-
Kino Announces January & February 2018 Blu-ray Lineup[teaser]Pre-orders are now live for the company's upcoming titles, including Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Affair.[/teaser] Kino has detailed its Blu-ray lineup for January and February. The collection features an eclectic assortment of catalog titles, including films from directors like Stanley Donen, Norman Jewison, Stanley Kramer, and Howard Hughes. Here's a full rundown of Kino's upcoming Blu-ray releases: January 2 Roger Donaldson's Cadillac Man starring Robin Williams, Tim Robbins, Pamela Reed, Fran Drescher, and Zack Norman. Supplements will include: - NEW Audio Commentary by director Roger Donaldson- Theatrical Trailer Daniel Mann's For Love of Ivy starring Sidney Poitier, Abbey Lincoln, Beau Bridges, Carroll O'Connor, and Gloria Hendry. Supplements will include: -Trailers Lawrence Schiller's The Executioner's Song starring Tommy Lee Jones, Christine Lahti, Rosanna Arquette, Eli Wallach, and Steven Keats. The 2-Disc set will feature the 135 Minute Director's Cut and the 188 Minutes Original TV Cut. Supplements will include: - Interview with star Rosanna Arquette- Trailer Gallery Stanley Donen's Blame it on Rio starring Michael Caine, Joseph Bologna, Valerie Harper, Michelle Johnson, Demi Moore, and Jose Lewgoy. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson- Original Theatrical Trailer Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray January 9 Gregory Ratoff's Intermezzo: A Love Story starring Leslie Howard, Ingrid Bergman, Edna Best, John Halliday, and Cecil Kellaway. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Kat Ellinger- Trailer Gallery Richard Wallace's The Young in Heart starring Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Paulette Goddard, Roland Young, and Billie Burke. Supplements will include: - Original Theatrical Trailer Richard Boleslawski's The Garden of Allah starring Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, and Tilly Losch. Supplements will include: - Trailers Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and Richard Widmark. Supplements will include: - In Conversation - with Abby Mann and Maximilian Schell- A Tribute to Stanley Kramer - Featurette- The Value of a Single Human Being - Featurette- Original Theatrical Trailer Stanley Kramer's Inherit the Wind starring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Jim Hemphill- Original Theatrical Trailer Stanley Kramer's Not as a Stranger starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, and Charles Bickford. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Troy Howarth- Original Theatrical Trailer Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray January 16 Bill Duke's The Cemetery Club starring Ellen Burstyn, Olympia Dukakis, and Diane Ladd. Supplements will include: - Director Interview- Theatrical Trailer Sidney J. Furie's The Taking of Beverly Hills starring Ken Wahl, Matt Frewer, Harley Jane Kozak, and Pamela Anderson. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Howard S. Berger and Sidney Furie Biographer Daniel Kremer - Trailers Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray January 30 Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 1 starring Larry Storch, Rich Little, Paul Frees, Laura Olsher, Mel Blanc, and Henry Mancini. The release will include: - 20 shorts in chronological order - All with original audio (no laugh tracks) and all received additional DRS and dirt removal- Audio commentaries for selected films, by author Mark Arnold, historian Jerry Beck, filmmaker Greg Ford, cartoon writer William Hohauser, music scholar Will Friedwald, and veteran DePatie-Freleng story-man Bob Kartz - Interspersed throughout find archival sound-bites from animation pioneer and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises co-founder, Friz Freleng himself.- Includes the 1964 THE PINK PHINK - Oscar Winner (Best Short Subject, Cartoons)- Reversible Blu-ray Art Order the Blu-ray February 6 Ralph Nelson's The Wilby Conspiracy starring Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine, Nicol Williamson, Saeed Jaffrey, Persis Khambatta, and Rutger Hauer. Supplements will include: - Original Theatrical Trailer Enzo G. Castellari and Luigi Cozzi's Sinbad of the Seven Seas starring Lou Ferrigno, John Steiner, Roland Wybenga, and Ennio Girolami. Supplements will include: - Original Theatrical Trailer Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray February 13 Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Affair: 50th Anniversary Edition starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston, Gordon Pinsent, and Biff McGuire. The disc will feature a new 4K restoration of the film, and supplements will include: - Interview with title designer Pablo Ferro- NEW Interview with director Norman Jewison- Three's A Company - 1967 on the set featurette with the cast & crew- Audio Commentary by director Norman Jewison- Audio Commentary with Film Historians Lem Dobbs and Nick Redman- Original Theatrical Trailer Jeff Kanew's V.I. Warshawski starring Kathleen Turner, Charles Durning, Jay O. Sanders, Stephen Root, and Wayne Knight. Supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by director Jeff Kanew- Original Theatrical Trailer Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray February 20 James Cruze's The Covered Wagon starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Lois Wilson, Alan Hale, Ernest Torrence, and Tully Marshall. The disc will feature a new 4K master, and supplements will include: - Audio commentary by Film Historian Toby Roan - Booklet essay by film scholar Matt Hauske - The Pie-Covered Wagon: a 1932 one-reel spoof starring Shirley Temple - Wurlitzer organ score by Gaylord Carter - Reversible Blu-ray Art Order the Blu-ray February 27 Jeffrey Reiner's Serpent's Lair starring Jeff Fahey, Lisa Barbuscia, Heather Medway, Anthony Palermo, Kathleen Noone, and Jack Kehler. Supplements will include: - Interview with star Heather Medway Howard Hughes' The Outlaw starring Jane Russell, Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston, and Joe Sawyer. The disc will feature a new 2K restoration, and supplements will include: - Audio Commentary by Film Historian Troy Howarth- Original Theatrical Trailer Mike Binder's Crossing the Bridge/Indian Summer starring Alan Arkin, Josh Charles, Bill Paxton, Jason Gedrick, Kevin Pollak, and Stephen Baldwin. Supplements will include: - Interview with writer/director Mike Binder - Trailers for Indian Summer, Crossing the Bridge Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule where they are indexed throughout January and February.Posted Tue Dec 26, 2017 at 08:45 AM PST by: -
Sony Reveals Launch Window for Dolby Vision 4K TV Update[teaser]Select Sony Ultra HD TVs will start to receive Dolby Vision support next month.[/teaser] According to a report by Forbes, Sony has announced a Dolby Vision firmware update release window for its 4K display lineup. The update is set to arrive in mid to late January, 2018 and will be available for Ultra HD TVs with the company's X1 Extreme processor, including the flagship A1E OLED Series. Dolby Vision is a proprietary end-to-end High Dynamic Range (HDR) format that covers content creation and playback through select cinemas, Ultra HD displays, and 4K titles. The process uses expanded brightness to improve contrast between dark and light aspects of an image, bringing out deeper black levels and more realistic details in specular highlights -- like the sun reflecting off of an ocean -- in specially graded Dolby Vision material. Likewise, Dolby Vision also offers a Wide Color Gamut (WCG), providing a greater range of colors than those found in traditional HD sources and TVs using the previous Rec. 709 color standard. In addition, the Dolby Vision process takes advantage of dynamic metadata, allowing it to adjust brightness levels on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis to create a more accurate HDR experience than static metadata formats like HDR10. The Dolby Vision firmware update will start rolling out to compatible Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs in mid to late January in the US. The update will then expand to Europe but it could be toward the end of February before all sets get the upgrade. Here's a rundown of supported Sony displays that are due to receive the Dolby Vision update: XBR-65Z9D XBR-75Z9D XBR-100Z9D XBR-75X940E XBR-65X930E XBR-55X930E XBR-55A1E XBR-65A1E XBR-77A1E Source: ForbesPosted Tue Dec 26, 2017 at 07:15 AM PST by: -
Coming Soon to Streaming: 'Jessica Jones,' 'Mozart in the Jungle,' 'The Path,' and More[teaser]Superheroes, musicians, snowmen, and more are all heading to your favorite streaming devices.[/teaser] Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu have released new trailers or info for several of their upcoming shows and movies, including Rotten, The Polka King, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Grace and Frankie: Season 4, Altered Carbon, Seven Seconds, Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2, Sense8: Finale Special, Mozart in the Jungle: Season 4, Sneaky Pete: Season 2, and The Path: Season 3. In addition, Disney has announced the digital release of Olaf's Frozen Adventure starring Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff. The digital copy of the new Frozen holiday featurette also includes six classic Disney shorts. Rotten (Netflix, January 5) - Local farming is fading as profit margins decide what food makes it to our plates. The new Netflix documentary series Rotten exposes the fraud, corruption, and the consequences on our health of today’s global food industry. Nobody’s hands are clean. The Polka King (Netflix, January 12) - This exuberant tragicomedy recounts the remarkable but true story of the rise and fall of Polish émigré Jan Lewan (Jack Black), from striving tchotchke shop owner in the ’70s to the undisputed “King of Pennsylvania Polka” in the early ’90s. Lewan pursued the American Dream by any means necessary, fleecing investors and bribing officials to build a personal musical empire in what became the world’s only known Polka Ponzi scheme. Swept up by Lewan’s charismatic charm are his devoted wife, Marla (Jenny Slate), and his neurotic sidekick, Mickey (Jason Schwartzman). Grace and Frankie: Season 4 (Netflix, January 19) - Jane Fonda ("Grace") and Lily Tomlin ("Frankie") star as two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. Both sparring partners and partners-in-crime, they form an unlikely bond to face an uncertain future together and discover a new definition of “family,” with laughter, tears and plenty of mood enhancers along the way. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (Netflix, January 26) - The story of comedy wunderkind Doug Kenney, who co-created the National Lampoon, Caddyshack, and Animal House. Kenney was at the center of the 70’s comedy counter-culture which gave birth to Saturday Night Live and a whole generation's way of looking at the world. Altered Carbon (Netflix, February 2) - In the future, human minds are digitized and downloaded from body to body. Last night, the wealthiest man on Earth, Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) was murdered. To investigate his death, he brings back ex-Envoy soldier Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman / Will Yun Lee) and in exchange, Bancroft offers Kovacs the chance to live again. Seven Seconds (Netflix, February 23) - A powerful anthological crime thriller from acclaimed creator and executive producer Veena Sud (The Killing), starring two-time Emmy winner Regina King (American Crime) alongside breakout British actress Clare-Hope Ashitey (Doctor Foster). Ashitey portrays KJ Harper, a black assistant prosecutor assigned to the incident, with troubles of her own. She grapples with the weight of the case and what it will mean to bring justice not only for Brenton, but for the Black community. KJ works closely with the teen’s mother Latrice Butler (Regina King) who realizes there may be more to her son than she and her husband (Russell Hornsby) were aware of, and becomes consumed with finding out what happened. Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 (Netflix, March 8) - After a tragic ending to her short-lived Super Hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases in New York City. Sense8: Finale Special (Netflix, 2018) - From renowned creative geniuses Lana Wachowski, Grant Hill, and J. Michael Straczynski, Sense8 centers around eight characters, from different parts of the world, who experience a violent vision, and soon find themselves mentally connected by the experience. They become connected, able to see and talk to each other as though they were in the same place, with access to each other's deepest secrets. Not only must the eight adapt to this new ability and to each other, they must figure out why their lives are now in jeopardy. Mozart in the Jungle: Season 4 (Amazon Prime Video, February 16) - Hailey and Rodrigo’s romance deepens as they go public with their relationship in the fourth season of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning series. As Rodrigo learns what it means to be a boyfriend, Hailey enters a competition in Japan to prove herself as a conductor. Will they be able to balance the demands between their careers and relationship or will it tear them apart? Sneaky Pete: Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video, Coming Soon) - From the creator of Justified and Executive Producer Bryan Cranston comes an exciting new series about a con-man, Marius (Giovanni Ribisi), on the run from a vicious gangster. Marius hides by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, and takes cover with Pete's estranged family – a colorful group (headed by Margo Martindale) with well-guarded and dangerous secrets of their own. The Path: Season 3 (Hulu, January 17) - Follows a family at the center of a controversial cult movement as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. Each episode takes an in-depth look at the gravitational pull of belief and what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want. The series blends elements of mystery-thriller, romance and the supernatural. Starring Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy and Michelle Monaghan. - A current Netflix subscription starts at $11 per month for HD streaming and $14 per month for Ultra HD streaming. - A current Amazon Prime subscription costs $99 per year or $11 per month. Likewise, Prime Instant Video is available as a standalone service for $9 per month. - A current Hulu subscription starts at $8 per month with commercials ($6 limited time promotional price now available). In addition, ad-free playback is available for $12 per month. Sources: Netflix (YouTube), Amazon (YouTube), Hulu (YouTube)Posted Tue Dec 26, 2017 at 05:50 AM PST by: -
Have 'The Last Jedi' Audience Scores Been Tainted By "Review Bombing?"[teaser]Some signs may point to inaccurately skewed audience scores for the latest Star Wars flick.[/teaser] Though the general critic's consensus for Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been overwhelmingly positive on site's like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, the movie's corresponding audience scores on both websites have been far less favorable with numbers hitting around the 50% mark. Of course, it's perfectly fine to dislike The Last Jedi (or any movie, for that matter). In fact, I have many issues with the flick myself and there are certainly flaws in the movie that are worth discussing -- but are these low audience numbers really a sign of actual fan disapproval or could there be something a little more sinister afoot here? Namely, a pesky disturbance in the force dubbed review bombing. As detailed in a recent write-up by Birth.Movies.Death, the opt-in polling used for audience scores on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic can lead to skewed results, making them easily susceptible to review bombing. This is a practice where a group of people purposefully give a movie a negative score in order to hurt its business, regardless of their true feelings on the film or whether they've even seen it at all. In order to back up their conclusion, Birth.Movies.Death did a little digging into the stats for the users who scored The Last Jedi on these sites, and they found that the majority of these people were new users who signed up just to have their negative reviews counted, and several of them deleted their accounts or had their accounts deleted afterwards. In addition, the site also compared the low Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes audience scores to exit polling done by a company called comScore which surveys audience members right after they see a film. In stark contrast to the ~50% fan approval on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, comScore found positive audience reactions to be closer to 90%. This is much more in line with other recent Star Wars films like The Force Awakens and Rogue One. As a result, comScore's numbers imply that those with a negative reaction to the movie actually make up a much smaller minority than the Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes audience scores would have one believe. Again, none of this is to say that there aren't legitimate reasons to dislike The Last Jedi or that there aren't plenty of fans who genuinely dislike the movie -- but the stats here do make the Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic audience scores seem inaccurately skewed. As reported by Forbes, however, Rotten Tomatoes has recently responded to concerns about fake reviews or skewed results and has assured fans that its numbers are authentic, stating that the site's security has not seen anything unusual about the scoring and that they've only seen an uptick in written user reviews for the film. Either way, whether these audience scores are accurate or being skewed by review bombing, it's clear that viewers are continuing to have passionate reactions to The Last Jedi, both positive and negative alike. Sources: Birth.Movies.Death, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, ForbesPosted Fri Dec 22, 2017 at 09:45 PM PST by: -
Coming Soon to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,' '10 Cloverfield Lane,' and More[teaser]Check out the latest crop of 4K titles in the works.[/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, several new titles are being prepped for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2018 from Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal, the BBC, and 20th Century Fox. Here's a full rundown of all the recently added listings: First up, 20th Century Fox has announced plans to release Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, and John Hawkes on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray. Full specs, supplements, and an exact release date have not been announced yet, but pre-orders are now live. Order the 4K Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray As previously reported, Warner Bros. is prepping Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 starring Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, and Ana de Armas for January 16, and now Best Buy has listed exclusive SteelBook editions for Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Both discs will include a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and the 4K disc will offer 2160p video with HDR. Supplements will include: - Blade Runner 101- Designing The World of Blade Runner 2049- To Be Human: Casting Blade Runner 2049- Prologues Order the 4K Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray Paramount is set to bring Dan Trachtenberg's 10 Cloverfield Lane starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher Jr. to 4K Blu-ray on January 23. The disc will include 2160p video with HDR and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and supplements will likely mirror those found on the previous Blu-ray release. In addition, the studio is prepping Simon West's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight, and Iain Glen for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 27. Exact specs have not been detailed yet, but the disc will feature 2160p video with HDR and supplements will likely be the same as those found on the previous Blu-ray release. Likewise, Jan de Bont's Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life starring Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Chris Barrie, Djimon Hounsou, and Ciarán Hinds is also due to hit 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 27. Exact specs have not been detailed yet, but the disc will feature 2160p video with HDR and supplements will likely be the same as those found on the previous Blu-ray release. Order the 4K Blu-ray Order the 4K Blu-ray Meanwhile, Universal will bring F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton starring O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, and Marlon Yates Jr. to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 27. The disc will offer 2160p video with HDR and a DTS:X soundtrack. All of the supplements from the previous Blu-ray will also be included. Order the 4K Blu-ray Finally, the BBC is preparing the nature documentary series Blue Planet II narrated by David Attenborough for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on March 6. Supplements have not been detailed yet. Order the 4K Blu-ray Order the Blu-ray You can find the latest specs for all of the titles listed above linked from our 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they are indexed throughout January, February, and March.Posted Fri Dec 22, 2017 at 08:40 AM PST by: -
Everything Coming to iTunes in January 2018[teaser]Several new titles will hit the iTunes library in January.[/teaser] Apple has revealed its new iTunes lineup of movies and TV shows for January 2018, including movies like Geostorm, Wonder, Jigsaw, and Professor Martson and The Wonder Woman, along with the latest seasons of shows like Ray Donovan, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Girlfriend Experience, and Victoria. Likewise, the lineup also includes several new films that will premiere on iTunes the same day that they premiere in theaters, including Stratton, Freak Show, Saturday Church, The First Year, Small Town Crime, Mom & Dad, The Clapper and Kickboxer: Retaliation. Check out the trailer for Small Town Crime below! Here's a full rundown of all the upcoming January iTunes titles per Apple: Movies 1/2 Lucky 1/2 Wonderstruck 1/2 Geostorm 1/2 Breathe 1/2 Only the Brave 1/5 Stratton (same day as theaters) 1/5 Acts of Violence 1/9 Dina 1/9 Human Flow 1/9 Goodbye Christopher Robin 1/9 Jigsaw 1/9 Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House 1/12 Freak Show (same day as theaters) 1/12 Saturday Church (same day as theaters) 1/16 Loving Vincent 1/16 Professor Martson and The Wonder Woman 1/16 9/11 1/16 Last Flag Flying 1/16 Thelma 1/19 The First Year (same day as theaters) 1/19 Small Town Crime (same day as theaters) 1/19 Mom & Dad (same day as theaters) 1/23 BPM 1/23 Wastelander 1/23 Suburbicon 1/23 Only the Brave 1/23 A Bad Mom’s Christmas 1/26 The Clapper (same day as theaters) 1/26 Kickboxer: Retaliation (same day as theaters) 1/30 Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! 1/30 Wonder 1/30 Daddy’s Home 2 1/30 God’s Own Country 1/30 The Square 1/30 Roman J. Israel, ESQ TV *full seasons in bold 1/1 Ray Donovan Season 5 1/2 The Bachelor Season Season 22 1/3 The Amazing Race Season 30 1/3 LA to Vegas (Free Series Premiere) 1/3 The Challenge: Vendettas 1/3 Married At First Sight Season 6 1/4 Grown-ish 1/4 9-1-1 1/4 The X -Files Season 11 1/4 Wags Atlanta (Free Series Premiere) 1/5 Project Runway All Stars, Season 6 1/5 Nashville Season 6 1/8 Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 9 1/8 To Rome For Love (Free Series Premiere) 1/11 The Magicians Season 3 1/11 Alone Together 1/12 The Lion Guard Vol. 4 1/13 Taken Season 2 1/15 Victoria Season 2 (2 part Season Premiere) 1/17 Black Lighting 1/18 Corporate 1/18 The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Season 2 (Free Season Premiere) 1/19 Portlandia Season 8 1/19 Beyond Season 2 (2 part Season Premiere) 1/21 Planet Earth: Blue Planet II 1/22 The Girlfriend Experience Season 2 1/22 The Resident (Free Series Premiere) 1/23 The Alienist 1/24 The Detour Season 3 1/24 Baskets Season 3 (Free Season Premiere) 1/24 Another Period Season 3 1/24 Drunk History Season 5 1/25 Schitt’s Creek Season 4 1/25 Let’s Get Physical 1/25 Waco 1/26 RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3 1/30 Victoria Season 2 (All Episodes Available with a Season Pass) Source: iTunesPosted Fri Dec 22, 2017 at 07:10 AM PST by: -
Bigscreen & Paramount Announce 'Top Gun' 3D Virtual Reality Screening[teaser]Fans with the right gear will be able to watch the flick for free in 3D VR through the Bigscreen app.[/teaser] Paramount and Bigscreen have announced plans to screen Tony Scott's Top Gun starring Tom Cruise in 3D via the Bigscreen virtual reality app. The free screenings will begin on December 29 at 6pm ET and will continue to play at regular intervals for 24 hours. "Bigscreen's virtual reality platform offers a new way for fans to experience films in their homes," said Bob Buchi, President Worldwide Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures. "We're excited to be a part of this experiment using cutting-edge technology to give fans a new entertainment option." In order to watch the screening, viewers will need a Windows 10 PC and a supported VR headset, including the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, all SteamVR-compatible headsets, and all Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Likewise, users will also need to download the free Bigscreen app from the Oculus Store, Steam Store, or the Microsoft Store. The Bigscreen app presents films in a virtual reality movie theater environment along with a virtual theater lobby, voice chat, and avatars to create an enhanced viewing and social experience. "This is an innovative way to bring the immersive and social movie theater experience into the comfort of the home," said Darshan Shankar, CEO and founder of Bigscreen. To see a full schedule of Top Gun 3D screening times click here. The VR event is only open to people in the United States. And beyond Top Gun, Bigscreen also plans to regularly screen other movies, TV shows, and video content through its VR app each week in 2018. Source: BigscreenPosted Thu Dec 21, 2017 at 02:05 PM PST by: -
Apple Launches Sale on iTunes 4K HDR Movies[teaser]Select 4K HDR titles are now on sale through iTunes.[/teaser] Apple has announced discounts on several digital titles through the iTunes store, including 4K and 4K HDR versions of many movies. The deals are set to be active now through the end of the year, making them a great way to make the most out of those iTunes gift cards you may have received or are looking to give this holiday season. 4K HDR playback through iTunes is currently supported via iPhone 8 and newer iPhones, iPad Pro (2017) devices, and the Apple TV 4K ($179). iTunes HDR titles are presented using the HDR10 and/or Dolby Vision format. Here's a rundown of some titles on sale now per Apple: - Select 4K HDR titles for $7.99 & $9.99. Highlights include: Gone Girl, Independence Day, Wild, X-Men First Class and Trainspotting 2, and Spiderman: Homecoming, Baby Driver, Logan Lucky, Atomic Blonde and Logan. - 4K HDR 3-Film Genre Collections from $19.99 - $24.99: Universal Action & Adventure ($24.99): Lone Survivor, Everest, The Great Wall WB Action & Adventure ($19.99): Argo, Into the Storm, The Accountant Fox Action & Adventure ($24.99): Assassin’s Creed, Independence Day, Hitman Agent 47 Sony Action & Adventure ($19.99): Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Bad Boys, The Professional Lionsgate Action & Adventure ($24.99): John Wick, The Hunger Games, Saban’s Power Rangers Universal Sci-Fi & Fantasy ($24.99): Warcraft, Snow White & The Huntsman (Extended Edition), King Kong WB Sci-Fi & Fantasy ($19.99): Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Jupiter Ascending, I am Legend Sony Sci-Fi & Fantasy ($22.99): Starship Troopers, Life (2017), Passengers WB Drama ($19.99): Sully, Collateral Beauty, Live By Night Fox Drama ($24.99): The Revenant, Life of Pi, The Martian Sony Drama ($19.99): The Bridge on the River Kwai, Concussion, Inferno WB Comedy ($19.99): Get Hard, Central Intelligence, Chips Fox Comedy($24.99): Spy, Keeping Up with the Joneses, Snatched Sony Comedy ($19.99): Rough Night, Ghostbusters (1984), Sausage Party - 4K HDR Franchise Bundle Sales: Harry Potter: 8 movies $59.99 Hunger Games: 4 movies $27.99 X-Men Beginnings: 3 movies $19.99 Planet of the Apes Trilogy: 3 movies $24.99 Transformers: 5 movies $44.99 The Evolution of Spider-man (the first in each series): 3 movies $24.99 Ghostbusters: 3 movies $19.99 Bourne: 5 movies $34.99 - In addition, 24 James Bond movies are available in 4K, including an exclusive 4K, four-film Daniel Craig bundle, and select Christopher Nolan films will be available in 4K HDR, including Inception, Interstellar, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. - $9.99 and under Holiday Movie Sale (through 12/25) highlights include: Elf, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, Nightmare Before Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Best Man Holiday. - Non-4K HDR Bundles: Cars: 3 movie bundle $34.99 X-Men Collection: 6 movies $34.99 Rocky Heavyweight Collection: 6 movies $29.99 The Matrix Trilogy: 3 movies $14.99 Middle Earth Collection: 6 movies $49.99 Source: iTunesPosted Thu Dec 21, 2017 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
LG Details New 4K & 5K Monitors with HDR & Nano IPS Tech[teaser]The new displays include high dynamic range support.[/teaser] In anticipation of CES 2018 next month, LG has revealed its latest monitors. The upcoming models set to debut at the show include the 32-inch 32UK950 UHD 4K monitor and the 34-inch 34WK95U 5K UltraWide monitor. "Most of us spend hundreds of hours in front of monitors every month and yet it's one of the least likely products to get upgraded when higher productivity is desired," said Chang Ik-hwan, head of LG’s IT business division. "With these latest premium monitors from LG, we wanted to communicate that LG is absolutely committed to delivering the best possible screen resolution and the best user experience on a desk or workspace." The 34WK95U is geared toward video editors, photographers, and software developers, and features a 34-inch UltraWide 21:9 panel with a 5K resolution of 5120 x 2160 pixels. In addition, the display uses Nano IPS technology which employs nanometer-sized particles to the screen's LED in order to absorb excess light wavelengths. Likewise, the screen supports HDR600 with a peak high dynamic range brightness of peak brightness of 600 nits. Meanwhile, the 32UK950 is geared toward media prosumers and features a 32-inch 4K panel with Nano IPS tech, HDR600 support, and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color spectrum. Finally, both models incorporate Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Exact pricing and availability have not been announced yet, but LG's 32UK950 and 34WK95U will be on hand at CES 2018 in Las Vegas from January 9-12. And beyond the company's new 4K and 5K offerings, LG will also highlight its QHD 34GK950G gaming monitor with Nano IPS technology and high-speed G-Sync technology as well. Source: LGPosted Thu Dec 21, 2017 at 11:15 AM PST by: -
Samsung Reveals New Wall-Mountable Lifestyle Sound Bar for CES 2018[teaser]The new sound bar model will be on display at CES next month.[/teaser] Samsung has unveiled its latest home audio product. The upcoming NW700 Sound+ sound bar is designed for easy wall-mounting underneath the company's thin displays and utilizes audio tech developed at the Samsung Audio Lab in Valencia, California. "Samsung continues to invest in product development that fuses lifestyle and technology in a seamless, innovative manner," said Jurack Chae, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "With our NW700 Sound+ soundbar, we are not only committed to superior product design, but also to delivering unmatched sound quality to our consumers." The NW700 Sound+ features a slim, wall-mountable design with a width of 53.5mm, making it an ideal complement for thin wall-mounted TVs. The device uses wide-range tweeters with three channels and an integrated subwoofer. In addition, the speaker offers distortion-cancelling technology which is able to predict and adjust distortion at the end of the speaker movement before the distortion actually occurs. Finally, the sound bar includes three sound modes: Standard Mode; Surround Mode for expanded surround sound performance; and Smart Mode for automatic volume and surround sound adjustments. Pricing and availability have not been announced yet, but Samsung's new NW700 Sound+ will be on hand at CES 2018 in Las Vegas from January 9-12. Beyond the company's new sound bar, Samsung also recently earned VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification for its CHG90 gaming monitor. Likewise, Amazon just launched HDR10+ streaming support for Samsung's 2017 4K HDR displays. Be sure to check back with High-Def Digest for more CES 2018 related news and coverage from Samsung and other manufacturers at the show. Source: SamsungPosted Wed Dec 20, 2017 at 03:15 PM PST by:
