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The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray trailer appears, confirms December 3rd release date (Update: Pulled)
Good for over $1 billion at the box office, Christopher Nolan's third Batman movie is probably this year's most anticipated home video release (The Avengers next week may have something to say about that) and now Warner Bros. has given us a trailer for The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-ray. Previous movies in the series have always delivered on Blu-ray, as well as his other recent hit, Inception. Unfortunately the video maxes out at 480p, but we don't need any additional resolution to see the release date listed for both disc and digital download is December 3rd. Rumors have flown about different releases dates and possible extras like a director's cut, but recently sources have indicated no such extended offering is in the works. Whether you think the flick was long enough (or even too long), you can press play to check out the clip embedded after the break...and clear the first Monday in December on your calendar for a trilogy viewing marathon. Update: The trailer has now disappeared from YouTube (trust us, you didn't miss much other than a quick "Blu-ray and digital download" tag at the end) along with the page sporting the 12/3 release date. We've slipped a screen grab in after the break, we'll let you know once there's some official information to go on.
Hitchcock classics Dial M for Murder (3D) and Strangers on a Train come to Blu-ray October 9th
Warner Bros. is reaching deep into its vaults and releasing two Alfred Hitchcock classics on Blu-ray this fall in Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train. While both are notable for their content, Dial M for Murder reaches back to a much earlier infatuation with 3D during the 50s, however few moviegoers at the time actually got to see it in the intended format. According to the press release, the studio has gone back to the original camera negative for a 4K scan, with restoration done for both eyes and tweaks to improve convergence where necessary (a 2D version is also included). Fans of classic 3D should keep an eye out more on the way, as EVP Jeff Baker says House of Wax is up next from the catalog of 15 movies Warner is able to draw from. The Dial M for Murder Blu-ray 3D is scheduled to hit shelves October 9th for $35.99, while Strangers On A Train will be released the same day for $19.98. Check after the break for the press release with full details, as well as trailers for both movies.
The Big Bang Theory S1 and S2 will finally hit Blu-ray July 10th
Considering the usual subject matter of The Big Bang Theory it's a bit bizarre that the first couple of seasons weren't already available in high definition, but Warner Home Video has now announced they will be released on Blu-ray July 10th. While later seasons have already seen Blu-ray releases, those looking to start back at the beginning for Leonard, Sheldon, Penny and the rest of the crew had been stuck with DVDs. Assuming you're a fan of CBS' comedy series, you can preorder each Blu-ray / DVD combo release now, priced at $23.99 for the first season and $54.97 for the longer second season. Of course, what we're really wondering is what this means for other orphaned releases that only have some or none of their seasons available on Blu-ray as studios have shifted strategies, we're still waiting for How I Met Your Mother season one. Drop a note about any other shows you're following that have holes in their HD releases in the comments below, or just check out a video clip of the show with the canned laughter cut out -- it's... different.
Citizen Kane Blu-ray up for preorder on Amazon
There's no official announcement from Warner yet, but Blu-ray.com points out the classic movie Citizen Kane has appeared for preorder on Amazon in full 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition dress. As shown in the picture above, there's plenty of collectibles included with a book, replica documents and extra discs with two hour documentary, HBO docudrama and Orson Welles' follow-up flick The Magnificent Ambersons on DVD. There's no release date listed yet and we still don't know everything about what extras will be present, but the current price is $49.99 (or, $45.49 minus Ambersons, which is apparently coming to DVD for the first time) if you want to jump in right now.
The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray set officially announced, arrives June 28th (video)
Warner has finally released the details on its upcoming 15-disc (six on Blu-ray, plus nine DVDs) Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition Blu-ray package, setting a release date of June 28th. If the extra few hours of footage isn't enough for you to preorder the $120 MSRP / $84 Amazon set, there's more than 26 hours of special features included although most of them are restricted to the DVDs. Each movie is spread across two Blu-ray discs and has a 6.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, while Fellowship of the Ring has been treated to a remastering from the original 2K digital files. It's a little disappointing there aren't more HD extras mentioned but each Blu-ray is BD-Live enabled, we wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of teaser hit before The Hobbit arrives in theaters. Check out the full press release and trailer after the break.
Warner releasing A Clockwork Orange & Kubrick boxed set on Blu-ray May 31st
It'll be a good spring for classic movie lovers, as Warner Bros. has announced plans to deliver Stanley Kubrick's classic A Clockwork Orange (MSRP: $34.95) in a Digibook Blu-ray release, as well as a ten-disc, nine-movie boxed set of the director's movies. The boxed set (MSRP: $148.95) includes Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and two other films not currently available or yet announced on Blu-ray in Lolita and Barry Lyndon. Check the press release after the break for a pic of the A Clockwork Orange set and details on extras and packaging for both releases.
Yogi Bear comes home on DVD, Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D March 22nd
Aimed at the cross section of movie fans that love Justin Timberlake and hate movies about Facebook, Warner's scheduled a day-and-date Blu-ray 3D release for Yogi Bear March 22nd. The 80-minute feature has plenty of extras in Full HD 3D, including a tour around Jellystone, some 3D test footage and even a Rabid Rider Looney Tunes short. The Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D combo packs sport $35.99 and $44.95 MSRPs, respectively.
The Ten Commandments comes to Blu-ray in six or two-disc sets March 29th
Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 Biblical classic is getting an appropriately epic release on Blu-ray and DVD this spring when The Ten Commandments hits Blu-ray in two different editions. The six disc Blu-ray/DVD gift set and two disc Blu-ray pack both include the fully restored main feature with 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack split across two Blu-ray discs including commentary plus HD trailers and footage from the premiere. The gift set version includes three Blu-ray discs with matching DVDs while the third disc adds a silent film version of the movie from 1923 and matching special features, a new 75-minute Making Miracles documentary and more all encased in two stone tablets. MSRPs are set at $69.99 for the gift set and $24.99 for the two disc, with the added bonus of being able to bring them by Grandma's for Easter and watch Charlton Heston get his Exodus on in HD, commercial-free this time.
Inception Blu-ray review
The combination of Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. added up to success in ratings and sales in 2008 with The Dark Knight, and now both return just in time for the holiday season with Inception. Already a hit in theaters, viewers have been waiting to get the disc home hoping the dreams still feel just as real. To that end, Warner's released a three disc set with 90 minutes of extras, so does it measure up to our (admittedly lofty) expectations? Check out the rest of our review after the break and find out. (Note: While we try to avoid spoilers, there are a few key ones, if you haven't seen the movie and want to remain untainted, please check the review card page for our rating only.)%Gallery-109355%
Top Gear Season 14 & 15 coming to Blu-ray January 15th
Top Gear UK fans in the US can mark their calendars, the last two seasons of the show were filmed in HD and will make their debut on Blu-ray next year. Season 14 is on three discs and includes the South America Special for its $29.99 MSRP while season 15 is on two discs and promises plenty of outtakes and special features with a $24.99 MSRP. They're scheduled for release on January 15, 2011, until then we'll have to get by with the US version on History Channel and whatever episodes we can wrangle out of the PlayStation Network.
Inception Blu-ray with Limited Edition Briefcase gift set is available in the US
For a moment it appeared that the sweet Limited Edition release of Christopher Nolan's Inception on Blu-ray would be a European only thing, but Warner Bros. has made it available for US customers as well, exclusively via its WBShop.com website. Located by a few Blu-ray.com forum posters, it looks to have all the fixings, with art cards, totem, PASIV instruction manual and of course the metal briefcase itself with Inception Blu-ray and DVD held inside. Preorders are $49.95 and ship December 6, so don't forget to figure in overnight shipping.%Gallery-107316%
All seven seasons of The West Wing finally available in HD... but only online
Even though acclaimed TV series The West Wing was shot on film and six of the seven seasons were broadcast in high definition, until now the only way fans could get a copy was in standard definition. Now Warner's announced all seven seasons are available for purchase in high definition on digital distributors including iTunes and Amazon, with a $3/episode, $50/season price tag. After rumors we'd see the series on HD DVD and later Blu-ray it's great to get access to the show's high production values in higher resolution, but sadly we must note that at least on Amazon (we couldn't find any notes on iTunes) it only offers stereo audio -- an unfortunate loss for a series that won multiple awards for its sound production and features 5.1 Dolby Digital surround on DVD. How much that matters is a personal preference, but while Blu-ray quality might not be expected from downloads, it would be nice to at least get everything that's on the DVD with our downloads. Check after the break for a quick behind the scenes clip with Executive Producer Thomas Schlamme.
Legend of the Guardians comes home on Blu-ray, 3D December 17
Queue up another 3D release for the December calendar, now that Warner has revealed Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole comes home in Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D combo packs December 17. Both editions include over two hours of Blu-ray only extras, with a PiP "Maximimum Kid Mode" music video and more. It's taken some time for the theater-to-retail trend to get started for 3D flicks, but here's hoping it keeps moving along this steadily for good.
DVD2Blu trade-up scheme lets you swap any old DVD (plus $4.95) for a Blu-ray
We may have to rethink our original stance comparing Warner's DVD2Blu trade-up program to a particular Maine shop owner, now that it's announced it will accept any DVD (only studio releases sold at retail and no porn, please) as trade towards one of its selection of 105 Blu-ray releases with most priced at $4.95 each. Add in the offer to waive the $4.95/per shipping fee for orders above $35 and you've got a pretty quick way to fatten up one's Blu-ray library, assuming you like films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, American History X, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, etc. Hit the source link for a full list of titles available and other details (U.S. only, sorry Canada.)
Ultimate NFL Blu-ray review
Pro football is always at the top of our list of things that are great to watch in high definition, so it's no surprise we were all over the new Ultimate NFL Blu-ray disc that comes to stores this week. The league's video production unit, NFL Films has put together a collection of footage including some super slow motion shots at nearly 1,000fps that promises "an all-new, groundbreaking visual experience." Of course, with less than an hour to cover a grab bag of footage from last season that you've probably seen a few times before in its productions for NFL Network, ESPN and others can it really live up to that promise? Check our full review after the break to find out.%Gallery-105927%
Warner has six Blu-ray 3D discs headed to retail November 16, Sony brings along Open Season
We're not sure if they were just waiting for the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray 3D update to be officially announced, but Warner Bros. has finally responded to our pleas and mentioned a few Blu-ray 3D discs that are headed for retail without any exclusive bundling holding them back. Home Media Magazine reports that among them, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore will be a day-and-date release along with the standard DVD and Blu-ray editions, while the other five are Clash of the Titans, The Polar Express, IMAX Deep Sea 3D, IMAX Under the Sea 3D and IMAX Space Station 3D, all sporting $44.95 MSRPs. According to SVP Dorinda Marticorena, this push "is just the beginning" and timed to capitalize on an increase in sales of Blu-ray 3D hardware during the holidays. No doubt, as Sony Pictures has also apparently dated the release of Open Season in 3D for November 16 as well, the same day A Christmas Carol arrives -- 3D early adopters mark your calendars appropriately.
Engadget HD Giveaway: Win the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray!
In celebration of the Lord of the Rings movies being available individually on Blu-ray today (we still always skip to RotK, the Sam/Frodo bromance makes the series), what makes more sense than to offer you chance to win all three at the same time? How about if there were some bonuses thrown in, like bookmarks, a New Zealand Jade Necklace, ornament, deck of LotR playing cards candle and poster, would that be something you were interested in? (Okay, they're not the Extended Editions, but work with us here.) We're not sure if TNT is still airing them in stretch-o-vision or not, but you have no excuse to watch with commercial interruption any longer, drop a comment in after the break to enter and block out nine hours on your schedule next week -- you have plans. Special Thanks to Warner for providing the discs!
Warner to release a Blu-ray title before it's available on DVD
Warner leads the home media market, and like any leader it is always looking for the next big movie to improve it's sales. It makes sense to us that a good way to promote Blu-ray -- and thus the future of the home media market -- is to make new releases available in HD before their SD counterparts, but we wonder what the rest of the SD world will think of this. It is hard to say if Warner's decision to release the Jack Black movie Be Kind Rewind on Blu-ray on June 10th -- a full week before it's available on DVD -- is one of these tests, but we certainly can't wait to see the results.**UPDATE** New Line has clarified and the DVD will be released the same day.
300 HD DVD & Blu-ray review roundup
300 is this month's highest profile DVD/Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo release, and it appears reviewers have already found it worthy of the crown. Frank Miller's previous effort Sin City was already well-received in HD with its highly stylized green screened special effects and 300 follows in the same vein. High-Def Digest didn't exactly love the "flat" look of the movie, but found the VC-1 transfer an "accurate representation of the theatrical experience", while IGN couldn't find enough superlatives to describe the video on its way to a 10 of 10 rating. The Blu-ray version includes a PCM soundtrack alongside standard and TrueHD versions, but it didn't seem to add or detract much from a highly rated aural experience. The HD DVD exclusive features include a PiP look at the film in preproduction, as well as an option to edit together favorite scenes and post them online for other fans to download via the player. 300's groundbreaking internet features are also tied to the anchor of Warner's ringtone and other paraphernalia advertisements, but in the end, all rated it a must-buy for your format of choice when released next week. Read - 300 HD DVD review High-Def Digest Read - 300 Blu-ray review High-Def Digest Read - 300 HD DVD review IGN Read - A Few Words About...300 HD & BD
Harry Potter, Blade Runner coming to Blu-ray and HD DVD in Q4
More news from the Home Media Expo, as Warner Home Video made it a point to show off its upcoming deluxe box sets, few more widely anticipated than the high definition releases of Harry Potter and Blade Runner. Fans of the Harry Potter series can get all five films, on Blu-ray or HD DVD along with "exclusive memorabilia", at a price of $149.99, a $30 premium over the standard DVD set. Blade Runner is getting a five disc DVD re-release that will also hit Blu-ray and HD DVD, but no word on prices for the HD editions or special features. According to VideoBusiness both should debut sometime in the fourth quarter, it appears that Total HD or not Warner is taking advantage of its support for both formats by releasing its heavy hitters sooner, rather than later.
