We do not have a review copy of this set, sadly, otherwise we would certainly have reviewed it in depth here on The Bits. And at this point, I don’t know if we’ll be getting one. (We did request one when the title was first announced, and our press contact said they’d circle back when product was available—but now that person is no longer working with Criterion. So who knows.)
In any case, some of you are already getting your hands on the release, which streeted this week, so I think you’ll enjoy this interview a great deal. Chaiken reveals a lot of interesting information therein, including details on the grading choices for Eyes Wide Shut and the fact that he’s already begun working on single-disc Criterion editions of many of the films in the set, which should start arriving in 2027 and 2028. In the meantime, do give this interview a thoughtful read: I think you won’t regret it. Tip of the hat to Nick Newman and The Film Stage for a great read, and our thanks to Michael Chaiken for his efforts in producing what we’re sure is an excellent box set!
Okay, now for the bad potential news today: Per the Japanese blog/retailer Kunkoku (via Flat Panels HD), Sony has discontinued the manufacturing of its last remaining standalone 4K Ultra HD player model, the UBP-X700/K. As you know, Sony has also announced that they’re no longer going to be distributing PlayStation games on disc, and it’s very likely that their future PlayStation 6 will no longer include an optical disc drive. This would seem to make more real the possibility that Sony plans to exit the physical disc business.
Now… I should be very clear: I’ve reached out through industry channels and learned that Sony does not have an official statement to make about any of this yet. What’s more, there have been no internal briefings to suggest that they plan to exit the disc business yet. And nobody else I’ve spoken with in the physical media business knows anything about this yet either. I’m continuing to reach out for more information to try to form a more accurate picture of what’s happening, and I’ll certainly share whatever I learn here.
But what this does appear to mean is that Panasonic is likely to be the only remaining major hardware manufacture to keep producing standalone 4K Ultra HD players going forward. Those models are supplemented by boutique Chinese and Australian brands, some of which are newly revealed, including Magnetar, Krovatar, GIEC, DpBlue, and Laser. God, I wish Oppo was still making 4K disc players. But I would love to talk with Magnetar, and try their player offerings, to see if they match up.
So… that’s not great news for Blu-ray and 4K disc fans to be sure.
And sadly, we have to leave you with one more piece of bad news today: The great actor Tom Skerritt died yesterday at the age of 93. Skerritt came to prominence in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H (1970), but of course you’ll know him best for his roles in such films as Alien (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Top Gun (1986), Steel Magnolias (1989), A River Runs Through It (1992), and Contact (1997), as well as TV’s Picket Fences (1992-96). You can read more on him today here, here, and here. He’ll certainly be missed.
On that somber note, that’s all for now. Stay tuned…
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter/X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)