Posts tagged Bluray at Switched

Posts with tag bluray

Pioneer To Launch Blu-ray Recorders By Year's End

by Nilay Patel, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 4:01PM

Blu-ray recorders have been on the scene for a while now, but now that the format war's over, it looks like more companies are starting to commit to BD-R devices -- like Pioneer, which announced today that it'll have a Blu-ray recorder out in Japan by the end of the year.

The company didn't say what model it would be or what price point it was aiming for, but the tech is being jointly developed with Sharp, so hopefully it's have a family resemblance to units like the 1TB AQUOS BD-HDW20 in everything but the $2,611 pricetag.

Blu-ray Releases on July 8th, 2008

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 8:12AM

After nine months of waiting, Blu-ray fans will finally get to watch 'Batman Begins' in HD on their preferred format. And just in time too as the new Batman movie hits theaters in a few weeks. Sure it's hard to call 'Batman Begins' the hottest new release when it is barely a new release, but when you look at the rest of the titles this week, it isn't hard to understand. In fact, the only other title we considered was 'The Ruins'. 'Sleepwalking' also looked like a decent flick, but we just don't think it has that much appeal for the average HD junkie. Next week's lineup isn't much better though, but the week after, Universal jumps in with three new titles including two installments from the successfully 'Mummy' franchise.

Blu-ray 651

Blu-ray

Batman Begins (Warner)
Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set) (Warner)
Batman: Gotham Knight (Warner Premiere)
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre (Image)
The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You - Live at the Greek (Image)
Roy Orbison: A Black & White Night (Image)
The Ruins (Paramount)
Sleepwalking (Starz)

'The Godfather Collection' Hits Blu-ray on September 23rd

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 2:19PM

Catching 'The Godfather' on HD VOD is one thing; catching the famed trilogy on remastered Blu-ray is another. On September 23rd, Paramount will (re)release what's sure to be a holiday favorite in 'The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration.'

The package will be available in both DVD ($72.99) and Blu-ray ($119.99) formats, and videophiles will be elated to know that director Francis Ford Coppola oversaw the restoration process himself. The four-disc BD set will be presented in 1080p with Dolby TrueHD, and extras junkies should find plenty to love as well. For a rundown of what to expect on each disc, check out the read link below. [Source: The TMR Zoo via Electronic House]

Blu-ray Releases on July 1st, 2008

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 9:07AM

We have fourteen new titles for Blu-ray this week and believe it or not it is a slow start to the biggest Blu month to date. The biggest week is at the end of the month, when twenty four new releases hit the streets thanks to some help from Universal's first Blu-ray titles.

Although there are plenty of new titles this week, there really isn't much to talk about. The biggest title is easily 'Vantage Point', but that isn't saying much as one of the only other day-and-date releases up against it was 'Meet the Browns', which with its IMDB rating of 2.2 puts it at number seventy on the list of all time worst movies.

There are a few good catalogs this week though, like 'In the Line of Fire', there are also a few concerts. Next week doesn't have as many new releases with only eight, but it is Batman week as the nine month wait for a Blu-ray version of 'Batman Begins' is finally over. Now Warner, about 'The Matrix'...

Blu-ray 643

Blu-ray

Batman: The Movie (Fox)
Batman: The Movie (Limited Edition) (Fox)
Ganges (BBC)
Gangs of New York (Walt Disney)
Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control, (Warner)
In the Line of Fire (Sony)
Korn: Live at Montreux (Eagle Rock)
Mad Men: Season One (Lionsgate)
Meet the Browns (Lionsgate)
Point Break (Fox)
Sex and Death 101 (Starz)
Vantage Point (Sony)
War, Inc. (First Look)
Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Concert (Sony BMG)

Blu-ray Releases on June 24th, 2008

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jun 24th 2008 at 7:45AM

After last week's abysmal lineup, it is good to see a few good titles this week as we count down the last month before every major studio is releasing Blu-ray movies. But while we wait for Universal to get on board, we still have a good selection coming our way.

This also happens to be the very last week with an HD DVD new release, but the last title from a major studio were about a month ago. '10,000 B.C.' is probably the biggest title on this week's slate, but 'The Spiderwich Chronicles' and 'Persepolis' aren't slouches either. These titles help round out a pretty good month, but July should be the best yet -- but it does get off to a slow start.

Blu-ray 629

Blu-ray

10,000 B.C. (Warner)
House of Fury (Tai Seng)
National Geographic: Sea Monsters (National Geographic)
Persepolis (Sony)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount)
Step Into Liquid (Lionsgate)
ZZ Top: Live in Texas (Eagle Rock)

Blu-ray Releases on June 3rd, 2008

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 5:43PM

This is the week that many have been waiting for. The week where Paramount finally opens the floodgates and officially releases all those titles on Blu that were previously available. The biggest Paramount release to make its HD debut is without a doubt 'There Will Be Blood' (IMDB 8.5) followed by 'Cloverfield,' but the rest are no slouch either.

But while we wait until the end of July for the last previously Red studio to go Blu brining just about all of Hollywood together behind one format -- Fox, Warner, and MGM open the classics flood gates with some very famous titles like the 'Dirty Harry' franchise and 'Patton.' So while our total went up by 51 titles this week thanks to Paramount and others, there is still at least one good movie released exclusively on DVD this week in the way of 'Control' (IMDB 8.0) thanks to Weinstein. Regardless of one missing title, we'd be surprised if there was any movie fan who couldn't find something to watch this week, so enjoy it until the next title drought.

Blu-ray 605*

Blu-ray

Battle of Britain (MGM)
A Bridge Too Far (MGM)
Cloverfield (Paramount)
Dirty Harry (Warner)
Dirty Harry: Ultimate Collection (Warner)
The Eye (2008) (Lionsgate)
Fearless Planet (Image)
Final Days of Planet Earth (Echo Bridge)
The Longest Day (Fox)
Meet the Spartans (Fox)
Patton (Fox)
The Poseidon Adventure (2005) (Echo Bridge)
The Recruit (Walt Disney)
The Sand Pebbles (Fox)
Semi-Pro (New Line)
Signs (Walt Disney)
There Will Be Blood (Paramount)
Weeds: Season Three (Lionsgate)
Bee Movie (DreamWorks)
Blades of Glory (Paramount)

* Blu-ray total does reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously officially unavailable.

First Blu-ray Record Released

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 30th 2008 at 10:15AM

Fans of high-def audio rejoice: The first Blu-ray recording has been released. Fans of anything other than Divertimento, hold your horses: The first release is from Trondheimsolistene, an orchestra from Norway. 'Divertimenti,' as it is called, will be released by the 2L label in full HD audio glory along with a SACD track for those not on the Blu-ray bandwagon just yet.

Formats include 2.0 LPCM, 5.1 LPCM, 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, 5.1 Dolby True HD, 5.1 Dolby Digital at 48KHz, and it has been confirmed to work just fine on the PS3.

[Source: 2L via MiC]

DVDPlay to Add Blu-ray Discs in Movie Rental Kiosks

by Darren Murph, posted May 30th 2008 at 8:17AM

When Blu-ray hits the food mart, you know it has gone big time. DVDPlay just coined itself the "first rental kiosk operator to offer Blu-ray Discs," as it laid out a plan to shove BD flicks into its machines as early as June 10th. Vanilla DVDs will, of course, continue to be offered alongside the newcomers, and best of all, the rental fee for Blu-ray Discs won't be a penny more than what is already charged for DVDs ($1.49). Those with DVDPlay kiosks around can inspect their local machines for 'Untraceable' and 'Men in Black' in under a fortnight, as those two are specifically noted as titles that will likely be offered up early on. [Source: AOL Money via TheManRoom]

Blu-ray releases on May 27th, 2008

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted May 27th 2008 at 3:40PM

Paramount has us all messed up again this week thanks to the fact that all its releases got pushed back to June 3rd. We tried our best to be accurate last week, but still managed to list two Paramount titles that we were unable to find at Amazon or at our local Best Buy. Not a big deal as all of the titles we were expecting last week, and the 32 previously released titles, should all be available by next week -- so we can finally get rid of the asterisks.

On a slow week like this, it is easy to be the best release, but that doesn't mean we aren't excited to check out the latest in the Rambo franchise as well as enjoying part two and part three in HD for the first time. Interestingly, while the new Rambo movie includes a 7.1 PCM sound track, the older three all feature 5.1 DTS-HD MA. We find this very odd and really wonder why Lionsgate wouldn't go with DTS-HD MA on all of 'em. If you're not into anything this week, don't worry as next week has something for everyone with 18 new releases, 4 Paramount titles delayed from earlier this year, and we finally expect to see the 32 previously available Paramount titles on the shelf.

Blu-ray 553*

Blu-ray

Dragon Ball Z - Dead Zone/World's Strongest (FUNimation)
Dragon Tiger Gate (Tai Seng)
Rambo (Lionsgate)
Rambo (Box Set) (Lionsgate)
Rambo III (Lionsgate)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (Lionsgate)
Strauss: Die Fledermaus (Opus Arte)

* Blu-ray total does not reflect 32 Paramount titles that were previously officially available.

50 Years of NASA Footage Hits Discovery in HD this Summer

by Richard Lawler, posted May 9th 2008 at 12:39PM

Sure now we get live HD from the ISS like it's nothing, but much of the last half century of space exploration has never been seen by most in anything other than grainy analog broadcasts. That'll change in June once When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions debuts on Discovery Channel, drawing from more than 150 hours of NASA footage, called a cross between 'The Right Stuff' and EHD fave 'Planet Earth.' The Orlando Sentinel mentions the new doc is part of a push to ensure funding to speed further space explorations, as long as they provide more great HD opportunities we're all for it. Look for the Blu-ray boxed set July 24 for $79.95. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Pioneer KURO and Friends Hands-On

by Paul Miller, posted May 8th 2008 at 11:47AM

We got to plant our eyeballs on Pioneer's second-gen KURO plasma display (bottom center), along with all that other new gear Pioneer released today. While all by its lonesome the new flagship display is no doubt impressive, when stacked up against the competition it becomes quite clear that this new KURO is the one to beat.

Granted, this was Pioneer's own setup designed to make us believe precisely that, but we certainly did find the new display notably blacker than its predecessor, and quite a lot better than the competing offerings Pioneer had on display. The new KURO projector was also quite impressive, and we even got treated to the much-improved start times of Pioneer's new Blu-ray players.

Gallery: Pioneer KURO and friends hands-on

Criterion Collection Coming to Blu-ray in October

by Richard Lawler, posted May 8th 2008 at 10:39AM

The Criterion Collection's long-awaited HD debut -- delayed by that annoying format war -- finally has a date, as well as a list of the first movies getting a definitive release in 1080p. If that wasn't enough, try this bit on for size: They won't charge viewers extra for the privilege. That's right, according to the e-mail that went out to subscribers today, all Blu-ray releases will feature HD picture and sound (no word on what codecs, although we expect nothing but the best considering the company has been mastering and restoring all releases in HD for years now), all the supplemental content and a matching (unspecified) price to their standard DVD editions.

The complete e-mail and list of a dozen movies follows after the break, along with a note that The Last Emperor will also be released in its original theatrical version on both formats for $39.95, while Walkabout will be an all-new edition. Check out Criterion's message after the break. [Source: DVD Times]

[Thanks, Erik]

Continue reading Criterion Collection Coming to Blu-ray in October

Study Finds High Prices, Hamstrung Players Limiting Blu-ray's Dominance

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 2:11PM

ABI Research has just confirmed feelings that we've had for months: Blu-ray just isn't going to dominate the market until prices sink down from the stratosphere and players emerge that are fully-featured. A new study from the previously mentioned firm has suggested that we still have "12 to 18 months" before the BD market really kicks into gear, and it specifies that "fully-featured" decks need to come in at $200 or below before the general public will consider coughing up the cash required to make the jump to high-definition media.

It's also noted that many are perfectly satisfied with the quality of DVD, and until prices make it manageable to switch, the outfit feels that huge chunks of consumers will simply stay put. Additionally, we're told that PS3s will "make up over 85-percent of the BD players in the field" during 2008, and we won't see Sony's console fall from the top until 2013 when the installed base of standalone decks / PC-based BD players overtake the installed base of PlayStation 3s. Yeah, you're hearing echoes on that last tidbit. [Source: Business Wire]

[Image courtesy of LA Times]

Netflix to Charge "Premium" for Renting Blu-ray Discs

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 11:04AM

Whoa boy, we can't imagine this going over well with the Blu-ray junkies in attendance. On a conference call held earlier today, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made mention that it planned on instituting a "modest monthly premium" to its normal subscription rate for folks who rented BDs. Of course, the move only makes perfect sense -- after all, the discs do cost more, and according to Mr. Hastings, "consumers are used to paying more for high-definition content."

Unfortunately, we're not sure if the price hike (exactly how much has yet to be disclosed) will apply flatly to every single Blu-ray renter or if the premium will be applied in a tiered fashion based on how heavily you rent HD media versus traditional DVDs. With the change slated to occur "later this year," though, we won't be wondering for long.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of WorkItMom]

More Hints of Blu-ray Playback for Xbox 360

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 1st 2008 at 3:01PM

More Rumors of Blu-ray Add-On for Xbox 360

In the early days of the format wars between Blu-ray and HD-DVD, Microsoft seemed to be hedging its bets. It supported HD DVD by releasing an optional add-on for the Xbox 360. By not building the format into the game console it seemed to be saying "We like you, but we just want to be friends." It's possible that lack of commitment helped tip the battle to end the way it did, but since then everyone has been wondering one thing: when will MS offer a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360? If a new bit of info from the always reliable "inside sources" is to be believed, it could be sometime this year.

The rumors about a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 started right after Toshiba ducked out of the competition. Microsoft issued a denial, but it just seems like a matter of time before something is released. The difference about this rumor is that it doesn't point to an external add-on, similar to what MS released for HD DVD, instead for a wholly new version of the 360 that has a built-in Blu-ray player. This version is supposedly currently under development for a release sometime in the latter-half of the year.

True info, bogus rumor, or someone just predicting the inevitable? One thing is for sure: we'll find out sometime within the next eight months!

From Engadget

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Pioneer To Launch Blu-ray Recorders By Year's End

Blu-ray Releases on July 8th, 2008

'The Godfather Collection' Hits Blu-ray on September 23rd

Blu-ray Releases on July 1st, 2008

Blu-ray Releases on June 24th, 2008

Blu-ray Releases on June 3rd, 2008

First Blu-ray Record Released

DVDPlay to Add Blu-ray Discs in Movie Rental Kiosks

Blu-ray releases on May 27th, 2008

50 Years of NASA Footage Hits Discovery in HD this Summer

Pioneer KURO and Friends Hands-On

Gallery: Pioneer KURO and friends hands-on

Criterion Collection Coming to Blu-ray in October

Study Finds High Prices, Hamstrung Players Limiting Blu-ray's Dominance

Netflix to Charge "Premium" for Renting Blu-ray Discs

More Hints of Blu-ray Playback for Xbox 360

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