DVD Empire has the back cover of Blood Diamond on HD DVD. It shows Dolby TrueHD.

Weeds: Season 2 Blu-Ray 7/24

http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7195

V for Vendetta was priced as a catalog title about three months after the DVD release, so I wasn't surprised to see BD handled in the same way.

That's interesting that Weeds on BD will be the same price as the DVD. That's something I didn't expect to happen for a long time (if ever), so that is a surprise. Now if they could just do that for movies. :)

I'm excited for both seasons of Weeds.

:up:

Road Warrior (both formats) moved from May 8 to May 15.
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...Speed_Bump/586

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=64687

Universal Studios Home Video have announced the US HD DVD release of Dead Silence for 10th July 2007 priced at $39.98 SRP. From the team responsible for the Saw franchise (writer/actor Leigh Whannell, writer/director James Wan and producers Gregg Hoffman, Oren Koules and Mark Burg) comes this supernatural thriller in which a widower returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist.

The Unrated (91mins) version of the film is released on a HD DVD Combo (HD-30/DVD-9 Double Sided) where it is presented in 1080P Widescreen on Side A with English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround audio and English SDH and French subtitles. Side B features the standard definition Unrated DVD release with the film presented in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with English DD5.1 Surround audio and English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

Extras listed for the DVD side include:
Alternate Opening
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
The Making of Dead Silence
Mary Shaw's Secrets
Evolution of Visual FX
Aiden's "We Sleep Forever" Music Video

Magnolia Home Entertainment has announced the South Korean film The Host (2006) on HD DVD and DVD, July 24. Each will be priced at $29.98 SRP.

http://hddvdformat.blogspot.com/2007...e-updates.html

Good to see more foreign and genre titles being released.

I just saw this in the theater last night, though, and it looked and sounded like complete ass.

The movie itself was also way overhyped. :(

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ay,_HD_DVD/590

Warner Home Entertainment has announced they will bring the Drew Barrymore-Hugh Grant romantic comedy 'Music and Lyrics' to Blu-ray and HD DVD on June 12.

The musical hit, which earned nearly $50 million during its theatrical run this past winter, will hit both next-gen formats in a special edition boasting numerous bonus features.

Among the extras are a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a fictional music video featuring star Hugh Grant, in character.

Tech specs include identical 1080p/VC-1 transfers on each version, plus Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks (at 640kbps). There will also be a stereo-only isolated music track, which includes the many mock-pop songs used throughout the film.

Warner has set a $34.98 list price for the Blu-ray version, and $39.98 for the HD DVD, which will be a combo HD DVD/DVD release.

Did anyone else order Nutty Professor from Amazon? Looks like they sold out of their pre-orders already, now it says "ships in 4-6 weeks".

BD releases: Wild Things, Flatliners, and The Patriot on July 3.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...to_Blu-ray/591

Mine shipped yesterday, I'll have it today. On the other hand, I'm still waiting for them to send me The Jerk. :down:

regarding Meatballs being pulled (from Sony Pictures BD Insider on avs):

"SPE went to a lot of trouble to re-transfer this title, but the results are still not what we want. We will probably be hold it back until we have a chance to try a few more techniques to get the most out of this classic title."

Thought this movie was pretty funny. I have the 2-disc dvd, but I'm not sure I would need this one in HD.

Huh, you don't want to see The Goat or The Brain in hi-def??? :)

Oh they also have Music and Lyrics for BD/HD-DVD listed for 6/12

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake coming on HD DVD on May 29:
http://www.opusarte.com/pages/product.asp?ProductID=196

Amazon has it up for preorder with the 10% discount working:
http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Lake-Tcha...dp/B000OCZ80Q/

Here's some more BR dates for everyone:

Premonition: 07/17/07 with MSRP: $38.96
Reign Over Me: 07/24/07 with MSRP: $38.96
Roving Mars: 07/31/07 with msrp: $34.99

I may actually get that one. The summer is shaping up to be kind of slow for me anyway, and I don't have the movie on DVD. I read in the review of the SE that a retrospective was dropped (likely for space constraints) from the original DVD release; hopefully they'll put that back for this edition.

Alpha Dog will have TrueHD sound and "U-Control" feature. I just pre-ordered it. It's good to see Universal adding a TrueHD track again, which I believe this is only their 3rd title to have one. Let's hope it works this time. The back cover confirms the audio.

The Hitcher only has a DD+ track, but it too will have the "U-Control" feature.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ay,_HD_DVD/598

First Direct-to-HD Feature 'Bell Witch' to Debut This Summer on Blu-ray, HD DVD
Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 03:03 AM ET

In a next-gen first, the direct-to-video horror film 'Bell Witch: The Movie' will make its exclusive debut on Blu-ray and HD DVD this August.

Starring 'Friday the 13th's "Queen of the Slashers" Betsy Palmer and directed by helmer S. Shane Marr, the indie scarefest was produced with high-definition cameras, and completed entirely in the digital realm.

Though the major studios and other independents routinely release films directly to video without a theatrical release, so far there has been no such releases exclusive to high-definition.

'Bell Witch' will make history as the first direct-to-Blu-ray and HD DVD premiere movie when it debuts simultaneously on both formats on August 15 via distributor Big River Productions, three weeks ahead of its subsequent release on standard-def DVD and to high-definition cable networks on September 1.

"We shot 'Bell Witch' in 24p 1080 HD back in 2002," said Marr via a press statement. "But we decided to hold the film until it could be released in HD so that people could see it as it was meant to be viewed."

No specs, supplemental details nor pricing is yet available for 'Bell Witch: The Movie.' But we'll certainly keep you posted as soon as further details on this notable release are officially announced.

Wow, I didn't think we'd see a DTV HD this soon. Here's the official site for the film:
http://www.bellwitchthemovie.com/

An Officer and a Gentleman, BD & HD DVD 7/24. It's going to have the same features as the new Special Edition dvd.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ay,_HD_DVD/597

Paramount is getting fairly aggressive with their catalog titles. They've got several of their bigger ones for this Summer.

Wasn't there an early report this year that said we'd see a Special Edition of Face/Off on HD this Summer?

So that should get them in stores at the same time then.

lol... yeah, good point. Especially with the fact that this is a small, indie release from a no-name studio. Half the retailers out there won't even carry it. If people don't order this online, they'll never even know it was released.

Awesome news. I'll definitely be picking that up on HD-DVD

http://hddvdformat.blogspot.com/

'Billy Madison', 'Dante's Peak' & 'The War' On HD DVD, July 10

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that Billy Madison, Dante's Peak and The War will all join Dead Silence as HD DVD titles being released on July 10. Bonus materials currently found on each title's respective DVD releases is expected to be ported over to this new HD DVD release. All 3 will be released as standard HD DVD discs (or non-combos) and will be priced at $29.98 SRP each.

Billy Madison (HD DVD)
1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1
Dolby Digital-Plus (5.1 English and 2.0 French)
English [SDH] & French subtitles

The War (HD DVD)
1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1
Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English) & Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 (English & French)
English [SDH] & French subtitles

Dante's Peak (HD DVD)
1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1
Dolby Digital-Plus (5.1 English and 2.0 French)
English [SDH] & French subtitles

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...gle_Vision/600

Santana, Yes, Deep Purple Topline Montreux HD DVD Triple Header from Eagle Vision

A trio of new concert discs from music legends Deep Purple, Yes and Carlos Santana, all recorded live at the Montreux Rock Festival, highlight Eagle Vision's summer line-up of HD DVD releases.

Three titles are all set to debut on June 26: 'Yes: Live at Montreux,' 'Deep Purple: They All Came Down to Montreux' and 'Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux.'

Of the three, only the Yes disc is devoid of extras. The Deep Purple release will include a complete ten-song mini-concert recorded live at the Hard Rock London, plus a band interview. Santana's 'Hymns for Peace' will also feature three bonus tracks, behind-the-scenes footage, and an interview with the guitar god.

No tech specs are yet available, but stay tuned.

Note that there was no mention at presstime of any companion Blu-ray release, but Eagle Vision's two most recent high-def music titles, 'Toto: Live in Amsterdam' and 'Alice Cooper: Live at Montreux' saw simultaneous release on both next-gen formats, so there's a good chance these three titles will also make it to Blu-ray.

The distributor has set a $24.95 list price for each title in its Montreux triple-header.

I'm in for Billy Madison and Dante's Peak. Good to see another TrueHD track from Universal, although it should have gone to Dante's Peak. I guess they fixed their issues with the TrueHD audio.

The War gets TrueHD?? Was that the Kevin Costner movie??

Odd choice.

Dante's Peak for me.

Face/Off is coming to Blu-ray and HD DVD on August 28th, according to The Man Room:

http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=566

Very exciting.

http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=00564

lists The Wedding Date (HD DVD) too for July 10.

I'm all over Billy Madison and the Yes/Deep Purple discs.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh..._See_Bumps/608

Warner Shuffles June Blu-ray, HD DVD Slate; 'Bulge,' John Wayne Duo See Bumps

First on the switch list is 'Battle of the Bulge,' which Warner originally announced for a May 8 release on Blu-ray and HD DVD. The title will now street one week later, on May 15.

Further delays include two John Wayne classics, 'Rio Bravo' and 'The Cowboys.' The studio's initial announcement for the releases saw a May 22 arrival, timed to coincide with the double-header's re-issue on standard-def DVD. The Blu-ray and HD DVD versions will now street two weeks later, on June 5.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of my favorites. I am really looking forward to the eventual HD release.

http://www.homemediaretailing.com/index.cfm?sec_id=2

Warner Continues Releasing Films From Oscar-winner Zaentz
Author: THOMAS K. ARNOLD
Posted: May 3, 2007

Warner Home Video has signed a five-year extension to its global distribution agreement with Oscar-winning film producer Saul Zaentz.

Through the agreement, Warner Home Video will continue to distribute most of the films produced by Zaentz, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984). Both films won best picture Oscars and were made outside the major-studio system, with Zaentz obtaining financing and then partnership with United Artists and Orion Pictures, respectively, to theatrically distribute his films.

“Saul is a real trailblazer in independent film production,” said Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video.

In addition to Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus, Zaentz’s credits include a third best picture winner, 1996’s The English Patient, which he produced for Miramax Films. Four other Zaentz films have been released on DVD by Warner: the 1978 animated version of “The Lord of the Rings”; 1986’s The Mosquito Coast, which Zaentz executive produced; 1988’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being; and 1991’s At Play In the Fields of the Lord, which Warner released internationally only. In the pipeline: 1973’s Payday, with Rip Torn, and 1980’s Tell Me a Riddle, both of which are scheduled to make their DVD debuts early next year.

Warner also will release One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus in both high-definition disc formats, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD, in February 2008, in time for the 80th anniversary of the Academy Awards.

“There’s no producer who has the kind of acclaimed small library that Saul Zaentz does, given the pictures he controls are so lauded in the history of the Oscars,” Sanders said. “He doesn’t control a huge library, but a very important library, and as with the original launch of DVD, we believe these movies will be pivotal releases in generating momentum for the next generation of packaged media.”

Warner Home Video has been distributing Zaentz’s films since the launch of DVD 10 years ago. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus, in fact, were among Warner’s very first slate of DVD titles, dispatched to seven cities in a March 1997 test launch.

“Our decade-long partnership has been tremendously rewarding,” Sanders said. “And by distributing some of his greatest films in high definition, we’ll ensure the best home entertainment viewing experience for a new generation of fans.”

“Warner respects the passion I hold for my films, and I am very comfortable with our relationship,” Zaentz said. “I am appreciative of the studio’s overall dedication to marketing and promoting my films, and I look forward to continuing our partnership.”

In 1996 Zaentz was honored by the Academy with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, for his lifetime achievement as a producer. He also received the 2003 Academy Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.