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All right, I’m still working on that 4K coverage. The delay is not from lack of effort, I assure you. Samsung recently updated the UBD-K8500 player’s firmware, so I’ve been working to see what the result is in terms of player performance.

Meanwhile, we do have some great new 4K and Blu-ray news for you today: 20th Century Fox has just officially announced the 6/7 Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Ridley Scott’s The Martian: Extended Edition (the SRP appears to be $39.99 for either BD or 4K).  [Read on here…]

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to follow us on Twitter @thedigitalbits @BillHuntBits and on Facebook here and here. And you can help support The Bits by pre-ordering Blu-rays and other items from Amazon through this link.]

All right, I’m working on more of that 4K coverage I promised earlier this week, but meanwhile we’ve got a pair of regular Blu-ray reviews for you today. Jim Hemphill has delivered a look at Shout! Factory’s The Gong Show Movie, a long-sought after home video rarity on disc in HD, and Tim Salmons checks in with a review of Arrow Video’s Region A version of The Stuff on Blu. Do give them both a look.  [Read on here…]

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All right, this week is going to be all about 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray here at The Bits. I’ve been watching a ton of discs and working on title reviews, as well as making additional notes on my forthcoming Samsung UBD-K8500 player review and also my general thoughts on my experiences this far with the format. I’ll have new reviews each day, and I’m targeting Thursday for the player review and general thoughts. Sarah and I have had family visiting for the past week, so there’s only so much time in the day. And these things do take time.

Nevertheless, we’re kicking things off today with my look at a pair of titles that should be among the first that any new 4K adopter picks up on the Ultra HD format: Lionsgate’s Sicario and Fox’s The Revenant, both in full native 4K. Sicario also includes Dolby Atmos audio. And while The Revenant doesn’t have object-based audio, its 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is demo-quality. More importantly, with its gorgeous Oscar-winning cinematography, it is the single best looking title I’ve seen on the format thus far. It’s a real HDR stunner. Check out my reviews (here and here) for more on all that.  [Read on here…]

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First things first today: Our own Jim Hemphill has just posted a new Blu-ray review, this time featuring a look at Alexander Singer’s 1971 western Captain Apache, now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

In announcement news today, Universal has set Cary Grant: The Vault Collection for DVD only release on 4/19. Here’s a bit about the collection from the studio’s press site: “Featuring 18 films released between 1932 and 1936, the collection showcases the actor as he perfects his comedic timing and stretches his dramatic skills in a variety of roles alongside such Hollywood legends as Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Sylvia Sidney, Charles Laughton, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and Fredric March. Including his feature film debut, This is the Night, as well as several Pre-Code dramas and comedies plus 5 films never before available to own…” We’ll post the complete list of films as soon as the studio provides it.  [Read on here…]

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The UHD Alliance held their official press event at CES 2016 last evening to begin the official unveiling of “full-featured” Ultra High Definition as an in-home consumer experience here at the convention. The Alliance was formed in part to simplify the UHD experience for consumers by unifying the consumer electronics industry and content creators behind a single standard, thus avoiding the pain of another costly format war.  [Read on here…]

“Jonathan Harris as Dr. Smith is one of the most original and memorable characters in the history of television—ranking right up there with Barney Fife, Herman Munster, Gilligan and the Fonz.” — Kevin Burns

The Digital Bits commemorates the golden anniversary of the premiere of Lost in Space, the science-fiction/adventure series that originally ran on CBS from 1965 to 1968. The classic series debuted 50 years ago this week, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with one of the show’s biggest fans, Kevin Burns, who offers his recollection of watching the series in its original run as a kid and discusses overseeing the show’s high-definition remastering and Blu-ray release, which arrives in stores this week from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.  [Read more here...]

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We’ll be back with more later today, but we wanted to quickly chime in here today with additional word on Ultra HD Blu-ray out of IFA in Berlin. We understand now that Samsung’s newly announced 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player is targeted for release in the 1st Quarter of 2016 (we’re hearing late January or February). We’re also hearing that the player’s price is “going to pleasantly surprise people.”  [Read on here…]