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Blu-ray Receives A Nasty 'Chain Letter'[teaser]Death by Spam -- on Blu-ray in February! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Image Entertainment has revealed 'Chain Letter' is coming to Blu-ray on February 1. Featuring Nikki Reed ('The Twilight Saga'), Betsy Russell (the 'Saw' series), and Michael J. Pagan ('CSI: Miami'), this terrifying thriller in the tradition of 'The Grudge' and 'Final Destination' proves death is always watching and waiting and anyone could be next! Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Chain Letter' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under February 1.Posted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
Rumor: Hulu Plus Dropping Price to $4.95 a Month[teaser]A more reasonable pricing scheme could make Hulu Plus a lot easier to justify. [/teaser] When Hulu Plus was first announced, it seemed so ripe with possibility. The promise of watching all the shows you want whenever you want captured our attention. It was a grand slam, but Hulu failed to follow it up. Content on Hulu Plus is lacking, shows are still delayed, and the much anticipated launch of the service on consumer devices hasn't happened yet. From the sound of things, people haven't been as quick to adapt the Hulu Plus service as the company had hoped. Peter Kafka over at All Things D has some inside information on the subject. According to his source, Hulu is planning on slashing subscription costs from $9.95 a month to $4.95 a month which would bring it down to a more appropriate price. Source: All Things D via EngadgetPosted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
'Attack on Pearl Harbor - 70th Commemorative Edition' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Gregg Toland's documentary will arrive on Blu-ray exactly 70 years after the infamous attack against the United States this December. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Timeless Media Group has announced 'Attack on Pearl Harbor - 70th Commemorative Edition' for a Blu-ray release on December 7. On the morning of December 7, 1941, a surprise attack by Japanese naval aviation against the American held island of Oahu and Pearl Harbor, thrust the United States into World War II. This story details one of the most momentous events in American history and a crucial turning point in the 20th century. Most importantly, it is a story of the people who were there, told through eyewitness accounts of American and Japanese veterans, some of whose stories have never been told. This is a story of perseverance and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. This is the story of Pearl Harbor. December 7th, produced on behalf of the U.S. government and directed by acclaimed cinematographer Gregg Toland, is a dramatization of the events that precipitated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Framed as a debate between Walter Huston's Uncle Sam and Harry Davenport's Mr. C (that's "C" for "Conscience") the film attempts to determine who was to blame. Though December 7th is more balanced than most propaganda films of the time, even suggesting that the United States should have been better prepared, it is still an indictment of Japanese-Hawaiians and the alleged role they may have played. Specs and supplements haven't been confirmed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $14.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Attack on Pearl Harbor - 70th Commemorative Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 7.Posted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
How the Studios Lost Out on Netflix[teaser]If things had gone a little bit differently back in 2002, we could be seeing a very different Netflix right now. [/teaser] Story time. The year is 2002 and a fledgling DVD-by-mail company known as Netflix goes public. Warner Bros makes a deal for pre-IPO stock in the company, and the rest of the studios jump on board. The company moves slowly, and the major studios sell their stock. Somewhere back in 2008 things started to change for the company. Streamed content was gaining popularity thanks to inclusion on the Xbox 360 and more devices were soon to follow. Now Netflix has become a giant in the industry, with stock trading at around $170 a share. Of course, if the studios had held on to their stock it's unlikely we'd still have the service we have today. Source: The WrapPosted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Mademoiselle Chambon' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed[teaser]The critically-acclaimed 2001 French romance will sweep high-definition off its feet in December. [/teaser] Kino Video has just announced 'Mademoiselle Chambon' starring Vincent Lindon and Sandrine Kiberlain for Blu-ray on December 7. A 'beautifully observed' (NY Magazine) evocation of what it feels like to fall dizzyingly in love, Mademoiselle Chambon won the Cesar (the French Oscar) for best Adapted Screenplay, and is an unqualified triumph for director Stéphane Brizé. The Blu-ray will have 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Interview with Director Stéphane Brizé, Deleted Scenes with introduction by film critic Stephane Goudet, Trailers, and a Stills Gallery. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $34.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Mademoiselle Chambon' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 7.Posted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Roxio Will Be Launching on More Devices than Ever[teaser]Hundreds of consumer electronic devices will be using Roxio this fall. [/teaser] The guys at Sonic Solutions have found a great deal of success in their Roxio platform. Sure, the Roxio service didn't take off like Netflix did, but Sonic Solutions is not powering a variety of different web based video offerings. Companies like Blockbuster and Best Buy use the Roxio backbone for their sales and rentals, and that's big business. Sonic announced today hundreds of new devices would be carrying the Roxio distribution platform this holiday season. The list of makers includes the usual suspects like LG, Onkyo and Panasonic, but also some unexpected names like Sylvania, Memorex and HTC. Source: Sonic SolutionsPosted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Panasonic's Hall of Fame Inductees and 3D Award[teaser]It's award season at Panasonic, even if one of those awards seems a little less than legitimate. [/teaser] Panasonic has been championing 3D technology from the start, which is why the company received the first annual Charles Wheatstone award. It was given to them by the International 3D Society, of which Panasonic is a significant member. It's a nice honor, but it seems a little like helping to create a club and then giving yourself an award for doing so. More significant were the inductions of Richard Kraft and Dr. Larry Weber into the Consumer Electronics hall of fame. Kraft is a former president of Panasonic North America and is the first American to ever hold that position. He helped spearhead the HD movement and helped to revitalize the company and put it in a position that would make it competitive in the HD TV market. Dr. Weber helped to create the energy recovery sustain circuit as well as other key technologies that aided in bringing plasma technology to the forefront. Source: PanasonicPosted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 06:30 AM PDT by: -
'Rob Roy' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Visit the Scottish highlands in Michael Caton-Jones' 1700s period epic coming to Blu-ray in January. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox/MGM has revealed 'Rob Roy' starring Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, and Tim Roth is coming to Blu-ray on January 11. Although Liam Neeson stars as the titular hero, it's Tim Roth who steals the show -- receiving Oscar, Golden Globe, and Saturn nominations for his performance and winning the Kansas City Film Critics Circle and BAFTA awards. Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Rob Roy' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 11.Posted Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: Zombie Blu-ray Bundle $27.99 at Amazon[teaser]Save over 50 percent on an undead triple pack this week at Amazon! [/teaser] The online retailer has put up their exclusive 'Zombie Blu-ray Bundle' as the deal of the week for only $27.99 (53% off the suggested list price). The bundle includes: 'Dawn of the Dead (1978),' 'Day of the Dead (1985),' and 'Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn.' Click here to do the zombie shuffle and dance with the dead on Blu-ray! This offer is in effect from now through October 30.Posted Sun Oct 24, 2010 at 02:40 PM PDT by: -
Around the World in 80 HD AdvisorsEditor'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 Audio Jitter Q: I use a PS3 as my main media center. I recently was forced to switch from an original "fat" PS3 to a PS3 Slim since the fat one died on me. I began reading up on the differences between the two systems and found that the PS3 Slim produces more audio jitter when watching DVDs and CDs. What is audio jitter, and will it really affect the technical performance of the film? Basically, can I hear it? A: Jitter is one of those things that audiophiles like to stress-out about. For the rest of us, in real practical terms, if you don't notice anything wrong then you probably shouldn't worry too much about it. Any sort of digital data transmission, including audio, will be sent from source (Blu-ray player) to destination (A/V receiver) as a stream of 1s and 0s. Assuming the connection is sound, the destination should receive all of the 1s and 0s, and receive them in the proper order, thus allowing it to decode that signal. However, jitter is a variation in the timing of those 1s and 0s. Some may arrive just a little bit early, and others may arrive just a little bit late. If the jitter is severe, that can lead to audible distortion or degradation of the sound signal. Think of it like listening to an old LP on a record player with an unstable motor that randomly speeds up and slows down how fast it spins the disc. That's an exaggerated example, of course, but it may help to demonstrate how timing can affect the audible results. In the past, I'd always been told that transmitting audio in PCM format was more susceptible to jitter issues than transmitting in either Dolby or DTS bitstream formats. Audio compression codecs (whether lossy or lossless) packetize the data and require clocking mechanisms in the receiver that should minimize or eliminate jitter. However, this paper claims just the opposite, that bitstream transmission is more susceptible to jitter. Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure what to believe. I'll leave it to our audiophile readers to argue this out in the forums. [Update: As pointed out by a reader, that paper was actually referring to data storage on the disc, not transmission method. My initial understanding was correct that "bitstream" transmission should not suffer from jitter.] Early CD players and audio receivers that transmitted linear PCM over S/PDIF connections (either Toslink optical or digital coax) were quite prone to jitter, which is what launched so much consternation over the subject in the first place. Most modern equipment uses data buffers and clocking circuitry that should mitigate the problem. I'm not saying that jitter doesn't exist anymore or that no one can hear it. Let's just say that some people are more sensitive to it than others. Or at least claim to be. Since you'd previously owned the old version of the PS3 and now have the newer PS3 Slim, I'd simply recommend that you watch a bunch of movies and decide for yourself whether you hear anything different or "wrong." If nothing stands out to you, then I suggest that there's no reason to stress about it. Just enjoy your movies. Center Channel Volume Q: I'm just curious as to what decibel levels above I should put my center channel speaker at? If I leave it the same level as my front and rears, then it's too low. I'm using a sound level meter. A: Generally speaking, you should calibrate all of your speakers to read the same decibel level with test tones. Movie soundtracks are mixed in that fashion, and with the expectation that you will listen accordingly. However, it's very possible that acoustic conditions in your room may affect the audibility of dialogue from the center channel. If your A/V receiver offers any sort of automated calibration program such as Audyssey MultEQ, it may be worth giving that a try. In addition to setting speaker volume levels, these programs often also adjust equalization settings to "correct" sonic problems in the room and improve audibility. While I'm not necessarily 100% sold on these techniques in all circumstances (sometimes this sort of fiddling with the signal does more harm than good), it may be worthwhile if you have a consistent problem hearing dialogue. It's also worth noting that many modern movies (especially action and sci-fi movies, but not necessarily limited to those genres) are mixed extremely "hot," with (sometimes excessive) dynamic range that causes dialogue to be drowned out by music and sound effects. Last year's 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' was a big offender in this regard. I find this tendency really obnoxious and grating. In these situations, you may find benefit in raising your center channel volume a little bit to compensate. But there isn't going to be one magic setting that will work for every movie, so you'll just have to set it to taste, and remember to change it back when the movie is over. 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! Vertical Stripes in 'First Blood' and 'Broken Arrow' Q: I was recently watching the Blu-ray release of 'First Blood.' I noticed in some of the shots what appeared to be a series of several dozen vertical stripes of slightly higher brightness. It was most noticeable in the scene where Col. Trautman is first talking to Rambo over the radio. The shots with Rambo look perfectly normal, but the shots of Trautman inside the tent have these parallel, vertical lines of alternating brightness. I remember noticing the same thing on a number of the desert shots when I watched 'Broken Arrow' a little while back. However, I had watched the two movies on two different Blu-ray players (DMP-BD60K and BD-P1000 respectively), but on the same television. I didn't see any mention of the problems in the reviews of the movies, so I was wondering if there might be a problem with my television (a Panasonic TBM2AX03401). Is this possibly something on the source material, or could it be my setup? JZ: Has anyone else noticed this problem with either of these discs? 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 Oct 22, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by:
