James Cameron sees Avatar on Blu-ray 3D in November, HDTV manufacturers mark their calendars
By Richard Lawler 
posted February 18th 2010 9:34PM
posted February 18th 2010 9:34PM
Fox has been slow to show its hand concerning the Avatar home video release schedule, but that didn't stop director James Cameron from spilling assorted dates and SKUs in a Wall Street Journal interview. He's pegged a standard DVD & Blu-ray release for April 22, with a special edition DVD and Blu-ray 3D version arriving in November. Considering how much electronics companies have invested in bringing 3D to market this year and specifically Panasonic's push to make Avatar a box office smash the timing seems right on target. Whether you love the Na'vi just a little or far, far too much, budgeting for a 3D related Black Friday upgrade to go along with blue body paint for Halloween is seeming like a more sensible option every day.Update: Fox has responded, simply stating that 3D is in the conceptual stage, and that Avatar will not be out on Blu-ray 3D in November. Should we believe them or the guy with an executive producer credit on Point Break... is that even a question?
Coming this fall.... FERNGULLY IN 3D!!!
@New Reformation
ever been accused of being original? no.. thought not
Haha nice pic
So that's what a geek Na'vi looks like
@Alexpeegs it reminds me of tobias on AD
@Alexpeegs
It's a picture from a spoof clip on Youtube. I repeat, the man in the picture is making fun of the idiots who think Avatar is real. Quite a funny clip, if you have seen the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk2vR8w2sjc&feature=player_embedded
@Abe
That spoof is pure awesomeness. Die, Sky Bitch!!!
@Alexpeegs
The guy looks like an editor of this site...
Wow, he just blue himself.
@Tiptup300
Shakespeare would be proud.
@Tiptup300 As soon as I saw that pic I knew someone would have to make that comment :)
@New Reformation
Indeed, Shakespeare was quite fond of puns and double entendres, as I recall.
I was gonna ask what the source of that pic was. But I don't think I want to know.
I just blue myself!
the six people who have the equipment to support this are going to love it
@Uncontrol
6 going on 10 million. This is going to push hardware. And we should all be glad. We need more economic growth pretty badly.
Avatar had a terrible story and the Navi ('naive' anagram?) were ridiculous. But people spent spent spent money on this thing, and they will gladly keep doing it.
@(Unverified) I think you're wrong. Just as with Titanic, there will be an Avatar hangover after the Oscars, when people realize just how bad some of the dialog and plotting is.
@(Unverified)
Ruh-oh. Someone doesn't know what an anagram is.
@Wai : He has a magic 'e' that he saves for special occasions.
That picture of some hippie douche in Avatar paint makes me want to shoot a puppy.
@sumgoodman Everybody has their hobbies, I imagine everyone does something that makes someone want to shoot puppies, including you and me
@sumgoodman
You wanting to shoot a puppy makes me want to shoot a puppy.
@sumgoodman
It's from a youtube video making fun of Avatar. No puppy shooting necessary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk2vR8w2sjc
i wish we didnt have to upgrade to newer tv. heres hoping Johny Lee figures out a way heheh
Dr. Tobias Funke.
HIPPY!!???!???!!!!
and we're one step closer to instilling in society the value that novelties are okay as a substitute for actual film making. seriously, for $500 million and 13 years, i would have liked to have seen something more than Ferngully x Star Wars with some 3D glasses.
or at least some 3D that wasn't just 2D images arranged in depth. headache much?
@ohyeahpaulchin
Yeah, was I the only one whose head nearly exploded watching that? I had no problem watching Monsters vs Aliens at an IMAX theater in 3D, but Avatar was effed UP! Every time there was CGI mixed with stuff in real life, like when there were display screens in the background or trees outside a helicopter, the CGI elements popped out in front of elements that they were supposed to be behind.
There were a few (low-contrast and wholly CGI) scenes where the whole effect worked right, but for most of the film it was completely screwy. I sat through the whole thing, but then asked for (and received) a refund. Seriously, I nearly fell over when I stood up.
@Old fogie late bloomer
must have been the cinema setup, your glasses or your eyes . I saw this and it reminded me of the wonder of when I saw the empire strikes back at the cinema many many years back.
It was groundbreaking for 3D cinema, nothing before touched this. My only worry is what will this look like in 2D. Will it still be a great film?
@xenon73 this is exactly what i mean. read your last line.
no number of extra dimensions of presentation could make this "a great film". if any dimensions are to be added, i'd like at least one to the narrative and/or characters, please. i think the question here is "will it still be a PRETTY film". and who knows. i, personally, think so because as you said, films like The Empire Strikes Back were absolutely gorgeous, even in 2D.
and let's not forget ANYTHING filmed in Technicolor.
@xenon73
Well, someone in the theater said something about having had to leave the previous day because the projector wasn't working, and so I thought maybe it was the projector, but then I have to ask myself why nobody else in the theater was asking for a refund.
I read that RealD displays the images alternating at 144fps, switching the polarizing filter for each frame, while I believe that the IMAX theater I went to had two projectors (or a projector that put out both images simultaneously). That worries me, because I really want to like 3D technology, but I'm wondering how my eyes are going to do with a 120Hz screen and shutter glasses. I don't understand why the local 3D effect would have worked (i.e. a person's face was properly rendered with the nose in front of the ears) but then the global image failed horribly.
I made the mistake of watching the stunning Blu-Ray edition of "2001: A Space Odyssey" right before going to see Avatar in IMAX 3D. A tough act to follow...
To top it all, the 2001 Blu-Ray features an interview of Cameron who says that the story matters so much more than the special effects, and how much he admires Kubrick.
@JeanMichel Decombe
2010: The Year We Make Contact is also a fantastic film.
The fact that these two films still set the standard for beauty (and I do mean BEAUTY) in sci-fi/ space film is astounding. Top that off with an ACTUAL plot and complex philosophical message, and I think I that Cameron has nothing to do but cry in a corner.
@JeanMichel Decombe
I just can't wait for "The Abyss". I saw it once when I was young and remember being impressed. I want to see it again, in High Def.
Sadly, I looked recently and saw no plans for release. If we're lucky, Avatar will spur more James Cameron to be released on Blu Ray.
-Taylor
LOOK a 40 year old virgin!!
IDK why the hold up, just trying to get people to double dip?
@reallynotnick I'm no industry employee or anything, but I'd wager that they're doing it for 2 big reasons. 1: give 3D some time to get in more peoples homes so they can sell more copies. 2: give 3D something to make it an in demand purchase for the holiday season. Its as much an advertisement for new home theater equipment as it is for selling the movie.
Wouldn't James Cameron already have seen this film? Why is he waiting until it comes out on blu-ray.
@(Unverified) from this comment I can deduce that you a) misread the title; b) didn't read the article; and c) went right to the comments to make an ass of yourself.
@Punchdrunkbrian
You left one out....
D) He is making a joke.
@pachi72 that's what she said
Pic = win. That video is fucking hilarious.
Did anyone else not notice what april 22 is? It's earth day... Seems fairly suiting considering the message of the movie haha.
@SR71
Haha I didn't notice that. But now that you mention it, this makes perfect sense. Have you read about the people trying to say this is a pro-war fox news propaganda film? The fact that one of the last lines of the movie went something like, "and they will return to their dying planet" puts this movie in the realm of environmentalist propaganda. Luckily for them the rest of it was pretty damn good.
I liked "Smoke" better.
Great movie but i'm not upgrading my tv and i'm unlikely to pay the premium for a new 3d when i buy a new plasma for my bedroom within the year. I'll be at costco getting some on sale Vizio or something.
that video made me die a little inside
Engadget: No, that's not even a question. Why would we trust Jonathan Glickman?
I'd trust the guy that has an EP credit on Point Break though. Get your bad 90s movie references straight.
@BrentK Ahh, i'm Swayze. (Too soon? Not soon enough?)