DreamWorks Drops HD DVD

Well that didn't take too long. Just after we reported DreamWorks was hanging around and pondering what to do about HD DVD, word comes along it has followed parent studio Paramount out the front door.

Paramount told High-Def Digest it is scrapping a bunch of titles it had planned to release to HD DVD in the coming weeks. In addition DreamWorks, which had planned to release Bee Movie to the doomed format in mid-March, has now dropped those plans as well.

DreamWorks Stays HD DVD For Moment

Even with the HD DVD format now dead in the water and everybody is getting off of the sinking ship, DreamWorks told Reuters earlier this week it wasn't sure whether or not it would abandon the format yet. The reason? An exclusive deal with Toshiba.

"We have a partnership with Toshiba and have an obligation to see this through," DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg told Reuters. The studio is taking a wait and see approach to see what Toshiba's next moves are.

The studio, which is set to release "Bee Movie" on DVD shortly, wants to know how it should plan its next generation optical disc release for this title.

Best Buy + Toshiba= 9 Free HD DVDs!

If you have not yet purchased a HD DVD player and are waiting for the right deal to lure you in Best Buy is currently offering a very sweet promotion. It nets you a player + nine free HD DVDs.

This special limited time promotion, according to Best Buy, has you first select any two HD DVD titles under $35. You then choose from a sales list of Toshiba HD DVD players. From there you can follow rebate instructions to get five more HD DVD titles by mail for free.

The first two titles chosen become free when you pick which player you want. This is in addition to getting two free HD DVDs which come packaged with the chosen player.

[via Punch Jump]

Paramount Announces 1st Quarter 08 HD DVD Titles

Panasonic Home Entertainment has detailed its HD DVD line up for the first quarter of this year. 10 titles are expected to be released over the next few months.

Highlights of upcoming releases include Zodiac, Beowulf and The Kite Runner. You can get the full details via Panasonic's press release after the jump.

Universal, Paramount: We Are Staying Put

A post we put up earlier today over at BluRayFreak reported how the last two major studios backing HD DVD, Universal and Paramount, might be thinking about departing for the Blu-ray camp. Breaking news and further digging has in fact revealed those two studios will not be departing the HD DVD side anytime soon:

• Paramount told Bloomberg its current plan is "to continue to support the HD DVD format."
• Universal just issued a statement as well saying "contrary to unsubstantiated rumors from unnamed sources, Universal's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format."

There you have it - no more defections from the HD DVD camp. Those cries of happiness in Japan just got louder.

Warner Brothers Drops HD DVD

2008 finds things not so well for the HD DVD camp. Warner Brothers Entertainment, the last major studio to produce movies in both next generation optical disc formats, announced yesterday it was walking away from HD DVD to favor Blu-ray Disc only.

Warner Bros. seemed unfortunately to find Blu-ray only as "the most direct way to give consumers what they want" and that "consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience." The movie studio will continue to release videos in the HD DVD format until the end of May.

As was expected, the HD DVD group did not take well to this major blow. The HD DVD Group canceled its scheduled Consumer Electronics Show press conference for Sunday evening and is "currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps." 

New HD DVD Movies This Week

 

What are the new HD DVD Movies released this week?

Here the list:

Universal takes the lead with "The Bourne Identity", "In Good Company", "The Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps", "Scent of a Woman" and "Streets of Fire". Not bad at all!

Music lovers will also be happy to know that Rhino brings "Yes: Live in Montreux" and "Santana: Hymns for Peace – Live at Montreux 2004".

"The Host" has also been released by Magnolia and Warner brings "Out fo Justice" and "Purple Rain" in the catalog of HD DVD movies. The last release but not the least for this week is "The Contract" by First Look.

That's it folks! The score is now 257 HD DVD movies available against 267 Blu-ray movies released to date.

Enjoy the movies!

Dreamgirls, The Hitcher and Alpha Dog on HD DVD Discs

Fans of Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy will be happy to know that Paramount's movie "Dreamgirls", featuring all three actors is now available on HD DVD discs.

Based on the 1981 Broadway musical comes Dreamgirls, a story of greed, tough hate, and romance. Three young women Deena Jones (Knowles), Effie White (Hudson), and Lorrell Robinson (Rose) desire to become pop stars and get their wish when they're picked to be backup singers for the legendary James "Thunder" Early (Murphy). Then they're set free for leads, but Curtis Taylor (Foxx) and Effie's brother C.C. (Robinson) decide for Deena to be lead which upsets Effie. This movie contains both original Broadway and new songs.

Universal brings two new HD DVD movies to the market this week. "Alpha Dog" and "The Hitcher" are released today.

"Alpha Dog" is a drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.

"The Hitcher": Collegiate couple Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) hit the road in a 1970 Oldsmobile 442, en route to spring break , but their pleasure trip soon turns into a waking nightmare after encountering the mysterious hitchhiker John Ryder, a.k.a. The Hitcher (Sean Bean). The initial encounters with Ryder are increasingly off-putting for Grace and Jim, and they bravely fight back when he ambushes them. But they are truly blindsided when he implicates them in a horrific slaying and continues to shadow them. The open road becomes a battleground of blood and metal as, in trying to elude not only Ryder but also New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Esteridge's (Neal McDonough) officers, Grace and Jim must fight for their lives and face their fears head-on.

Five New HD DVD Movies

Home cinema fans will be happy to know that their video Guru, Joe Kane, finally released "Digital Video Essentials" for HD DVD. The DVD version of this calibration disc as been very popular but a HD version was still not available until now. The Blu-ray camp will be jealous of that one because no date have been announced for a Blu-ray version.

But probably the most interesting new title is "Planet Earth: The Complete Collection" from the BBC. This wonderful documentary is a HD video, so no standard film transfer here! The series is already the top HD seller on Amazon, it's released on HD DVD discs also, and it does even better than "Casino Royale".

Universal released "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Nutty Professor" (1996). Paramount released "Failure to Launch" on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

Five New HD DVD Movies

For the first time in a long time, HD DVD has more new titles released in a week. Universal is taking the lead with "The Game", "The Jerk" and "Smokin' Aces". Genius is releasing "School for Scoundrels" and Weinstein is bringing "Feast" to the HD DVD library.

Warner is the only studio releasing Blu-ray titles this week. "The Dirty Dozen" and "Enter the Dragon" are released on Blu-ray discs but the have been available on HD DVD discs for some time.

The count is now 203 Blu-ray movies and 176 HD DVD movies.

Matrix Trilogy on HD DVD discs on May 22

The Matrix Trilogy is probably in my top ten of movies I’ve been waiting to see in high definition. Warner is going to release the Complete Matrix collection on Blu-ray as well but no date has been announced yet.

The reason why Warner did not used their TotalHD technology is probably because they will use all the space and layers they can to fit the movies and the bonus materials. This may show the limitations of the TotalHD discs. In the long term, they will have to choose one of the two competing formats.

The Ultimate Matrix Collection ($119) and The Complete Matrix Trilogy ($99) will be on 8 discs and include 35 hours of bonus features and HD DVD's In-Movie Experience (IME).

Source

13 New HD DVD Movies From Universal’s Catalog in June

Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release 13 New HD DVD only disc next June. 

On June 12, Universal will release ‘Born on the Fourth of July,' 'Bruce Almighty,' 'Daylight,' 'Liar, Liar,' 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life' and 'Sneakers'.

Two weeks later, on June 26, 'American Me,' 'Being John Malkovich,' 'Bulletproof,' 'Mallrats,' 'Meet Joe Black,' 'Mystery Men' and 'The Watcher' will be released.

No specifications were provided by the studio, but we should expect 1080p/VC-1 transfers and Dolby Digital-Plus sound configurations. Unfortunately, HD DVD movies released by Universal next June will not be packaged with the DVD version.

HD DVD movies will have a suggested retail price of $29.98.

Source

Relentless Enemies on HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs

National Geographic on HD DVD or Blu-ray Discs will certainly be an experience we won’t forget for a long time. Warner announced the release of Relentless Enemies on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD disc. The discs will be available on March 27. The movie was originally shot in HD.

The HD versions will have a $34.99 price tag compared to $19.99 for the DVD version.

via

SlySoft Releases AnyDVD-Beta for HD DVD Movies

Anti-piracy systems are having a hard time these days. After breaking the processing key of both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies, it seems that SlySoft can now offer their user the ability the remastering, on the fly, any HD DVD movies using their AnyDVD software. Blu-ray movies can’t be remastered using this software for now.

SlySoft won’t tell you how they achieve that but those that have tried out the beta software are reporting that it works as advertised, with copying HD DVDs a matter of a simple drag and drop.

The software is available as a free beta download for now. The release version will probably be on sale at $50 when it will become available.

100 New HD DVD Movies From Universal

After being quiet for a while, Universal finally announced their release planning for HD DVD movies in 2007. The HD DVD camp should get 100 new titles from Universal before the year’s end. 40 of those movies should be released before the end of June 2007. The studio didn’t release the complete list of the HD DVD movies to be released, but they said that Day-and-date (with standard-def DVD) releases will include 'Children of Men,' 'The Good Shepard' and 'Smokin' Aces'.

We should also see from Universal’s catalog: 'Scarface' (1983), 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin,' 'Bruce Almighty,' 'The Bourne Identity,' 'Meet the Fockers,' 'American Pie,' 'Inside Man,' 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005), 'The Big Lebowski,' 'Liar, Liar,' 'Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels,' 'Brazil,' 'Erin Brockovich,' 'Shaun of the Dead,' 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004), 'Slap Shot' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.

The studio also said that their Hitchcock Movies should also be released in HD DVD in 2007.
Universal as no plans to release any Blu-ray movies and are at least for now committed to the HD DVD format.

This is a nice effort from Universal but will it be enough to compete with the three studios exclusive to the Blu-ray format (Sony, Fox, Disney)?

Read

150 HD DVD Movies From a Porn Movie Producer!

Looks like the strongest support to the HD DVD will come from the porn industry. DigitalPlayground, a porn movie studio, plans to release 4-5 new HD DVD titles per month starting now.

While at the CES in Las Vegas last week, we had a chance to do a quick visit to the Adult Entertainment Show that was going on at the same time. Attracted by the rumor of HD DVD movie availability from a Porn producer, I registered as press to ask some questions about the upcoming releases (yes sure, I did had look at the models…and took pictures…).

According to Adella (no last name on the business card), responsible for the public relations and marketing, Digital Playground as been shouting in HD since 2004. The company’s library is apparently packed with 150 titles ready to be released in HD DVD, she said. If they do release all those movies in HD DVD, Digital Playground will rapidly become the biggest HD DVD producer! Certainly not the marketing Toshiba is expecting!

4 titles are already available on their website. Island fever 3 and 4, Pirates (combo DVD – HD DVD) and Jack’s teen. The movies are on sale at $49.99 a piece.

Of course, I asked for a copy of a movie to make a review of it! I will keep you posted!

See pictures of the models after the break.

HD DVD Ships 1.5 Million Movie Titles

HD DVD showed continued momentum in the next generation DVD race, with the format's backers announcing Thursday that they had shipped more than 1.5 million discs since launch. The HD DVD Promotion Group also touted the number of titles available, now 110, with at least another three dozen more expected before the end of the year.

This is good news for HD DVD. But 110 titles are clearly not enough. Just a few months ago, HD DVD group was claiming they had a lot more content than Blu-ray disc, but the gap as been reduced a lot since Blu-ray has almost 100 titles available now.

via betanews

Can Toshiba Drop the HD DVD Format?

According to Reuters, Toshiba said it aims to ship a total of 500,000 HD DVD players and recorders worldwide in the next 7 months.

U.S. and Japan. We plan to ship another 300,000 by the end of the year," Yoshihide Fujii, the head of Toshiba's digital consumer business, told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. Toshiba believes it can ship 200,000 units in the first quarter of 2007.

HD DVD vs Blu-ray war and if studios are dropping the format, Toshiba could probably do so as well.

4 New HD DVD Titles from Warner in september

On September 26, Warner Home Video – will release 10 titles. Besides 6 new Blu-ray titles, "The Dirty Dozen," "Grand Prix," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood." are going to be in the HD DVD format.

"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"' IME (In- Movie Experience) will feature director Jonathan Mostow taking fans on a journey to the heart of the T3 experience...

Warner to Release Four New HD DVD Titles in September

On September 12, four HD DVD titles will be released:

Troy, Lethal Weapon 2, House of Wax and Space Cowboys. All titles will be available for $28.99 SRP, except Firewall, which will be available for $34.99 SRP.

Troy ill make its HD DVD debut with In-Movie Experience (IME), the new interactive feature allowing viewers to enjoy new ways of accessing interviews and other material -- while the movie is running. Troy's IME has director Wolfgang Petersen and his creative team leading the viewer on an audio-visual tour of their epic recreations of Greece and Troy.

Can DVD win over High Definition?

Paramount Home Entertainment plans to launch their hit movie “Mission: Impossible III” on three DVD formats.

The company plans to release the movie on HD DVD, Blu-Ray and regular DVD discs on the same day. The launch is currently schedule to take place on October 30 this year. That reminds us that the war is not about "HD DVD vs. Blu-ray" but "HD DVD and Blu-ray vs. DVD". Serveys shows that consumers will be confused with the two new formats but in fact they will probably be even more confused when it's time to decide if they stay with the DVD format or one of the two high definition formats. Especially since the DVD format will be around format many years from now.

The Lake House will be released on HD DVD

Warner Home Video will become the first studio to simultaneously release a title on both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats day-and-date with the standard DVD.

Due to hit stores on September 26, Warner will release "The Lake House", the $60 million-grossing Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves romantic drama in two editions: a HD DVD/DVD combo release as well as a Blu-ray (BD-25).

Good Night and Good Luck, The Searchers and Caddyshack Now on HD DVD August 22

Good Night and Good Luck, The Searchers and Caddyshack make their HD DVD debuts on August 22 from Warner Home Video. Good Night and Good Luck will be released as an HD-DVD/DVD combo and will be available for $39.99 SRP. The other two titles will sell for $28.99 SRP.

Good Night and Good Luck, the critically acclaimed Oscar nominated drama starring David Strathairn and directed by George Clooney, chronicles the real-life conflict between newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Searchers, with an indelible image of the American frontier and the men and women who challenged it, stars John Wayne and was directed by John Ford. Caddyshack, 18 holes of fairway foolishness with Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray, did for golf what Animal House did for college fraternities.

Thomson Announces Availability of HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc Manufacturing and Distribution Capabilities

Thomson today announced that the next- generation DVD manufacturing and distribution capabilities of its Technicolor Home Entertainment Services business are in place and operational. The company's replication lines for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have been in operation since September, 2005 and early November, 2005, respectively.

"Dukes of Hazzard," Warner Home Video's Second HD DVD with In-Movie Experience Debuts July 11

Debuting July 11, "Dukes of Hazzard" will be Warner Home Video's (WHV) second HD DVD title with the new In-Movie Experience feature (IME). IME raises the bar of interactivity, allowing viewers to enjoy new ways of accessing interviews and other material - while the movie is running - to find out more about the filmmaking process.

Warner Home Video Debuts Three New HD DVD Format Titles

Warner Home Video (WHV) has announced the June 20 HD DVD debuts of "Syriana" and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." "Syriana" will be released day-and-date with its Standard Definition version and will sell for $34.99. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" will be released as an HD DVD/DVD combo and is available for $39.99 SRP. "Lethal Weapon" will follow with its HD DVD debut on June 27 for $28.99 SRP.

"Constantine," Warner Home Video's First HD DVD With In-Movie Experience, Debuts June 6

Warner Home Video (WHV) has announced the June 6 release of "Constantine," their first HD DVD title with the new In-Movie Experience feature (IME). IME raises the bar of interactivity, allowing viewers to enjoy new ways of accessing interviews and other material -- while the movie is running -- to find out more about the filmmaking process. The IME for "Constantine" features director Francis Lawrence leading an exploration of the plot, stunts, characters and production of "Constantine."

Warner Home Video Rolls out Two More HD DVD Titles

Warner Home Video (WHV) has announced the release of the next batch of HD DVD titles: "Full Metal Jacket" and "Unforgiven" debuting May 16. Both titles will be available for $28.99 SRP.
"Full Metal Jacket" is Stanley Kubrick's definitive film about the Vietnam War which follows an 18-year-old marine recruit -- from boot camp to heavy fighting during the 1968 Tet Offensive; "Unforgiven" is Clint Eastwood's classic Western which won 4 Academy Awards� including Best Picture.

Microsoft and Universal Pictures Collaborate to Release HD DVD Titles Using VC-1 and iHD

Today at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, NAB2006, Microsoft Corp. and Universal Pictures announced their collaboration on the release of next-generation HD DVD discs using VC-1, the video compression standard recently approved by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and one of the mandatory codecs in the HD DVD specification. Universal will also use iHD for the interactive features of the new titles. The launch of HD-DVD Players and titles last week in the U.S. represents the first broad market availability of high-definition optical media for consumers.

CustomFlix Announces On-Demand Solution to the High Definition DVD Format Wars

CustomFlix Labs, Inc., today announced upcoming support for all three of the industry's major high definition formats: HD-DVD, Blu-ray, and Windows Media Video High Definition DVD (WMV-HD DVD). This multi-format support is enabled by the CustomFlix Future-Proof Archive(TM) service, a proprietary storage and repurposing platform designed to allow deployment of digitized files in future formats, giving content providers the flexibility and convenience of distributing content in a format the customers choose. CustomFlix also announced that it has teamed up with HDNet to offer a wide range of programs in multiple HD formats on Amazon.com.
"By supporting all of the high definition formats, CustomFlix enables content providers to take a format-neutral position and simply let customers decide which format they prefer," said Dana LoPiccolo-Giles, Co-founder and Managing Director of CustomFlix. "Many content providers are taking a cautious approach to HD due to the high costs of pressing discs in multiple high definition formats, plus they risk inventory obsolescence once a winning format emerges. CustomFlix offers a format-agnostic solution to eliminate that risk and accelerate HD release schedules."
As proof of this multi-format approach speeding up the release of HD content, CustomFlix announced today that it is teaming up with HDNet to digitize hundreds of HD titles for sale on Amazon.com. This initiative will dramatically increase the number of HD titles available in the U.S. market segment this year. The first HDNet WMV- HD DVD titles produced under this agreement are available now at Amazon.com, with Blu-ray and HD-DVD coming in the near future.
"As the first national television network to broadcast all of our programming in the highest quality format of High Definition TV, HDNet has a deep commitment to helping HD become the new viewing standard both in broadcast and on DVD," said Mark Cuban, President and Co-founder of HDNet. "Unfortunately, the disparate HD formats will make establishing a single standard difficult and result in customer confusion. CustomFlix allows customers interested in HD content to simply choose whatever format they want. DVD on Demand was an easy decision for HDNet because discs are produced as customers order, so there won't be any wasted inventory depending on which format becomes more popular for a specific title."
Amazon.com currently offers a broad and growing selection of high definition televisions, players, and DVDs with an HD-DVD store at www.amazon.com/hddvd, a Blu-ray store at www.amazon.com/bluray, and sells numerous WMV-HD DVDs.

Warner Home Video to Deliver First HD DVD Titles to The Marketplace

Warner Home Video (WHV), which distributes the largest film library of any studio, today announced that it will launch its first titles on HD DVD. Clint Eastwood's four-time Academy Award� winning, Best Picture of 2004, "Million Dollar Baby"; the visually stunning, four-time Oscar� nominated epic, "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise and "The Phantom of the Opera," Joel Schumacher's vibrant movie adaptation of Broadway's longest running show will all be released on April 18. Each of these titles will be available for $28.99 SRP.

Warner Home Video Announces Titles and Release Dates for HD DVD

Warner Home Video (WHV announced yesterday at CES 2006 a confirmed list of 24 titles that will be released on HD DVD in conjunction with the initial deliveries of HD-DVD Players. The films represent a combination of new releases and catalog favorites. The first of these titles will be released on March 28, 2006.

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment Unveils HD DVD Launch Titles

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment announced today a diverse line-up of "Paramount High Definition" titles for release on the HD DVD format in 2006.
"We are excited to support the launch of HD DVD with ten titles from Paramount's storied library," said Thomas Lesinski, President, Paramount Pictures, Worldwide Home Entertainment. "As the appetite for high definition entertainment grows, Paramount will leverage its depth of content to help satisfy consumer demand around the world."

Toshiba's Statement on Reports Related to Warner Bros.'s Announcement on Next-Generation Optical Discs

Toshiba and Warner Bros. continue to collaborate closely toward the commercial launch of HD DVD. We understand Warner Bros. continues to strongly support HD DVD, due to its outstanding features, cost structures, and market readiness.

Dolby Laboratories Debuts Dolby TrueHD, "Picture-Perfect" Sound for Next-Generation High-Definition Discs, at CEDIA Expo 2005

Dolby Laboratories today announced its latest advancement in lossless audio technology, Dolby� TrueHD, which is designed to complement the recent developments in high-definition optical disc formats. With Dolby TrueHD, home theater viewers will experience audio performance equal to the highest-resolution studio masters currently available.

HD DVD Responds to Fox Announcement in Support of BD

The following is a statement by HD DVD:
"Today's announcement by 20th Century Fox regarding its support of the Blu-ray Disc format is surprising and misleading in terms of which format provides for more robust copy protection.
"The content protection system of HD DVD provides an equivalent level of security as the system advocated by Fox for Blu-ray. We also believe the Blu-ray disc format and proposed copy protection system may result in playability and reliability issues for the consumer.
"HD DVD provides robust, renewable and standardized content protection coupled with proven reliability, cost effectiveness and flexibility which is why many major film studios have announced support for the HD DVD format."