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Three Arrested in Multi Million Dollar Blu-ray Theft Ring[teaser]In Florida, three people were arrested in connection with a series of Blu-ray thefts from stores amounting to an estimated five million dollars. [/teaser] Making several trips to the same store in one day, mastermind Gregory Marinitz and his associates James Davidson and Tina Pallay managed to take a huge amount of merchandise over the time that they’ve been operating. According to Orlando’s Channel 9, when police raided the home of Gregory Marinitz, they found more than 2,400 DVDs and Blu-ray discs as well as several hundred audio discs and videogames. Moving the stolen merchandise was done simply through eBay, according to the officers. While the three suspects face fairly serious charges, purchasers of these dirty discs will not be charged.Posted Fri Aug 7, 2009 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Lite-On Unsure of Blu-ray Future[teaser]According to the Taiwan based daily electronics newspaper Digitimes Systems, Lite-On is looking conservatively towards the Blu-ray market. [/teaser] Company CEO Guang-chung Chen said of the strategy “Significant growth in the global BD player market hinges on price drops of BD movie discs and penetration of high-definition TVs.” China does have its own high definition format, CBHD, which some believe may be setting Lite-on a bit off course, but Chen says this is not affecting their plans. “CBHD players are already available in the China market and this is unfavorable for the promotion of BD players there, but Lite-On IT has no plans to produce CBHD players for the time being.”Posted Fri Aug 7, 2009 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Warner Discs Not Destroyed, Warner Sues For Damages[teaser]Warner Home Video is pursuing a lawsuit against disc destruction firm IWMB, claiming that rather than destroying the discs, the firm has been turning around and selling them to retailers at a lower cost. [/teaser] For those not familiar with the retail process, rather than keeping old or unpopular products on the shelf for an extended period of time in hopes of getting rid of them, companies have them destroyed, to avoid used media competition, and to write them off as a loss. Video Business reports that IWMB, a subcontractor of the firm Cinram Distribution who Warner sends their destroyable discs to, have allegedly sold one million discs to retailers, the majority of which have already been sold to consumers. Warners lawsuit alleges “The illegal sales of Warner product have caused WHV substantial injury and unless enjoined, threaten irreparable harm to WHV. Defendants’ sale of the Warner product at lower-than-market prices not only deprived WHV of the benefit of possession of the product, but has also undermined and diluted the value of the home video titles”Posted Fri Aug 7, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Away We Go' on Blu-ray[teaser]Universal is readying 'Away We Go' for a Blu-ray release this fall. [/teaser] Sam Mendes' dramatic comedy starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph will be released on September 29. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Feature commentary with director Sam Mendes and writers Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida; The Making of Away We Go; Green Filmmaking; and BD-Live. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has not yet been determined. You can find the latest specs 'Away We Go' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 29.Posted Fri Aug 7, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
John Hughes Dead At 59[teaser]A spokeswoman for John Hughes says the king of '80s teen comedy has died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 59.[/teaser] The writer, producer, and director of such films as 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' 'Sixteen Candles,' and 'Plane's, Trains & Automobiles' -- many of which frequently took place in the fictional Shermer, Illinois -- Hughes eventually gave up directing in the early-90s, while continuing to pen numerous children's films such as 'Home Alone,' as well as other stories under the pen name Edmond Dantès (an homage to 'The Count of Monte Cristo'). Though he had been elusive in film circles for years, he will be greatly missed by film fans everywhere. For a thorough, if now dated examination of Hughes' career and subsequent disappearing act, check out Mike Attebery's essay on John Hughes from 2004. Sadly, it looks like John Hughes has indeed left the building. This YouTube tribute captures the man's career perfectly.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 02:30 PM PDT by: -
'Rome: The Complete Series' Announced and Detailed[teaser]It looks as though the critically-acclaimed series will be heading to high-definition in November. [/teaser] HBO will bring 'Rome: The Complete Series' to Blu-ray on November 17. The 10-disc box set will present the series in 1080p/VC-1 (1.78:1) video, an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include an audio commentary, a featurette, and a photo gallery. Suggested list price for this set will be $139.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Rome: The Complete Series' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 17.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 01:30 PM PDT by: -
More Blu-ray In The Immediate Future For Redbox[teaser]Record profits spur expansion for the increasingly popular rental service.[/teaser] In 2008, Coinstar made $73 million in profit from Redbox kiosks. In the first half of 2009, they’ve made $58 million. That’s around eighty percent of the money in just half the time, and it leaves Redbox execs wanting only one thing: MORE! In a conference call with investors on August 4th, Redbox chairman Paul Davis stated that both video games and Blu-ray discs were in the immediate future for Redbox. Said Davis, “We plan to extend the current product offering by testing video games, Blu-ray, and a broader title base.” He also spoke on the recent deal with Sony Pictures, which sees Redbox stocking about 20% Sony DVDs and giving up reselling rights, meaning that when the discs are done being rented, they will be destroyed. “We wouldn’t do deals that we didn’t believe were margin/dollar positive at the end of the day.” Those interested can read the entire transcript of the call here.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 01:00 PM PDT by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'The Reader' Blu-ray $14.99 at Amazon[teaser]Amazon has a pretty sweet deal for 'The Reader' on Blu-ray.[/teaser] The online retailer is selling the romance war film starring Kate Winslet in her Oscar-winning performance for just $14.99 (50% off suggested list price). Click here to be linked to the offer. Also don't miss Peter Bracke's "recommended" review here.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 12:30 PM PDT by: -
'Trick r Treat' on Blu-ray[teaser]Warner says 'Trick r Treat' will finally hit high-definition this October. [/teaser] Bloody-disgusting.com reports that the Halloween horror film is tentatively scheduled for release on Blu-ray October 6. Specs, supplements, and suggested list price haven't been revealed yet. You can find the latest specs for 'Trick r Treat' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 6.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-ray Goes 'Over British Columbia'[teaser]Gear up for the Winter Olympics with the PBS aired documentary on the Canadian province in high-definition this fall. [/teaser] Topics Entertainment will be bringing the documentary 'Over British Columbia' to Blu-ray on September 1. There's no word on tech specs or extras as of yet, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $19.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Over British Columbia' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 1.Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by:
