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'House of Cards: The Complete First Season' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]The Netflix original drama starring Kevin Spacey will arrive on Blu-ray in June. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony will be releasing 'House of Cards: The Complete First Season' on Blu-ray on June 11. Ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara and Corey Stoll costar in the first original series from David Fincher and Beau Willimon. Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $65.99. You can find the latest specs for 'House of Cards: The Complete First Season' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 11.Posted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 12:30 PM PDT by: -
'Olympus Has Fallen' Blu-ray Pre-Orders Live![teaser]The action-packed assault on the White House from director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day') is now available for Blu-ray pre-order at Amazon! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Sony's explosive thriller 'Olympus Has Fallen' starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman has just been set for a Blu-ray release sometime later this year. When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President, and avert an even bigger disaster. Specs, supplements, and a release date have not been set yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $40.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Olympus Has Fallen' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING.Posted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'New World' Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The Korean crime thriller from director Park Hoon-Jung going undercover on Blu-ray in July has been fully detailed. [/teaser] As previously reported, Well Go USA will be releasing 'New World' to Blu-ray on July 9. The head of the Goldmoon crime syndicate is dead, leaving his top two lieutenants. Seizing the opportunity, the police launch an operation called "New World," with the perfect weapon. The boss' right hand man, Ja-sung (Lee Jung-jae, 'The Thieves'), has been a deep-cover operative for 8 years, closely watched by handler Police chief Kang (Choi Min-sik, 'Oldboy'). With a baby on the way, and living in mortal fear of being exposed as a mole, Ja-sung is torn between his duty and honor as a cop, and the fiercely loyal gang members who will follow him to hell and back. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include a behind the scenes featurette and photo gallery. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'New World' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 9.Posted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race with the Devil' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]An action-packed double feature starring Academy Award-nominee Peter Fonda will be racing to Blu-ray in June! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Shout Factory will be bringing 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race with the Devil' to Blu-ray on June 4. Larry, (Peter Fonda) is a former NASCAR racer looking to score some quick cash. Mary (Susan George) is a sexy groupie aching to take a fast ride. Together with mechanic Deke (Adam Roarke), they pull off a cold-blooded supermarket heist and hit the highway in 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.' Now there is a maniacal lawman (Vic Morrow) on their trail, an entire police force in pursuit and hundreds of miles of roadblocks between their 69 Charger and freedom. Buckle up for the action classic that blows the doors off all other car chase films as it speeds toward one of the most jaw-dropping finales in movie history. Directed by John Hough ('The Legend Of Hell House,' 'The Incubus'). For old friends Roger (Fonda) and Frank (Warren Oates) and their wives (Lara Parker, Loretta Swit), it was supposed to be the best damn vacation they ever had. But their RV road trip takes a deadly detour at a secluded campsite when they accidentally witness a satanic sacrifice in 'Race With The Devil.' Now horror hits the highway as the couples are pursued by satanic cultists through some of the most intense car chases and into one of the greatest twist endings in drive-in movie history. Directed by Jack Starrett ('The Losers,' 'Cleopatra Jones'), who was also an actor and played the memorable role of the vicious Deputy Galt in 'First Blood.' Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include: Audio commentary with Director, John Hough; Audio commentary with Executive Producer, Paul Maslansky and actress, Lara Parker; Ride The Wild Side – Featuring interviews with Director, John Hough and actors, Peter Fonda and Susan George; Hell On Wheels – Interview with Peter Fonda; Interview with Paul Nuckles; and Theatrical trailers, TV spots and radio spots. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $19.93. You can find the latest specs for 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race with the Devil' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 4.Posted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Sony Reports First Profit Since 2008[teaser]Ninth straight annual loss for TV side of the business. [/teaser] Sony has managed $2 billion in profit from selling off several assets, including healthcare data provider M3 Inc., social game website operator DeNA Co., and offices in Tokyo and Manhattan. Sony's fiscal year was also buoyed by the weakening yen. As with so many Japanese manufacturers, the weakening of the record strong yen permits Japanese goods to priced more competitively in the global market. That $2 billion profit from asset sales resulted in $403 million in net income, and those numbers illustrate how Sony still needs to get various parts of the company into the black. Unfortunately, both Sony TVs and Sony Xperia phones top the list of products that need to become money-makers if Sony is to remain profitable. Ace Securities Co. analyst Hideki Yasuda, "Asset sales are one-time gains, and the challenge this year will be to generate as much profit from businesses." Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai has already bet heavily with upcoming PlayStation 4, while 4K UHD seems to be Sony's next step for attracting new sales of TVs amid slowing demand and competition from Samsung and others. Still, the new CEO has been in charge one year and turned a profit. Sony is set to disclose a full earning report on May 9th, which will hopefully be accompanied by a firm plan to rescue some of Sony's less certain products. Source: BloombergPosted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 07:30 AM PDT by: -
'Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The second installment of the anime trilogy is coming to Blu-ray in August. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Viz Media is preparing 'Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey' for Blu-ray on August 6. Guts believed, for three years, that his mission was to pursue Griffith’s dream together with him. But in order to become Griffith's equal and truly be called his friend, Guts realizes he will have to leave the Band of the Hawk. At the same time, a bloody battle to capture the impenetrable Fortress of Doldrey from the Empire of Chuder is about to begin. The Band of the Hawk will face an army 30,000 strong! Supplements have not been revealed yet, but the Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, and English and Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtracks. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 6.Posted Thu Apr 25, 2013 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark: 2nd Edition' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The second edition of the calibration disc adds tests for 3D televisions and more. [/teaser] Spears & Munsil will be releasing 'Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark: 2nd Edition' early next week. The first edition of this disc was recommended by the New York Times, Widescreen Review, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity®, and many other print and online publications. The second edition adds even more features and patterns and sets a new bar for the term “state of the art.” The Spears & Munsil disc is the first (and at this time only) disc to offer stereoscopic patterns for calibrating and testing 3D televisions. It has audio level and phase tests created using the latest noise-shaping algorithms. And for the professional or advanced enthusiast it contains a complete set of patterns suitable for precisely calibrating contrast, grayscale, gamut, and other settings using test equipment. “We didn’t just want to add a few new features here and there,” said co-creator Stacey Spears, “we went back to the drawing board and re-thought every pattern.” There are more than twice as many patterns on this new disc as on the previous disc, covering every aspect of home theater testing and calibration. Like the previous edition, the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark, 2nd Edition uses patterns created from scratch using Spears & Munsil’s own in-house software. “We still feel that there isn’t anything else out there that meets our quality standards across the board,” said co-creator Don Munsil. “So every pattern was created from scratch, using custom software, in the native color space that is most appropriate for that pattern. All of the scaling and color conversion was done using our own software as well.” The disc includes new editions of some of the favorite patterns from the previous disc, plus many new ones that are exclusive to Spears & Munsil. “We’ve created what we think is the best pattern for setting color and tint ever made,” said Spears. “The problem with the classic color bars pattern is that it was designed for broadcast engineers and is confusing for the new user. We re-thought the entire pattern from scratch and made something anyone can use, with step-by-step instructions right on the pattern. We did the same re-thinking for essentially every pattern we made, though the classic patterns are on there as well for the purist.” “The enthusiasts and power users took to our previous disc right away,” said Munsil, “but we got feedback that the disc was still too daunting for inexperienced users who’ve never tried to calibrate a television before. We tried to address that with even more comprehensive guides and help in this disc, and we think we have created a disc that allows someone with no home theater experience to jump right in and get a basic calibration in less than an hour.” The power users have not been forgotten, however. The new edition also contains patterns suitable for the professional calibrator or serious amateur who wants a complete suite of test patterns usable with spectroradiometers and colorimeters. “The people who tested our professional patterns perform calibrations for Hollywood studios and famous movie directors. These people are the pickiest customers you could ask for,” said Spears. The Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark, 2nd Edition is the first test disc to contain tests and demo material in 3D, for users with a 3D Blu-ray Disc player and 3D display. In addition to patterns for testing the 3D features of the display, the disc contains a full set of 2D calibration patterns that are encoded in 3D mode so the user can do a calibration of the 3D modes on the display. “Most televisions have completely different settings for 2D and 3D modes,” said Spears. “Calibrating one doesn’t affect the other. Without these patterns, you can’t really ensure your 3D movies look as good as the rest of your video.” Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark: 2nd Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under April 30.Posted Wed Apr 24, 2013 at 04:00 PM PDT by: -
'Quartet' Announced Blu-ray[teaser]Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut arrives on Blu-ray in June! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Starz/Anchor Bay will be releasing 'Quartet' to Blu-ray on June 18. Beecham House is abuzz. The rumor circling the halls is that the home for retired musicians is soon to play host to a new resident. Word is, it's a star. For Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred Bond (Billy Connolly) and Cecily Robson (Pauline Collins) this sort of talk is par for the course at the gossipy home. But they're in for a special shock when the new arrival turns out to be none other than their former singing partner, Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Her subsequent career as a star soloist, and the ego that accompanied it, split up their long friendship and ended her marriage to Reggie, who takes the news of her arrival particularly hard. Can the passage of time heal old wounds? And will the famous quartet be able to patch up their differences in time for Beecham House's gala concert? The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include a behind the scenes featurette and photo gallery. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Quartet' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 18.Posted Wed Apr 24, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 2' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed[teaser]The Nura Clan will battle a new enemy on Blu-ray in August. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Viz Media is preparing 'Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 2' for Blu-ray on August 20. The Nura Clan faces a new threat: the 88 Demons of Shikoku, led by Inugamigyobu-Tanuki Tamazuki! Tamazuki sets his plan in motion to weaken the Nura Clan by targeting their key source of power—the local deities of Ukiyoe Town. In the absence of Supreme Commander Nurarihyon, Rikuo’s resolve to become the Third Heir is put to the test, as he must unite the clan to face Tamazuki and his malicious weapon the Devil’s Blade! The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, and English and Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 soundtracks, and supplements will include: Additional Scenes; Production Sketches; and Storyboards. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $54.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Set 2' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under August 20.Posted Wed Apr 24, 2013 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-rays Can Now Be Purchased and Downloaded Directly to a Kaleidescape Server[teaser]Warner Bros. licensing allows Kaleidescape owners to bypass disc-ripping and housing. [/teaser] The Kaleidescape movie server has existed as one of the more extravagant options to wrangle in an overflowing Blu-ray and DVD collection. While using the server to rip all of the owners DVDs and Blu-rays has allowed the user to maintain the quality of disc-based media without having to store and sort through the discs, Kaleidescape has now eliminated the disc entirely, allowing users to purchase and "download movies in exactly the same audio/video quality as Blu-ray discs." Of course many users may prefer to keep purchasing discs, ripping them, and housing them, as opposed to waiting for 50GB of data per full dual layer Blu-ray to download. While titles are limited to Blu-rays distributed by Warner Bros., Kaleidescape's Blu-ray prices are competitive and include a digital copy that can be accessed by the user for use on tablets, smartphones , and computers. Even better, Kaleidescape owners can upgrade their ripped "DVDs to Blu-ray quality" downloads through the Kaleidescape store. The Kaleidescape does not currently support 3D playback, and thus 3D titles are not supported. Still, if Kaleidescape does offer 3D Blu-ray support in the future, then users should also be able to upgrade ripped Blu-rays to 3D Blu-rays. While buying a Kaleidescape server and player can easily run over $15,000, the ability to own digital versions of movies that are bit-for-bit identical to Blu-rays is a significant feat for HD enthusiasts. Kaleidescape is looking to get more studios on board, and their trail-blazing may pay dividends beyond their current niche. Source: Electronic HousePosted Wed Apr 24, 2013 at 09:30 AM PDT by:
