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'The Grudge' to Haunt Blu-ray this March[teaser]Sony Pictures is bringing the hit horror remake 'The Grudge' to Blu-ray this March.[/teaser] Based on the popular Japanese original 'Ju-On,' the Sarah Michelle Gellar starrer was the surprise horror sleeper of 2004, eventually grossing over $100 million at the domestic box office. Sony Pictures will debut the Takashi Shimizu-helmed thriller on March 10. (The studio previously-released a DVD special edition of the film in 2005.) Tech specs will see a BD-50 dual-layer disc with 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video (1.85:1) and English and French Dolby TrueHd .1 Surround tracks. Extras include two audio commentaries (with Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi and Sarah Michelle Gellar, plus a second track with director Takashi Shimizu, producer Taka Ichise and actress Takako Fuji), a pair of featurettes ("Myth of the Ju-On," "Under the Skin"), plus the features "Sights and Sounds: The Storyboard Art of Takashi Shimizu" and "Production Designer's Notebook: The Sketches of Iwao Saito," and two Ju-On short films ("4444444444," "In a Corner"). Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $28.95. You'll find specs for 'The Grudge' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 10.Posted Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
Latest Amazon Sale Wraps Up Friday[teaser]If you've been watching any of the titles in the current Amazon B2G1 sale, you'll want to grab em quick![/teaser] The newest sale includes 247 titles, including old favorites like 'Top Gun,' 'I Am Legend,' 'The Usual Suspects,' and 'Transformers.' The sale is set to end this Friday, January 16th. check it out now!Posted Tue Jan 13, 2009 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
News From CES 2009: Twitter Updates From Vegas![teaser]Mike Flacy, Content Manager for our sister site AVRev has journeyed to Vegas and is sending us minute by minute updates live from the scene![/teaser] Mike is currently making his way through the booths and displays, picking out the items he thinks our readers will be most interested in. Now you too can be a fly on the wall. To check out Mike's photos and observations of the big event, just go to his Twitter feed. Bingo!Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 12:15 PM PST by: -
News From CES 2009: JVC Debuts Its First Blu-ray Player[teaser]Looks like a friendly bird finally whispered in JVC's ear and told them about Blu-ray![/teaser] JVC announced it's first Blu-ray player today at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The low-profile unit will be available in March and is set to offer BD Live compatibility and AVCHD playback, among other features. The player's connections include HDMI ver.1.3, component, and composite video outputs, as well as analog, optical, and coaxial audio outputs. In addition to AVCHD, other playable formats include JPEG, MP3, WMA, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS and DTS HD. Playable discs will include BD-ROM, BD-R/RE, BD/DVD Hybrid, DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, Audio CD and CD-R/RW.Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
News From CES 2009: Vizio To Sell Sub-$200 BD Player[teaser]Hoping to drive mass adoption of the Blu-ray format, Vizio has announced a new BD player at a price point just under $200.[/teaser] Available in April, the new player will deliver images at to 1080p for a suggested retail price of $199.99. As far as the company is concerned, a price this low "means everyone can afford to bring these exquisite sights and sounds into their home theater." "VIZIO doesn't stop at high performance HDTVs at a great price. Our Accessories line continues to expand with new components and add-ons to augment the home theater experience," said Laynie Newsome, VIZIO Co-Founder and VP Sales and Marketing Communications. "These latest products demonstrate VIZIO's continued commitment to provide the most advanced technologies at a value and a better way to enjoy HD entertainment." In additional to standard BD playback, the machines offer selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for standard definition DVDs via HDMI output, 24-bit/192kHz audio, built-in audio decoding for uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and multi-channel PCM in addition to Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus. In addition to Blurays and DVDs, the players can also read DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, audio CD-R, and CD-RW, plus MP3 CDs. Additional features include 1.3 HDMI, component, and composite outputs, 7.1 channel analog audio, coax and optical digital audio, analog stereo (RCA), and a remote control.Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 11:45 AM PST by: -
'Twilight' to Take Bite Out of Blu-ray this March[teaser]Last year's biggest sleeper smash, the teen vampire sensation 'Twilight' will rise on Blu-ray this March.[/teaser] Based on the first of Stephenie Meyer's popular series of young adult novels, 'Twilight' proved to be 2008's breakout hit, grossing nearly $150 million at the domestic box office (largely thanks to the lunch money of teenage girls). Summit Entertainment has alerted retailers that the PG-13 horror film will hit Blu-ray on March 21, day-and-date with the standard DVD. There are no tech or supplement specs at this early date, but we expect further details in the days ahead. Watch this space. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.95. You'll find preliminary specs for 'Twilight' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 21.Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
'Zack and Miri' to Make Blu-ray 'Porno' this February[teaser]In a late-breaking retail announcement, the Weinstein Co. has set an early-February Blu-ray release for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno.'[/teaser] Kevin Smith's racy comedy, which grossed nearly $30 million at the domestic box office, will make a quick trip to Blu-ray (day-and-date with the DVD) on February 3. At press time, the Weinstein Co. has yet to issue a full media announcement, so we'll keep you posted on tech and supplement specs when they're confirmed. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.95. You'll find preliminary specs for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 3.Posted Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
DreamWorks Loads Extras, Exclusives on 'Madagascar 2' Blu-ray[teaser]DreamWorks has announced final specs for 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,' which arrives on Blu-ray this February with hours of bonus features and exclusive content.[/teaser] As announced last month, DreamWorks had set a February 17 date for the smash sequel (day-and-date with the standard DVD), but stopped short of issuing any specs. Final details are now in, with the animated comedy receiving a BD-50 dual-layer disc with 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio. Extras include a filmmaker audio commentary, two featurettes ("It's a Family Affair: The Cast of Escape 2 Africa," "The Making of Escape 2 Africa"), additional making-of vignettes ("Crash Landing," "African Adventure," "Jambo Jambo: Swahili Speak," "The Bronx Zoo: Madagascar," "Popcorn Panic (#101)," "Gone in a Flash (#103)"), a trio of music videos, Sing-along and Jukebox features, a "Test Flight of Air Penguin" interactive game, and easter eggs. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is "The Animators' Corner" picture-in-picture commentary and a graphics trivia track. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.98. You'll find final specs for 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 17.Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 at 01:15 PM PST by: -
Batman 'Anthology' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Holy box set, Batman! Warner Home Video has announced the caped crusader's four original big-screen adventures are headed to Blu-ray this March.[/teaser] Dubbed 'Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology,' the five-disc set contains all four of the Batman films made from 1989-1997, including 'Batman,' 'Batman Returns,' 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman & Robin.' Tech specs will see each feature film receive its own BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p/VC-1 video (1.85:1) and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround tracks. The full list of extras has not been announced, but it's expected to mirror the previous DVD box set release, including over 18 hours of documentaries, featurettes and profiles, audio commentaries with directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, and 9 music videos. At press time, Warner has not confirmed any exclusive content, but will keep you posted. We are also awaiting a final MSRP. Stay tuned. You'll find the latest specs for 'Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 10.Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 at 12:30 PM PST by: -
News From CES 2009: LG BD-Player shouts "Networking, Baby! Networking!"[teaser]LG hopes to top its first of its kind networked BD player, by introducing two new networked Blu-ray machines.[/teaser] After offering consumers the BD300, the world's first BD player to instantly stream Netflix content, LG electronics has now debuted two new machines at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The BD370 and the BD390 raise the bar, with expanded content options and wireless connectivity. In addition to Netflix, LG's alliances with CinemaNow and YouTube offer viewers a broad range on content options in addition to the HD quality offered by Blu-ray. Best of all, the online content can be streamed directly from the internet without the need of a personal computer. “With LG, consumers do not have to compromise flexible entertainment options for exceptional sound and picture quality,” said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing and strategy. "Our new network Blu-ray disc players and home theater systems allow consumers to personalize their entertainment experience.”Posted Thu Jan 8, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST by:
