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Criterion Announces and Details 'Wings of Desire' Blu-ray[teaser]The Criterion Collection says 'Wings of Desire' is coming to Blu-ray on October 20. [/teaser] The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Supplements are set to include an audio commentary featuring Wenders and Peter Falk; The Angels Among Us documentary; Excerpt from “Wim Wenders Berlin Jan. 87,” an episode of the French television program Cinéma cinémas, including on-set footage; interview with director of photography Henri Alekan; deleted scenes and outtakes; Excerpts from the films Alekan la lumière (1985) and Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois (about the actor who plays Homer in Wings of Desire); production notes and photos; trailers; new and improved English subtitle translation; plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson and writings by Wenders and Handke. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Wings of Desire' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 20.Posted Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Blu-ray Sales Up 91 Percent in US – DVD Sales Slipping[teaser]Blu-ray and Digital Distribution help stabilize home entertainment numbers.[/teaser] According to the Digital Entertainment Group’s midyear report, Blu-ray sales are up a whopping 91percent to $407 million. And in accordance, retailers are getting more and more Blu-Ray, about 50 percent more than the previous year. Digitally distributed content shot up another 21percent as well, to $968 million, which includes around $200 million for electronic sellthrough. On the other hand, the industry as a whole, which consists of DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and digital distribution, slipped by 3.9 percent to a total of $9.73 billion. DVD sales are clearly slipping, with Blu-ray and digitally distributed content helping to fill the void. Perhaps the argument between Blu-ray and digital distribution is moot; with DVD on the decline, they’ve both got plenty of room to grow before there’s a need to split the market. More analysis and the full text of the press release can be found here.Posted Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Criterion Details 'Howard's End' Blu-ray[teaser]As previously reported, 'Howard's End' is coming to Blu-ray later this year. [/teaser] The Criterion Collection has now set the high-definition release of this classic film for October 20. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, an uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include a new appreciation of the late Ismail Merchant by director James Ivory; Building "Howard's End" documentary; The design of "Howard's End"; The Wandering Company documentary; Original 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette; Original theatrical trailer; An essay by critic Kenneth Turan. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Howard's End' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 20.Posted Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
DeepDiscount.com Offering High-Def Digest Readers 25 Percent Discount On More Than 35,000 Movies[teaser]DeepDiscount.com is offering HDD readers an extra 25% off their already reduced prices on Blu-rays and DVDs. [/teaser] DeepDiscount.com offers a huge selection of more than 35,000 movies on Blu-ray and DVD, spanning the latest action releases such as 'Taken' and 'Push' to ’80s favorites like 'Top Gun' and 'Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,' as well as vintage classics such as 'Casablanca' and 'South Pacific!' And they’re all on Blu-ray, with stunning visual and audio effects that make you feel as if you’re part of the movie! Always the guaranteed lowest prices online, DeepDiscount.com is offering an extra 25% off their already reduced prices on Blu-ray discs and DVDs for High-Def Digest readers. To take advantage of this deal, all you have to do is type the promo code HIDEFDIGEST25 when you place your order at DeepDiscount.com. Just be sure to order soon because the extra 25% off sale only lasts from July 17 to August 2. You haven’t heard about DeepDiscount.com before? Well, DeepDiscount.com is owned by a single dad and high-tech early adopter who firmly believes that most retail goods are way over priced. Looking to help save other parents and, well, everybody loads of cash for entertainment goods, he launched DeepDiscount with the goal of offering the best pricing online. Not willing to skimp on labor, DeepDiscount.com is an American company based entirely in the U.S., employing scores of citizens with competitive wages and benefits. That makes DeepDiscount.com not only a great place for everyone to save money while shopping, it's also a great company that's doing its part to support the economy with good local jobs. Can it get any better? You betcha. DeepDiscount.com always offers its customers FREE shipping! This offer runs from July 17 to August 2, so check out the full selection of titles now!Posted Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
The HD Advisor Turns 21Editor's Note: Each Friday, High-Def Digest's own HD Advisor will answer a new round of questions from our readers. If you have home theater questions you need answered, send an email to [email protected]. If you've already sent a question and don't see it answered yet, please be patient as we work our way through them. To browse through previously answered questions, visit the main HD Advisor page. By Joshua Zyber Before we start this week's Q&A, I'd like to thank everyone who read last week's article and voted in the subtitle placement poll. With your help, the option to place all subtitles in the active movie picture has taken a decisive lead in the voting. Unfortunately, this isn't over yet. In order to move the studio to action, we need as large a majority as possible. If you haven't voted for Option #1 yet, please do so. And if you have voted, spread the word to your friends, blog about it, Twitter it, make a Facebook group. Get the word out. Every vote matters. Thank you. Projection Screens Q: What do I look for in a projector screen? Do I need to spend $2-3k for a high-end screen (aka Stewart screen), or will something more reasonably priced do almost as well? My home theater supplier is really pushing the Firehawk by Stewart and the on-site demos certainly make it look amazing. A: Your choice of projection screen will depend on a variety of factors, including your room environment, screen size, and the brightness and contrast characteristics of your projector. Something as seemingly-trivial as whether you ceiling-mount or table-mount the projector can significantly affect the type of screen material best for your installation. Projection screens are rated in terms of gain, which is a measure of how much light they reflect back to the seating position. The most neutral types of screen are those made of Matte White material, generally rated with a gain of 1.0 or thereabouts. If you have a lot of ambient light in the room, light reflecting back toward the screen from white walls or ceiling, or a projector with a poor contrast ratio, you may benefit from a gray screen, which will have a gain rating lower than 1.0. A darker screen material will make your black levels appear darker. In contrast to this, high gain screens with ratings higher than 1.0 are typically made of beaded material that reflects more light directly back to the seating position and makes the picture brighter overall. These are useful for very large screens, or situations where the projector just doesn't output enough light to produce a bright and vivid picture. It's also possible to add a high gain surface to a gray backing material, which is how the Stewart Firehawk works. Each of these screen types will have its own advantages or disadvantages. For example, while a gray screen will make black levels appear darker, it will also make bright parts of the image seem dimmer. Depending on how dark the shade of gray is, it may also affect your color accuracy. On the other hand, common side effects of a high gain screen are hot-spotting, poor off-axis viewing, or "sparklies" visible in bright parts of the image. The higher the gain, the more washed out your black levels will appear. Which one will work best for you is hard to say. Personally, I've long stuck by my simple Matte White screen. But I'll be honest that I've often considered switching to something that might improve my contrast performance. Unfortunately, I haven't yet found anything that has thoroughly satisfied me that it would be worth the investment. When you view a screen at a retailer or installer location, always remember that the results you see will be biased by the room environment there and the projector being used, which may be very different than your own. Most screen manufacturers will send you free fabric samples if you ask. This can be helpful to see how the material will fare in your own room, compared directly against your existing screen. However, the samples are usually too small to adequately judge what an entire screen would look like. As far as cost, you can often save a lot of money by purchasing the raw screen material and framing it yourself. There are many other "Do It Yourself" options that will cost less than screens from the major brand names. I recommend visiting the Screens forum at AVSForum to do some research before deciding on anything. You should also contact the AVS sales staff there to see what kind of pricing they offer on whatever screen you eventually choose. Dolby Digital Plus on Blu-ray? Q: I'd like to know how the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD codecs work to increase the quality of sound. Is there any chance that Blu-ray should one day use Dolby Digital Plus for 5.1 soundtracks instead of the old Dolby Digital on other soundtracks? A: For your first question, I'll direct you to my earlier Blu-ray Audio Explained and Uncompressed vs. Lossless Audio articles. Those should fill you in on the basics. Regarding Dolby Digital Plus, that format is rarely (if ever) used on Blu-ray. For the most part, it isn't needed. Most studios have chosen to embrace Blu-ray's larger storage capacity to offer full lossless soundtracks. As far as the secondary backup tracks go, standard Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 are still the defaults because they're the most backwards-compatible with all types of sound system. Dolby Digital Plus may not work with many older A/V receivers, or with first-generation Blu-ray players for that matter. Keep in mind that the version of Dolby Digital used on Blu-ray runs at a 640 kb/s bit rate, which is superior to the 448 kb/s version used on standard DVD. So you should hear some degree of improvement no matter what. Region Coding on Warner Blu-ray Discs Q: Having seen 'Watchmen' at the cinema and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would, I couldn't wait to get it on Blu-ray and enjoy it again at home in HD. Knowing that it will be the Directors Cut made it worth the wait even more. But I live in the UK and we will not be getting the Directors Cut. I have been looking at the US version to import. I cannot find anywhere that says whether it is a region-free disc. I wanted to know before I order it. Do you know if it will be region-free? A: 'Watchmen' is a Warner Home Video title. To my knowledge, Warner has never restricted any of their Blu-ray releases to a single region. You should be safe to order this one. I recommend bookmarking this page for region code information on many Blu-ray titles. In fact, they've already confirmed the 'Watchmen – Director's Cut' disc as region free. Enjoy the disc! Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor Some questions that the HD Advisor receives are best answered with a consensus of opinions from our readers. If you can help to answer the following question, please post your response in our forum thread linked at the end of this article. Your advice and opinions matter too! Home-Theater-in-a-Box Recommendations Q: I have a nice home theater system myself, but a relative of mine is getting married and has listed a Home-Theater-in-a-Box on the gift registry. I would love to get this for them, but the specific item they've listed is a real bottom-of-the-barrel piece of junk that will probably short out within a week and set their new house on fire. I'd like to avoid that. I can't afford to spend major bucks on this, unfortunately. I'm not expecting high-end performance, but I want to get them something that isn't a complete piece of garbage. Is there anything at all even semi-decent that can be had for around $300? It will need to include 5.1 speakers and a receiver. Thanks! Check back next week for another round of answers. Keep those questions coming. Joshua Zyber's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of this site, its owners or employees.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'Blade Runner: Complete Collector's Edition' Blu-ray $18.99 at Amazon[teaser]Amazon completes another high-definition week with a science fiction classic in their Gold Box Deal-of-the-Day. [/teaser] Amazon is selling 'Blade Runner: Complete Collector's Edition' for $18.99 (53% off the suggested retail price). This today-only offer is good while supplies last, so click here to take advantage of the savings.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 11:30 AM PDT by: -
Exclusive 'Watchmen' Blu-ray Live Community Screening with Director Zack Snyder[teaser]Warner cordially invites you to chat and screen the film with Zack via a BD-Live extravaganza.[/teaser] Zack Snyder will be hosting a live chat and community screening of the 'Watchmen: Director's Cut' at Comic-Con on July 25th, 2009 at 9:30PM PST. Only the first 100,000 BD-Live members who sign up will be eligible for a spot in this event so be sure to register as soon as you get your copy. Here's the official invitation: You can find the latest specs for 'Watchmen: Director's Cut' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under July 21.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' to Haunt Blu-ray[teaser]New Line slates up another romantic comedy for a high-definition release this fall.[/teaser] New Line Home Entertainment will release 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner on Blu-ray on September 22. Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements will include behind-the-story featurettes and additional scenes. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is something called "a sea of women" and BD-Live connectivity. A digital copy will also be included. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has yet to be announced. You can find the latest specs for 'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 22.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
New Line of Marantz Blu-ray Players Launching In August[teaser]BD 5004 and BD 7004 set to wow high end consumers[/teaser] Marantz is launching its new line of Blu-ray players, the BD 5004 and the BD 7004, this August. An established brand in high end electronics, the folks at Marantz are sticking with what they know best, high quality for a high end consumer. The BD 5004 features DivX playback, BD-Live support, AVCHD, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD bitstreaming, and the 7004 adds 7.1 analog outs, DTS-HD MA decoding, as well as an Anchor Bay Reference Series processor. Missing are some of the newer features that are becoming standard in Blu-ray players such as access to streaming video, but Marantz seems to be betting against that need. With so many new TVs taking care of that role, a high quality standalone Blu-ray player may be just what the market ordered.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
'Star Trek' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The blockbuster reboot of the classic sci-fi franchise will beam to high-definition this winter. [/teaser] Paramount says 'Star Trek' will be transported to Blu-ray on November 17. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include deleted scenes, a BD-Live feature granting viewers live updates from space via NASA, a Star Fleet Vessel simulator, and more. The Blu-ray will also contain a very cool feature called "augmented reality" which enables viewers to take a tour of the Enterprise and fire upon enemy ships from the bridge. The package will include a special icon that will activate this feature by holding it in front of a webcam. A rough version of this feature can be previewed at Experience the Enterprise. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is unknown at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Star Trek' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 17.Posted Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 08:30 AM PDT by:
