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'Sons of the City: New York' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]Shoot some hoops with the greatest NBA players from the Big Apple on Blu-ray this May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Image Entertainment is bringing 'Sons of the City: New York' to Blu-ray on May 17. Basketball is known as “The City's Game.” Countless dreams born on the asphalt of neighborhood courts in cities around the country all climax with NBA stardom. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and there doesn't appear to be any supplements. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $17.97. You can find the latest specs for 'Sons of the City: New York' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 17.Posted Wed Mar 2, 2011 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
PlayStation 3 Banned in Europe - Shipments Seized[teaser]A patent dispute between Sony and LG could mean a complete shutdown of European sales. [/teaser] Lawsuits are nothing strange to major tech companies, but results are. Usually something like the current patent dispute between Sony and LG would be settled out of court, but it looks like things are starting to heat up. A preliminary ruling in the Hague demands that all PlayStation 3s coming into Europe be confiscated by officials. Tens of thousands of systems have been seized already, according to the Guardian. If the court decides to extend the injunction, retailers will have to start pulling PS3s off of the shelf. Potentially even worse for Sony, if the company is found to have infringed on LG's patents, Sony will have make financial compensation. That means LG will get a cut of every PS3 sold to date. Source: GuardianPosted Wed Mar 2, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
'Cannes Man' Blu-ray Released[teaser]The hilarious 1997 tale about the Hollywood star-making machine has apparently been released on Blu-ray this week. [/teaser] In a very late announcement, Cinema Libre apparently brought 'Cannes Man' to high-definition on March 1. This insiders’ fable of the Cannes Film Festival, stars the well-known character actor Seymour Cassel ('Rushmore,' 'The Royal Tennenbaums') playing impresario “Sy Lerner” and Francesco Quinn ('Platoon,' 'Placebo Effect') as “Frank Rhino.” Set against the glitz and glamour of La Croistette, the film features a cast that includes: Luana Anders, Jack Ong, Francois Petit, Rebecca Broussard ('Die Hard,' 'Mars Attacks'), Lawrence Kasanoff, Duncan Clark, Ann Cusak. Directed by Richard Martini, this is a classic Pygmalion story featuring an array of cameos from current stars, former stars, Hollywood insiders and work-a-day character actors. Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch, make a hilarious turn as they take a meeting with Sy and Frank who attempt to get them signed on to a project that doesn’t actually exist. Jon Cryer, Benicio del Toro, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, Kevin Pollack, and Treat Willams also make notable appearances. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Cannes Man' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 1.Posted Wed Mar 2, 2011 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
The Top 10 Animated Disney Films NOT On Blu-rayby Aaron Peck [teaser]Disney movies, like today's release 'Bambi,' are popular on Blu-ray. Especially the animated classics. Blu-ray fans everywhere have been clamoring for Disney to release their catalogue titles in high definition.[/teaser] They've obliged by releasing a few titles every year, but I…er…we want more. Below is a list of the top ten Disney animated features that have yet to get a Blu-ray release, or even be announced. I realize I didn't put 'The Lion King' or 'Dumbo' on the list, but those have already been announced. These are the ones for which we're still waiting with bated breath for any sort of notice from Disney. 10) 'Cinderella' The Disney princesses Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle have all had their time to shine on Blu-ray, it's time for Cinderella to slip into the high definition glass slipper and finally receive the release it deserves. I always thought Cinderella was a charming little feature. Brightly colored, hilarious talking mice, and an unmatched Disney nostalgia. It's high time that this Disney princess came to Blu-ray. 9) 'The Rescuers' And I'm talking about the original cut of the film. The recalled VHS cut that actually showed a topless lady in the background for a split second. Ok, I know that there's no way they're going to release that cut. Not in the PC world we live in now. Truth is I just really loved this movie when I was a kid. It was one of those movies that I watched over and over and couldn't get enough of. The adventures of Benard and Bianca are some of my most indelible Disney memories. 8) 'Hercules' The bright, vibrant animation is going to lend itself perfectly to the format. I simply can't wait for this title to be announced. Not to mention the boisterous musical numbers coupled with the non-stop action, this high-def soundtrack is going to be killer. 'Hercules' is one of those Disney movies that you never think of as a classic, but once you think back on it, you end up realizing that it simply was a lot of fun. 7) 'The Black Cauldron' 'The Black Cauldron' was in fact the very first Disney animated feature to get a PG rating from the MPAA. It's a bit darker, and may not be for every kid. In truth it reminded me more of the darker animated tales that came from Don Bluth. Still, I'm waiting anxiously to hear about a release for this one. 6) 'The Jungle Book' 'The Jungle Book' has some of the most memorable Disney songs all in one place. Forget the way this is going to look (marvelous I suspect), but imagine how it's going to sound. All those famous songs from "The Bare Necessities" to "I Wan'na Be Like You" are going to sound fantastic if Disney decides to give them the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio treatment. 5) 'Peter Pan' I've got to go with this one for my wife. She's a Peter Pan nut, and she has me adoring the story now too. At first 'Peter Pan' was one of my least remembered and watched Disney movies as a kid. Since meeting my wife and finding out her affinity for the story by James Barrie, I've found myself becoming more and more enamored with Peter and his epic battles with Captain Hook. 4) 'Aladdin' Well this one is a no brainer right? I mean 'Aladdin' was right at the time where Disney was really understanding how well computer animation meshed with hand-drawn animation. This is one of those movies that is just going to look stellar in high definition. Like 'The Jungle Book,' 'Aladdin' is filled to the brim with rousing songs that have become etched into Americana. I can't imagine how great they'll sound once they're remastered for the format. 3) 'The Sword in the Stone' Simply a personal favorite here. Even though 'Sword in the Stone' was one of the few Disney titles received with lukewarm box office returns, I still find that this numbers among my personal favorites. Who can forget the wizard's duel? One of my all-time favorite animated sequences ever put on film Just to have that scene alone preserved in high definition would be well worth the asking price. 2) 'The Little Mermaid' I can't think of another title out there that people are jonesing for more than 'The Little Mermaid.' We've already had a few of the modern day Disney classics find their way to Blu-ray with the recent release of 'Beauty and the Beast,' and the forthcoming 'Lion King.' That leaves Ariel and her story of visiting the world above the ocean as one of the last modern day tent pole releases that Disney has stored away in their vault. (As with 'The Rescuers', I also wonder if 'The Little Mermaid' will have that enthusiastic priest...) Here's hoping that they announce this one soon. 1) 'Robin Hood' I know it's a second tier Disney film. I know that there's hardly anything in Disneyland that pertains to this often forgotten film. I know that this is one of those Disney movies that people never really think of when they think of "the classics," but to me, this is a classic. I remember as a kid watching Disney's 'Robin Hood' four to five times a day. I remember wearing out my VHS copy of the movie as I rewound it over and over during the chase scene after Robin is discovered at the contest. Since this is my list, this is my number one pick. When 'Robin Hood' is finally released on Blu-ray that'll make this man truly merry. I know I left out some movies that you most certainly love, but this is a top ten list, what's a guy to do? I would feel amiss if I didn't name some honorable mentions real fast like 'The Emperor's New Groove,' '101 Dalmatians,' 'Pocahontas,' 'Mulan,' 'The Great Mouse Detective,' and 'Tarzan.' Even now I've still left some out. I guess us Disney fans won't be truly happy until we have the entire collection of Disney animated features finally sitting on our shelves. Until then, this list is as good a start as any.Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 12:50 PM PST by: -
High-Def Digest Goes Behind the Scenes of 'Megamind' in 7.1 Dolby TrueHDby Michael S. Palmer [teaser]Last week, 'Megamind' became the first 7.1 theatrically mixed film to be released on Blu-ray with a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.[/teaser] Some are unhappy with the disc's video (banding in the sky, and aliasing around costume and hair textures), but I think we can all agree the TrueHD soundtrack is a winner. Dolby and Paramount Home Entertainment were kind enough to invite High-Def Digest to a small screening of 'Megamind' to talk 7.1 There was also a Q&A with Erik Aadahl, the film's supervising sound editor. Erik is a literal genius who turned down Yale and Stanford to go to USC film school, and has worked on some of the best soundtracks of the last five years, including: 'Shrek Forever After', 'Transfomers: Revenge of the Fallen', 'Monsters vs. Aliens', 'Valkryie', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'Transformers', and 'Superman Returns'. But before we jump into 'Megamind' and the process of creating its soundtrack, I need to say one thing: I love 7.1 with ever fiber of my nerdtronic high definition soul. The proof for me came last fall when I went up to San Francisco to play in Dolby's sandbox. There, in perhaps the best sounding auditorium I've ever experienced, we saw the demos Dolby had previously used to convince Pixar and theatre owners that 'Toy Story 3' should be the first ever theatrically mixed 7.1 movie in history. Who knew how much extra immersion and precision could come from two additional channels directly behind one's head where our ears are supposed to be less acute? My conclusions were immediately backed up when, in another demo, we dropped back to 5.1. Missing the extra channels, missing that extra depth and control, the mix sounded flatter and further away. I was sad. Needless to say, in a few short minutes, I was ready to sprint home -- all 500 miles -- and buy two more speakers. My wife nearly cut up the credit card. Thankfully, she did the smarter and more loving thing: she bought me two more speakers for Christmas (Best. Present. Ever.). I was quick to drop in 'Toy Story 3', as well as a host of mostly Lionsgate and New Line Cinema Blu-rays originally mixed in 5.1, only to be remixed into 7.1 for Blu-ray (a process we learned about from our good friends over at POP Sound). Which brings us back to DreamWorks Animation's 'Megamind'… We watched the 'Megamind' Blu-ray on an 18-foot wide screen (10.5-feet tall), running through an NEC 2K DLP projector. The Blu-ray picture looked almost as good as when I saw 'Megamind' in the theatre. But it sounded better. How? Oh, I think you already know: 7.1 over 5.1. There are currently 1,300 cinema screens around the world (not enough) with Dolby 7.1. Ten films have been mixed for the format (again, not enough), but sound professionals like Erik Aadahl don't have any 5.1 currently on their rosters (he's working on 'Kung Fu Panda 2' next). While some mixes are adjusted between theatrical and home theatre environments (dynamic range, etc),the 'Megamind' Blu-ray features, bit-for-bit, the exact same mix as Erik heard in the mixing stage; the same mix heard in the cinema. No changes. Straight from the professionals with the full dynamic range intact. These are fun times, dear readers. But how do they do it? Erik starts all of his projects (as we can see, they are mainly studio tent poles) gathering his Palette of Sound. In cooking terms, these are his ingredients. Some sound designers work with "canned food," or pre-recorded sounds (they have to for many budget ranges). Not Erik. Every sound he uses is signature to each movie. And to do this, he takes a few months building that Sonic Palette before ever working with animation or live action footage. 'Megamind' is about a quirky main character whose schemes often fail; Erik's soundtrack was designed from the ground up to help tell that story. Also, Jeffrey Katzenberg said that he wanted the film to sound "charming." So, quirky and charming. How can sound be those things? Erik says he likes to find sounds with inherent "personality", as well as those that can "play." In terms of personality, Erik has a kitchen cabinet at home in desperate need of WD-40, but he's never fixed it because he enjoys its squeak. In fact, what would be an annoyance to most ears became the basis for the character Frenzy in the first 'Transfomers' film. In terms of playability, Erik likes to use sounds and devices that can be manipulated to communicate emotions and feelings. How about an example? Great idea. Erik brought two miniaturized versions of sound generators he used in the movie and played a couple clips to demo them, as well as the Blu-ray's use of 7.1. First, he brought out a Van de Graaf generator, which generates a buzzing, humming noise as electricity arcs across an open space. Therefore, Erik is able to "play" the sounds in different tones and keys, give the sound a personality. The Van de Graaf generator, along with Erik's own voice, became the basis for Megamind's army of Brain Bots. Check out Chapter 3 on you 'Megamind' Blu-ray (00:12:12 – 00:14:21) to hear the Van de Graaf in action, and a nifty 360-degree pan in 7.1 as Megamind (Will Ferrel) wheels on and off camera while taunting Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey). Second, there is a moment in the film where Megamind blows up an observatory using "all the power of the sun." This sound was directly inspired by Ben Burtt's work on 'Star Wars.' But instead of using high tension wires as Burtt did, Erik coiled hundreds of feet of copper wiring, which he was able to 'ping' and amplify as needed (again, seen in her miniature form). Check out Chapter 4 of your 'Megamind' Blu-ray (00:15:57 – 00:20:20) to hear the pinging copper coil, as well as some great use of the surround back channels as the camera changes POV from looking directly at the explosion, to having the explosion taking place behind camera. Another important general concept was how sound can define characters. Megamind has already been described as quirky, his sounds being slightly off. Case in point, in his origin story, Megamind's spaceshift putters along, almost breaking down. Metroman, conversely, is in a mini Cadillac, which runs smoothly. Last on our list of interesting factoids for the day was how 3D can affect the sound mixing process. Erik and his team, when doing a 3D film, do most of the work in 2D, and then watch their work playback in 3D, taking notes. In 3D, Erik found his eyes going to different screen locations and actions compared to the 2D version, so he had to make a few adjustments to line up things back up with the picture. In some cases, 2D and 3D versions of the same film will have slightly different editing choices, and thus completely separate sound mixes. All-in-all, it was great to learn a little more about how 'Megamind' was built into a very fine 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. I wish every Blu-ray sounded this good. Thanks again to the folks at Dolby and Paramount Home Entertainment for a fun morning (even if it was in the valley). What do you say, dear readers? What do you think about the 'Megamind' 7.1 track? How many of you own a 7.1 system, or are interested in owning one? If you don't have one, why not? Have you sought out Dolby 7.1 Theatres? And, what's your favorite 7.1 Blu-ray so far? Hit up the forums and let us all know.Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 11:30 AM PST by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'An Affair to Remember' & 'All About Eve' Blu-rays $19.49 Each at Amazon[teaser]The digibook versions of two 1950s classics are each now under $20 at Amazon. [/teaser] The online retailer is selling 'An Affair to Remember' (starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr) and 'All About Eve' (featuring Anne Baxter and Bette Davis) on Blu-ray for $19.49 (44% off the suggested list price). 'An Affair to Remember' was nominated for four Oscars and 'All About Eve' received a record 14 Academy Award nods winning six -- including Best Picture. Click here to pick up 'All About Eve' and 'An Affair to Remember' can be ordered here!Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 10:30 AM PST by: -
'Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D' Announced for Blu-ray 3D[teaser] The country music star takes his show to the third dimension at the end of the month. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Image Entertainment is prepping 'Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D' for a Blu-ray 3D release on March 29. Beyond the unparalleled performances filmed over 6 nights, captured from onstage, the front row, the wings and even the Goodyear blimp, this film includes extensive archival footage, behind-the-scenes moments and photographs held together by Chesney's own narrative, taking people inside the life, the love, and the reasons for his unprecedented success. This spectacular release contains 4 bonus songs not seen in theaters. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, and a full track listing can be viewed here. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 29.Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 10:15 AM PST by: -
MGM Announces Five More Catalog Blu-rays for April[teaser]Julia Roberts, Johnny Depp, and a doll trained in the fine art of love-making will walk onto high-definition this April. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, MGM/UA is preparing 'Mystic Pizza,' 'Benny and Joon,' 'Lars and the Real Girl,' 'De-Lovely,' and 'Much Ado About Nothing' for a Blu-ray release on April 5. Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $19.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Mystic Pizza,' 'Benny and Joon,' 'Lars and the Real Girl,' 'De-Lovely,' and 'Much Ado About Nothing' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under April 5.Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
'IMAX: Search for the Great Sharks' on Blu-ray[teaser]IMAX will be chumming Blu-ray waters again this May. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Inception Media has listed 'IMAX: Search for the Great Sharks' for Blu-ray on May 17. A journey into the land of sharks. The old myth of swimming killing machines is put against the true nature of those rather peaceful hunters, whose evolution ended in biological perfection millions of years ago. We accompany expeditions of Dr. Eugenie Clark and Rodney Fox, who have studied sharks since the 1950's. Specs and supplements still haven't been revealed yet, but suggested list price is only $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'IMAX: Search for the Great Sharks' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under May 17.Posted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
A Third of Netflix Subscribers Would Switch to Prime if Comparable[teaser]Amazon's big announcement has had a big impact on Netflix already and it might get even bigger. [/teaser] When Amazon announced free streaming for Prime members, it entered into the same arena as Netflix. Whether Amazon can step it up and compete with the popular streaming service is yet to be seen, but it's going to be one hell of a fight and Amazon undoubtedly has the money to wage war for a while! According to a recent survey, 32 percent of Netflix subscribers say that they'd be willing to go with Prime instead if the service was comparable. When the survey was limited to only those that currently subscribe to Netflix and hold Prime memberships, 36 percent said they'd switch while 32 percent said that they'll be using both services. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Tue Mar 1, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by:
