Announced HD-DVD and Blu-Ray titles

[godardslave]

Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year or even the year after... but resistance is futile.

spoken like a true conformist.

[TedW]

Was that, like, a joke?

[unclehulot]

vinyl does sound better, on a great system with a very expensive turntable and pristine LPs. But just one mint condition original mono pressing of, say, an early 60s Miles LP plus all this equipment would run you a few thousand dollars. Is it worth it? No. Just get the new remasters and be happy.

Well, except an early 60s Miles LP would be stereo..... or are you talking about those that must have the mono versions because that's what the primary engineers were listening to at the sessions? That's not the case with the Miles Columbias from the 60s, though.

In any case the prices commanded by primo lps have lowered a bit in the last few years.

[unclehulot]

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong but will Hd/BluRay be region free? Will the players also be universal?

No, that's one of the main security issues. They intend to make the players accessible for online monitoring like a digital cable box. If you are to attempt to hack the machine, or play a hacked or another region's disc your machine will be disabled.

And where do you get this bit of information? Just because some studio has this pipe-dream, doesn't mean it would ever happen.

[TedW]

I've heard the idea of a required connection for AACS bandied about, but I'm not sure a final decision has been made.

[ben d banana]

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong but will Hd/BluRay be region free? Will the players also be universal?

No, that's one of the main security issues. They intend to make the players accessible for online monitoring like a digital cable box. If you are to attempt to hack the machine, or play a hacked or another region's disc your machine will be disabled.

And where do you get this bit of information? Just because some studio has this pipe-dream, doesn't mean it would ever happen.

For example, here

At the heart of AACS is the ability to "revoke" compromised playback devices.

Under the AACS scheme, each individual high-def DVD player will be issued a unique set of decryption keys for decoding encrypted content. In normal circumstances, any subset of keys can be used to decrypt any encoded movie.

If a particular device is used to rip a movie, however, the unique set of decryption keys issued to that device can be "revoked" on all future releases, turning the compromised device into an expensive paperweight.

That, of course, requires that the studios be able to trace an unauthorized copy of a movie back to a particular set of device keys, and AACS includes forensic elements to make that possible.

I know this is more of a speculative than concrete article, but I've read a number that basically make it sound as though this is the plan, it's just a matter of sorting out the exact details, and the studios are keeping it as mum as possible.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

From the Blu-ray FAQ:

Will Blu-ray require an Internet connection?

No, you will not need an Internet connection for playback of Blu-ray movies. The Internet connection will be used for value-added features such as downloading subtitles, movie trailers, web browsing, etc. It will also be required to authorize managed copies of Blu-ray movies that can be transferred over a home network.

I assume this is also true for HD DVD, although they don't seem to be as on the ball with their FAQ as the Blu-ray group (typical, really). In any event, key revocation will probably be handled via firmware upgrades on the discs themselves, not by a remote connection.

[Matt]

Found this thread while searching for Blu Ray in the forum. I don't know if the mods want to merge this thread with theother one or keep this one for announcements and the other one for general BD talk.

One of my favorite Disney films, Pinocchio, is getting the BD treatment. Although there is a lot of fluff in the extras, I'm interested in seeing the Alternate ending, the making of and the commentary. From Blu-Ray.com:

Disney Announces Pinocchio Platinum Blu-ray
Posted October 17, 2008 06:32 PM by Josh Dreuth

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition' to Blu-ray on March 10th, day-and-date with the DVD re-release. Video will be presented in 1080p AVC accompanied by a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This two-disc Blu-ray set will also feature a bonus DVD of the film, similar to the recent 'Sleeping Beauty' Blu-ray release, for those who want a standard definition copy for the bedroom or car.

Extras for this release include:

Disc 1
*Cine-Explore (BD Exclusive)
*Disney BD-Live Network – The Disney BD-Live Network is just one of the many ways movie lovers, families, and loved ones can continue to stay connected and engage in their favorite movies (BD Exclusive)
*Movie Chat – Communicate with your remote friends on-screen while in a synchronized viewing party using your remote control or any text enabled device such as a laptop, desk top or any PDA device such as a Blackberry, iPhone or most other regular cell phones. Your chat session will appear over the movie and occur in real-time while watching the movie together.
*Movie Mail – Blu-ray owners will be able to record a personalized video message of themselves, superimpose that capture onto one of many pre-selected clips of the movie, and send it off to a friend, colleague, or relative. This specific feature enables Pinocchio Blu-ray Disc owner to personalize a very special greeting as never before.
*Movie Challenge – Users will be able to test their skills against other players in a synchronized, real-time, online trivia game while watching Pinocchio with anyone online. Movie Challenge is always active no matter what time of the day it is, and there will always be a game in progress.
*Disney Movie Rewards Live – Pinocchio Blu-ray owners will be able to accumulate Disney Movie Reward Points by participating in many Disney BD-Live Network activities. In return, viewers can redeem points for exclusive content such as Avatars, downloadable extras and many more exciting possibilities.

Disc 2
*Pinocchio Knows Trivia Challenge (BD Exclusive)
*Pinocchio's Matter of Facts - Learn fun facts about Pinocchio and other related subjects as you watch the movie
*Audio Commentary - An all-new audio commentary with Leonard Maltin, Eric Goldberg and J. B. Kaufman
*Disney Song Selection - Select this option to sing along with favorite songs as the lyrics appear onscreen
*No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio - Witness the behind-the scenes magic that transformed Carlo Collodi's popular book into a classic animated film.
*Deleted Scenes
The Story of the Grandfather Tree - Kindly Geppetto tells Pinocchio about the Great Pine Tree from which Pinocchio is descended.
In The Belly Of The Whale - The most elaborate of Pinocchio's deleted scenes that remain in the Disney Archives, these recently discovered storyboards reveal a different version of Geppetto inside Monstro.
*Alternate Ending - A recently uncovered set of small storyboard panels reveal plans for a different version of Pinocchio becoming a real boy.
*The Sweat Box - The Sweatbox was a small projection room at the Disney studio where Walt critiqued story reels, rough animation, and dailies of films in progress with his anxious artists. This piece traces the history of the Sweatbox and brings to life this important part of Walt Disney's artistic process.
*Live Action Reference Footage
*Pinocchio Art Galleries
*Deleted Songs - An audio collection of period “pop” recordings of songs that not used in the final film.
*Pinocchio Puzzles - Hosted by Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio's Puzzles is a multi-tiered Puzzle game that contains six unique wooden puzzles for the viewer to assemble. Each puzzle forms an image from the film that comes to life once they are complete.

I don't know that we really even need a single thread for Blu-ray announcements now that a) Blu-ray has been fairly mainstreamed and b) most new DVD releases have day-and-date Blu-ray releases. I think you can just make a new thread for a new announcement as you've always done.