-
'Heavy Metal' Blu-ray Postponed Indefinitely[teaser]The 1981 animated cult classic originally planned for Blu-ray this January has been pulled from the release calendar. [/teaser] As previously reported, Sony was working on 'Heavy Metal' starring the voices of John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis for Blu-ray on January 25, but now the release has been canceled without any reason given. "The otherworldly tale of a glowing green orb that spreads destruction until confronted with pure goodness. " Specs weren't revealed, but supplements were to include: Imagining Heavy Metal and Deleted Scenes. You can find the latest specs for 'Heavy Metal' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's now indexed under PENDING.Posted Tue Dec 7, 2010 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed[teaser]Steven Spielberg's dark sci-fi film will descend on Blu-ray in February! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Paramount has just revealed 'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' starring Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law will hit high-definition on February 15. The movie is based on a short story by Brian Aldiss and was originally to be directed by Stanley Kubrick, but after his passing the torch was passed to Spielberg. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Creating A.I.; Acting A.I.; Designing A.I.; Lighting A.I.; A.I./FX; The Robots of A.I.; Special Visual Effects and Animation: ILM; The Sound and Music of A.I.; Closing: Steven Spielberg: Our Responsibility to Artificial Intelligence; Two theatrical trailers (in HD); and A.I. Archives. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.99. You can find the latest specs for 'A.I.: Artificial Intelligence' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 15.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 02:15 PM PST by: -
'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' Gets Non-Exclusive Blu-ray Release[teaser]A single disc edition of the Will Ferrell comedy will be available at all retailers in March. [/teaser] Paramount is planning to release a regular edition of 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' on Blu-ray on March 15. 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - The Rich Mahogany Edition' has already been released on Blu-ray as a Best Buy exclusive. This release will only include the first disc from that set and the Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Commentary by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Lou Rawls, Andy Richter, Kyle Gass, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate; Deleted and extended scenes; Bloopers; and ESPN sports center audition - Ron Burgundy. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 15.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 02:00 PM PST by: -
'Secretariat' Announced and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The family drama will ride to Blu-ray this January! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Disney/Buena Vista is working on 'Secretariat' starring Diane Lane, Dylan Walsh, and John Malkovich for a Blu-ray release on January 25. The film is based on the inspirational and incredible true story of the racing horse named Secretariat who won the 1973 Triple Crown. The release will be a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include three deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by director Randall Wallace and a Heart of a Champion featurette. Blu-ray exclusives include: Audio commentary by director Randall Wallace; Choreographing the Races; A Director's Inspiration: A Conversation with the Real Penny Chenery; Four more deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by director Randall Wallace; Secretariat multi-angle simulation; and Music video: AJ Michalka, "It's Who You Are." Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Secretariat' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under January 25.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 12:00 PM PST by: -
'Out of Sight' Dated for Blu-ray[teaser]Another HD DVD exclusive is finally coming to Blu-ray in March. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Universal is preparing 'Out of Sight' for Blu-ray on March 1. Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney star in this Steven Soderbergh crime thriller comedy Variety hails as "a sly, sexy, vastly entertaining film." Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $26.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Out of Sight' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under March 1.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM PST by: -
'Against All Odds,' 'Awakenings,' & 'Random Hearts' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]A trio of catalog titles are slated for Blu-ray at the end of March. [/teaser] In an announcement to retailers, Image Entertainment has revealed Taylor Hackford's 'Against All Odds' starring Rachel Ward and Jeff Bridges is planned for Blu-ray on March 22. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include a director and cast commentary, deleted scenes, and theatrical trailer. On the same date, Penny Marshall's 'Awakenings' starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams will also be available, though specs have yet to be revealed and it doesn't appear to include any special features. Lastly, Sydney Pollack's 'Random Hearts' starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas will hit stores with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include director's commentary, deleted scenes, and a theatrical trailer. Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Against All Odds,' 'Awakenings,' and 'Random Hearts' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they are indexed under March 22.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 08:00 AM PST by: -
'The Last Unicorn' Blu-ray Announced[teaser]The 1982 animated classic based on Hugo award-winning author Peter S. Beagle's novel will be available in high-definition for the first time this February. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Lionsgate will be bringing the family film 'The Last Unicorn' to Blu-ray on February 22. Featuring the voice talents of Jeff Bridges ('TRON: Legacy'), Mia Farrow ('The Purple Rose of Cairo'), Angela Lansbury ('Nanny McPhee') and Rene Auberjonois ('The Little Mermaid'), the film is a treasured fantasy classic perfect for all ages. 'The Last Unicorn' also showcases the talented artists of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli ('Princess Mononoke') and music performed by the band America. The release will be a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with 1080p video and along with previously available special features, the Blu-ray will contain new bonus content including an audio commentary with writer Peter S. Beagle and publisher Connor Cochran, as well as a never-before-seen featurette and an art contest gallery. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Last Unicorn' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 22.Posted Mon Dec 6, 2010 at 06:00 AM PST by: -
HDD Deal of the Week: 'Night at the Museum Collection' Blu-ray $18.99 at Amazon[teaser]Get both Ben Stiller family comedies for one great price in Amazon's Blu-ray deal this week! [/teaser] The online retailer has dropped the price of 'Night at the Museum Collection' to only $18.99 (53% off suggested list price). The set includes 'Night at the Museum' and 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.' Click here to put these titles on display in your own Blu-ray museum today!Posted Sun Dec 5, 2010 at 06:55 PM PST by: -
HD Advisor 1985: The Legend is RebornEditor'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. Answers by Joshua Zyber Video Calibration Standards Q: Proper calibration of your home theater equipment is quickly becoming more mainstream, almost a must. Especially for videophiles. It's generally recommended to use one of the many different home calibration discs that are available. Most of these discs will guide you through a wealth of adjustments and then provide you with an image or scene from a selected film as the final test, stating that, "If your television is now properly set, the following scene should look like this and you should be able to make out this and this.". Does this truly calibrate your set to properly display all films and content? Or does it only calibrate it to properly display the scene (or type of film) it refers you to? Because all films are shot differently, with different lighting, different film stocks, film and digital, real and animated, and essentially most films all have a very different and unique look. So for example, if you calibrate your set to properly display an intentionally dark and grainy film like 'Fight Club', would that calibration not be off for a slick looking movie like 'Zodiac'? Or an animated movie like Toy Story 3'? And if so, is there really any point to these discs, as in reality in order to properly display every movie you would have to calibrate your set every time you watch something different? A: In theory, the video transfers for all movies should be mastered to the same reference standards for proper monitor calibration, regardless of any particular movie's photographic style. For example, the reference standards define what black is supposed to look like, what white is supposed to look like – red, green, blue and so forth. When you calibrate your TV, you're trying to bring it as close to those professional reference standards as possible. These standards don't tell you anything about what the movie should look like, just how the monitor should be set. Only by sticking to these standards can the transfer technicians determine exactly how far off the movie should stray to hit its desired look. If we didn't set these standards, then 'Toy Story 3' might look bright and shiny on the studio monitor but dark and grainy on your TV at home. Or, conversely, a movie like 'Fight Club' that's supposed to be very dark could wind up looking far too bright and washed out on your set. Calibration is about finding the same reference point so that what you see is the same thing that the people who performed the video transfer saw. You want your TV's definition of "red" to be the same as the studio's definition of "red," or else something that's supposed to be red will look green on your set. And that's just chaos! PS3 Setup with Soundbar Q: I recently picked up the Panasonic SC-HTB500 home theater system. It is a simple soundbar and subwoofer, which is really all my living room can handle. I have a PS3 hooked up to it, but don't know what formats to tell my PS3 that my speakers can handle. The product page is located here. I am mostly confused by the fact that the soundbar says it supports 7.1 LPCM even though this is a simple 2.1 setup. Any help would be greatly appreciated. A: When your soundbar system claims that it can accept up to a PCM 7.1 input signal, it will internally downmix that 7.1 signal to its native 2.1 format. In this case, you have two options for how to set your PS3. You can set the console to output the maximum signal that the soundbar will support, and let the soundbar do the downmixing. Or you can let the PS3 do the downmixing itself. My first inclination is to say that the PS3 will probably do a better job with this. However, I don't believe the PS3 offers a 2.1 PCM output format for audio. The options are either simple 2-channel (no LFE) or multi-channel (5.1 to 7.1). You may wind up losing the LFE channel and not taking advantage of your subwoofer. On the other hand, the subwoofer that comes with this soundbar is probably not equipped to handle very deep bass anyway. I think I'm still inclined to say that you should set the PS3 for 2-channel PCM output. However, you should probably try it both ways and see if you notice any difference. If any of our readers have more direct experience with soundbars, please add your feedback to the forum thread linked at the end of this article. 4k Digital Cinema Revisited Q: My local AMC theater had posted on its marquee that all screens now have 4K projectors. My first thought was, "Sweet!" But my second thought was remembering that most movies are shot and / or post-produced at 2k. The theater web site doesn't seem to specify if the movie is being show in 2k or 4k. Is there a way to know which movies are at 4k? A: Even though many digital cinemas have recently begun a transition to 4k projectors, at the present time most of the content distributed to these theaters is still only 2k resolution. When a 2k source is displayed on a 4k projector, the picture is upconverted, similar to how standard definition content is displayed on an HDTV. I'm not aware of any sources that state whether a particular movie will be projected from a 2k or 4k source at a particular theater, unless the theater itself advertises this. (Someone please chime in if you know of a resource for this.) Frankly, I don't think the movie studios or theaters want you to know this information. They'd rather lure you to the theater with the promise of "digital" or "4k" and leave you in blissful ignorance as to what you're actually watching. Homework Assignment: You Be the Advisor The HD Advisor knows many things, but he doesn't know everything. Some questions 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! DLP Picture Problem Q: Earlier this year, I replaced my 61-inch 720p Samsung DLP display with a 65-inch 1080p Mitsubishi DLP display. After calibrating my new set, I am reaping the benefits of 1080p content. When the display is off, there is a gray-like blotch in the middle of the screen. The Samsung display had similar issues, so I was wondering if this is a problem with DLPs (in terms of how they are manufactured), or is there something wrong with the way I calibrated the sets? I used the 'Spears and Munsil Blu-ray and can't imagine that calibration would result in such an effect! I should mention that when the sets are powered on, there is no issue with picture quality. JZ: Have any other DLP owners experienced this? It doesn't sound like a calibration issue to me, more like a manufacturing defect. Check back soon 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 Dec 3, 2010 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland - 3D (4-Disc Combo Pack)' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The film will be available in stores next week as part of a four-disc combo pack. [/teaser] Disney/Buena Vista has just officially announced ' Alice in Wonderland - 3D (2010) (4-Disc Combo Pack)' for Blu-ray on December 7. The film’s opening weekend made ALICE IN WONDERLAND the highest-grossing non-sequel opening weekend in history, the biggest March opening of all time, the biggest 3D opening of all time and the biggest IMAX opening of all time. The release will be a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack with 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and all of the same previously released supplements (although the Blu-ray 3D disc will be a bare-bones). Those shared with the DVD release include: Finding Alice – It’s all things Alice. This featurette includes Tim Burton’s vision for the characters, differences from the book and Disney’s version of Alice and how she evolves as both a character and actor as she takes an adventure through Wonderland. The Mad Hatter – Audiences are provided with a deeper look into the world of the Mad Hatter. Check out Johnny Depp’s early sketches, make-up, costumes and how they digitally enhanced his eyes. Effecting Wonderland – A behind-the-scenes piece on the different technologies used to create some of the most beloved characters in the film – Stayne, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Bandersnatch and the Red Queen. Blu-ray exclusives will include: The Futterwacken Dance – Futterwhat? Check out the making of the timeless dance called the Futterwacken. The Red Queen – The creation of the Red Queen from start to finish, including early Tim Burton sketches showcasing costume designs, make-up and digital effects. Time-Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen – A short time-lapse piece showing Helena Bonham Carter as she gets her make-up done. A three-hour process can be watched in just a few short minutes. The White Queen – An interview with Anne Hathaway, who plays Wonderland’s good queen, about her character’s journey throughout the process of the film. Scoring Wonderland – Composer Danny Elfman and Tim Burton discuss the music for the movie. Stunts of Wonderland – A featurette highlighting some of the biggest stunts in the film. Making the Proper Size – An inside look at the visual effects process of growing and shrinking Alice. See how filmmakers used different techniques to stay true to the storyline. Cakes of Wonderland – Take a trip to “Cake Divas” where the creators of the EAT ME cakes provide viewers with details about how they made the smallest crumb to the largest cake in scale. Tea Party Props – Tea cups, saucers, cakes and more. Prop master Doug Harlocker gives an overview of all the props used to bring the famous tea party scene together visually. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray 3D combo pack is $49.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Alice in Wonderland - 3D (2010) (4-Disc Combo Pack)' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under December 7.Posted Fri Dec 3, 2010 at 10:30 AM PST by:
