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Snow White to go Blu

Here’s the official release from the Mouse House:

snowwhite_bluray

Burbank, Calif., May 18, 2009 – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) proudly opens the vault, releasing ‘The One That Started It All,’ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in high-definition Blu-ray for the first time ever, on October 6, 2009. The historic and highly-anticipated release fittingly launches a spectacular all-new product line – Disney’s Diamond Collection. Poised to transform home entertainment, just as the movie itself transformed the entire motion-picture industry upon its debut in 1937, the revolutionary new Diamond Collection brings audiences the most immersive and highest-level viewing experience, that includes unparalleled features, exclusive high definition content and updatable experiences, superior picture and sound, and much, much more. Taking home entertainment to fantastic new heights unlike anything before, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition marks the film’s first-ever high-definition Blu-ray bow, on October 6, while the standard definition will be released seven weeks later, on November 24.

The Diamond Collection debut of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will keep audiences spellbound for hours with exciting content exclusive to this historic release, presented with spectacular newly restored picture and 7.1 Digital Theater System Hi-Def Surround Sound. Utilizing the latest in technology, possible only by the power of Blu-ray, the release includes “Disney Smart Navigation,” allowing the magic and personality of Disney Characters to come to life as never before. “Disney Family Play”, the ultimate interactive Hi-Def experience, offers a variety of immersive games, activities and unprecedented levels of personalization and customization features, to transform how families experience home entertainment together. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition is a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray discs + DVD).

Exclusive Snow White Diamond Edition Bonus Features

· Hyperion Studios – Audiences are digitally transported to 1937 to discover first-hand the Hyperion Studios, the original studio Walt Disney himself built and where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was conceived and developed. Viewers will virtually walk the halls of this historic landmark experiencing life at Hyperion Studios back in the 1930’s. This amazing “Backstage Disney” feature contains newly dimensionalized archival photos, animator recordings, archival transcripts and rare footage of Walt himself revealing how Disney’s gifted filmmakers crafted the very first animated feature.

· Magic Mirror – Using the latest in Blu-ray technology, the iconic Magic Mirror guides the audience through the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition features with ease serving as the “host” for an incredibly immersive experience. The Mirror will recognize viewing patterns, knows where the audience has left off and will even suggest where to navigate next. This marks the first use of artificial intelligence in a Disney Blu-ray release and provides viewers the control to personally create a customized Snow White experience.

· DisneyView – Disney’s pioneering animated feature is brought to the modern era of widescreen high definition viewing by allowing the user to expand their viewing experience beyond the original aspect ratio of the film. Utilizing Disney Blu-ray™ technology, acclaimed Disney artist Toby Bluth was able to ‘draw’ beyond the borders of classic full frame cinema and fill the otherwise dark edges of the screen with beautiful custom imagery, giving audiences a new view of their animated classic favorite.

· About Toby Bluth – Disney artist Toby Bluth tells how the movie inspired him to create the superb DisneyView art.

· Mirror, Mirror On The Wall – Through BD-Live, this mirror can find the secret princess inside each viewer with a series of questions, then create for them a personal message from their favorite princess who will call them on the telephone.

· What Do You See? – To win this exciting interactive game, players must untangle scrambled images.

· Jewel Jumble – Players put jewels from the Dwarfs’ mine in the proper order to win this game.

· Scene Stealer – Allows viewers to upload a personal photo and experience life as one of the Seven Dwarfs—on-screen in the actual film.

About Disney ‘COMBO PACKS’ (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package):

To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 WDSHE pioneered the Combo Pack – Blu-ray Disc(s) plus a DVD in a single package. Current Disney Platinum Edition titles available as Combo Packs include Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio.

About Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:

Celebrated as an entertainment landmark for over 70 years, the first full-length animated film ever made, and still the ‘fairest of them all,” Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ world premiere represented a major milestone for the world of animation and a giant leap forward for The Walt Disney Company. Presented with a 1939 honorary Academy Award® for “significant screen innovation which has charmed millions, and pioneered a great new entertainment field,” Snow White and the Seven Dwarf is one of the most beloved and most watched films in history. As one of the first films ever to be designated for preservation by the Library of Congress, it has been entertaining moviegoers and critics alike for decades. It is also the first film ever to have a motion picture soundtrack, as well as the first film to use music to advance the story. To date, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been released theatrically a total of nine times.

Synopsis:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the time-honored story of a beautiful princess whose blossoming beauty disturbs her stepmother the Queen. Each day the Queen asks a mysterious magic mirror the quintessential question: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” As long as the mirror answers the Queen’s name, all is well. However, when one day the mirror replies with Snow White’s name, the evil Queen begins her quest to kill the young girl, so she may once again be “the fairest of them all.”

Snow White’s escape from the evil Queen’s plan leads her deep into the forest and to a small cottage where she meets, in one of the most famous scenes in motion picture history, the Seven Dwarfs. One day—when “off to work” they go—the wicked Queen persuades Snow White to take a bite of a poisonous apple that places a powerful sleeping curse on the young beauty. Heartbroken, the dwarfs make a glass coffin for their friend, because she is too beautiful to bury. Only when a handsome Prince—who had previously fallen in love with Snow White—finds her and kisses her, does she awaken, to “live happily ever after.”

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition is priced at $39.99 SRP.

STREET DATE: October 6, 2009
Direct prebook: August 11, 2009
Distributor prebook: August 25, 2009
Pricing: Diamond Edition Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack: $39.99 SRP
Feature run time: 84 minutes
Rated: “G”
FastPlay™: FastPlay enabled on DVD
Aspect ratio: Widescreen (1.33:1)

Sound: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French and Spanish Language Tracks
Languages: English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Technical specifications may only apply to feature.

Posted
May 21st, 2009

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Battlestar Galactica entire series heading to Blu-ray

battlestar-galactica-blu-ray
NBC Universal isn’t wasting any time taking its recently concluded Sci Fi Channel hit Battlestar Galatica to the next level in home video.

The company plans to release the show’s final season on DVD July 28, as well the entire series in a new compilation set — plus the series will be made available in the high-def Blu-ray format for the first time.

The final season, “4.5″ — essentially the last run of episodes from earlier this year — includes 13 hours of extras such as three extended episodes that never aired on television, behind-the-scenes featurettes and audio commentaries by producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

All four seasons will be available in both formats, with 20 discs for the Blu-ray version and 25 for standard DVD.

- from THR

News regarding Battlestar Galactica’s voyage to Blu-ray Disc keeps pouring in with the latest offering your first opportunity to secure every episode in high definition. As previously reported, two Universal advertisements have confirmed Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series is on its way to Blu-ray Disc (and DVD, for that matter). The advertisement that appeared on Hulu even offered a July 28 release date. – from TheHDroom

Posted
April 21st, 2009

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Who Let the Wrong Subtitles in Let the Right One In

In other news today, you might recall that we recently reviewed Magnet’s Let the Right One In on Blu-ray Disc. Well, it’s just come to our attention that the DVD and Blu-ray versions have English subtitles that differ substantially from those of the theatrical art house presentation, in that much of the subtle nuance has been lost and many original lines of dialogue are untranslated entirely. Unfortunately, having only seen the film once in theatres, I wasn’t familiar enough with the translation to spot the differences. But Icons of Fright has posted some examples of just how different the subtitles are. We contacted Magnet directly on this issue this afternoon, and they were quick to respond as follows:

“We’ve been made aware that there are several fans that don’t like the version of the subtitles on the DVD/BR. We had an alternate translation that we went with. Obviously a lot of fans thought we should have stuck with the original theatrical version. We are listening to the fans feedback, and going forward we will be manufacturing the discs with the subtitles from the theatrical version.”

We asked Magnet some follow-up questions, specifically how people will be able to identify the new discs, when they’ll be available in stores and if there will be an exchange program for those who have the existing version. Here’s what they said:

“There are no exchanges. We are going to make an alternate version available however. For those that wish to purchase a version with the theatrical subtitles, it will be called out in the tech specs box at the back/bottom of the package where it will list SUBTITLES: ENGLISH (Theatrical), SPANISH.”

The no exchange thing is going to upset many that have already purchased the disc, and understandably so. We’re at least encouraged to see that the title is being corrected. We’ll let you know when the discs are available, and rest assured we’re letting Magnet know that an exchange program might be a wise idea…

- from The Digital Bits

Posted
March 26th, 2009

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Slumdog Millionaire heading to Blu-ray

Here’s the official news on Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray specs:

slumdog-millionaireSlumdog Millionaire, this year’s critical darling about a young boy from the slums of Mumbai who discovers love and fortune, arrives on Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy and DVD March 31st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Garnering top honors at the 2009 Academy Awards* including Best Picture – Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman, Best Original Song – A. R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for “Jai Ho,” and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire also won four Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy, and seven BAFTA Film Awards** including Best Film – Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Music – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy.

“A gaudy, gorgeous rush of color, sound and motion” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times), Slumdog Millionaire is loosely based on the fictional novel “Q and A” by Indian writer Vikas Swarup, which tracks the life of Jamal Malik, an impoverished child living in Mumbai’s sprawling slums. After losing his mother, Jamal (played as a teen by Dev Patel) and his brother Salim (played as a teen by Madhur Mittal) must do whatever necessary to survive. Jamal’s travels are filled with memorable encounters, good and bad, but along the way he meets another orphan child, Latika (played as a teen by Freida Pinto). When Jamal and Latika become separated, he becomes romantically determined to reunite with Latika… even if it means appearing on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Jamal begins drawing on his past experiences to answer the questions that will inevitably lead him to vast wealth and lost love. But after lasting longer than anyone ever expected, Jamal is accused of cheating and must prove to the police and the show’s producers how he knows the answers by retelling his arduous childhood in a series of flashbacks. Providing a glimpse into the tough existence of homeless children in Mumbai while juxtaposing optimism and love, director Danny Boyle’s (Trainspotting, Millions) “beautifully rendered and energetic tale celebrates resilience, the power of knowledge and the vitality of the human experience” (Claudia Puig, USA Today). Featuring heartfelt performances by a largely Indian cast, Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel (Skins), Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal (Say Salaam India), Irrfan Khan (The Namesake, Haasil) and Anil Kapoor (Taal, Pukar). Boasting a memorable and flawless soundtrack that blends modern and traditional Indian music by acclaimed Indian composer A. R. Rahman (Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, Taal), Slumdog Millionaire also features tracks from artist M.I.A. including the Grammy nominated song for Record of the Year “Paper Planes.” Special features include commentary by director Danny Boyle, star Dev Patel, writer Simon Beaufoy and producer Christian Colson, behind-the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. The Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy will be available for $39.98 U.S. / $49.95 Canada; the DVD will be available for $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada. Prebook date is 03/04/09.

Synopsis
Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible questions. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its exuberant storytelling lies the intriguing question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love.

Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy Specs
Slumdog Millionaire will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1aspect ratio) with English/Hindi 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio. Bonus features include:
• Disc One
o Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire
o Deleted Scenes:
• Chase Through Slums Longer Version
• Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
• Prem At Police Station
• Frederick Stevens Question
• Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
• Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
• Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
• Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
• Jamal Wakes In Slum
• “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
• Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
• The Folder
o From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene
o Indian Short Film – Manjha
o Bombay Liquid Dance Music Video
o Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
o Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy
o Slumdog Cutdown
• Disc Two
o Digital Copy

DVD Specs
Slumdog Millionaire single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English/ Hindi 5.1 Dolby Surround. Bonus features include:
Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire
• Deleted Scenes:
o Chase Through Slums Longer Version
o Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
o Prem At Police Station
o Frederick Stevens Question
o Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
o Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
o Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
o Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
o Jamal Wakes In Slum
o “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
o Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
o The Folder
• Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
• Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon Beaufoy
• Slumdog Cutdown

Posted
March 5th, 2009

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Disney 2009 Blu-ray Releases

(Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition Blu-ray)

(Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition Blu-ray)

As more and more families transition to high definition, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) concentrates its efforts on offering consumers unprecedented quality, value and portability in the purchases of their favorite Disney Blu-ray movies with the announcement of its new Blu-ray + DVD Combo Packs.

Disney’s Combo Pack will be extended across an exciting new slate of Disney-branded theatrical and Platinum titles releasing on Blu-ray between February and October of 2009. Some of the upcoming Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack titles families can look forward to include the teen phenomenon High School Musical 3: Senior Year (February 17), Walt Disney’s animated classic Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition (March 10) and all those leading up to the highly anticipated release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Platinum Edition in October.

“These unique Combo Packs provide the opportunity for consumers around the world to take advantage of the quality of Blu-ray with the portability of a DVD disc in a single package, comments Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. “As always, we are committed to offering our consumers exceptional quality and value when purchasing our products.”

WDSHE first successfully introduced a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package) with the release of Sleeping Beauty’s 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition in 2008 across limited markets. The inclusion of the feature film on standard definition DVD allowed consumers without Blu-ray players to “future proof” their collections.

In addition, WDSHE North America will be packaging 14 of its hot new Blu-ray titles releasing in the U.S. and Canada with a DisneyFile digital copy of the movie for consumers to enjoy anytime, anywhere on their Mac, PC or compatible portable devices. Digital copies will be made available in both iTunes and Windows Media file formats and are set to be included with such titles as High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Monsters Inc., and A Bugs Life.

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release efforts, WDSHE is adding many exciting new titles to the line-up in North America, Europe and Asia. Titles include new theatrical releases, catalog, direct-to-video, top television series and some of America’s most requested movies.

WDSHE North America will be releasing several new theatrical titles to Blu-ray day-and-date with the DVD including Swing Vote (Touchstone Pictures) on January 13; Miracle At St. Anna (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 3; Morning Light (Walt Disney Pictures) in summer of 2009; as well as an all new direct-to-video Space Buddies (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 3.

In addition, WDSHE North America will also be expanding its Blu-ray catalog library with more than 30 exciting releases including such titles as Pretty Woman (Touchstone Pictures) on February 10; High School Musical Remix Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) on February 17; Monsters Inc. (Disney/Pixar); A Bugs Life (Disney/Pixar); Microcosmos (Miramax); Rounders 10th Anniversary Edition (Miramax); Lost: The Complete First and Second Seasons (ABC); Sin City (Miramax); Miracle (Walt Disney Pictures); Sling Blade (Miramax); The Greatest Game Ever Played (Walt Disney Pictures); Pulp Fiction Special Edition (Miramax); Good Will Hunting Special Edition (Miramax) and many more to follow in 2009.

Posted
January 7th, 2009

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Slysoft re-cracks BD+ Blu-Ray Copy Protection

I love all these ‘unbreakable’ protection schemes.

Slysoft has done it again with their highly recommended AnyDVD HD product. The new version 6.5.0.2, announced today, breaks the new revision of the unbreakable BD+. For those of you not following this one-sided fight, Blu-Ray movies do a lot of very unfortunate things, like stripping your fair use rights, preventing backups (no one has kids or pets that maul disks), being incompatible with boatloads of hardware, and transmitting every viewing, every click, and every thing you do back to who-knows-where to be used against you. Really, they do that, why do you think net access is mandatory? – From The Inquirer

Posted
December 30th, 2008

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‘Dark Knight’ DVD Reviews — Where’s the Extras?

We haven’t yet received our Dark Knight Blu-ray review DVD — but here’s the roundup from other reviewers. It is a great movie, of course, basically due to Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. But, someone forgot to include the extras. So, this DVD was probably rushed for the Holiday season — and it will be a HUGE seller and in every geek’s Christmas stocking. But, expect a fuller DVD release to come out soon with more features and extras from Christopher Nolan.

But by modern standards, “The Dark Knight’s” DVD package and extras are—with apologies to the Joker—laughably thin.

A few of the features (especially “Batman Unmasked” on the Blu-ray version) appear to be repackaged TV pieces meant to promote the movie before its release.

Nevertheless, a few minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the armored car chase on Lower Wacker Drive on the feature “Evolution of the Knight” will be of interest to Chicagoans. Shots of an outdoor dry run of the Batpod chase sequence stunts (possibly in rural England), including a test of the famous end-over-end flip of a semi, later duplicated on LaSalle Street, are worth watching.

But that’s about it. Other mildly interesting components include six larger-format IMAX scenes, and a featurette with composer Hans Zimmer talking about crafting the Joker’s musical cue.

- from Chicago Tribune

Plenty of fans shelled out to see The Dark Knight in theaters multiple times. They might wind up doing the same on home video, given how the studio is skimping with the extras on the initial DVD and Blu-ray releases. The Blu-ray also has a featurette on Batman’s gadgets and a psychological study of the conflicted hero. A single-disc DVD ($28.98) version comes with just the movie. – from Balt

Posted
December 9th, 2008

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