VB High-Def Update E-Newsletter

Advertisement


Video Business' High-Def Update features recent product news, reviews and a listing of upcoming titles on both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.



Here are Video Business' most recent high-def stories.

Blu-ray backers appeal to HDTV set
Blu-ray Disc backers last week launched a cable TV, print and online campaign designed to reach HDTV owners and other early adopters at the start of the holiday shopping season.

TV ads bowed Nov. 17 on high-def cable outlets including Discovery HD, INHD and HDNet. Ads also are running in targeted print magazines including GQ, Popular Mechanics and Wired and on such Web sites as CNET, PCWorld, GameSpot.com and ESPN.com. Click here for the full story.

Buena Vista delivers 50GB BDs in January

Chicago will be among Buena Vista's 50GB Blu-ray releases in January.
Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment will debut Chicago, Casanova, The Guardian and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as part of its first wave of 50GB Blu-ray Discs on Jan. 23.

Casanova will include the new "Blu-scape" featurette "Reflections of Venice" by director/cinematographer Loui Schwartzberg. Chicago, The Guardian and The Hitchhiker's Guide will include deleted scenes, commentaries and other bonus features but no new Blu-ray features. Click here for the full story.

Mission: Impossible III big on all formats

Paramount released the movie on both high-def formats and standard DVD simultaneously.
It took just one week for Paramount Home Entertainment's Mission: Impossible III -- the first film released simultaneously on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc -- to become the top-selling high-definition release so far.

Industry sources estimate that combined HD DVD and Blu-ray sales surpassed 20,000 units, the majority on HD DVD, which is in more consumer homes than rival Blu-ray. Click here for the full story.

ADDITIONAL HIGH-DEF NEWS

BDA wants you to 'Experience Blu' with new ad campaign EngadgetHD, Nov. 20

Xbox HD DVD drive will work on PC DVDTown.com, Nov. 13

The universal HD disc player DVDFile.com, Nov. 13

'Architect' to hit theaters, DVD and both high-def formats in first day-and-date cross-format release High-Def Digest, Nov. 16




X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand Blu-ray
Fox, Blu-ray Disc, available now, $39.98; reviewed on Samsung 61-inch widescreen DLPHDTV with HDMI connection

The majority of Blu-ray is transcoded in the MPEG-2 format, but after watching X-Men: The Last Stand, which is transcoded in the AVC format, we're thinking other studios supporting Blu-ray should consider the change. As is usually the case in high-definition environments, the differences we saw were in the detail and backgrounds. But it looks to us that the blacks in X-Men looked, well, blacker. Other dark areas -- as well as chunks of blue sky -- look nearly flawless and without a trace of fluttering, noise or pixilation. And for detail, the climactic battle of the X-Men against Jean Grey-turned-Phoenix is positively gorgeous. Click here for the full review.



Waterworld
Waterworld HD DVD
Universal, HD DVD, available now, $29.98, reviewed on LG 42-inch widescreen DLP HDTV with HDMI connection

Costing approximately $175 million and bringing in only $88 million Stateside, Kevin Costner's ill-fated "Mad Max on the Water" saga, Waterworld, has taken a proud place in the pantheon of legendary out-of-control productions, right alongside Cleopatra and Apocalypse Now. Regardless, the futuristic action thriller has developed a sizable following and scores as a notable second-wave choice for high-def release. The cinematography by Scott Fuller and Dean Semler, who filmed the entire feature on and around the water, is a real razzle-dazzle affair. And it all comes out shimmering in HD DVD. Sunlight flitting across the water, jet-skis chopping through white foam, pyrotechnics gone wild on a sea of green -- the colors and textures of a watery future following the meltdown of the polar ice caps actually plays much more evocatively on HD DVD then they did a decade ago. Click here for the full review.



Below is a list of upcoming titles on HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. For a complete list of upcoming HD DVD and Blu-ray titles, click here. For a list of all HD DVD and Blu-ray titles now available, click here.

Nov. 21
Annapolis Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Drama: A young man's dream comes true when he is accepted into a naval academy.
Bonuses: commentary, deleted scenes

Casanova Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Drama: Heath Ledger plays the famed ladies' man who meets his match when he fails to win over a woman.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Universal; order now; HD Combo $34.98
Family: Based on the well-known children's book, this movie stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch.

Enemy of the State Buena Vista; order now; 50GB BD $34.99
Thriller: This 1998 spy movie starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman grossed $111.5 million in theaters.
Bonuses: deleted scenes, making-of featurette, "All Access: The Showdown" featurette

Flightplan Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Action: Jodie Foster stars in this film about a woman whose daughter vanishes on a plane.
Bonuses: commentary, visual effects featurettes, Blu-Scape "Jet Stream"

Goal! The Dream Begins Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Drama: A man finds himself competing for the soccer team Newcastle United.
Bonuses: commentary, "Behind the Pitch" featurette

Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox; order now; BD $39.98
Animated: The ice starts to melt in this $195 million-grossing sequel.
Bonuses: commentaries, short films, historical films on the ice age period, outtakes, sound effects lab, artist gallery, two games

Sky High Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Family: At Sky High, the students are superheroes trying to live normal lives.
Bonuses: alternate opening, featurettes

The Wild Buena Vista; order now; BD $34.99
Animated: When a young lion is accidentally shipped to Africa, his zoo friends must rescue him.
Bonuses: deleted scenes, music video, featurettes

You, Me and Dupree Universal; prebook Oct. 10; DVD $29.98, HD $39.98
Comedy: Owen Wilson stars as an unwelcome houseguest who pesters two newlyweds, played by Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon, in this movie, which grossed $74 million at the box office.
Bonuses: TBA

Nov. 28
An American Werewolf in London Universal; order now; HD Combo $34.98
Horror: Two Americans are attacked in London by a werewolf.

Dune Universal; order now; HD $29.98
Science-fiction: This 1984 film is based on Frank Herbert's epic novel.

Meet the Parents Universal; order now; HD $29.98
Comedy: This 2000 film stars Ben Stiller, who's intimidated by his girlfriend's ex-CIA father, Robert De Niro.

The Mummy Universal; order now; HD $29.98
Adventure: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz star in this 1999 movie, an update of the 1932 horror classic.

Smallville: The Complete Fifth Season HD Warner; order now; HD $79.98
Action: Clark Kent struggles with his superpowers as a teenager.
Bonuses: format-exclusive features including documentary that viewers can watch with TV series, unaired scenes, 100th episode featurette, commentaries, Webisode gallery

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut Warner; order now; HD $28.99
Action: Superman sacrifices his powers in order to marry Lois Lane in this new cut of the fil as originally intended by Superman: The Movie director Donner.
Bonuses: commentary by Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz, intro by Donner, new featurette "Superman II: Restoring the Vision", deleted scenes

Superman: The Movie Warner; prebook Oct. 24; HD $28.99
Action: Christopher Reeve stars as the Man of Steel in the 1978 movie.
Superman Returns Warner; prebook Oct. 24; DVD/BD $34.99, HD $39.99
Action: This $197.4 million-grossing blockbuster reignited the Superman franchise.

Windtalkers MGM/Fox; prebook Nov. 1; BD $39.98
War: Two soldiers are in charge of protecting Navajo codetalkers in this John Woo movie.

Dec. 5
Bulletproof Monk MGM/Fox; prebook Nov. 8; BD $39.98
Action: Chow Yun-Fat stars as a monk who protects an ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power.

A Christmas Story Warner; order now; HD and BD $28.99
Comedy: A 9-year-old hopes for a Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot air rifle one '40s Christmas.

Flight of the Phoenix Fox; prebook Nov. 8; BD $39.98
Action: Air crash survivors stranded in the Mongolian desert attempt to rebuild their plane to escape.
Bonuses: commentary

From Hell Fox; order now; 50GB BD $39.98
Mystery: Johnny Depp stars in this 2001 movie, which is based on the graphic novel.
Bonuses: commentary, trivia track, deleted scenes

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Warner; order now; HD and BD $28.99
Comedy: The Griswald family invite relatives to a picture perfect, old-fashioned Christmas in this movie starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo.
Bonuses: commentary

Miami Vice Universal; order now; HD $39.98
Action: Michael Mann's $63.4 million-grossing feature film based on the '80s TV show stars Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as detectives Crockett and Tubbs.
Bonuses: both R-rated theatrical version and unrated version, exclusive features including tech specs and GPS

Poseidon Warner; order now; HD Combo $34.99
Adventure: This remake starring Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas grossed $22 million.

Rising Sun Fox; prebook Nov. 8; BD $39.98
Drama: Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery star as detectives investigating the murder of a call girl in Japan.

Rocky MGM/Fox; prebook Nov. 8; BD $39.98
Action: Sylvester Stallone stars as Rocky Balboa, a club fighter who works to become a heavyweight champion.

Dec. 12
The Devil Wears Prada Fox; prebook Nov. 15; DVD $29.98/BD $39.98
Comedy: Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep's $124 million-grossing film has a day-and-date release on DVD and Blu-ray.
Bonuses: commentary, 15 deleted scenes, trivia pop-ups

Field of Dreams Universal; prebook Oct. 31; HD $29.98
Fantasy: The 1989 baseball movie starring Kevin Costner grossed $64 million in theaters.
Bonuses: deleted scenes, featurettes, commentary, roundtable interviews, scrapbook, "My Scenes" bookmarking feature

The Hulk Universal; prebook Oct. 31; HD $29.98
Science-fiction: The comic book turned movie from 2003 grossed $132 million.
Bonuses: commentary, featurettes, "My Scenes" bookmarking feature

Kung Fu Hustle Sony; order now; BD $28.95
Martial arts: Stephen Chow's foreign-language fantasy grossed $17 million in limited release.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Sony; prebook Nov. 9; 50GB BD $38.96
Comedy: Will Ferrell stars as a NASCAR racer challenged when a French driver joins his team.
Bonuses: extended cut, deleted and extended scenes, gag reel, "Line-O-Rama" alternate lines section, interviews with characters, bonus race footage, featurettes, commentary, montage and outtakes, character commercials

World Trade Center: Special Commemorative Edition Paramount; prebook Oct. 31; 50GB BD/HD $33.99
Drama: Oliver Stone's film based on the lives of rescue workers during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks grossed $70 million.
Bonuses: film on 50GB, extras on 25GB

For a complete list of upcoming HD DVD and Blu-ray titles, click here. For a list of all HD DVD and Blu-ray titles now available, click here.




This message was sent to smclark@reedbusiness.com.



To sign up for a free subscription to the weekly printed Video Business magazine -- where you can find additional news stories, the industry's most complete VHS and DVD sales and rental charts, product reviews, special reports and market data, please click here.

For answers to advertising or editorial questions, please click here.

To sign up for Video Business E-News weekly summaries and bulletins, please click here

To unsubscribe, please click here.

To change your profile or to register for other newsletters, please click here.

If you have questions or need further assistance, please contact our Online Support Team at: MediaSupport@reedbusiness.com.
or:
Reed Business Information
2000 Clearwater Dr.
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Fax: (630) 288-8394

To request the text version of the Video Business Weekly Summary, please contact our Online Support Team at: MediaSupport@reedbusiness.com.

To read the Video Business Privacy Policy, please click here.

The 25-year-old Video Business print magazine also is a daily online publication (www.videobusiness.com) covering the physical, digital and electronic distribution of video; retailing and the original production of VHS, DVD, interactive and broadband video programming; and videogames.

Video Business® is a registered trademark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc. used under license. Trademark owner:

Reed Elsevier Properties Inc.
1105 North Market Street
Ninth Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801

© Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Advertisements