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Burn FilmStruck, spoil UltraViolet, but you can’t take my DVDs
I haven't watched a DVD in a while. Long enough that I've thought about donating all of my discs to goodwill. But when I Kondo'd my possessions, the bulk of my media remained in place as they kinda/sorta sparked joy. (That's a lie, I was deep into the sunk cost fallacy to just toss a small fortune's worth of DVDs, which is a bit like joy, right?) Now, however, the recent news in the digital media makes me want to hold my discs and never ever let them go.
Alamo Drafthouse to open video rental store with rare VHS tapes
Do you miss the days when finding a movie to watch meant browsing the local video store, hoping that you'd stumble across some rare gem? Alamo Drafthouse sure does. After amassing collections from small shops, the enthusiast-driven theater chain is opening a "reimagining" of rental stores, Video Vortex, that will sit in the lobby of the company's future Raleigh location. It'll include Blu-ray and DVD titles, but the real highlight will be a "massive" selection of rare VHS tapes, some of which never made the leap to digital. Alamo will even rent you a VCR (complete with an RCA-to-HDMI adapter), since you probably don't have one hooked up to your 4K TV.
Sky Store lets you scrap the DVD for a cheaper digital download
When the Sky Store's "Buy & Keep" option first launched in 2014, it offered the best of both worlds: A digital copy of a film (and later, TV box sets) to download and watch immediately, followed by a physical DVD copy to add to your collection when it eventually turned up in the post. Times have changed since then, though, and these days physical disc sales are dwindling as streaming and downloads become ever more popular. Embracing this shift, Sky is changing how Buy & Keep works this week, allowing you to sack off the DVD or Blu-ray copy for a cheaper, digital-only purchase.
Relive the first 11 seasons of 'South Park' on Blu-ray this fall
While we tend to post more about South Park video games around here, television's most crass social satire is equally important, really. To that end, Paramount Pictures has just announced that the first 11 years of South Park will be available on Blu-ray this fall for the first time. The individual seasons will come as a two-disc set, with the first five seasons available on November 21st and the following six seasons available on December 19th.
Oppo's 4K Blu-ray players are the first with Dolby Vision HDR
Late last year Oppo promised its Ultra HD Blu-ray players would eventually be the first with support for Dolby Vision HDR (in addition to the required HDR-10 spec that all Ultra HD Blu-ray players support), and now a software update is available to unlock the feature. It only works if you have Ultra HD Blu-ray discs made to support Dolby's flavor of HDR (plus a compatible TV), and, coincidentally, two just went on sale this week: Despicable Me 1 & 2. Later this year, they will be joined by movies including The Fate of the Furious and Power Rangers, as more studios release Dolby Vision-ready discs, while Sony and LG have their own players on the way.
Redbox bets DVD rental kiosks are making a comeback
Redbox has spent years trying to reduce its dependence on disc rentals, and not without reason. You don't have much as incentive to rent from a kiosk when online video (including from Redbox) is just a heartbeat away. That doesn't mean the company is giving up on the idea, though -- in fact, it just made a fresh commitment to the concept. CEO Galen Smith has revealed that Redbox will add a net total of 1,500 new DVD kiosks across the US, and will add more still in 2018. Don't think of this as an attempt to pretend the internet doesn't exist, mind you. Instead, it's about a smarter use of resources.
Vudu's mobile app rips digital copies of your Blu-rays
Walmart's Vudu streaming arm has unveiled the "first mobile offering" to convert nearly 8,000 movies on DVD and Blu-ray to digital HD files, it says. It's an expansion of the company's existing desktop conversion service, but lets you convert your physical library using the mobile Vudu app instead. As before, the price to convert files you already own is $2 for either a Blu-ray disc to HDX or a DVD to SD, or $5 to up-res a DVD to HDX (hint: your TV might do the latter already).
Samsung's 'The Frame' TV doubles as an art piece
Samsung has hyped its 2017 TV lineup to the Moon and back, but it still has room for a few surprises. The tech giant has offered more details about its previously-teased The Frame, a TV that's designed to (you guessed it) double as a picture frame. Switch on an Art Mode and it'll display over 100 pieces of art whenever you're not using it -- effectively, it becomes another part of your home decor. It's clearly meant to hang on your wall (it uses Samsung's new gapless wall mount and Invisible Connection), and you can swap out bezels to match the look of your living room. There's also an optional Studio Stand if wall placement isn't in the cards.
UK digital video revenues beat out physical discs in 2016
It was only a matter of time before the convenience of video streaming services and digital download stores took its toll on sales of DVDs and Blu-rays. And according to a new report from the UK's Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the scales tipped in 2016, with revenues from digital video exceeding that of physical discs for the first time.
Warner, Universal and Lionsgate promise Dolby Vision 4K Blu-ray discs
Ultra HD Blu-ray already features high-dynamic-range (HDR) video for better colors and contrast, but now a few more studios are promising to support the expanded Dolby Vision standard on their disc releases. Warner Bros., Universal and Lionsgate are on the list, although there's no mention of which movies will be released that way this year.
Netflix has another app now, but it's for DVD and Blu-ray movies
Last year, Netflix used its CES keynote speech to announce the launch of (nearly) worldwide access to streaming. This year it won't take the stage directly, but ahead of the show it's highlighting something a little more limited in appeal: an app built for its 4.2 million or so remaining DVD rental customers. These days the disc side of the business is billed separately and segmented over on DVD.com, but it's reportedly still profitable. Managing your queue of discs (which often includes movies and TV shows that have left streaming, or never show up there at all), has been missing from official apps since it disappeared after an update back in 2011.
Samsung's second-gen UHD Blu-ray player helps simplify HDR
Next week at CES Samsung will debut its second Ultra HD Blu-ray player, along with new "Ultra High Quality" (UHQ) audio hardware. The M9500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player looks like any other deck, however, Samsung says it will be able to automatically set TV and audio levels by optimizing the content playing. That goes for HDR video, as well as Atmos or DTS-X audio. It also has built-in Bluetooth for private audio streaming to headphones, which is a nice touch, but already supported by a number of new TVs, and display 360-degree photos or videos streamed from mobile devices.
Vizio TV update helps you play HDR Blu-ray movies
Your shiny new Vizio TV just became much more useful for playing high dynamic range movies. Vizio is in the midst of rolling out an update to its SmartCast M- and P-Series sets that adds the HDR10 support you need to play HDR Blu-ray movies on current Ultra HD players from the likes of Philips and Samsung. While the sets already supported HDR, they were relying solely on Dolby Vision -- more advanced, but not ubiquitous.
4K copy protection removal shop settles for $5.2 million
Intel and Warner Bros. are still very much embroiled in a war on companies stripping copyright protection from 4K and Blu-ray videos. Hardware seller Ace Deal has agreed to pay the two industry giants $5.2 million to settle a lawsuit over alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Supposedly, Ace Deal knowingly aided in piracy by selling devices that remove HDCP anti-copying measures, making it relatively easy to bootleg the latest 4K movie extravaganza. The shop has already pulled the offending gear from its online store and is barred from selling similar devices in the future, but the small outfit still faces a relatively big, potentially crippling payout.
'Deadpool' downloads are setting sales records early
Fox's Digital HD plan to sell movies online ahead of their disc release appears to be paying off, as it just announced that CGI-heavy Deadpool is the fastest selling superhero digital HD movie. Of course, it being incredibly well-received doesn't hurt, but racking up a million sales before the Ultra HD Blu-ray / Blu-ray / DVD debut next week is pretty nice. According to Fox, it's the studio's "best performing" movie ever under the program, which saw it go on sale via the likes of iTunes and Vudu on April 25th.
'Warcraft' among Universal's first Ultra HD Blu-ray offerings
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment detailed its list of Ultra HD Blu-ray releases scheduled this summer, and it's just the tip of the iceberg for 4K home video collectors. Beginning with Warcraft, Jason Bourne, and The Huntsman: Winter's War, more than 100 titles will be available by the end of the year for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and digital formats. Each title will be mastered in Dolby Vision as well, with HDR and brighter colors across digital and physical releases.
4K Blu-rays have arrived in the UK
In what'll undoubtedly become a rarer event in the future, a brand new physical media format has arrived in the UK today: 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray. Understandably, the selection is relatively slim on day one. There are a total of 12 official launch titles -- highlights being Life of Pi, The Lego Movie, Mad Max: Fury Road and Kingsman: The Secret Service -- all available from retailers such as Zavvi and HMV for between £20 and £25. 4K Blu-rays aren't region-locked, though, so a handful of other (imported) flicks, including Chappie and Hancock, are available through third-party retailers on Amazon too.
The last two 'Star Trek' films are coming home in 4K June 14th
While you and BB-8 cuddle with a 1080p Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray, Paramount is readying its first Ultra HD Blu-ray releases with Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness. We're not sure that the extra resolution, HDR or Atmos will actually make either film better than you already thought, but they will certainly be better looking and sounding than ever. According to the press release, both have been digitally remastered with new 4K UHD transfers, unlike mastered-in-2K movies like Mad Max: Fury Road. If you're curious, a list of mastered in 4K (or higher) Ultra HD Blu-ray discs is being maintained here.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Blu-ray rip leaks to torrents
After grossing over $2 billion in theaters, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has made its long awaited debut... on the piracy scene. The movie is scheduled for release via download until April 1st, and the Blu-ray arrives April 5th, but now that the discs are pressed one has inevitably leaked out. TorrentFreak estimated that in the first 12 hours over 250,000 people had already downloaded a copy, and it's currently topping trackers like The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' arrives on Blu-ray and DVD April 5th
After raking in over $2 billion in box offices around the world, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to take over your living room. The J.J. Abrams-directed film will be available as a digital HD purchase from the likes of iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and more on April 1st. If you'd rather secure a physical copy the movie will be available via a Blu-ray combo pack and DVD April 5th. As you might expect, there's a load of behind-the-scenes content (sadly, digital extras "may vary by retailer"), including the making of the film, building BB-8, creating creatures and the music of John Williams. In fact, there's a full-length documentary with footage and interviews on how The Force Awakens was made.