Blu-ray, in General

[nsps]

Guardian's film bloggers continue to offer up nuggets of gold.

A good quality video cassette, played on a decent VCR and television, is as near to the calibre of a DVD as makes no odds.

In other news, horseless carriages are the spawn of the devil.

Get a horse!

The best part is that he speaks of seeing film on 35-mm in a cinema as if it's the same quality as DVD or VHS. Completely clueless.

[Morbii]

Guardian's film bloggers continue to offer up nuggets of gold.

A good quality video cassette, played on a decent VCR and television, is as near to the calibre of a DVD as makes no odds.

The first comment was also quite a gem.

What I have always wondered is that since DVDs became rather widely available about 9-10 years ago, cinemas still show films on film. Are there any digital cinemas? If not, why not?? Surely you want to see the clarity of sound and vision that you end up wanting the DVD for, don't you?

[Antoine Doinel]

One day we will ably harness the illumination of pixies to create an artificial source of light

Hasn't CNN already done this?

[dx23]

Spinal Tap delayed according to Blu-Ray.com:

This is Spinal Tap Delayed
Posted November 9, 2008 08:57 AM by Josh Dreuth

MGM Home Entertainment has sent over word that their upcoming Blu-ray release of 'This is Spinal Tap' has been delayed from its January 20th release date. While no new release date was given at this time, a press release is forthcoming from the studio. No reason was given for the delay, nor any potential changes to the release

[Antoine Doinel]

I'm guessing Harry Shearer's very public outcry about the lack of Spinal Tap involvement has forced MGM to get in touch with them.

[dx23]

I'm guessing Harry Shearer's very public outcry about the lack of Spinal Tap involvement has forced MGM to get in touch with them.

I hope so! I would not complain at all if Harry and the other guys want to make more featurettes and extras for the BD release.

[swo17]

I'm guessing Harry Shearer's very public outcry about the lack of Spinal Tap involvement has forced MGM to get in touch with them.

Is this in reference to the one post he made here, or did he say something somewhere else that I didn't hear about?

[Antoine Doinel]

He posted here, Gizmodo and Video Business following announcements about the release and I have a feeling he's posted other places as well. It seems like he's finding anywhere the release is mentioned and is commenting when he can.

[dx23]

Groundhog Day is coming to Blu-Ray on January 27th according to the amazon.com listing.

From Blu-Ray.com:

Groundhog Day Announced for Blu-ray
Posted November 17, 2008 10:17 AM by Josh Dreuth

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the comedy 'Groundhog Day' to Blu-ray on January 27th. This classic stars Bill Murray as a television reporter who relives Groundhog Day over and over. Video will be presented in 1.85:1 1080p AVC accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

Special features for this release include:
Audio Commentary with Director Harold Ramis
A Different Day: An Interview with Harold Ramis
The Study of Groundhogs: A Real Life Look at Marmots
The Weight of Time Documentary
Deleted Scenes
Needle Nose Ned's Picture in Picture Track
BD-Live enabled.

[Antoine Doinel]

The leaked Black Friday sales on BluRay players seem to be limited to third rate brands right now.

[dx23]

The leaked Black Friday sales on BluRay players seem to be limited to third rate brands right now.

Not only that, the majority are 1.1 versions with no way to upgrade. The PS3 still the bargain when it comes to Blu-Ray players.

[fdm]

digitalbits is keeping a list, checking it twice:

...the DEG has issued an official list of Blu-ray Disc players that will be priced from around $300 to under $200 for the holiday shopping season at various retailers. I should note that the list did NOT include Best Buy's custom Insignia brand, so I've added it below. The specific models to look for are as follows:

Magnavox: NB500MG9 (1.1)
Panasonic: DMP-BD30 (1.1) and DMP-BD35 (2.0)
Philips: BDP7200 (1.1)
Samsung: BD-P1000 (1.0), BD-P1200 (1.1), BD-P1400 (1.0) and BD-P1500 (1.1, updatable to 2.0)
Sharp: BDHP2OU (1.0) and BDHP21U (1.1)
Sony: BDP-S300 (1.0), BDP-S301 (1.0), BDP-BX1 (1.1, updatable to 2.0) and BDP-S350 (2.0)
Sylvania: NB500SL9 (1.1) and NB501SL9 (1.1)
Insignia (Best Buy only): NS-BRDVD (1.1) and NS-2BRDVD (2.0)
Memorex: MVBD2510 (1.1)
Curtis Mathes (Target): CMMBX72 (1.1)
Olevia (Target): BD-100 (1.1)

---

Best bet would be Panasonic DMP-BD35 (2.0) (in my opinion), selling for under 250 at amazon... if you need analog outputs, the DMP-BD55 is what you are looking for... (If I didn't aready have the DMP-BD50, I would get the DMP-BD35, which is a fantastic machine, having apparently finally gotten the DVD section (and I would guess the SD features parts of blu-rays) ironed out, and probably bumped up the HD quality even a little bit more -- the BD50 was a bit weak with SD, excellent(++) with HD (video and audio - it decodes everything internally (or passes it out for external decoding if your receiver/preamp is ready to do the HD audio bitstream decoding)).

I read about the problems other's players have playing certain discs, but the Panasonics are rarely if ever mentioned, as they always seem to be on top of whatever the disc vendors throw at them (any patches that were needed have come out before I've ever gotten around to playing a new release (typcially before the release hits the stores)). And my BD50 has been bulletproof to date (approx 3 mos old), having replaced a nowadays sluggish BD10A (which also did not do DTS HD MA). Really been happy with Panasonic Blu-Ray all in all.

Thinking the Panasonics are bargains too.

[dx23]

Disney is releasing Miracle at St. Anna in February 10th and is continuing the annoying trend of putting all the extras on the BD and releasing a barebones DVD.

[denti alligator]

Region A Black Narcissus?

Will this be a port of the UK region B disc? Does this mean no chance of Criterion reissuing it on BD?

[MichaelB]

Don't believe a word Amazon says - they're still advertising the BFI Red Desert as being "all regions" and "NTSC" (technical nonsense when you consider that HD formats are neither PAL nor NTSC, and Red Desert is HD throughout), despite several angry comments pointing out their mistake.

I myself tried to correct the Red Desert listing, only to find that their template doesn't even allow for Regions A, B or C. (I tried to change it to Region 2 as the best compromise, but they were having none of it).

And that artwork suggests they're talking about the ITV disc.

[fdm]

Region A Black Narcissus?

Will this be a port of the UK region B disc? Does this mean no chance of Criterion reissuing it on BD?

No, it's just the UK disk. Several items along this line showed up a few weeks ago on amazon.com (including region B only titles like Red Desert). Black Narcissus is not region B only, so it should play on your player regardless of where you are.

Hint: read down further where it says: Product Description UK Import Blu-Ray/Region All pressing.

Should be cheaper to import it directly.

[MichaelB]

No, it's just the UK disk. Several items along this line showed up a few weeks ago on amazon.com (including region B only titles like Red Desert). Black Narcissus is not region B only, so it should play on your player regardless of where you are.

The feature will, but the extras might not, as they're in PAL video. European Blu-Ray players seem to be able to handle NTSC without any difficulties (my PS3 certainly can), but American players don't seem too happy with PAL.

[fdm]

...Panasonic: DMP-BD30 (1.1) and DMP-BD35 (2.0)...
---
...Best bet would be Panasonic DMP-BD35 (2.0) (in my opinion), selling for under 250 at amazon...

In the last day or so, Sears.com was selling this for about 150... (it sold out quickly, apparently).

Sounds like HD-DVD player pricing from just last year, perhaps cheaper.

[dx23]

Disney announced today some of the titles that are coming to Blu-ray in 2009:

ADDING MULTIMEDIA Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Announces Exciting New Blu-ray Options Offering Consumers Greater Accessibility and Value Than Ever Before
Disney Unveils Unprecedented Combo Packs in 2009, Offering Consumers Worldwide Both Blu-ray and DVD DiscsIn A Single Package!

* Wednesday January 7, 2009, 12:38 am EST

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As more and more families transition to high definition, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) concentrates its efforts on offering consumers unprecedented quality, value and portability in the purchases of their favorite Disney Blu-ray movies with the announcement of its new Blu-ray + DVD Combo Packs.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Sample Combo Pack Label (Graphic: Business Wire) . <a href=View Multimedia Gallery">

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Sample Combo Pack Label (Graphic: Business Wire) . View Multimedia Gallery

Disney’s Combo Pack will be extended across an exciting new slate of Disney-branded theatrical and Platinum titles releasing on Blu-ray between February and October of 2009. Some of the upcoming Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack titles families can look forward to include the teen phenomenon High School Musical 3: Senior Year (February 17), Walt Disney’s animated classic Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (March 10) and all those leading up to the highly anticipated release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Platinum Edition in October.

“These unique Combo Packs provide the opportunity for consumers around the world to take advantage of the quality of Blu-ray with the portability of a DVD disc in a single package,” comments Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. “As always, we are committed to offering our consumers exceptional quality and value when purchasing our products.”

WDSHE first successfully introduced a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package) with the release of Sleeping Beauty’s 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition in 2008 across limited markets. The inclusion of the feature film on standard definition DVD allowed consumers without Blu-ray players to “future proof” their collections.

In addition, WDSHE North America will be packaging 14 of its hot new Blu-ray titles releasing in the U.S. and Canada with a DisneyFile digital copy of the movie for consumers to enjoy anytime, anywhere on their Mac, PC or compatible portable devices. Digital copies will be made available in both iTunes and Windows Media file formats and are set to be included with such titles as High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Monsters Inc., and A Bugs Life.

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release efforts, WDSHE is adding many exciting new titles to the line-up in North America, Europe and Asia. Titles include new theatrical releases, catalog, direct-to-video, top television series and some of America’s most requested movies.

WDSHE North America will be releasing several new theatrical titles to Blu-ray day-and-date with the DVD including Swing Vote (Touchstone Pictures) on January 13; Miracle At St. Anna (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; Blindness (Miramax) on February 10; High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 3; Morning Light (Walt Disney Pictures) in summer of 2009; as well as an all new direct-to-video Space Buddies (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 3.

In addition, WDSHE North America will also be expanding its Blu-ray catalog library with more than 30 exciting releases including such titles as Pretty Woman (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; High School Musical Remix Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; Monsters Inc. (Disney/Pixar); A Bugs Life (Disney/Pixar); Microcosmos (Miramax); Rounders 10th Anniversary Edition (Miramax); Lost: The Complete First and Second Seasons (ABC); Sin City (Miramax); Miracle (Walt Disney Pictures); Sling Blade (Miramax); The Greatest Game Ever Played (Walt Disney Pictures); Pulp Fiction Special Edition (Miramax); Good Will Hunting Special Edition (Miramax) and many more to follow in 2009.

In Europe/Australia, WDSHE will roll-out the following Blu-ray titles beginning with Space Buddies (Walt Disney Pictures) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures) in February; Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in March and Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Pictures) in April; and Monsters Inc. (Disney/Pixar) sometime in 2009.

Japan will see the following WDSHE Blu-ray releases starting with Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in March; Tinker Bell (Walt Disney Pictures) and WALL-E (Disney/Pixar) in April; and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures), Monsters Inc. (Disney/Pixar) and Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Pictures) to follow at later dates.

Blu-ray.com has the detailed list.

Disney Announces More Classics Coming to Blu-ray

Posted January 7, 2009 08:33 AM by Josh Dreuth

Walt Disney Studios Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced some of the upcoming Blu-ray titles fans should expect to see released this year. Additionally, Disney has announced that all Disney-branded new releases and Platnium Edition Blu-ray titles will feature a DVD of the film, similar to the Blu-ray release of 'Sleeping Beauty: Platnium Edition'. Additionally, 14 scheduled Blu-ray titles will come package with the DisneyFile digital copy for use in portable media devices.

The big news today, is that the next Platnium Edition Blu-ray title (after Pinocchio) from Disney is now confirmed to be 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition' which will be released in October. Additionally, the two Pixar films 'A Bug's Life' and 'Monster's Inc.' have been announced, along with catalog classics like 'Pulp Fiction', 'Sling Blade', and 'Good Will Hunting'.

Please see below for the complete list of announced titles.

* New Release Swing Vote (January 13)
* Space Buddies (February 3)
* Miracle At St. Anna (February 10)
* Blindness (February 10)
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year (February 17)
* Beverly Hills Chihuahua (March 3)
* Morning Light (Summer)

Catalog Release
* Pretty Woman (February 10)
* High School Musical: Remix Edition (February 17)
* Monsters Inc.
* A Bugs Life
* Microcosmos
* Rounders: 10th Anniversary Edition
* Lost: The Complete First and Second Seasons
* Sin City
* Miracle
* Sling Blade
* The Greatest Game Ever Played
* Pulp Fiction: Special Edition
* Good Will Hunting: Special Edition

Additionally, we have some information about International releases as well. It appears these are very thin announcements that should only represent a small piece of want fans should expect this year from the studio.

* Europe / Australia Space Buddies (February)
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year (February)
* Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (March)
* Beverly Hills Chihuahua (April)
* Monsters Inc.

Japan
* Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (March)
* Tinker Bell (April)
* WALL-E (April)
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year
* Monsters Inc.
* Beverly Hills Chihuahua

[Matt]

My cat is so psyched for Microcosmos on Blu-ray, and I can't wait to get a chance to see Zac Efron's Pancake makeup in HD.

[ellipsis7]

The SDVD of DESERTO ROSSO actually gets glowing unequivocal 5 star reviews on amazon.co.uk... (My BR copy is in the VAT dodging post from Guernsey still)...

To put cat among pigeons in the SDVD vs. BR debate, this is a quote from Tim Lucas' review of Criterion's WHITE DOG, which appears in the February issue of 'Sight and Sound', the BFI's own magazine...

Criterion's DVD marks its first ever availability on disc. The presentation is superlative, built around a new transfer that's so vivid and film-like it could scarcely be improved upon by Blu-ray.

I think the reality is that there will peaceful coexistence for a long time to come, and a lot of the stuff like the superb Eclipse set of ROSSELLINI HISTORY FILMS will never make it to BR, and should be fully enjoyed and appreciated in its lovely (and not aesthetically inferior) SDVD incarnation...

[MichaelB]

I have no intention of upgrading at least 95% of my collection, and recommend that anyone who feels the same way should spend the money potentially saved on a really top-class upscaling player like the Oppo 983. That's what I did, and the results are phenomenal - so good, in fact, that I have to double-check DVDs I'm reviewing professionally on a bog-standard player to make sure that I don't miss defects that the Oppo's software has ironed out (interlacing, for instance, is simply not an issue any more).

That said, the differences between SD-DVD and Blu-Ray are still blindingly obvious - Disney's Sleeping Beauty conveniently comes with both versions, sourced from the same transfer, and it's not exactly hard to tell which is being played at any given moment. (My kids only have access to the DVD; they only get to watch the Blu-ray when I'm around to supervise!)

I think the reality is that there will peaceful coexistence for a long time to come, and a lot of the stuff like the superb Eclipse set of ROSSELLINI HISTORY FILMS will never make it to BR, and should be fully enjoyed and appreciated in its lovely (and not aesthetically inferior) SDVD incarnation...

There is absolutely no aesthetic reason for at least 90% of television history to be reissued on Blu-ray, unless it's to take advantage of the greater capacity so entire series can be crammed onto a single disc. Even if a programme was shot on film, the chances are that the final master was on an SD video format - while you could probably get a stunning Blu-ray out of, say, Ken Russell's Elgar (shot on 35mm, and I believe the original neg survives), that's very much in a minority.

In fact, while the BFI's upcoming Jeff Keen Blu-ray box features three discs, just one is a Blu-ray, because Keen often worked with 8mm film and SD video formats which really don't benefit from an HD transfer. So transferring the lot to HD/Blu-ray would significantly increase the production budget while achieving a pretty negligible quality difference - and as a side-effect of this you'd almost certainly end up with fewer films. So I think they've got the balance pretty much right - not least because the DVDs can be duplicated across the DVD set as well as the Blu-ray box, thus achieving greater economies of scale for what is clearly a commercially risky project.

[ellipsis7]

A friend of mine, now directing films for the likes of Miramax etc., relatively recently directed a Russian novel adaptation in St. Petersburg for the BBC in house, TX off master tape transfer, come the potential DVD release that was too dark, so they went back to the negative, but that had been already destroyed by policy, hence no DVD, or eve Blu-Ray...

That said, the differences between SD-DVD and Blu-Ray are still blindingly obvious - Disney's Sleeping Beauty conveniently comes with both versions, sourced from the same transfer, and it's not exactly hard to tell which is being played at any given moment. (My kids only have access to the DVD; they only get to watch the Blu-ray when I'm around to supervise!)

Every TV shop, video store, M&S etc., I've seen demoi-ing Blu-Ray shows animation only (like they've been told to) and it certainly looks definitively sharper, but also definitively digital... They never ever demo a live action movie to show off Blu-Ray... I have a hunch that Blu-Ray is designed to accomodate or is the precursor of 3-D films (and probably games) the ultimate interface between the two... Also it deals really well with defined lines, surfaces and vectors...

My 20 year old says he can see no difference, and the hype is exagerrated, although he expects to be able to play any available format hence PS3...

I'm not saying Blu-Ray is not good, but presently the vast majority of people are well pleased with SDVD... Like yourself I do not want to have to replace all my collection expensively to marginal benefit... I would prefer to buy new stuff on DVD rather than previously held stuff again on BR... that said, there are a very small number of filmmakers I will repeat buy on, and the BFI DESERTO ROSSO is my 5th dip on this title...

[MichaelB]

Every TV shop, video store, M&S etc., I've seen demoi-ing Blu-Ray shows animation only (like they've been told to) and it certainly looks definitively sharper, but also definitively digital... They never ever demo a live action movie to show off Blu-Ray...

Shop displays are absolutely not a reliable yardstick - with very very few exceptions, they generally aren't calibrated properly (hardware shops don't want to spent the time as they've got tellies to sell, software shops don't have the expertise), and it never ceases to amaze me how much crappier Blu-ray discs look in shop windows than they do at home. They usually leave the factory settings alone or, worse, whack up the sharpness in the deeply mistaken belief that this "improves" the picture.

Anyway, it's simply not true that they only show animation: I've seen plenty of live-action films playing. (Mind you, working just off the Tottenham Court Road and round the corner from Oxford Street means I probably walk past more Blu-ray demos than most people!)

My 20 year old says he can see no difference, and the hype is exagerrated, although he expects to be able to play any available format hence PS3...

He's welcome to come round to my house and compare DVDs and Blu-rays sourced from exactly the same master on a properly calibrated setup. If he can't see the difference then, he needs his eyes testing at the very least.

I'm not saying Blu-Ray is not good, but presently the vast majority of people are well pleased with SDVD... Like yourself I do not want to have to replace all my collection expensively to marginal benefit...

It's pretty clear to me that Blu-ray brings considerable benefits to material that's been properly mastered from a source whose quality and definition are high enough to deserve HD mastering. But this certainly doesn't apply to the vast majority of television productions and plenty of films - if the source materials are poor, Blu-ray will merely magnify the defects, and at greater cost to the producer and distributor, so there's no real point.

[ellipsis7]

David - 42 inch - I'm watching everything on a 2.5 metre silver/grey screen, considerably larger, with HD projector fed through HDMI , (with motion adaptive technology wiping out all artifacting) producing much much more detail than my desktop setup older 17 inch LCD fed by bog standard DVD via SCART... There is a difference between high end players, DV79 is such while PS3 is low end Blu-Ray, your setup sounds enticing... Appreciate your 'Blu' sky thinking!...

Michael, you are a shrewd debater, and know your stuff stuff as I do myself...

You cleverly ignore my point that a Sight and Sound Reviewer finds a SDVD very close to Blu-Ray quality...

I'm not going to get to your house in the future, nor you to mine, so unfortunately we cannot proceed along that route...

Know Tottenham Court road well - worked round there - hard sell certainly - like good salesmen they always told me exactly what I wanted to hear...