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'Vampire Circus' Blu-ray Dated & Detailed[teaser]The 1972 Hammer Films Production bringing the traveling carnival to Blu-ray in December has been fully detailed. [/teaser] As previously reported, Synapse Films announced their first Blu-ray release will be 'Vampire Circus' and it will be released on December 14. The film is about a roaming circus of vampires in the 19th century and is directed by Robert Young. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono soundtrack, and supplements will include: The Bloodiest Show on Earth: Making Vampire Circus: all-new documentary featuring interviews with filmmaker Joe Dante, Hammer documentarian Ted Newsom, Video Watchdog editor/author Tim Lucas, author/film historian Philip Nutman and David Prowse; Gallery of Grotesqueries: A Brief History of Circus Horrors: retrospective featurette; Visiting the House of Hammer: Britain's Legendary Horror Magazine retrospective on the popular British publication featuring Nutman; Vampire Circus interactive comic book, featuring artwork by Brian Bolland; Poster and stills gallery; and original theatrical trailer. The release also appears to be a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.95. You can find the latest specs for 'Vampire Circus' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 14.Posted Mon Oct 4, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
Sharp Announces Two Blu-ray TV Combos for Japan[teaser]It's doubtful that we'll see these hit the States since the new Quattrons pack a Blu-ray recorder. [/teaser] What is it about America and Blu-ray recorders? For some reason, they just haven't taken off at all. Perhaps it's the convenience of hard drives and flash media, or maybe it's the huge amount of streaming content available. Whatever the reason, Sharp has announced another pair of TVs that are unlikely to make it to the US. The new Quattron sets sport BDXL compatible Blu-ray disc recorders, which means users will be able to store huge amounts of content. Even cooler, the built in Blu-ray recorder can play back 3D Blu-rays as well so there's no need to pick up an external player. There's no word on whether it can also record 3D content for playback, but it seems logical that it could do so. The new Quattron LC-46LB3 and LC-52LB3 will be released in Japan on November 15th with a price still yet to be determined. Soruce: eCousticsPosted Mon Oct 4, 2010 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
'Neil Young: Le Noise Film' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]A live black-and-white studio performance of Young's entire new album is planned for Blu-ray this winter. [/teaser] Reprise has announced the Blu-ray release of 'Neil Young: Le Noise Film' sometime in November. The eight-song album is a collaboration between the acclaimed rock icon and musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers and many others. As producer or co-producer Lanois won Grammy Awards in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2001. The CD is currently available on Amazon with a suggested list price of $18.98. Specs, supplements, and suggested list price for the Blu-ray are still undetermined at this time. You can find the latest specs for 'Neil Young: Le Noise Film' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under PENDING.Posted Mon Oct 4, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
HD Advisor at 77 Sunset StripEditor'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 Blu-ray vs. HD Streaming Q: I have a question that has been burning a hole in my head and I can't understand. Please help me. If a Blu-ray is the current BEST high definition standard, how it is possible for devices like the Xbox 360 which are like 6-years-old by now, to be able to stream high definition 1080p 5.1 audio to my TV? I thought the whole point of buying the disc was that it was impossible to stream such high quality. Please help put my weary mind at ease. A: Rest assured that Blu-ray currently remains the highest-quality home video format available to consumers. Most "HD" streaming and download options available through Xbox Live, the Playstation Network, or other sources such as Amazon and Netflix, are only offered in 720p resolution. [Correction: I've been informed by a reader that Xbox has a significant amount of 1080p content, including programming from ABC, in the Zune Marketplace section.] Even those that are technically encoded at 1080p resolution are heavily compressed to facilitate broadband transmission. This usually results in a loss of detail, as well as distracting compression and motion artifacts. When all other factors (such as the movie's film-to-video transfer) are equal, Blu-ray discs will almost always provide superior video quality to internet streaming. The larger your screen size, the more noticeable this difference will be. Most Blu-rays also have lossless HD audio and bonus features that you can't get via streaming. And, when you want to watch the movie again, you've already paid to own it. You won't need to pay for a rental for each new viewing. Plasma vs. LCD Q:I'm in the market to purchase a new television and I'm torn on which technology I should go with. I've owned several HDTVs over the years, with my current models being a Samsung 61" DLP and a 40" Samsung LCD. I would like to replace my 61" DLP for either a LED-LCD or a plasma, but I'm torn as to which to choose. I'm leaning more towards the plasma, but one thing keeps coming up... Burn-in. While several sites out their hint that burn-in is a thing of the past, there are some all too real horror stories about burn-in out there. Also, my brand preference has always been Samsung, but I may be ready to try a different brand. What are your thoughts on burn-in and the various benefits of each of these technologies? I would appreciate any help you could provide. A: Both LCD and plasma have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm hard-pressed to say that one is "better" than the other. It really depends on your priorities and your needs. In many cases, plasma can provide better picture quality due to its superior black levels and contrast. LCD displays typically need to use dynamic contrast adjustment to constantly raise and lower brightness levels between bright scenes and dark scenes. This can lead to distracting "brightness pumping" artifacts. Some sets do this better than others. In a best case scenario, the transition will be nearly seamless to the eye. In a worst case scenario, scenes with a lot of contrast between bright and dark (such as well-lit spaceships against the background of outer space in a sci-fi movie) will experience noticeable brightness fluctuations. On the other hand, LCD sets are usually brighter than plasma, and have non-reflective screens. They're better suited to room environments with ambient light, whereas plasma works best in a darkened home theater. Plasma phosphors are potentially subject to screen burn-in issues, though this is largely a factor of incorrect calibration. A set with the "Contrast" setting adjusted too high can cause static bright objects to burn into the screen. Properly calibrating the Contrast controls and varying up the types of content you watch will substantially mitigate this problem. If you're specifically looking for an LED LCD, keep in mind that there are two very different types. "Edge-lit" LED sets only have a string of LED diodes around the outside of the screen pointed inwards. "Back-lit" sets have a complete LED panel behind the screen. The latter are superior. Unfortunately, many manufacturers fail to disclose which type their "LED" TVs are. Be sure to check product reviews on any model that interests you. In the end, your choice of TV will be dictated by your needs and by your budget. Shop carefully and do your research. There are plenty of good offerings from both technology types. I'm sure you'll find something that will leave you satisfied. Reader Feedback In lieu of our usual Homework assignment this week, I felt it important to post this piece of reader feedback about a very troubling issue regarding the presentation of older TV shows on Blu-ray. Cropping of Older TV Shows Feedback: This isn't so much an HD Advisor question, but more a plea that you might consider raising awareness regarding the cropping of older TV shows for their Blu-ray releases. The classic 1970s British WWII documentary 'The World at War' is set for a Blu-ray release after a long restoration. Initially, I was ecstatic about getting to see this documentary series remastered and in HD, but then I saw this in the Amazon product description: New widescreen presentation The decision to convert the aspect ratio from the original 4:3 to 16:9 was taken after months of tests and reviews. The primary reason for this that for most viewers now own a widescreen TV, so expect programmes to be in this format, and also because with any HD material for broadcast, the broadcasters expect widescreen material. As the aim of the project was to create restored masters (at great expense) for multiple use (ie Blu-ray, DVD and broadcast), there was no option other than going down the 16:9 route. It was essential that this be done as sensitively as possible. The process of aspect ratio conversion from 4:3 to 16:9 was done by firstly going back to the original materials and then using 'Pan & Scan' to ensure that all of the essential picture detail is retained. The panning and scanning process can be notorious if done badly where the screen is basically lazily cropped, losing vital information. With this in mind in this instance each frame was panned and scanned according to strict guidelines following the tests done to ensure that the focus of the picture is always on the most important action so that we retained the quality of the original series. There is already a lot of backlash on the Amazon reviews section for this. It really seems backwards that the studio thinks people will assume that all Blu-rays will fill the screen. I would think people would assume Blu-rays would be in the original aspect ratio – not pan and scan. It's especially bad with this release, which is a documentary, a visual document of the past. You'd hope they would at least look into providing both versions on the discs. This would be an optimum outcome if they are dead set on putting a pan and scan version out there. The UK Blu-ray release of 'Thunderbirds' was cropped to 16:9, and it seems the 'Space 1999' set will be also. It may be too late for this release, since it's being released soon and may have gone to production already. Would you be able to highlight this problem so that studios can see that people do not accept pan and scan on Blu-ray? You had great success with the issue on subtitle placement, and I hope you'd consider trying to highlight this real concern. Thanks for your time. JZ: I very strongly agree with you on this. I find this cropping of old TV programs to fill a 16:9 screen to be utterly disgraceful. The purpose of the Blu-ray format has always been to present content as faithfully as possible to the original source material. A big part of that means maintaining the Original Aspect Ratio. Content wider than the HDTV 16:9 standard should be letterboxed with black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, and content narrower than 16:9 should be pillarboxed with bars on the sides. Numerous Blu-ray releases of 4:3 material – from 'Star Trek: The Original Series' to 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Gone with the Wind' – have already been released on Blu-ray in properly pillarboxed presentations, without raising any sort of consumer protests. The notion that viewers expect programs to fill the 16:9 screen, and so therefore the programs should be modified to comply, is disingenuous at best. Shame on Freemantle Media (the current rights-holders) for desecrating this classic documentary in such a way, and then having the audacity to market it as "The Ultimate Restored Edition." Freemantle has released the documentary on Blu-ray through its own label in the UK, and has licensed it to A&E Home Entertainment in the United States (to be released November 16th). I urge everyone to voice your displeasure about this predicament to the studio by emailing [email protected]. Even if it's too late to fix 'The World at War', let's at least make sure this doesn't happen again to something else in the future. 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 Oct 1, 2010 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
HDD Spotlight Bargain: 'Iron Man 2 (Combo Pack)' Blu-ray $19.99 at Amazon[teaser]Amazon is selling the Robert Downey Jr. action blockbuster for fifty percent off! If you pre-ordered it, be sure to watch your email, Amazon is sending out $5 credit codes to folks who received copies this week (including your trusty HDD editor)! [/teaser] The online retailer has just reduced the price of 'Iron Man 2 (Combo Pack)' also starring Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson to $19.99 (50% off the suggested list price). The single disc Blu-ray (with not as many bonus features) is also available here for $17.99 (49% off). There's no word on how long this sale will last so be sure to take advantage of the savings while you can by clicking here to start assembling the Avengers in your home!Posted Fri Oct 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM PDT by: -
'Alice Cooper: Theatre of Death - Live at Hammersmith 2009' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser] The godfather of shock-rock ends his 2009 World Tour with a bang on Blu-ray this October. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Bigger Picture is prepping 'Alice Cooper: Theatre of Death - Live at Hammersmith 2009' for a high-definition release on October 25. The master showman's final performance in his Theatre of Death tour was filmed at London's legendary Hammersmith Apollo and features such hits as 'School's Out,' 'I'm Eighteen,' and 'Poison.' There's no word on tech specs yet, but the release will also include a bonus CD. A full track listing can be viewed here. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $24.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Alice Cooper: Theatre of Death - Live at Hammersmith 2009' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 25.Posted Fri Oct 1, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by: -
'Knight and Day' Dated and Detailed for Blu-ray[teaser]The summer blockbuster with the perfect title for a seventies sitcom (you can totally hear Frank Sinatra singing the theme song) is coming to Blu-ray this November! [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, 20th Century Fox will release 'Knight and Day' on Blu-ray on November 30. The rom-action comedy stars Tom Cruise as a super spy on the run and Cameron Diaz as the woman who finds herself caught in his web of intrigue and ends up having no choice but to tag along for a wild ride. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: Four featurettes (Wilder Knights and Crazier Days, Boston Days and Spanish Knights, Story, and Scope), Viral Videos (Soccer and Kick), Knight and Someday Music Video by the Black Eyed Peas and Tom Cruise, and a DVD/Digital Copy. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy is $39.99, while a Blu-ray/DVD Holiday Combo Pack will also be available for $34.99. You can find the latest specs for 'Knight and Day' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 30.Posted Fri Oct 1, 2010 at 08:00 AM PDT by: -
'The Dry Land' Announced for Blu-ray[teaser]The emotional official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival is coming to Blu-ray in November. [/teaser] In an early announcement to retailers, Maya Home Entertainment will release 'The Dry Land' on Blu-ray on November 9. The feature film debut from Writer/Director Ryan Piers Williams, 'The Dry Land' stars Ryan O’Nan ('513 Degrees Fahrenheit'), America Ferrera (TV’s “Ugly Betty,” 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'), Melissa Leo (TV’s “Treme,” 'Welcome to the Rileys'), Jason Ritter (TV’s “The Event,” “Parenthood”) and Wilmer Valderrama ('From Prada To Nada,' TV’s “That 70s Show”) alongside an accomplished supporting cast including June Diane Raphael, Diego Klattenhoff, Evan Jones, Benito Martinez, Ana Claudia Talancòn, Ethan Suplee, and Barry Shabaka Henley. “'The Dry Land' captures the all-to-real struggles faced by our veterans,” said David Rand, Executive Vice President of Home Entertainment. “It is a powerful and emotional film that portrays the effects of war that linger with soldiers returning home to their families and civilian lives.” Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98. You can find the latest specs for 'The Dry Land' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under November 9.Posted Fri Oct 1, 2010 at 06:00 AM PDT by: -
'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' & 'Battlestar Galactica: Season 4' Blu-rays Announced[teaser]The last standalone releases of the hit sci-fi/drama series will be making the jump to Blu-ray this winter. [/teaser] Universal has just announced 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' for a Blu-ray release on December 28, and 'Battlestar Galactica: Season 4' (a 6-disc set that includes all 20 episodes and Razor) for January 4. The Blu-rays will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and supplements appear to mirror the content found in the 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' box set which includes: deleted scenes, episode commentaries, U-Control features, and more. A detailed listing of the content is available in the complete series review here. There's still no word if Universal plans on releasing the first 10 episodes of the fourth season (4.0) separately, however. Suggested list price is $26.98 for Razor and $89.98 for the box set. You can find the latest specs 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it is indexed under December 28 and 'Battlestar Galactica: Season 4' under January 4.Posted Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 12:00 PM PDT by: -
'Lost in Translation' Blu-ray Detailed and Delayed[teaser]Full details are in, but the Blu-ray release has been pushed to early January. [/teaser] As previously reported, Universal had scheduled 'Lost in Translation' for Blu-ray release on December 7, but now the date has been changed to January 4. The film was written and directed by Sofia Coppola and stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: "Lost" on Location; Matthew's Best Hit TV; Music video: Kevin Shields, "City Girl"; Deleted scenes; A conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola; and Theatrical Trailer. Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $26.98. You can find the latest specs for 'Lost in Translation' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under January 4.Posted Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 10:00 AM PDT by:
