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'Miracle on 34th Street' Coming to Blu-ray[teaser]Both the original and remake will receive the high-definition treatment simultaneously this fall. [/teaser] 20th Century Fox will bring the Christmas films 'Miracle on 34th Street (1947)' and 'Miracle on 34th Street (1994)' to Blu-ray on October 6. Specs and features haven't been announced yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-rays has been set at $34.99. You can find the latest specs for both versions of 'Miracle on 34th Street' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under October 6.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 11:30 AM PDT by: -
British Blu-ray Booming[teaser]Sales have skyrocketed, while traditional DVD sales have dropped slightly. [/teaser] According to the British Video Association, roughly 3.1 million Blu-ray discs have sold in the UK since the beginning of this year, a marked increase on the numbers from 2008. It might be more accurate to say a whopping increase, as sales are up an estimated 231%. Interestingly though, the increase in Blu-ray sales doesn’t seem to have affected DVD sales as much as one might expect. While traditional DVDs sold less this year, it was only by about 9.5%. According to Hannah Conduct of the BVA, "The continuing success of Blu-ray is testament to the growth of consumer confidence in the high definition format… Seeing is believing with Blu-ray and the figures show that once consumers have experienced the format, they continue to spend their money on the product.” Addressing the issue of piracy and digital distribution, the BVA’s director general Lavinia Carey stated "People must also be increasingly tempted to search out methods of downloading illicit content for free on the Internet, [but] with an increasing number of new internet services coming on stream, the industry is aiming to encourage greater consumer up-take of legitimate downloads”Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Verizon Petitions FCC For Access To Broadcasts Of New York Sports Teams[teaser]And the New Jersey Devils too! [/teaser] Let’s say you’re a New York sports fan looking for a way to get your TV. Cable or satellite, it doesn’t matter, it just has to look great on your new set. You live in one of the biggest cities on earth and you’ve got a few options, but there’s only one that has The Rangers, The Islanders, and the Knicks in HD, the others just have standard def broadcasts. That’s pretty much the choice made for you right then and there isn’t it? As of this date, Cablevision is the only provider in New York with access to high definition broadcasts of games taking place in Madison Square Garden, and they’re not letting anyone else have it for any cost. This is what Verizon’s complaining about in their petition to the FCC. They say that not being able to offer this option has hindered them in such a way that they are unable to sell their service within the city. According to a press release issued by Verizon earlier today, it was only after a similar petition that Cablevision allowed them standard definition access to the events at MSG.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 10:30 AM PDT by: -
The Second Season of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' Announced For Blu-ray[teaser]Paramount Home Entertainment is bringing 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 2' to high-definition on September 22. [/teaser] All 26 episodes will be spread across seven Blu-ray discs and will include both the original broadcast and remastered versions of the episodes. Specs and suggested list price haven't been announced yet, but the release is expected to include similar features as the first season as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack. You can find the latest specs for 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 2' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 22.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
TiVo and Best Buy Hook Up – The DVR-TV combo is born[teaser]The entry level consumer is almost certainly the main target of TiVo and Best Buy who announced today that they would be joining forces on a new line of products. [/teaser] It’s a pretty strong pairing, with Best Buy who could use a good push on their proprietary HDTVs, and TiVo, who have lost a great deal of popularity in the last several years. For Best Buy’s part, they’ll be increasing marketing and merchandising for TiVo units, as well as doing some work on the user interface for TiVos sold at Best Buy. On TiVo’s end, they’ll be giving Best Buy some advertising space on their service and allowing them plenty of marketing options for consumers. But that’s the boring stuff, here’s where it gets good. TiVo and Best Buy will be working together to see how best to integrate various TiVo features into their Exclusive Brands group of Dynex, Insignia, Rocketfish, and Geek Squad. The press release mentions integration of TiVo’s search functionality and user interface, but it’s almost certain that a TiVo/HDTV hybrid will be in the works. An entry level TV at an entry level price with a TiVo built in could make Best Buy the number one choice for a starter HD set.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 09:30 AM PDT by: -
'Casablanca' to Get Standard Blu-ray[teaser]Previously only available as part of the 'Casablanca: Ultimate Collector's Edition,' the classic film will soon be issued in a regular Blu-ray release. [/teaser] Warner Brothers has announced a re-release of 'Casablanca' for Blu-ray on September 15. The Blu-ray itself will be identical to the previous release with 1080p/VC-1 video, a Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono soundtrack, and all of the supplements included on the main disc from the ultimate version. However the second disc with the documentary "Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul" and of course all of the swag will not be part of this single-disc release. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $28.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Casablanca' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 15.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Vizio Wins US Customs Ruling – No Infringement Found[teaser]A huge victory for Vizio, but it’s not over yet.[/teaser] In an ongoing legal battle between Vizio and Funai, the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency ruled that Vizio’s televisions do not violate any copyrights held by Funai and that Vizio may continue importing their line of HDTVs. ”We are pleased that Funai's ill-advised tactics continue to falter and are being rejected by the U.S. authorities; we are determined and remain unshaken by merit-less claims from foreign competitors.” says Laynie Newsome, Co-Founder & Vice President of Sales and Marketing Communications in a recent press release. “In light of Funai's abusive actions, which were apparently anti-competitive in nature, designed to tortuously harm VIZIO's interests, we shall fully defend against any such claims and seek all appropriate remedies. In addition to recovering damages for such wanton behaviors, we shall hold the accused patent infringers, like Funai, accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Looks like Vizio’s going to keep this one going all 12 rounds.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'Watchmen: Ultimate Collector's Edition' Blu-ray in December[teaser]The ultimate gift for 'Watchmen' fans is coming for the holidays.[/teaser] A flyer included with the 'Watchmen: Director's Cut' Blu-ray (available in stores July 21) reveals that a 5-disc 'Watchmen: Ultimate Collector's Edition' will head to Blu-ray this December. This monolithic edition will present Zack Snyder's Director's Cut with the "Tales of the Black Freighter" comic-within-a-comic actually woven into the film for a complete 'Watchmen' experience. While it's worth noting this release will be missing most of the supplements (like the awesome maximum movie mode) found on the version due to hit stores in a couple of weeks, it will contain a new commentary by Dave Gibbons and Zack Snyder and two hours of bonus material, including the "Under the Hood" mockumentary. It appears the 'Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic' will be included as well. The final bit of info is that the insert makes mention of $10.00 off for those who register with WB Insider Rewards. The flyer can be seen below: There's no word on a specific release date or suggested list price yet for 'Watchmen: Ultimate Collector's Edition' but we expect that info to come trickling in within the coming weeks.Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Shopping Via Blu-ray Coming Soon Thanks To Bright Stage Media[teaser]New Sex and the City discs soon to follow? [/teaser] Ever sit down and watch a movie and think to yourself, “Boy, that product placement was sure effective, I wish there was a way to interrupt my viewing to purchase that!” Well wish no more, Bright Stage Media has you covered there. Debuting on a major studio Blu-ray release this August, Bright Stage’s new application promises to allow consumers to “Connect, Share and Shop” The application, simply called Version 2.0 at the moment, will allow consumers to customize their movie experience by bringing in feeds from Twitter, and Facebook as well as being able to check entertainment news and filmographies. While a Twitter app seems like the last thing we need, being able to jump onto IMDB at any time could be nice, but isn’t that why we have a laptop and a smart phone? “Allowing consumers to control what content they want to view while interacting with the disc or watching the feature is a great way to expand BD-Live.” says Brian Johnson of Bright Stage, “The potential to monetize the experiences are unlimited and studios can implement any one of these features to create new options for Blu-ray releases,” Just what major studio release this technology will be featured on is still unknown, but expect the hype next month!Posted Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Screwballs' Coming to Blu-ray[teaser]The sex comedy classic will be available in high-definition late this summer. [/teaser] Severin is bringing the cult 1983 film 'Screwballs' to Blu-ray on August 25. Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Screwballs' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under August 25.Posted Thu Jul 9, 2009 at 02:30 PM PDT by:
