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3D More Popular than DVRs by 2019 According to ESPN[teaser]It's a bold prediction at first glance, but it's not surprising. [/teaser] ESPN VP Sean Bratches took part in a Q&A recently. At the event, he confirmed that ESPN believes that 3D televisions will be more popular than DVRs by 2019. It's a pretty wild statement, but when you look at the landscape, it's really not surprising. For starters, Bratches simply said that more people will own 3D televisions than DVRs, which is inevitable. A good chunk of this year's new televisions are 3D capable, and they're great sets even if you don't use the 3D features. In the next few years, 3D could easily become a standard feature included on all sets. Whether you want to use it is up to you, of course. There's also a new breed of internet connected televisions hitting the market, which will only become stronger as time goes on. If download and streaming services continue their upward trend, many people will drop their DVRs for the internet option. As far as actual usage is concerned, we'll see how that goes when ESPN 3D goes on the air June 11th. Source: Multichannel NewsPosted Fri May 28, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Sons of Anarchy: Season Two' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The second season of the gritty FX biker drama from series creator Kurt Sutter ('The Shield') will be charming up high-definition this August. [/teaser] 20th Century Fox is prepping 'Sons of Anarchy: Season Two' starring Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, and Charlie Hunnam for a Blu-ray bow on August 31. Drawing an average of 4.5 million viewers per week, “Sons Of Anarchy” saw a 72% increase in viewership from season one to season two. In the volatile second season, internal alliances are formed, relationships within SAMCRO are strained and the leader of a white separatist League of American Nations (LOAN) moves in to gain a foothold in the Northern California heroin trade. Undermining SAMCRO within the community, LOAN attempts to drive the club to self-destruction. The 3-disc set will contain all 13 episodes with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and supplements will include: deleted scenes, gag reel, The Moral Code of Sons of Anarchy, A Night Out with the Crew at Happy Endings Bar, Sons of Anarchy Happy Ending Roundtable, John the Revelator Music Video, and commentaries on select episodes. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $69.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Sons of Anarchy: Season Two' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 31.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 03:55 PM PDT by: -
'Escape from New York' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Snake Plissken finally heads to the big apple on high-definition this August![/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MGM/UA has revealed John Carpenter's 'Escape from New York' starring Kurt Russell is coming to Blu-ray on August 3. Specs and details have yet to be revealed, but the release will be a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and suggested list price is $24.99. Snake's second citywide escape over on the West Coast is already available on Blu-ray and you can read Michael S. Palmer's review of 'Escape from L.A.' here! You can find the latest specs for 'Escape from New York' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 3.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'Green Zone' Blu-ray Coming a Week Sooner![teaser]Matt Damon's action/thriller infiltrating high-definition in June has been pushed up a week. [/teaser] As previously reported, Universal has announced Paul Greengrass' 'Green Zone' also starring Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, and Brendan Gleeson for Blu-ray on June 29, but now the release date has been changed to June 22. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Feature commentary with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass; Inside the Green Zone— An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of some of Green Zone's most powerful scenes; Matt Damon: Ready for Action— Matt Damon demonstrates the grueling training regimen he used to prepare for his role in Green Zone; and Deleted Scenes. Exclusive to the Blu-ray will be U-Control: Video Commentary with Matt Damon and Director Paul Greengrass; U-Control: Picture In Picture – Get behind the scenes features and interviews with the cast and crew while you watch the movie!; BD-Live; pocket Blu; and a limited time only Digital Copy. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Green Zone' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 22.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:30 AM PDT by: -
'Humanoids from the Deep' Blu-ray Supplements Detailed[teaser]As previously reported, a fishy Roger Corman Cult Classic, will be swimming to Blu-ray in August, and now the features have been detailed.[/teaser] Shout Factory will be bringing 'Humanoids from the Deep' starring Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, and the late Vic Morrow to Blu-ray on August 3. The 1980 drive-in classic unleashes genetically mutated fish-men upon the fishing town of Noyo to wreak bloody havoc and, of course, mate with the human females! This B-movie also features an early score by 'Titanic' composer James Horner. Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements will include: Never-before-seen deleted scenes; trailer, TV and radio spots; Leonard Maltin’s interviews with Roger Corman on the making of the film; “The Making of Humanoids From The Deep,” featuring new interviews with composer James Horner, second unit/assistant director James Sbardellati, editor Mark Goldblatt and more!; and New World trailers. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $26.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Humanoids from the Deep' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 3.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
'Bull Durham' Blu-ray Spotted at Best Buy[teaser]The baseball drama starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins just announced for an August Blu-ray release has already been found at Best Buy, apparently as a retailer exclusive. [/teaser] It seems MGM/UA has slipped the Blu-ray of 'Bull Durham' under the radar exclusively at Best Buy, even though it isn't scheduled to be released until August 3. Specs and details have yet to be confirmed, but the release is a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and suggested list price is $24.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Bull Durham' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 3.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:30 AM PDT by: -
LG Reveals an 84 Inch Quad HD Display and More[teaser]Glasses-free 3D, flexible e-paper, LG's got all the fun toys. [/teaser] At some point, the idea of an 84 inch television became less impressive. When you can see 55 inch sets at Walmart, that extra 29 inches just doesn't boggle the mind like it used to. LG knows that, and has compensated with its new monster set. Rather than just bringing out the humdrum 1080p, the good folks at LG have scaled things up. Their new set has a Quad-HD (QFHD) resolution of 3840 x 2160. The name might give it away, but this thing's got four times the resolution of 1080p, and that's way cool. That's not the only thing LG's been showing off. A glasses-free 3D display using a liquid lens is on the table, as is a 47 inch 3D set that offers 3D with less than one percent crosstalk. On the non-television front, they've also revealed a 21.5 inch touch panel LCD monitor, a 9.7 inch color e-paper display, and a flexible 19 inch e-paper. Source: OLED DisplayPosted Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Walmart Gets Two Onkyo Exclusives[teaser]In addition to stocking Onkyo products on virtual shelves, Walmart will soon have a pair of exclusive Onkyo products in stock. [/teaser] You've got to hand it to Walmart. Despite a less than sterling reputation and a penchant for stocking low end electronics, the company has really started to step up its game. It carries some higher end sets now, has a dedicated Blu-ray section, and it even has a few receivers. The latest brand to start seeing some Walmart love is Onkyo. And sure, Onkyo is available at Best Buy and at other big box stores, but this might be the first time a specialist brand of this caliber has made it to the fabled shelves of Walmart. Onkyo products won't be carried at retail locations just yet, but they'll be available online in the next few weeks. Onkyo's price limit for products at the moment is $499. Walmart also gets two Onkyo exclusives. The HT-RC230 A/V receiver and AV-X280 HTiB are both derivatives of existing Onkyo products, but will only be available through Walmart. Source: TWICEPosted Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Best Buy's Insignia Sets Come with TiVo Software Installed[teaser]But without... you know... DVRs. [/teaser] The general consumer isn't a tech savvy individual. He, or she, will walk into a Best Buy wanting to purchase a TV, and walk out with either the set that caught their eye, or the one the salesman recommended. He's confused by resolution, refresh rates, backlighting technologies, and HD sources for his HD set. And if he's confused by that, he's sure as hell going to be confused about this. Best Buy is going to start baking TiVo software into their TVs, which is a smart move for both companies. It's good software, and it provides access to services like Netflix, Amazon's Video on Demand, and in all likelihood – Best Buy's CinemaNow service. But when people think of TiVo, they don’t think of software. They think of hardware; more specifically, they think of DVRs. As smart as this move is on paper, it seems likely that it'll result in more than a few returned sets. "But it's supposed to have TiVo on it!" Well, yes and no. Source: TiVoPosted Thu May 27, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'Piranha' Blu-ray Features Added[teaser]Supplements have been detailed for the 1978 Roger Corman cult classic slated for an August Blu-ray release. [/teaser] As previously reported, Shout Factory is planning on releasing the Joe Dante directed horror film 'Piranha' on Blu-ray on August 3. Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements will include: Audio commentary with director Joe Dante and producer Jon Davison; Behind-the-scenes footage; “The Making of Piranha” featurette with new interviews from Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Dick Miller, Belinda Balaski and many more; Bloopers and outtakes; Piranha trailer with commentary by producer Jon Davison – Courtesy of Trailers From Hell (www.trailersfromhell.com); Stills gallery with photos and posters from around the world; Behind-the-scenes stills gallery featuring photos from Phil Tippett’s personal collection; Additional scenes from the network television version; Radio and TV spots; and New World trailers. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $26.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Piranha' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's now indexed under August 3.Posted Thu May 27, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by:
