dvd

Paramount and DreamWorks give HD DVD a boost

Just when you thought the next-gen DVD war was on the verge of being over, a couple of studios decide to muck things up even further. Today, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation announced that they will exclusively support HD DVD on a worldwide basis.

According to the press release, "The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment."

"The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit 'Blades of Glory' on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year 'Transformers' and 'Shrek the Third'."

Until today, Paramount was putting out movies on both Blu-ray and HD DVD, so needless to say, the announcement came as a surprise. Also, all of this comes in the face of reports that on the software front, Blu-ray was outselling HD DVD by a 2-1 margin, and that both Blockbuster and Target would be pushing the Blu-ray format in stores. (Note HD DVD fans: Yes, Target will continue to carry the XBox 360's add-on HD DVD player). Consensus was that things were looking pretty bleak for HD DVD. Is this a game changer?

Handbrake 0.9.0 just released - perfection has been perfected

I've written about Handbrake before. It is manna from heaven. I'm happy to report, however, that the latest release of Handbrake (0.9.0) is even better.

If you have a computer download Handbrake. Now. Put a DVD in. Let the magic begin. Now supports Mac and Windows (and, in fact, this newest rev has a dramatically improved Windows user interface).

HD DVD: Format of choice for geek TV?

Are you a dork? Do you love TV? If the answer to both those questions is yes, you'll probably want to select HD DVD as your next- generation format of choice, because there are some seriously exciting sci-fi TV shows hitting the format in the next few months.

We already know that Heroes is on the way to HD DVD, which is tremendously exciting for fans of the show who haven't been able to catch it on its BBC HD outing. We're also aware of the impending arrival of Star Trek: The Original Series, series one, which … Read more

Rolling Stone and Playboy now on DVD

In 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy. Fourteen years later, Jann Wenner published the first issue of Rolling Stone. Today, both magazines have published hundreds of issues and made an undeniable mark on American culture.

Now, instead of spending months and thousands of dollars on eBay, you can read those iconographic issues on your computer. The Bondi Digital Publishing Cover to Cover series collects back issues on DVD, which can be searched and read with the company's proprietary software. The first two "Cover to Cover" collections are Rolling Stone Cover to Cover: The First … Read more

New 'Blade Runner' Ultimate Collector's Edition includes unicorn, car, Sir Ridley letter

Sorry if the is old news to some, but I just got back from vacation and noticed that details are out on the hotly anticipated new version of Blade Runner that's due to arrive December 18. Blade Runner was one of the first movies released on DVD, and while it sold well, the video transfer sucked. Well, for the 25th anniversary of the film, Warner Brothers and director Ridley Scott finally got around to restoring and remastering the thing--and a lot of folks are pretty stoked, especially now that the film will be available on both Blu-ray and HD … Read more

Onkyo (finally) makes its HD DVD player official

Following months of hints and peeks, Onkyo has finally made the details of its first HD DVD player official. Available this fall, the $900 DV-HD805 is a return to the high-end for the HD DVD format, which has seen prices dropping as low as $250 this year. In addition to the Ethernet port, Web connectivity, and built-in memory found on all HD DVD players, the DV-HD805 looks to have all of the bleeding-edge HDMI 1.3 features of the newly announced third-generation Toshiba players, including support for 24-frame 1080p video, Deep Color compatibility, and lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master … Read more

A DVD player that streams media

It's not often we get so excited about a DVD player these days that we jump up and down when it arrives in the office. That wasn't always the case though--we remember when DVD was the most amazing thing we'd ever seen, and KiSS is keen to evoke such emotions in us once again with its funky new media-streaming DVD player, the KiSS 1600. We first saw it at CeBIT in March and were desperate to get our hands on it.

What the KiSS offers over other DVD players is the ability to stream media either over … Read more

Sony unveils three new DVD/CD burners

Sony, recognizing that not everyone is ready for Blu-ray or HD-DVD, announced three new CD/DVD burners today. The 840 series of multiformat drives includes two external models--one a slim drive designed for portability--and an internal model.

The DRU-840A (internal) and DRX-840U (external) offer the same burn speeds:

20X DVD+/-R 12X DVD+/-R DL 12X DVD+RW 6X DVD-RW 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW

The DRU-840A is an ATAPI (EIDE) drive, while the DRX-840U is connected via USB 2.0 (or USB 1.1, with slower write speeds). Both drives come with Nero 7 Express for disc authoring and mastering. … Read more

Wine & Movie - Coppola Style

What is better than a nice bottle of wine and a movie to curl up with? How about a 3 liter bottle of wine, with a DVD built into the bottom? Yes? Well don't worry, Francis Ford Coppola is one step ahead of you, and he has JUST that set up ready for you... if you want to watch Apocalypse Now, or One From The Heart (see image after the jump). And what wine is perfect to pair with such films? A 3 liter bottle of their 2004 Francis Coppola Reserve Syrah apparently. This collectible is an online exclusive, so browse here if you are ready to drop $225 on the Apocalypse Now set or $160 on One From The Heart. (via Porous Walker on NOTCOT.org)

Toshiba third-gen HD DVD players on the way--but how useful are their new features?

When a trio of new HD DVD players popped up on Amazon.com last week, the question wasn't so much, "Are they real?" as "How are they different from the existing models?" Toshiba clarified the issue today by officially announcing the three new models in a press release that trumpeted a handful of new features that will appeal to enthusiasts. But some key questions about those step-up features remain unanswered.

First, the basics. All three of the new models boast new, slim cases that are only 59.5mm high (less than 2.5 inches). And unlike many Blu-ray players--including models that cost hundreds more--the new HD DVD players each include active Ethernet ports and upgradeable firmware, so they can take advantage of the growing number of HD DVD titles that make use of interactive online features. The new lineup breaks down as follows:

HD-A3 ($300, October 2007): With its output resolution limited to 1080i, the primary appeal of the entry-level model is its affordable price tag. Except for the slimmer case, this looks to be nearly a clone of the current HD-A2, which is currently selling online for as little as $200.

HD-A30 ($400, September 2007): An extra $100 buys you 1080p output, HDMI CEC compatibility (which allows for control between other CEC-enabled AV products when connected via HDMI and using a single remote control), and 24-frame video support (1080p/24).

HD-A35 ($500, October 2007): In addition to the same features as the HD-A30, the top-end model in the fall 2007 lineup adds 5.1-channel analog audio outs, support for Deep Color video and HDMI passthrough audio.

Sounds great. Of course, there's a secret about those cutting-edge features that all those other blogs aren't telling you. … Read more