Displaying items by tag: Media Play News
The Disney/Sony Physical Media Deal: New Information & My Two Cents on a Better Way Forward
All right, it’s been a week and a half now since we first broke the news here at The Digital Bits that Disney had signed a new deal with Sony for the latter to take over Disney’s physical media production and distribution.
In that time, there’s been a lot of speculation as to what this might mean for Disney’s physical media releases going forward. And there are certainly many questions that it’s natural for disc consumers to ask about the deal.
Does this mean that Disney will continue releasing Blu-ray and 4K discs? Will they perhaps even increase their title output? Will more Disney, Fox, Touchstone, and Hollywood Pictures deep catalog content finally come to 4K UHD? Does Sony taking over distribution from Disney mean that their product will return to markets the studio has pulled out of recently?
One thing we can safely say for sure is that Sony is a lot more efficient at producing and distributing titles on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD.
So streamlining this process and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy can only be a good thing in the sense of making Disney’s physical media titles more profitable for the studio.
But to answer those larger questions, I’ve continued to check in with our many industry sources over the last week or two. And I have learned a couple of things that should help to clarify the picture a bit for consumers. [Read on here...]
The Departed, Ocean’s Trilogy, Cry-Baby, Warner out of Paramount merger talks, Home Entertainment Media Play Awards & more
Happy Leap Day, Bits readers! February 29th only comes around once every four years, so enjoy it while you can.
I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your patience. We haven’t done a news update here for a couple days, and the reason is that I’ve been doing a lot more digging about that Disney and Sony physical media distribution deal, and I have in fact learned a little bit more information that will put the deal in better context. So after having a few last conversations with sources tonight, I’ll have a bit more to share on that front in tomorrow’s news update here at The Bits.
In the meantime, we’ve posted a bunch more new disc reviews here at the site as follows...
Dennis has posted his thoughts on Raoul Walsh’s The Roaring Twenties (1939) on Blu-ray from our friends at The Criterion Collection, as well as Ralph Murphy’s The Man in Half Moon Street (1945) on Blu-ray from Imprint, Robin Spry’s One Man (1977) and Elly Kenner and Norman Thaddeus Vane’s The Black Room (1982) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and Damien LeVeck’s A Creature Was Stirring (2023) on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.
Stewart has taken a look at Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, Nigel Cole’s Saving Grace (2000) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection, and Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) on Blu-ray from Imprint.
And finally, Stephen has check in with his take on David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome. All are well worth a look (both the films and the discs). [Read on here...]
- Vinegar Syndrome
- Stephen Bjork
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- Support The Digital Bits via Patreon
- Back the Bits
- Kino Cult
- Indicator
- Dennis Seuling
- Stuart Galbraith IV
- Warner Archive Collection
- Imprint Films
- Paramount
- Once Upon a Time in the West 4K
- Paramount Presents
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- HBO Max
- The Departed 4K
- Martin Scorsese
- The Roaring Twenties BD review
- The Man in Half Moon Street BD review
- One Man BD review
- The Black Room BD review
- A Creature Was Stirring BD review
- Well Go USA
- The Criterion Collection
- The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming BD review
- Saving Grace BD review
- Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle BD review
- eXistenZ 4K review
- David Cronenberg
- Steven Soderbergh
- Ocean's Trilogy 4K
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- DC Studios
- Harley Quinn: The Complete Fourth Season BD
- Cry Baby 4K
- John Waters
- Bluebeard BD
- Secret Beyond the Door
- Fritz Lang
- All that Breathes
- Janus Contemporaries
- The Cinema Guild
- Trenque Lauquen
- Discotek Media
- Belladonna of Sadness 4K
- Good Burger 2
- Land of Bad
- Skydance Media Paramount Global deal
- Media Play News
- Home Entertainment Media Play Awards
- Crimson Peak 4K
- American Pie 4K
- 88 Films
- Arrow Video
- Radiance
- Shinobi
BREAKING/EXCLUSIVE on The Bits: Best Buy is exiting the physical media business for good in 2024 [UPDATED]
[10/13/23 Update: Variety and Media Play News have now confirmed my reporting that Best Buy is phasing out physical media in the new year, following the 2023 holiday shopping season. The company will apparently still continue to sell videogames. A Best Buy spokesperson provided this statement to Variety: “To state the obvious, the way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today than it was decades ago. Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech for them to explore, discover and enjoy.” So... there you have it. Longtime readers of The Digital Bits can rest assured of two things: First, no this does not spell the end of physical media. And second, I’ll have a great deal more to say on this topic here at The Bits on Monday and all next week. See you back here then.]
All right, folks... we’ve got a little bit of a whopper for you today. And so as not to bury the lede, let’s get right to it...
The Digital Bits has learned from industry sources—and we’ve confirmed it with multiple sources now—that Best Buy plans to exit the physical media business for good next year, possibly as soon as the end of Q1 2024.
This includes not just their in-store Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD sales, which the retailer has been gradually phasing out for a couple of years now in their many store locations nationwide, but online sales as well. This means no more Best Buy-exclusive Steelbook titles, and no more titles from Best Buy period.
The fact that Best Buy is discontinuing physical media sales in their retail locations should come as no surprise; anyone who’s visited a Best Buy store location on a Tuesday recently will be all too aware that the retailer’s disc sections keep getting moved around and have gotten smaller and smaller. Our own experience here at The Bits is that some store locations don’t even bother to stock new-release titles on the sales floor anymore—even their exclusive ones. More than once, in their Southern California locations, I’ve had to ask for the titles and wait while a clerk checks the storeroom.
But the idea that Best Buy would discontinue online sales too comes as a bit of a surprise... though perhaps it shouldn’t. We’ve noted in recent months that Paramount has quietly shifted their Blu-ray and 4K Steelbook exclusive titles—titles that would normally have been released at Best Buy—to Amazon instead. And it seems very likely that other studios will follow Paramount’s lead in the months ahead. [Read on here...]
Warner sets The Sandman: S1 for Blu-ray & 4K, plus Sony’s Lawrence of Arabia 4K is coming back in print & Carnimeo’s Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) in 4K!
All right, as mentioned earlier, we’ve got more release news to cover today here at The Bits. But first some new disc reviews...
Stephen has checked out Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic Showgirls (1995) on 4K Ultra HD from Vinegar Syndrome, which features the film in 4K UHD and Blu-ray, along with an additional Blu-ray full of special features. Stephen has also reviewed Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) on Blu-ray from Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.
Also today, Dennis has offered his thoughts on George Cukor’s Little Women (1955) and Abe Levitow’s animated Gay Purr-ee (1962), both new on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stuart has taken a look at the Norwegian legal drama Aber Bergen: Complete Series from MHz Networks and Kino Lorber, as well as Inés Toharia Terán’s Film: The Living Record of Our Memory (2021) documentary from Kino Lorber, both of them on DVD, along with the Warner Archive Collection’s Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece (1961) and Tintin and the Blue Oranges (1964) double feature Blu-ray.
Now then, speaking of Warner, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and DC Studios have announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of the Netflix original series The Sandman: The Complete First Season on 11/18, with a Digital release expected on 9/18. Note that a second season of the series is already on the way from Netflix. The set will include all 11 episodes, along with a pair of featurettes (The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek and The World of The Endless). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]
- Stephen Bjork
- Studio Ghibli
- The Boy and the Heron
- GKids
- Hayao Miyazaki
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Showgirls 4K review
- The Draughtsman's Contract BD review
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Kino Cult
- Kino Lorber
- Vinegar Syndrome
- Little Women (1955) BD review
- Dennis Seuling
- Gay Purree (1962) BD review
- The Warner Archive Collection
- Aber Bergen: Complete Series DVD review
- Film: The Living Record of Our Memory DVD review
- Stuart Galbraith IV
- Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleece BD review
- Tintin and the Blue Oranges BD review
- DC Studios
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- Netflix
- The Sandman: The Complete First Season 4K
- Lawrence of Arabia 4K Steelbook
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Rudy 4K
- Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac
- Jess Franco
- The Emerald Forest
- John Boorman
- Clint Eastwood
- The Eiger Sanction 4K
- Giuliano Carnimeo
- giallo
- The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) 4K
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th anniversary
- Jerry Beck
- Michael & Denise Okuda
- David Gerrold
- Media Play News
- TK Arnold
- Ingram Entertainment exits the disc business
- How Do You Live?
- The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K
- Loki: The Complete First Season 4K
KL Studio Classics sets Ronin for 4K on 6/20, plus 65, more Warner Archive May BDs, The Man Who Wasn’t There in Blu-ray 3D, Tinto Brass Ultra HDs & much more!
Morning, everyone! We start today with no less than three new disc reviews, including...
Stephen’s in-depth look at Stuart Rosenberg’s Cool Hand Luke (1967) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, as well as his thoughts on John Frankenheimer’s Black Sunday (1977) on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
We’ve also got my take on Paramount’s new Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection box set in 4K Ultra HD—just an overall summary to go along with my detailed reviews of each of the individual films in 4K.
Now then, we’ve got a bunch of great announcement news today, and some updates on titles we’ve mentioned previously here at The Bits, starting with news from the Warner Archive Collection!
On the latest installment of Tim Millard’s excellent The Extras podcast, our friend George Feltenstein has revealed more of Warner Archive’s May Blu-ray titles, which will include Rouben Mamoulian’s Queen Christina (1933), Joseph Losey’s The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton’s King Solomon’s Mines (1950), Vincente Minnelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963), and Joseph Barbera and William Hanna’s Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear! (1964). All of these are new negative scans (The Boy with Green Hair and King Solomon’s Mines from the original Technicolor negatives).
Also coming later this year are Howard Hawks’ Land of the Pharaohs (1955) and Robert Wise’s Helen of Troy (1956). [Read on here...]
- 2023 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards
- Media Play News
- Spears and Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark
- Frivolous Lola 4K
- All Ladies Do It 4K
- Tinto Brass
- Cult Epics
- A Zed & Two Noughts and The Falls: Two Films by Peter Greenaway
- The Draughtsman’s Contract
- BFI
- McBain
- A Good Person
- John Wick: Chapter 4 4K
- The Super Mario Bros Movie
- Mill Creek Entertainment
- The Event: The Complete Series BD
- 65 4K
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- The White Dawn
- 3D
- The Man Who Wasn't There BD 3D
- John Frankenheimer
- Ronin 4K
- Hanna Barbera
- Howard Hawks
- Robert Wise
- Vincente Minnelli
- Helen of Troy
- Land of the Pharaohs
- Hey There It’s Yogi Bear!
- The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
- King Solomon’s Mines
- The Boy with Green Hair
- Queen Christina
- Tim Millard
- George Feltenstein
- Warner Archive Collection May 2023 slate
- The Extras podcast
- Black Sunday BD review
- Star Trek: The Next Generation 4 Movie Collection 4K review
- Cool Hand Luke 4K review
- Arrow Video
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- Stephen Bjork
- Paramount
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Universal
Media Play News announces the winners of their 2022 Home Entertainment Awards
Our friends at Media Play News have officially announced the winners of their 2022 Home Entertainment Media Play Awards, and you can find the full details here.
“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition earned the top prize in the annual Home Entertainment Media Play Awards, which honor the best home packaged-media, digital and streaming releases of 2021, taking Title of the Year, Blu-ray Disc of the Year, Best Movie Collection and Best Packaging.
Funimation’s Robotech: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc won TV on Disc of the Year, as well as Best Disc Release of a Vintage TV Series.”
Here’s the partial list of winners: [Read on here...]
Untouchables 4K, a new Raiders UHD Steelbook, Police Around the World on Blu-ray, William Hurt RIP & more
We’ve got more new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including a couple that we posted over the weekend...
First up, Tim and Dennis have taken a look at Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot (1959) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
I’ve also posted my thoughts on Steven Spielberg’s new West Side Story on 4K Ultra HD from 20th Century Studios.
And Tim has offered his thoughts on Philip Marshak’s Dracula Sucks (1978) in 4K Ultra HD as well, an infamous adult genre title available from Vinegar Syndrome.
Finally, Dennis has posted his take on Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci on regular Blu-ray too.
More new disc reviews are on the way soon, so be sure to check back for them in the coming days, including my in-depth look at Paramount’s The Godfather Trilogy in 4K. I had the chance to watch the films over the weekend, and let me tell you: They’ve simply never looked better. The new 2020 restoration is a night and day improvement upon the already fine 2007 restoration that was released previously on Blu-ray, so you’re definitely not going to want to miss this new set. [Read on here...]
- The Police Around the World BD
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Dennis Seuling
- Stephen Bjork
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- 4K Ultra HD Release List
- Tim Salmons
- Some Like It Hot 4K review
- West Side Story 4K review
- Dracula Sucks 4K review
- House of Gucci BD review
- Ridley Scott
- Steven Spielberg
- Billy Wilder
- The Police Around the World Restored & Expanded DVD + CD
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K Steelbook
- The Sum of All Fears 4K
- Patriot Games 4K
- The Untouchables 4K
- Brian De Palma
- Media Play News
- Media Play News Home Entertainment Awards
- William Hurt RIP
- Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 2
American Psycho UHD Steelbook, a new Harry Potter Ultra HD box, Koch Dune delay, an update on Dracula 4K & Paramount+ news for Europe
All right, we’ve got a few odds and ends to report on for you today...
First up, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be releasing a new Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Anniversary 8-Film Collector’s Edition on 11/2, featuring all 8 films in the series in both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, packaged in a cardboard replica of the Hogwarts Express (SRP $139.99). The box will also include a replica train ticket and a photo book featuring a look at props and other items from the films. You can see the open packaging below the break. Before you get too excited, these are the exact same discs released previously. But if you’re a fan and you haven’t yet upgraded to 4K, this might be just the thing.
Also in 4K Ultra HD news today, we’ve learned that Koch Media in Germany has delayed their wide release of David Lynch’s Dune on Blu-ray and 4K (as well as their web store exclusive Dune: Ultimate Edition 4K/Blu-ray set) to 10/14. (It was previously set to street on 8/26). The reason is that this will now be the only place you’ll be able to see Ballyhoo Motion Pictures’ feature-length documentary The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune. As we’ve reported previously, the Arrow Video 4K and Blu-ray release will street on 8/31 as originally planned, but it will no longer include the documentary. Adjust your plans accordingly. [Read on here...]
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Anniversary 8Film Collector’s Edition
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- Hogwarts Express
- David Lynch's Dune 4K
- Koch Media GmbH
- Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
- The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune
- Daniel Griffith
- American Psycho: Unrated 4K
- Lionsgate
- Best Buy exclusive Steelbook
- Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection 4K
- Spanish Dracula 4K
- Crime Story
- Paramount
- ViacomCBS
- Sky
- Paramount+
- Media Play News
The Legend of Drunken Master from Warner Archive, plus Island at the Top of the World on Disney+, a Soviet Lord of the Rings & more!
We’ve got some interesting news to report here at The Bits today...
First, the Warner Archive Collection has announced a number of new Blu-ray releases that are coming soon from the label, including Drunken Master II (1994 – aka The Legend of Drunken Master) starring Jackie Chan (mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative), The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex (1939), They Won’t Believe Me (1947), The Yearling (1946), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), and Athena (1954). Street dates are TBA.
Arrow Video has announced its June release slate, which is set to include Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage in 4K Ultra HD, as well as Sam Peckinpah’s Major Dundee, Masumura Yasuzo’s Irezumi, Jill Gevargizian’s The Stylist, and a 5-film box set of Italian crime films called Years of Lead that includes Like Rabid Dogs, Savage Three, No, The Case is Happily Resolved, and Colt 38: Special Squad. [Read on here...]
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- The Warner Archive Collection
- Drunken Master II BD
- The Legend of Drunken Master BD
- Arrow Video June BD and 4K slate
- Willy's Wonderland
- Dracula 90th anniversary
- Island at the Top of the World on Disney+
- Soviet Lord of the Rings
- Roman Kroitor
- Kaleidescape discount promotion with Sony Electronics
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex BD
- They Won’t Believe Me BD
- The Yearling BD
- Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House BD
- Escape from Fort Bravo BD
- Athena BD
- Major Dundee BD
- Irezumi BD
- The Stylist BD
- Years of Lead BD box set
- Italian crime dramas
- Media Play News
- Home Entertainment Awards voting
Judas and the Black Messiah, a big Warner 4K update, new Imprint titles & remembering a longtime friend of The Bits: Ronnee Sass
We’re picking things up here at The Bits today with more new disc reviews...
I’ve recently posted my thoughts on Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla (2014) in 4K from Warner Bros., Pete Docter’s Soul in 4K from Pixar, Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs in Blu-ray and 4K from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and Paul Greengrass’ News of the World in 4K from Universal.
Meanwhile, Tim has just posted a look at Alex de la Iglesia’s The Day of the Beast (1995) in 4K from Severin Films.
And Dennis has turned in his review of George Sidney’s Show Boat (1951) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
In announcement news today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially set Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/4 (SRP $35.99 and $28.98), with the Digital release expected on 4/27, and PVOD available on 4/2. Extras on the disc-based versions will include 2 featurettes (Fred Hampton for the People and Unexpected Betrayal). [Read on here...]
- News of the World 4K review
- Spaceballs 4K review
- Soul 4K review
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: 50th Anniversary 4K
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Judas and the Black Messiah BD
- Ronnee Sass RIP
- Godzilla 4K review
- Show Boat BD review
- The Day of the Beast 4K review
- Space Jam: 25th Anniversary 4K
- The Shawshank Redemption 4K
- A Clockwork Orange 4K
- Gravity 4K
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 4K
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 4K
- 4K Ultra HD Release List update
- The Middle Earth Collection 4K
- Zack Snyder's Justice League 4K preorders
- Zavvi
- Imprint Films
- Vinegar Syndrome
- Media Play News
- Home Entertainment Awards
- George Segal RIP
- Best Buy reducing physical media footprint in stores
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