'Kingdom of the Blue Whale,' 'Rhino Rescue,' 'Extreme,' and 'Journey to the Edge of the Universe.' Click here to order this six disc set today! This offer is valid now thru December 25.Posted Sun Dec 19, 2010 at 01:50 PM PST by: -
Fourscore and Seven HD Advisors AgoEditor's Note: Each Friday, High-Def Digest's own HD Advisor will answer a new round of questions from our readers. If you have home theater questions you need answered, send an email to [email protected]. If you've already sent a question and don't see it answered yet, please be patient as we work our way through them. To browse through previously answered questions, visit the main HD Advisor page. Answers by Joshua Zyber Double Feature Blu-rays Q: I was recently shopping at Wal-Mart and I headed over to the Blu-ray section. I saw Blu-rays on sale with 2 movies in them, particularly 'First Blood' and 'Rambo'. Are these movies both on 1 disc, or are they just saving on packaging and including both discs in one box? I know that studios would put multiple movies on 1 disc when it came to DVDs, but I wasn't sure if that had found its way to Blu yet. If they are putting 2 movies on 1 disc, isn't the quality of each movie going to be downgraded due to compression? A: I believe what you saw was this so-called "Blu-ray 2-Pack" with both 'First Blood' and the latest 'Rambo' sequel in the same case. From what I can tell, this is a 2-disc set that's just a repackaging of the previous separate editions of each into the same case together. The discs themselves should be identical to those released earlier. However, other studios (notably Warner Bros.) have embraced the double-feature Blu-ray with two movies on the same disc. For example, Warner issued this single-disc edition of 'The Last Boyscout' and 'Last Man Standing', as well as this pairing of 'Presumed Innocent' and 'Frantic', among others. Yes, you are correct that putting two movies on the same disc may compromise both due to compression. Essentially, this means that each movie has been authored onto a single 25 gb disc layer. However, keep in mind that, depending on the length and visual complexity of the movies, this doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be unwatchable. For the studios, double-feature discs like these are a compromise that allows them to issue catalog releases of marginal interest titles that will hopefully generate some sales, but probably not enough to justify full-blown restorations or special treatment. This certainly isn't ideal, but may be our only chance to see some of these movies on Blu-ray at all. PS3 Audio Settings Revisited Q: I have a follow up question for your last column. My Onkyo reciever does not decode the DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD formats. Are there any settings in the PS3 that need to be done to be able to output the high definition audio, or am I stuck with lossy formats? Or is the PS3 converting to LPCM and sending it to the receiver as high def? The system sounds good and I feel that the sound is better when I am watching a Blu-ray compared to a DVD, but I am not sure if it some kind of placebo effect where I think it sounds better but it may be the same. A: If your Onkyo receiver has an HDMI input, and if it's able to process audio over HDMI (as opposed to just video passthrough on that connection), you can get the full benefit of Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio from your PS3. In the PS3s setup menu, make sure you set your audio to output in LPCM format. With this, the PS3 decodes the TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio internally and converts them to uncompressed PCM. The PCM has all the full quality of the original master. It's just been unpacked from the compression codec similar to un-Zipping a data file on your computer. If your receiver doesn't have an HDMI input, or if it is limited to video passthrough over HDMI, you will not get full lossless quality audio from a PS3. You'll have to connect the console to the receiver by a digital coax or Toslink optical connection, which cannot carry 5.1 channels of PCM. They are limited to 2 channels of PCM, or up to 6.1 channels of the lossy Dolby Digital or DTS codecs. In this case, set the PS3 to "bitstream" for audio. The console will downgrade the signal to standard DD 5.1 or DTS 5.1 quality, but that's the best you can do with this combination of equipment. I'll point out one more option for you, though. If your receiver has multi-channel analog inputs, you may consider buying a standalone Blu-ray player with the same type of multi-channel analog outputs. You should be able to find one for a reasonable price these days. In this scenario, the player would both decode the TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio and convert it to analog for you. All your receiver would have to do is amplify the signal, and you'd still benefit from the quality of the original lossless track. Audyssey Calibration and Analog Connections Q: My current set-up includes a Panasonic DMP-BD80 Blu-ray player and a Onkyo TX-SR506 A/V receiver. Unfortunately, the receiver is unable to decode HD audio tracks, but the Blu-ray player is. The two are thus connected via analog multi-channel outputs; the player decodes and converts the track where it is then sent to the receiver for amplification (information which you know of course). The Onkyo has the Audyssey calibration feature which through the use of the supplied microphone, allows the user to calibrate the receiver with the connecting speakers for an improved audio experience. Does this mean that when I am watching Blu-ray films, I am not benefiting from Audyssey calibration, because it is decoded and converted in the player? A: Essentially, yes. Audyssey MultEQ (and similar auto-calibration features) will set speaker levels and add EQ to compensate for acoustic issues in your room. These adjustments are made in the processing component of the A/V receiver. When you connect your Blu-ray player to the receiver by multi-channel analog, you bypass the processing section of the receiver and only use the amplification section. All audio decoding and processing is handled in the Blu-ray player, not the receiver. Therefore, you should adjust your speaker levels in the player's setup menu, preferably using a sound level meter. You might be able to copy the level settings that Audyssey programmed into the receiver and carry them over to the Blu-ray player. (Theoretically, they should wind up with the same results, but I don't know that I'd be comfortable relying on that.) However, you will not be able to benefit from any EQ that Audyssey might apply. Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor The HD Advisor knows many things, but he doesn't know everything. Some questions are best answered with a consensus of opinions from our readers. If you can help to answer the following question, please post your response in our forum thread linked at the end of this article. Your advice and opinions matter too! Transferring 8mm Film to DVD Q: We have tons of old 8mm film home movies laying around. The films are getting old, and I am afraid that they will not last much longer. My first thought was to send them off to have them professionally restored and transferred. There are a lot of services like this, and places like CVS that resale the service for other companies. I got excited when I saw prices of $25 a reel – but soon realized that those were for the small reels. Most places charge per foot, and I calculated that it would cost us about $300 for a large reel, and we have about 15 or so large reels. I then looked at buying my own telecine device. These seem to start at $1500 and go up to several grand. With the cheap ones, I think you are supposed to supply your own camera. $1500 would be cheaper than having all the movies transferred, and then I could sale the service to others, but I am looking at something cheaper still. I found these. Basically, it’s a little box that you shine a projector in one side, and put a camera in the other. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these? I got an HD Nikon camera, but it only takes video with auto-focus, and I'm not sure if I can auto-focus with that short of a distance. (Nikon Coolpix p100). However, what I am even more worried about is differences in frame rate. I also keep thinking of those awful CAMs that you see on the internet (not that I know anything about them). So, what do you think? Or do you know of another solution? I saw somewhere where you could build your own telecine device, and that could possibly be an option too, if the price is right. Check back soon for another round of answers. Keep those questions coming. Joshua Zyber's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of this site, its owners or employees.Posted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
'Almost Famous (Bootleg Edition)' Blu-ray Best Buy Exclusive[teaser]Cameron Crowe's acclaimed drama is planned for Blu-ray at the end of January. [/teaser] Paramount is planning to release 'Almost Famous (Bootleg Edition)' on Blu-ray on January 30 exclusively at Best Buy. The film stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson and was nominated for four Oscars -- winning Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Cameron Crowe. Specs, supplements, and suggested list price for the Blu-ray are still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Almost Famous (Bootleg Edition)' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 30.Posted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 10:45 AM PST by: -
Save $8 on 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' Blu-ray at Amazon[teaser]Save $8 on the third moody vampire film on Blu-ray! [/teaser] Here's another offer this time to save $8 on 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' starring Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson released on December 4. Simply enter the code TWILIGHT at checkout and the discount should be automatically applied to the order. The offer is available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of that savings while you can.Posted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 10:35 AM PST by: -
Hannspree Releases Novelty TVs with Apple and Basketball Designs[teaser]Yeah, we don't get it either. [/teaser] The folks at Hannspree have taken things to the next level in TV design by embedding their HD sets into apples and basketballs. Alright, maybe it's not the "next level" but it's definitely unique. Hannspree's latest sets are 28 inch LCD TVs with a native 1920 x 1200 resolution and the option of a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio. The plain version - the ST289MUB - is available through CircuitCity and Costco, but why would you want that when you can have a TV that's shaped like something? We sort of understand the basketball. If you've got a kid that loves basketball and he needs a TV, it could be a pretty cool setup. The apple shaped TV is a bit more mysterious. Maybe it's meant for teachers and worms. Perhaps it was created for the highly specialized "stuff that confuses grandparents" market - after all, there are plenty of people out there with an Apple TV on their Christmas list. Source: HannspreePosted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 10:30 AM PST by: -
'Thelma & Louise: 20th Anniversary Edition' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]Ridley Scott's 1991 girl power crime drama is slated for Blu-ray in February. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MGM/UA has revealed 'Thelma & Louise: 20th Anniversary Edition' starring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and Harvey Keitel is coming to Blu-ray on February 8. The film was nominated for six Oscars (including Best Director - Ridley Scott, and Best Actress - Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis) and won for Best Writing/Screenplay for Callie Khouri. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Thelma & Louise: 20th Anniversary Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 8.Posted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
DISH Network Introduces 3D Movies On Demand[teaser]As a bonus, everyone who orders one will be entered for a chance to win a 3D TV. (Begging the question, why are they ordering the movies in the first place?!)[/teaser] The folks at DISH are stepping up the 3D content on their service by adding On Demand 3D movies. Say what you will about the quality of the titles, it's content in a market that's starved for it. Among the movies launching this month are 'The Last Airbender' and 'A Christmas Carol.' You'll have to wait until next month to watch 'Saw: The Final Chapter' and ' Despicable Me.' As an added bonus, everyone that orders a 3D movie will be entered into a sweepstakes. The prizes include Fox Family prize packs, Sony Webbie HD cameras, and a 46 inch 3D TV. 3D content from DISH will run between $5.99 and $7.99 and will be delivered in up to 1080p resolution. Source: PR NewswirePosted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
'King of Kings' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The 1961 biopic of Jesus Christ will be blessing Blu-ray in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is working on Nicholas Ray's 'King of Kings' for a Blu-ray release on March 29. The film stars Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus and won a Golden Globe for Best Score. Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: The Camera's Window of the World, premiere newsreels, and theatrical trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'King of Kings' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 29.Posted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
LG Launches a New "HD Soundbar"[teaser]It offers 2.1 channel audio thanks to a wireless sub. [/teaser] If you don't have the room for a full 5.1 channel audio setup, or you're just a little low on cash, you can still get better audio. The solution is the soundbar, a bar of speakers designed to sit under your speakers and provide virtual surround. LG's latest, the LSB316, is definitely designed to fit into a lower price bracket. It offers up six 2.5 inch speaker drivers with a total of 280 watts between them. It's also equipped with a wireless subwoofer to help out with those low frequencies. "The LSB316 not only pumps up the audio performance of programming on TV," says LG's Tim Alessi, "but also brings a richer audio experience to music in an easy to set up and use package." There's been no mention of availability or price for the LSB316, but we expect to hear more in early January. Source: eCousticsPosted Fri Dec 17, 2010 at 07:00 AM PST by:
