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'Black Orpheus' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The winner of both the Academy Award for best foreign film and the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d’Or is receiving the Criterion Blu-ray treatment this August. [/teaser] The Criterion Collection is working on Marcel Camus' 'Black Orpheus' for high-definition release on August 17. The 1959 film retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in 20th century Rio De Janeiro. The Blu-ray release will feature 1080p video, uncompressed Portuguese and English monaural soundtracks (with optional English subtitles), and supplements will include: Archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn; New video interviews with Brazilian cinema scholar Robert Stam, jazz historian Gary Giddins, and Brazilian author Ruy Castro; À la recherche d'Orfeu negro, a feature-length documentary about Black Orpheus's cultural and musical roots and its resonance in Brazil today; theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Black Orpheus' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 17.Posted Tue May 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
HD DVD Has Risen From The Grave!![teaser]...briefly. But the important thing is that it's shaken off the dirt and hopped into Josh Zyber's mailbox! Read what he has to say about 'Deadlands 2: Trapped' now that his copy has finally arrived.[/teaser] It's been a long and painful journey for what will now likely be the final HD DVD. High-Def Digest readers are no doubt familiar with some of the drama surrounding the film's HD release. Why not hop on over to The Bonus View and see what Josh has to say? Have thoughts? Comments? Received your own copy? Please join the conversation in the blog comments and let us all know what you think about your latest and last (?) HD DVD purchase. HD DVD Rises from the Grave... Briefly.Posted Tue May 18, 2010 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Crumb' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]Terry Zwigoff's landmark 1995 documentary on one of America's most controversial artists is headed for high-definition in August. [/teaser] The Criterion Collection has just announced 'Crumb' for Blu-ray on August 10. The film chronicles the career, family life, and provocative artwork of underground artist Robert Crumb. The Blu-ray release will feature 1080p video, an uncompressed English monaural soundtrack, and supplements include: 2010 commentary with Zwigoff; 2006 commentary featuring Zwigoff and critic Roger Ebert; outtakes and deleted scenes; stills gallery; and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Crumb' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 10.Posted Tue May 18, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Roku Gets Live UFC PPVs[teaser]It all starts on May 29th, with Rampage vs Evans. [/teaser] Roku and the UFC have signed a multi-year agreement that will bring UFC Pay-Per-View events to Roku players across the country. It's a big coup for Roku, and for non-cable entertainment solutions. "The Roku player is capable of delivering amazing live events, in HD, on the TV," said Roku CEO Anthony Wood. That's a big deal for UFC fans, especially if they're hoping to cut their cable any time soon. UFC President Dana White says the UFC is always looking for a new approach. "Roku is another way for fans to get more UFC and watch all of the UFC events live and in HD," he said. The UFC channel adds to an impressive Roku lineup, and it's definitely a big move for the company. Source: EONPosted Tue May 18, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'Dexter: The Complete Fourth Season' Blu-ray Dated for August[teaser]Everyone's favorite blood splatter analyst turned serial killer will fill more high-definition body bags this August. [/teaser] Paramount has announced Showtime's hit series 'Dexter: The Complete Fourth Season' for Blu-ray on August 17. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but this season will likely match the previous ones by presenting all twelve episodes on three BD-50 discs with 1080p/AVC, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio as well as BD-Live connectivity. A Season 1-4 bundle will also be released on August 17 so be sure not to miss our reviews for the first three seasons: 'Dexter: The Complete First Season,' 'Dexter: The Complete Second Season' and 'Dexter: The Complete Third Season.' Suggested list price for the season is likely to be set at $64.99, although the price of the bundle still hasn't been confirmed. You can find the latest specs for 'Dexter: The Complete Fourth Season' and 'Dexter: Complete Seasons 1 - 4' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 17.Posted Tue May 18, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Se7en' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]David Fincher's masterpiece following a serial killer's obsession with the seven deadly sins is headed for Blu-ray this September.[/teaser] Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema is working on the crime thriller 'Seven' starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow for a Blu-ray release on September 14. Specs haven't been revealed yet but the all-new re-mastered edition will be supervised by Fincher and will include the following supplements: Stars commentary with director David Fincher and actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman; Story commentary with Fincher, author Richard Dyer, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, editor Richard Francis-Bruce and New Line president of production Michael De Luca; Picture commentary with Fincher, director of photography Darius Khondji, production designer Arthur Max, editor Richard Francis-Bruce and author Richard Dyer; Sound commentary with Fincher, sound designer Ren Klyce, composer Howard Shore and author Richard Dyer; Additional/extended scenes; Alternate endings; Exploration of the opening title sequence from multiple video angles with various audio mixes and two commentary tracks; Production design and still photographs with commentaries; The Notebooks: Full motion video details "John Doe´s" writings; and a theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray will also be housed in digibook packaging. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Se7en' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 14.Posted Mon May 17, 2010 at 03:00 PM PDT by: -
High-Def Digest Talks to FUNimation About Their Blu-ray Releases[teaser]Anime lovers, we've got a treat for you! Read our exclusive Q&A with the FUNimation disc authoring team![/teaser] It's no secret that FUNimation is currently very active with their anime release slate, with multiple box sets arriving on the format each month, including a mix of older series already released on DVD, and a series of new iterations of classic series ('Evangelion 1.11,' 'Dragon Ball Z: Kai,' 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood') released day and date with their DVD counterparts. Seeing the evolution of FUNimation's product line has been an interesting ride. Thanks to FUNimation spokesperson Jackie Smith, I was given the rare opportunity to ask the disc authoring team an assortment of questions concerning the studio's release strategy and history. The DVD authoring team has answered these questions as a group, so it was impossible to individually credit each person for their responses. HDD: Some early FUNimation anime titles had commentary tracks hidden away in the chapter selection tab, while newer releases contain them in the extras. What caused this change? FUNimation: This is a programming and design decision made on a case-by-case basis. Some releases will have commentary tracks accessible on episode menus, which is similar to many mass-market titles currently available. HDD: One of the biggest complaints or issues that anime purists have had with the Blu-ray releases has concerned the audio, with the English dub tracks getting a high definition surround track, while the Japanese versions get a dolby digital (lossy) track. Can you explain or shed some light into the 5.1 vs 2.0 sound mixes, and why one receives a lossless track while the other does not? FUNimation: The 2.0 soundtracks in the Dolby Digital format are encoded at a 640 kbps, a data-rate three times higher than the comparable DVD which provides a quality that is almost lossless. However, future Blu-ray releases will include TrueHD lossless for all soundtracks 5.1 and 2.0. HDD: Do you personally feel there is a significant improvement from the source material when upconverting it? Is there any other option available? FUNimation: Upconversion is a process that is applied to masters that are only available in standard definition, also referred to as 480i. The video is digitally scaled to the 1080p format used on Blu-ray. Part of the process is to restore a progressive picture from the interlaced master tape. Standard definition masters are subject to a process called pull-down (or telecine) where some frames are split so only every other line is displayed at a time. This was originally done for compatibility with television standards. Blu-ray does not have this limitation, so part of the upconversion process is to restore the complete progressive frames revealing a sharper and more complete image. The upconverted video is encoded in the MPEG-4 AVC format which is far superior to the MPEG-2 format used on DVD. This allows for little or no added distortion during the encode process which is unavoidable in DVD. Although an upconversion does not have the same level of detail as content natively created in HD, it reveals a sharper and more accurate image that surpasses the quality of DVD. HDD: Many of your early Blu-ray products came with the Region A locked status, though a few in recent memory have had Region A/B playability. What determines how you region code the Blu-ray discs? FUNimation: The region codes on each Blu-ray release are determined by the territories obtained when we acquire rights to distribute any given property. HDD: Can you shed some light into the creation of Blu-ray menus, in terms of time involved, design, and function? FUNimation: Blu-ray menus provide an enhanced user experience over DVD by functioning interactively using animation and sound while being displayed over the video. Graphic and motion graphic designers work closely with the Blu-ray authors to create all the necessary elements for every state of every button as well as associated video menu loops, music and sound effects. All the elements are combined and programmed to respond to user commands by the Blu-ray author. Ultimately, it is the menu designer that gives a look and feel to the Blu-ray that compliments the content of the disc. HDD: There was an issue with the ‘D. Gray-Man: Season 1, Part 1’ Blu-ray, which caused some players to play the same audio track for two different episodes. Has the cause of this issue been found, and was there a running change made to the release fixing this issue? FUNimation: Yes, unfortunately, not all Blu-ray players operate within the same specifications and it is impossible to test our releases on every player available today. However, we are working with our manufacturer to correct these issues. If a consumer believes they have a problem with a disc they can contact our Product Concerns department which will arrange a replacement disc.Posted Mon May 17, 2010 at 02:10 PM PDT by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'Coraline' Blu-ray $9.99 at Amazon[teaser]Stop-motion lovers have a sweet deal today for under $10! [/teaser] The online retailer has reduced the price of 'Coraline' starring the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and John Hodgson to only $9.99 (63% off suggested list price). The film based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning novella and is directed by Henry Selick ('A Nightmare Before Christmas'). Click here to order your copy of this great animated film today!Posted Mon May 17, 2010 at 01:00 PM PDT by: -
Netflix HD Streaming Available for Some Subscribers on PC and Mac[teaser]It's a bit limited at the moment, but a full release and official word from Netflix are expected soon. [/teaser] At the end of last week, there was a sort of false alarm in regards to Netflix HD streaming. It was unclear at the time whether it was just a misunderstanding or if it was something else entirely. As it turns out, Netflix has been slowly but surely rolling out high definition streaming to computers. There hasn't been an official announcement yet, but thankfully, it's all starting to shake out. If you go to the instant streaming menu, you'll notice an HD selection in the genre dropdown. It's something that's been there for a while, but there's a new button in the interface. Once you get to the HD genre, you'll see the options "Gallery View," "Sortable List," and the new options "Show All HD," and "Show HD for PC/Mac." At least, you should. Some users are still reporting that the sort option isn't available for them. Don't worry if you're not seeing it yet. It seems like it's being rolled out pretty slowly, perhaps to test the servers. We expect to hear something official from Netflix within the week. Hacking NetflixPosted Mon May 17, 2010 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'The Missing Lynx' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The misadventures of Felix the jinxed Lynx are headed for Blu-ray this summer.[/teaser] Phase 4 Films will be bringing 'The Missing Lynx' to Blu-ray on July 27. The animated feature is directed by Raul Garcia and produced by Antonio Banderas. There's no word on tech specs yet, but supplements will include pre-production animation, production screenshots, trailers, and a digital download. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'The Missing Lynx' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 27.Posted Mon May 17, 2010 at 12:00 PM PDT by:
