BLU-RAY NEWS TAGGED "WARNER"Receive Blu-ray News via RSS

Rumor: Warner is Doubling the Rental Embargo to Eight Weeks

Mon Jan 09, 2012 at 09:30 AM ET
Tags: Redbox, Netflix, Blockbuster, Warner, Rumors and Speculation (all tags)

This embargo affects not only Redbox and Netflix, but Blockbuster stores as well.

Warner Home Video has never been a fan of the whole Redbox and Netflix thing. They say that the low priced rentals are hurting sales and are doing what they can to cut down on the effects. It's not surprising then that Warner is looking to expand their existing 28 day embargo to 56.

What does seem a bit out of character is that Warner isn't just targeting Netflix and Redbox this time. Not only is the company expanding the embargo on low priced kiosks and subscription services, they're applying that eight week embargo to Blockbuster stores as well.

It hasn't been officially announced at this point, but it seems fairly likely. Adding the delay would be a move not only to increase DVD and Blu-ray sales, but to push the digital copy storage locker UltraViolet which is getting a big push this year.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Warner Puts a 28 Day Delay on Blockbuster and Other Video Stores

Fri Oct 28, 2011 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Warner, Blockbuster (all tags)

This puts Blockbuster on even footing with Redbox and Netflix in terms of release dates.

One of the things that Blockbuster has been holding above the heads of rental companies like Redbox and Netflix is that there's no delay for Blockbuster titles. You can swing in to a store on the day of release and pick up a brand new Blu-ray.

Well, it seems that's not something Blockbuster can boast about anymore. Warner has issued a 28 day delay on all titles to the video giant. Starting on November 1st, movies like 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and, much more importantly, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' will suffer the four week delay.

What does this mean for Blockbuster? It means they can't brag about that advantage anymore, at least when it comes to movies from Warner. It also means that the company will be under a bit more pressure than it already was.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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'Dangerous Liaisons' Blu-ray Features Added

Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner, Disc Announcements (all tags)

Supplements have now been detailed for Stephen Frears' three-time Oscar-winning period romance/comedy having a February Blu-ray release.

As previously reported, Warner Brothers says 'Dangerous Liaisons' will have a Blu-ray release on February 7.

This adaptation of the novel by Choderlos de Laclos stars John Malkovich as an aristocrat and Glenn Close as his former lover who entertain themselves by scheming to tarnish the reputation of Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The film also won three Academy Awards including Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and And Best Adapted Screenplay (Christopher Hampton).

Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include a director's commentary and theatrical trailer.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98.

You can find the latest specs for 'Dangerous Liaisons' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 7.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Dangerous Liaisons (Blu-ray)

Warner is Raising Fees for Netflix and Redbox

Thu Feb 03, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner, Netflix, Redbox, Ultraviolet (all tags)

The company is pushing towards movie ownership instead of streams and rentals.

Netflix is making a lot of money streaming movies and the folks at Warner want a piece of it. In a call about the company's fourth quarter results, CEO Jeff Bewkes said that the company would be raising the licensing fees that Netflix and Redbox are paying for movies.

It seems as if Warner underestimated both Redbox and Netlix and priced their content accordingly. "The current terms are not commensurate to the value of our films,” said Bewkes in the call. “The value should be considerably higher than what we are getting now.”

In addition to raising the price to Redbox and Netflix, Warner is introducing premium Video on Demand (VOD) content which would let viewers watch movies on demand just 60 days after the theatrical window.

Warner is pushing hard for disc ownership as well, especially with the new Ultraviolet digital rights management system. "Ultraviolet should dramatically increase the appeal of owning movies," says Bewkes.

Home Media Magazine

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REMINDER!! The DVD2Blu Program Lets You Trade In ANY(!) DVD You Own

Fri Oct 29, 2010 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner (all tags)

Want a discount on some Warner Blu-rays? Trade in the crappiest of your DVD collection!

The DVD2Blu trade-in program was a cool idea, but a bit lacking at the inception. This new change makes it simple for anyone to get some cheap Blu-rays by allowing you to trade in any DVD you own for a discount.

Alright, it's technically not good for any DVD you own. It has to be a professionally produced DVD that was sold at retail – that means home movies and burns don't count. It's also limited to content that's not considered "adult," so don't go try exchanging your sock drawer movie collection for new Blu-rays.

Pricing for Blu-rays starts at a measly $4.95 for titles like 'Beerfest' and 'Ocean's Eleven,' but ranges up to $19.95 for the complete second season of 'Chuck.' Shipping is free if you order more than $35 worth of Blu-rays, which really shouldn't be difficult to do with the selection available.

Source: DVD2 Blu

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Ocean's Eleven (Blu-ray)
Chuck: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Redbox/Warner Brothers Deal Means 28 Day Wait

Thu Feb 18, 2010 at 04:10 PM ET
Tags: Redbox, Warner (all tags)

They're sticking it to the man! Unfortunately, the man is you. On the plus side, they’re getting Blu-rays

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Warner Brothers or Redbox. The dollar-a-day rental service has been battling some pretty steep odds in its attempt to stock movies from all companies, many of which aren’t happy with the $1 rental fees.

Whether the deal that Redbox made with Warner on Tuesday counts as good news or bad news depends entirely on whether you rent new releases or not.

On the plus side for consumers, Redbox is getting Warner Brothers Blu-ray discs. They’ll be testing in certain markets first, before switching to wide distribution, but Blu-ray will be coming.

Of course, there is a downside. Redbox has given in to Warner Brothers' on one big point. Though you’ll be able to get Warner Bros DVDs and Blu-rays from Redbox kiosks, you’ll have to wait four weeks to get them.

The twenty-eight day window will hit in March with the release of 'The Blind Side' (We thought they'd start with Sandra Bullock's '28 Days,' but no dice!). From that point on, Redbox will get Warner Bros films almost a month after their DVD release, but at a significant discount. Additionally, Redbox has agreed to destroy Warner content after it’s taken out of the machines, so don’t expect to see used discs cropping up.

Source: Redbox Press Room

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Netflix / Warner: "Buy the disc or wait 28 days."

Thu Jan 07, 2010 at 04:35 PM ET
Tags: Netflix, Warner, High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)

In an announcement that will no doubt go over badly with Netflix customers, the popular movie rental site announced an agreement with Warner Brothers that will get them a discount on discs, but will force customers to wait 28 days, or go to stores to buy a copy if they can't wait.

Both companies are being pretty candid regarding the reasoning behind the announcements, with Ron Sanders, of Warner Home Entertainment stating, "The 28-day window allows us to continue making our most popular films available to Netflix subscribers while supporting our sell-through product." As for Netflix's viewpoint, Ted Sarandos, a chief content officer, had this to say, "We've been discussing new approaches with Warner Bros. for some time now and believe we've come up with a creative solution that is a 'win-win' all around."

It will be interesting to see if Netflix subscribers agree.

If Blockbuster's executives are worth their salt, this editor believes they'd be wise to turn this agreement to their advantage.

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The Best Blu-rays of 2009 (Since the Last Time We Did This List)

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 04:20 PM ET
Tags: Drew Taylor, Best of 2009, Industry Trends, Warner, Criterion, 20th Century Fox, Sony, Universal, Disney, Pixar, Paramount (all tags)

Drew Taylor picks up where he left off last summer, to give us the latest and greatest list of HDD favorites!

by Drew Taylor

It was in August that I compiled my list of the Best Blu-rays of the Year, thus far. Now I'm back, with a few more months under our belt and a whole lot of fantastic high definition releases. Now, without further ado, another list of some of the year's best Blu-ray releases. These are the ones that deserve some recognition!

1.) 'The Wizard of Oz' (Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. released a whole slew of high definition editions of their vaulted classics this year, most notably an admirable 'Gone with the Wind' and 'North by Northwest.' But it was their re-mastered edition of 'Wizard of Oz' timed to this fantasy classic's 70th Anniversary that really blew my mind. Not only did the film look and sound absolutely stunning, but it also contained enough special features to make even the wickedest witch gush enthusiastically (handfuls of documentaries, deleted scenes, archival materials, as well as retrospective pieces). Seeing this presentation of 'Wizard of Oz' is probably the closest any of us will have to the experience of viewing it when it was in the theaters, and after what felt like a dozen or so releases on DVD, this seems to be the definitive edition of this timeless film. The only annoying thing about this release was the way it came out, with an unnecessarily deluxe box set and varying editions at mass merchants. How about the next time you put out one of your heavy hitters, we skip all that needlessly wasteful packaging and just put it out in a classy edition everyone can afford? Still, you'd need to have lost your heart, brain, and courage not to go pick this one up immediately.

2.) Cult Movies on Blu-ray (Various)

While DVD seems to be petering out when it comes to releasing catalogue titles on home video (leaving the void to be filled by weirdo made-to-order services like Warner Archive and Amazon's Disc on Demand), Blu-ray is pressing ahead, giving us high definition versions of movies that barely made their way to DVD in the first place. Not only did the new format give us serviceable upgrades for older movies as varied and bizarre as Sam Raimi's 'Army of Darkness' and 'The Quick and the Dead;' Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth;' Fred Dekker's 'Monster Squad' and 'Night of the Creeps;' and John Landis' 'An American Werewolf in London,' but it also presented us with deluxe editions of more recent cult classics, like Jody Hill's 'Observe and Report;' Sam Raimi's 'Drag Me to Hell;' Michael Dougherty's direct-to-video 'Trick R Treat;' and Karyn Kusama's 'Jennifer's Body' or, as I like to call it, 'J-Bod.' I'm not saying these movies are for everyone, because, clearly, they aren't, but what's so nice is that we can now watch these esoteric films on the best possible format. Even more so than DVD, Blu-ray seems to be the real film lover's format, and these titles do much in the way to support that.

3.) 'Inglourious Basterds' (Universal)

Quentin Tarantino's World War II masterpiece, which might be the versatile director's greatest work as of yet, crash-landed on Blu-ray just before the year's end in an edition every bit worthy of the film. A flawless audio and video presentation highlights the delicate work that went into this rompin'-stompin' tale of Jewish soldiers seeking revenge behind enemy lines (led by a scenery chewing Brad Pitt). Augmented by a nice array of special features (including a great conversation between Tarantino, Pitt, and critic Elvis Mitchell), and you've got a must-own for any discerning film lover.

4.) 'Up' and 'Monsters, Inc.' (Disney/Pixar)

Disney and Pixar team up and make beautiful movies together. They also make absolutely fabulous Blu-rays. The direct digital-to-digital transfers mean the images are peerless (ditto the audio), and the special features are second to none. Marvel on the 'Up' disc as the creative team ventures to the same perilous mountains depicted in the film. On the 'Monsters, Inc.' disc, the special features are largely a retread of the DVD edition, except for the new retrospective roundtable discussion, which features disarmingly honest talk about how the 9/11 terrorist attacks impacted the film's production and release. Also, you get to see the 'Monsters, Inc.' ride at the Japanese Disney Park, which made me want to book my flight immediately.

5.) 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (Disney)

As impressive as all the glittery computer-generated fare from Disney and Pixar can be, when Disney decided to release Walt's very first animated feature on high definition, the immortal fairy tale 'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs,' they really did a great job with it. Not only was the transfer an absolute stunner, even if you chose to watch it with the silly "borders" (since it was a 1.33:1 film), but the amount of supplemental materials was just as staggering. Sometimes it's easier to "appreciate" these landmark films than to enjoy them, but 'Snow White' is every bit the emotional sucker-punch that it was when it was first released, and with the bevy of extra features giving you added context, it's an even more powerful experience.

6.) Il Divo (MPI) and 'Gomorrah' (Criterion)

These films are two new classics of Italian cinema. Paolo Sorrentino's 'Il Divo' is a hyper-stylish political film, a kind of evil 'West Wing,' about the corrupt Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti (played by Toni Servillo). While you won't always understand what's going on in the politics, it's such a strong character piece that you really won't care. 'Gomorrah,' by Matteo Garrone, demystifies the cinema gangster by showcasing the down-and-dirty lives of the lower level mafia guys (the guy that does the payroll, kids infatuated with 'Scarface' etc.) By splintering the story into five mini-arcs, Garrone does more to break apart the dangerous allure of big screen bad guys. Both films are devastating, powerful, invigorating tales made all the more dynamic by their flawless high definition presentations and a stolen truck's worth of extra features.

7.) 'Fight Club' (Fox)

Simple rule to follow: if David Fincher is going to put out one of his movies on Blu-ray, it's going to end up being one of the best discs of the year. Having already given us the high watermark-setting discs for 'Zodiac' and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' this year, he finishes strong with his ten-year-old rumination on modern masculinity, male powerlessness, underground boxing, homosexual love, and the simple joys of bringing structured society to its knees through explosives and the power of corrosive thinking. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great (every thrown punch sounds like it originated from where the cat was just sitting), with all the special features from the deluxe DVD, plus a few brand new additions, including a hilarious look behind the scenes when Fincher and co-stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were awarded at a ridiculous Spike TV Awards ceremony. Now if only Criterion would surprise us by bringing out 'The Game' in 2010! Just imagine!

8.) 'Star Trek' (Paramount)

Boldly go. JJ Abrams' zeitgeist-capturing 'Star Trek' reboot absolutely sparkles on Blu-ray. The brightly optimistic future (indicated by all those lens flares) looks flawless in high definition, and the perfectly calibrated not-too-many, not-too-few special features illuminates the process without ever demystifying the film and its inherent magic. In terms of a 'new movie on Blu-ray' package, it doesn't get much better than this.

9.) 'Boogie Nights' (Warner Bros.)

Paul Thomas Anderson's signifier of future genius, a whirligig epic set in the San Fernando Valley porn scene in the 1970's, comes to Blu-ray in a blistering package that surpasses any previous home video version. (The extras, sadly, remain the same.) Sometimes historical detail and period costumes overwhelm the narrative, but not in the case of 'Boogie Nights,' which remains a profoundly human story. Still, it's kind of hard not to stare dumbfounded at how good this this film looks. Why Warner Brothers debuted such a stellar disc as a Best Buy exclusive is beyond baffling.

10.) 'Lost: Complete Fifth Season' Ridiculous Dharma Initiative Packaging Edition (Disney)

Because no other TV-show-on-Blu-ray was presented with the balls-out go-for-broke-ness that Disney gave the difficult penultimate season of their wondrous, time-bending sci-fi series 'Lost.' The largely 1970's-set season (don't ask) was reproduced with a package that included an oversized box and floppy discs. Oh, and the discs themselves? Well, the series has never looked or sounded better. When Disney broadcast the series in HD on ABC, the resolution was only 720p, so here, for the first time, is 'Lost's' fifth season in honest-to-god HD. Rounded out by a great collection of supplemental material and this is the ideal package for any 'Lost' die hard.

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Warner Reveals DVD2Blu Program

Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: Warner (all tags)

Upgrade the WB DVDs in your collection to Blu-ray with Warner's latest promotion!

Earlier this year, Warner Home Video launched a trade-in program to convert your WB HD DVD titles into Blu-rays and now consumers can upgrade their qualifying standard DVDs to high-definition!

For as low as $7.95 per disc, DVD owners can mail in their applicable Warner discs (without the cases) and receive their Blu-ray counterparts (cases included we hope) in 4-5 weeks.

Complete details on this offer is available at http://www.dvd2blu.com/.

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Warner Details 'Friday' Blu-ray

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Warner (all tags)

As previously reported, Warner will be releasing 'Friday: Deluxe Edition' on Blu-ray on September 8.'

WB has now revealed full specs for the release which will include 1080p/VC-1 video and a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack.

Supplements will include a "Friday Straight Up" featurette, introduction from Ice Cube, Q&A interviews with F. Gary Gran and Patricia Charbonnet, and two music videos.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $28.99.

You can find the latest specs for 'Friday: Deluxe Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 8.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Friday: Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray)


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