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'Glee' Comes to Blu-ray[teaser]The first season of TV's award-winning musical comedy series will be singing and dancing its way to Blu-ray this September! [/teaser] 20th Century Fox is working on 'Glee: The Complete First Season' starring Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Mark Salling and Jenna Ushkowitz for a Blu-ray release on September 14. “The show started out as a comedy musical about the underdog in all of us and has blossomed, largely due to the incredible support and passion from the fans that have embraced the show,” says series creator Ryan Murphy. “When we developed the Blu-ray and DVD, we wanted to give those fans something special because they’ve been so great to us. There’s everything from a sing-along karaoke, to a behind-the-scenes look at our Madonna episode, to a dance lesson from our amazing choreographers. There’s even some all new Sue’s Corners which have never been seen before. It’s our ‘thank you’ to the Gleeks.” The 4-disc Blu-ray set will contain all 22 episodes with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Extended episodes; Sing-along karaoke; Behind-the-scenes look at "The Power of Madonna" episode; Glee Makeovers; Never-before-seen "Sue's Corners"; and Dance tutorial: "Staying in Step with Glee." 'Glee: The Complete First Season' also includes an exceptional offer, a “Gleebate,” for fans that previously purchased 'Glee: Volume One: Road To Sectionals.' Those fans will receive a $10.00 rebate by simply completing a Mail-in Certificate and submitting it with proof of purchase for both titles. Visit www.gleebatedvd.com after June 1, 2010 for complete details. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray set is $69.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Glee: The Complete First Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 14.Posted Mon May 24, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'A Christmas Carol' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Disney is bringing Robert Zemeckis' version of the holiday classic to Blu-ray in November in two versions, one of which will be Blu-ray 3D! [/teaser] Disney/Buena Vista is working on the CGI animated feature 'A Christmas Carol' starring the voice and likeness of Jim Carrey for a Blu-ray release on November 16 as a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack. Specs have yet to be announced, but supplements will include: Capturing A Christmas Carol, On Set with Sammi, and Deleted scenes. Blu-ray exclusives include: BonusView: Behind the Carol - the full motion capture experience and Digital Advent Calendar. The Blu-ray 3D disc will also have an exclusive called 'Scrooge's Wild Ride.' The release will also be available as a single Blu-ray edition. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99 and $49.99 for the 3D Blu-ray combo pack. You can find the latest specs for both editions of 'A Christmas Carol' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under November 16.Posted Mon May 24, 2010 at 06:15 AM PDT by: -
Sony's 3D Filmmaking Competition Gives You a Shot at Fame and Prizes[teaser]It's also a great way for Sony to generate some 3D content.[/teaser] This one goes out to all the aspiring filmmakers out there. Or to the folks who aren't, but still want a shot at winning some cool stuff from Sony. The company needs 3D content to give out with their new TVs, and to generate that content, they're holding a contest that gives you a shot at some sweet Sony prize packages. They're looking for ten short videos (5-10 minutes) that demonstrate 3D in the best way possible. If you win, your short will be included on a disc given away with every 3D television Sony sells, which, if nothing else, is some great exposure. But don't worry, you can get stuff too. If you're in the top three, you'll get a 3D home theater system including a BRAVIA television. The next seven winners just get the BRAVIA. Even if you're not in the top 10, you still stand a chance at walking away with something. The top 50 runners-up will snag a free copy of the 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' 3D Blu-ray when it is released. Not a bad prize for coming in 60th place! You've got until July 9th to enter, so take your time and make sure you check out the rules before getting started. Source SonyPosted Mon May 24, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
The 59th Street HD Advisor Song (Feelin' Groovy)Editor'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 Large vs. Small Speakers Q: It's not unusual to see the automatic calibration feature of receivers end up considering a large speaker as "small," and then apply the crossover frequency to the signals of the corresponding channel. Actually, as far as I know, there is a line of thought that states that every speaker should be considered "small" because, whichever the speaker is, the subwoofer can reproduce better bass. And I'm not sure about that, but I think I read that the THX standard agrees with this statement. That led me to think the following: If the speakers should always be considered small, why then, in the audio track, do the studios record bass sounds directed to the speakers? Don't the movie industry people think that some bass sounds could indeed be reproduced by the speakers? It seems the movie industry has one idea on the subject, and the home theater industry another. A: As I'm sure you're aware, the "Large" and "Small" settings in the receiver don't just refer to the physical size of the speakers. They're actually meant to gauge whether the speakers can reproduce the full frequency range of an audio track, down to the lowest bass registers. To accomplish that, you generally need large woofers and a lot of power to drive them. Hence this usually only happens in physically large loudspeakers. However, it's perfectly possible to have big speakers that cannot reproduce the full bass range either, and thus should not be considered "Large." The vast majority of home theater speakers are not full-range, and should be defined as "Small." So, why then do movie sound mixers still place so much bass activity in the main speakers rather than moving it all to the .1 channel? Well, most movie soundtracks are mixed primarily with the theatrical release in mind. To give you a more detailed answer straight from the horse's mouth, I solicited advice from Marc Fishman, a Hollywood sound mixer with an extensive and impressive resumé of films he's worked on. Here is what he had to say: MF: This isn't one idea vs. the other... because they are two different venues. Since the goal is translation, these differing 'ideas' on the subject achieve the desired results. Theatrical sound systems are always at least 2-way (and some 3-way) designs, meaning they are all bi-amped and have plenty of power to drive the cabinets. On my stage, each main channel consists of high-end driver on a horn enclosure for the high end on top of a cabinet of 4 x 15" drivers. They are both separately fed by their own 1,000 Watt amps… plenty of power. Even though we are talking about smaller spaces, most home theater setups (and speakers for that matter) don't have that kind of power in them. And even if they do, it rarely comes in the form of bi-amplification. It's a matter of translating what we have the ability to do (large SPL and frequency reproduction across our main channels) into a home environment (accurate SPL and frequency reproduction using what is available) by using the amplification more wisely. Pillarbox Bars – Black vs. Gray Q: I have a Sharp Aquos television, a Pioneer Elite DVD player, a Panasonic Blu-ray player, and an Onkyo receiver. I have contacted each of these manufacturers with this question and they have all said they have no idea what the problem is (if it is a problem). When I play a full screen film on my Pioneer DVD player, the side bars are black. On the Panasonic Blu-ray player, the side bars are a kind of cream color. Is there some way to make sure the side bars are only black? A: First, let's be clear and define "full screen" movies as those with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which should be displayed in the center of your 16:9 screen with pillarbox bars. The term "full screen" is a bit of a misnomer that goes back to the days before HDTV. The term continues to be used, even though a 4:3 picture will obviously not fill a 16:9 screen without stretching or distortion. Are these movies you're watching all on DVD, or are you comparing the same movie on DVD and Blu-ray? I'm going to assume that you're watching the same DVD on two different machines. "Full screen" DVDs are natively encoded in a 4:3 shape. Any pillarbox bars you see are created by either the DVD player or your TV. If either of your players has a Pillarbox (or "Squeeze") mode, the player itself generates those bars. My best guess here is that your Pioneer DVD player has a Pillarbox mode. When you watch DVDs on that machine, your TV should be set for 16:9 aspect ratio, and the player does the pillarboxing. Those pillarbox bars it creates are black in color. Meanwhile, your Panasonic Blu-ray player probably doesn't have its own Pillarbox mode. (I'm not sure about current models, but the older Panasonic BD players I've owned did not). In this case, when you play a 4:3 DVD in the machine, your TV will have to be set for its own 4:3 mode. And, when that happens, the TV generates gray bars. Unfortunately, many HDTVs are designed to generate gray pillarbox bars rather than black. The reasoning behind this is that gray is supposedly less likely to cause image burn-in. Some TVs will allow you to adjust the color of the pillarbox bars, but many others will not. Most viewers find the gray very distracting. If your DVD picture quality is otherwise the same other than this issue, I'd recommend just watching 4:3 DVDs in the Pioneer player. But if you're unhappy with the quality of that machine, you may want to invest in a new Blu-ray player that has the pillarbox feature. Blu-ray Quality Control Q: In light of the recent audio issues with the 'Saving Private Ryan' Blu-ray, I was curious if you had any insight into how something so major could make it to retail. Is no one reviewing the master before replication? A: Somebody at either the studio or the production facility screwed up. I honestly think it's as simple as that. Mistakes sometimes happen, even major ones. At least, in this case, the studio has acknowledged the problem and issued a recall. Compare Paramount's response to this issue to the way that Magnolia has treated 'Let the Right One In' on Blu-ray. Initial copies of that disc were authored with a simplified English subtitle translation that many fans objected to. When complaints came in, the studio agreed to include the original theatrical subtitle translation on future pressings. That sounds like a good thing. The problem is that they never recalled the old disc, and the new copies use the same UPC. The only way to tell the difference is to look at the fine print on the back of the case. Consumers ordering from online retailers have no way of knowing which version they'll get. And the updated copies still seem to be in short supply even in brick & mortar stores. 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! Blu-ray Players with Wi-Fi Q: I need to buy a Blu-ray player for a friend and he is interested in streaming Netflix. However, his TV is a million miles away from his router. Have you know of any specific players that handle wi-fi streaming better than others? My PS3 handles it superbly, but I don't think a PS3 is in his cards. 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 May 21, 2010 at 10:55 AM PDT by: -
Four More Dragon Dynasty Titles Hitting Blu-ray in August[teaser]A quartet of Asian films are coming to high-definition this August. [/teaser] Vivendi is working on 'An Empress and the Warriors,' 'Invisible Target,' 'The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk,' and 'Tai Chi Master' for Blu-ray release on August 10. Specs and supplements haven't been confirmed yet, but suggested list price for each Blu-ray has been set at $19.97. You can find the latest specs for 'An Empress and the Warriors,' 'Invisible Target,' 'The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk,' and 'Tai Chi Master' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under August 10.Posted Fri May 21, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' Blu-ray in 1080p[teaser]A press release has been sent out issuing a correction that the hit Starz series coming to Blu-ray in September will be presented in glorious 1080p after all! [/teaser] As previously reported, Starz/Anchor Bay Entertainment announced 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' starring Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, John Hannah, and Peter Mensah for Blu-ray on September 21. The 4-disc Blu-ray release will contain all 13 episodes and will feature 1080p video, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Audio Commentaries, Gladiator Camp, History Rewritten, Make-up Effects, The Hole, Behind-The-Scenes Footage, Bloopers, and Trailers. Enhanced digital effects have been added to several of the episodes, and as a Blu-ray™ exclusive, four episodes have been personally selected as “Directors’ Cut Extended Episodes” by Robert Tapert, featuring content too risqué, even for cable TV! The legions of 'Spartacus: Blood AND Sand' fans who have been anticipating the second season, were excited to learn earlier this month that Starz will air a six-part prequel in early 2011 that tells the story of the gladiator school before Spartacus arrives. It will focus on Batiatus and Lucretia, as well as some new characters that will be introduced. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $79.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 21.Posted Fri May 21, 2010 at 09:10 AM PDT by: -
Samsung's 3D Plasmas Available Now[teaser]LCDs not your style? Not a fan of Panasonic? Not to worry! [/teaser] Samsung's 3D plasma sets have finally made it to store shelves. That's welcome news, especially if you like a little choice when it comes to your plasma purchases. Both the 7000 and 8000 series plasmas offer 3D capability and extras like Internet@TV that let you access social media and video streaming services. They've got 1080p resolutions, an ultra-thin design and an increase in energy efficiency over last year's models. If you pick up one of Samsung's plasmas in conjuction with a Samsung Blu-ray Player, you'll be able to pick up the 3D Starter kit – which contains a 3D Blu-ray version of 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and two pairs of 3D glasses – for free. The 7000 series starts with a 50 inch set and an MSRP of $1,999. You can snag it on Amazon for a mere $1,648. The 50 inch 8000, which adds motion judder canceling and Samsungs' Real Black Filter can be had at a list price of $2,299 and a current Amazon sale price of $2067. Source: AmazonPosted Fri May 21, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'DOA: Dead or Alive' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser] Hong Kong action director and choreographer Corey Yuen will enter four sexy sirens in a martial arts tournament on Blu-ray this August. [/teaser] Vivendi is planning to bring 'DOA: Dead or Alive' starring Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Jamie Pressly, and Holly Valance for a Blu-ray release on August 17. The film based on a popular video game is already available on the format in Canada from Alliance. Specs and supplements haven't been confirmed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.97. You can find the latest specs for 'DOA: Dead or Alive' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 17.Posted Fri May 21, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Bang & Olufsen Launches the BeoVision 8[teaser]B&O's new TV isn't cheap, but at least it looks nice. [/teaser] Bang & Olufsen is a strange case. While other manufacturers focus on making their televisions cheaper and slimmer, B&O seems to take the opposite approach. The BeoVision 8 is much smaller than the BeoVision 10, which had a set of speakers attached that made it just as tall as it was wide. Instead, it's got full range speakers -- specially tuned for voice reproduction -- flanking the screen. Underneath the set are down-facing bass speakers. "What we did," says David Lewis, a designer for B&O, "was move the sound forward and up, designing the TV like a proper stage with an orchestra pit." The BeoVision 8 is what B&O calls "an advanced yet entry-level TV." You'll be able to pick the 40 inch set up this summer at a price of $5,400. Source: Bang & OlufsenPosted Fri May 21, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' Blu-ray Dated & Detailed[teaser]The '300'-esque TV series produced by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi will be spilling blood and sex all over high-definition this September. [/teaser] Starz/Anchor Bay Entertainment has just announced 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' starring Andy Whitfield, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, John Hannah, and Peter Mensah is coming to Blu-ray on September 21. It appears the Blu-ray release will feature 1080i video, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Audio Commentaries, Gladiator Camp, History Rewritten, Make-up Effects, The Hole, Behind-The-Scenes Footage, Bloopers, and Trailers. The release will come in a high-end book-style packaging, and four episodes will be given "Director's Cut Extended" treatment with content deemed too risqué for cable as a Blu-ray exclusive. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $79.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 21.Posted Fri May 21, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by:
