dx23

I don't know if this is the appropiate forum, but I just read the press release of the WB HD DVD titles coming at launch of the new format. Here is the link .

Here is the list of titles for the lazy:
-- Above the Law
-- Alexander
-- Angels in America (HBO)
-- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (New Line)
-- Batman Begins
-- Blade (New Line)
-- Catwoman
-- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
-- Constantine
-- Contact
-- Dark City (New Line)
-- The Dukes of Hazzard
-- Eraser
-- Executive Decision
-- Final Destination (New Line)
-- Friday (New Line)
-- From the Earth to the Moon (HBO)
-- The Fugitive
-- Gothika
-- Hard to Kill
-- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
-- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
-- House of Wax (2005)
-- The Last Samurai
-- The Mask (New Line)
-- The Matrix
-- The Matrix Reloaded
-- The Matrix Revolutions
-- Maverick
-- Million Dollar Baby
-- The Music Man
-- Mystic River
-- Next of Kin
-- North by Northwest
-- Ocean's Eleven
-- Ocean's Twelve
-- Passenger 57
-- The Perfect Storm
-- The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
-- The Player (New Line)
-- The Polar Express
-- Red Planet
-- Rush Hour (New Line)
-- Se7en (New Line)
-- Soldier
-- The Sopranos (HBO)
-- Spawn (New Line)
-- Swordfish
-- Troy
-- Under Siege
-- U.S. Marshals
-- Wild Wild West

My 2 cents:
I not excited at all about any of this future releases. I already got great versions of Se7en, Ocean's Eleven and North by the Nothwest and I don't know how much these films can be improve. I believe that this format will be similarly expensive as laserdiscs were and its main target will be film buffs and A/V fanatics.

Big Worms

There a few titles that I would be interested in, but we will have to wait and see on pricing and dvd player pricing. But I don't see myself getting any of these any time soon.

shawagg

The battle has been entered... the war is about to begin...

Doughboy

Wild Wild West in High Def! Finally!

PopcornTreeCt

Interesting list. Probably update a few titles, I'm in no rush. Nice that we can probably get The Matrix separately.

Case01

I like what I'm seeing on this list but it dosen't stand too well if they wanted to sell a lot quick and get people on this format.

Matthew Chmiel

Great, as long as I can get such quality flicks like Spawn and Catwoman in HD, why bother with regular DVD?

smirnoffski

I wonder how exactly these will be released. Will they carry over all the DVD features and update A/V quality? How much will they cost?

I really don't think the PQ of these first generation titles won't be mind blowing.

Looks like they are releasing films for which HD transfers already exist, so less work on their behalf. It is just an attempt to get their foot in the door as soon as possible.

I'm guessing these will be high-MSRP bare-bones releases. The same way Warner started with the DVD format in 1997.

ScottsDvds

I'll wait until the MSRP is established, but a very nice selection. I can't remember how many DVDs were released in 97 by all the studios. Maybe 30.

Drexl

It's interesting though that The Mask is on there, considering that they have yet to release an anamorphic upgrade. I wonder if this means they've done a new transfer and are planning to release it to coincide with the sequel.

It's too bad there's no LOTR, Goodfellas, L.A. Confidential, or any Kubrick titles on there.

DthRdrX

They might be the the same transfers already done in HD as you said. I wouldn't be surprised to see them just put the same extras on as well. I'm sure we will see Sony react to this soon. The further this goes on, and the closer we get to launch, the more I fear this format war is going to be ugly for all the studios.

Just Lurking

Warner Home Video was one of the biggest champions of DVD in the beginning. They had most of the highest number of releases in quanity and quality. Warren N. Lieberfarb, who was the head of WHV, publicly pushed for DVD to be sell-thru. More importantly, he did not support Circuit City's bastardization of DVD in DivX. I could not name another studio that helped DVD more in the beginning.

DthRdrX

BTW, assuming they decide on what format(S) to back, wouldn't it be possible for Criterion to just start porting all their titles over right away? Almost everything I have seen from them the last few years has gone through a HD transfer and I would assume they would want to sell these titles some more while they still have the rights to them. After all, if HD does become a niche format there is a big market here for Criterion.

DthRdrX

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Pictures today announced a
number of feature films it plans to release in the next generation high
definition DVD disc format (HD DVD). The titles represent a combination of
recent hits and notable offerings from the Universal catalog. The
announcement was made today by Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios
Home Entertainment.
Titles revealed for HD DVD release include the following high-profile
films: "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Chronicles of Riddick" and "Van Helsing."
In addition, Universal plans to release HD DVD versions of such catalog
titles as: "Apollo 13," "U-571," "12 Monkeys," "Dune," "The Thing," "End of
Days," "Backdraft," "Waterworld," "The Bone Collector," "Spy Game," "Pitch
Black," "Conan the Barbarian" and "Dante's Peak."
"We are confident that the many advantages afforded by the HD DVD format
will significantly elevate the value of our content, while enhancing
consumers' experience considerably," said Kornblau. "We look forward to
growing this technology and firmly establishing the next generation DVD
platform."
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios
(http://www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal. NBC
Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in
the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and
information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of
NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the
No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a
valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier
motion picture company, significant television production operations, a
leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC
Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi
Universal.

THE BOURNE SUPREMACY
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
VAN HELSING
APOLLO 13
U-571
12 MONKEYS
DUNE
THE THING
END OF DAYS
BACKDRAFT
WATERWORLD
THE BONE COLLECTOR
SPY GAME
PITCH BLACK
CONAN THE BARBARIAN
DANTE'S PEAK

DthRdrX

The Manchurian Candidate
Spongebob Squarepants
Elizabethtown
Coach Carter
Italian Job
School Of Rock
Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
Ghost
Grease
Mission Impossible 2
Black Rain
Save The Last Dance
Sleepy Hollow
U2 Rattle & Hum
Vanilla Sky
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Star Trek: First Contact
We Were Soldiers

eau

Reminds me of LOTR

"War is coming. The enemy is on your doorstep." - Gandalf

DavidH

I guarantee you that Blu Ray with its much greater bandwidth is going to look much better than HD-DVD. That's the one I am waiting for....

PopcornTreeCt

Universal's movies suck as do Paramounts. Guess I don't have to worry about replacing my collection.

When are these supposed to come out?

Al_Tahoe

Too bad they didn't mean the TV series... I would have had a spontaneous orgasm. Since they mean the movie, I couldn't possibly care less.

Al_Tahoe

The article says 4th qtr. 2005. Of course, time will tell.

shawagg

That's the private note Warner (and New Line) sent to Sony.

....

Think about it, if right out the gate:
-Criterion jumps in (hell they supported LD, I don't see why they wouldn't jump on this)
-Warner releases LotR and the Matrix
-Fox (which side are they on again?) throws in Star Wars
-Universal brings Back to the Future to the party
-Disney (they're HD right?) releases The Incredibles
-and Paramount invites Indiana Jones

They'll have grabbed all our attention, the press, and the general public. Sony won't know what hit 'em.

shawagg

What about Sleepy Hollow? Don't you want to see those nighttime scenes in crisp HD?

vivarey

Nah... either format has plenty of storage capacity to hold a superb HD transfer (50GB vs. 30GB). Blu-Ray recently added high efficiency video codecs to their specs. HD-DVD is already being developed around them. It's really all about the codec.

Admiral7

While the visual clarity between DVD and either HD-DVD or Blu Ray is substantial, I don't believe the visual clarity between HD-DVD and Blu Ray will be noticeable at all.

Neeb

Yawn.

Call me when the Format war is over.