Before we get to the big news today, we’ve got two more new disc reviews for you here at The Bits…

Stephen has turned in his in-depth look at Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) in 4K Ultra HD from Criterion’s excellent The Complete Kubrick 4K UHD + Blu-ray box set. (And he’s already digging into Dr. Strangelove, I’m sure.)

And Todd Doogan and I have tag-teamed a look at Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog (1949) in 4K Ultra HD from the Criterion Collection.

Now then, the big release news today is that 20th Century Studios and Disney have finally revealed the long-awaited Avatar: Fire and Ash – Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD. Look for the 4-disc set to street on 12/8. Here’s what it will look like…

Disc One and Two include the film on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Disc Three and Four will contain the set’s special features. [Read on here...]

This is a quick post to let you all know that our Release Dates & Cover Artwork section here at The Digital Bits has just been updated with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. Don’t forget that you can select to see just the Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, or even Criterion titles seperately if you like, to help you find exactly the ones you’re looking for. Just click on RELEASE DATES &  ART on the menu bar above to visit the page, and use the search options in the red bar (at the top) to sort by format and date. Once you find a title you like, just click on the cover art and you’ll be taken right to the Amazon.com pre-order page. Thank you for shopping through our links and don’t forget that anytime you order from Amazon through our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really appreciate it! And thanks to our own Russell Hammond for the update work!

- Bill Hunt

All right, we’ve got some good announcement news to report here today, but first as always we have a TON of new disc reviews to share with you…

I’ve turned in my looks at Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind (1939) in 4K UHD from Warner Bros. (with an assist by the late, great Barrie Maxwell), Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen (1967) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video, and Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (2025) in 4K UHD from Universal.

Stephen has begun—and is continuing—his epic in-depth reviews of all the films in Criterion’s The Complete Kubrick box set, which so far include Killer’s Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960) in 4K Ultra HD.

And let me tell you, as someone who’s recently had the chance to compare Criterion’s 4K disc of 2001: A Space Odyssey (which features encoding by the great David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion) to Warner’s 4K release, there’s definitely an upgrade here.

Tim’s offered his take on W. Lee Wilder’s The Snow Creature (1954) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn (2026) and Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire (1994) in 4K UHD from Warner Bros., and Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991) in 4K UHD from Criterion.

Dennis’ has delivered his thoughts on John Huston’s We Were Strangers (1949) on Blu-ray from Imprint Films and John Guillerman’s Death on the Nile (1978) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics (with an assist by Tim).

And Todd have taken a look at Ting Shan-His’s Blood Reincarnation (1974) and Julie Pacino’s I Live Here Now (2025) both on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, as well as Chris Noonan’s Babe (1995) and George Miller’s Babe: Pig in the City (1998) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are definitely forthcoming, including additional titles from Stephen’s exploration of The Complete Kubrick box, my joint review of Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog (1949) in 4K UHD from Criterion with Todd Doogan, and more. So be sure to keep checking back. [Read on here...]

All right, folks!

I’ll be back later today sometime (fingers crossed) with my review of Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind (1939) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

And Tim may return tomorrow with a couple of Halloween-themed reviews as well, so be sure to keep checking back.

Now then… our friends over at Arrow Video have just announced their full January 2027 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray catalog slate. So here are the details...

For the UK only...

• The Big Heat (1988) – Blu-ray/4K UHD
• The Freeway Collection (1996/1999) – 4K UHD
• The Hand (1981) – Blu-ray

And for the US, UK, and Canada...

• The Book of Eli (2010) – 4K UHD
• The Cannonball Run Collection (1981/1984) – 4K UHD
• Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) – 4K UHD

We’ve got the cover artwork for you below the break. [Read on here...]

Some days are just difficult and must be endured, and that’s simply the nature of life.

But before I get to that, I want to remind you all that we’ve posted a lot of new and recent disc reviews here at the site, including just today. So now available for your reading enjoyment are…

My review of David Lean’s Ryan’s Daughter (1970) in 4K Ultra HD from the Warner Archive (And know that tomorrow I’ll have my review of Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind (1939) in 4K up here as well, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.)

Stephen’s thoughts on Stanley Kubrick’s Killer’s Kiss (1955) and The Killing (1956) from Criterion’s The Complete Kubrick 4K Ultra HD box set, as well as his thoughts on André Øvredal’s The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) in 4K UHD from Severin Films.

Tim’s take on Damian McCarthy’s Hokum (2026) in 4K Ultra HD from Decal, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999) in 4K Steelbook from Paramount, and Joel Schumacher’s Falling Down (1993) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video.

Stuart’s look at Antonio Pietrangeli’s The Magnificent Cuckold (1964) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films.

Dennis’ reviews of Mark Robson’s Home of the Brave (1949), John Cromwell’s The Goddess (1958), and Jerry Hopper’s Never Say Goodbye (1956) on Blu-ray from Imprint, and Ernest Dickerson’s Bulletproof (1996) in 4K Ultra HD from KL Studio Classics (with an assist by Tim).

And finally, Todd’s thoughts on David Koepp’s The Trigger Effect (1996) on Blu-ray from Imprint, Gonzalo Suárez’s Morbo (1972) on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro, Tulsa King: Season Three (2025) on Blu-ray from Paramount and Alliance, and Adrian Grünberg’s Protector (2025) on Blu-ray from Magenta Light Studios and Alliance. [Read on here...]

We’re starting as always today with a ton of new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD movie reviews by The Digital Bits team. I’ll list them all here tomorrow, but in the meantime you can find them easily on our Reviews page at this link.

More new disc reviews are definitely forthcoming, including some big titles, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

Now then, there’s an important bit of soon-to-break news that I wanted to share with you all today…

It looks like the Sony Corporation is going to make some kind of official statement this week regarding their position on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD optical disc players going forward. And frankly, my expectation is that they are indeed going to announce that they plan to no longer make them.

There are a number of possible reasons for this. As we all know, optical disc physical media is now a niche format and not the mainstream way most people are consuming their entertainment. The desktop and laptop computer business has long since opted to stop including optical disc drives in their hardware offerings. And we know that Sony has revealed they’re no longer going to distribute their PlayStation game titles on optical discs. That strongly suggests the forthcoming PlayStation 6 may not include an optical disc drive.

Why would Sony make such a decision? Keep in mind, the parts supply chain for manufacturing optical disc drives is getting more fragile and less profitable, which only encourages suppliers to pivot to more profitable manufacturing. [Read on here...]

All right, we have a bit of a whirlwind to report here at The Digital Bits today, and I’m going to be talking about it all in detail later this afternoon for our Patreon subscribers in our next My Two Cents: A Video Blog over there. But I’ll to the short version of it all in a moment.

First, we have a bunch of new disc reviews to share with you this week, including…

Stephen’s look at Doug Liman’s Go (1999) in 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video, and Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors (1986) in 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros.

Tim’s thoughts on Todd Durham’s Hyperspace (1984) in Blu-ray 3D from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, James Mangold’s Identity (2003) in 4K UHD from Arrow Video, Genki Kawamura’s Exit 8 (2025) in Blu-ray from Neon/Decal, and Montgomery Tully’s 36 Hours (1954) in 4K UHD from Hammer Films.

Dennis’ thoughts on Ernest Dickerson’s Bulletproof (1996) on Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics, and Charles Vidor’s Ladies in Retirement (1941) and George Cukor’s Heller in Pink Tights (1960) both on Blu-ray from Imprint Films.

Todd’s take on Vinegar Syndrome’s Reviver 4 on Blu-ray, Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire (2025) on Blu-ray from Row K Entertainment, and André Øvredal’s Passenger (2026) on Blu-ray from Paramount.

And finally, Stuart’s reviews of Alain Resnais’ Stavisky… (1974) and Mario Bava’s Four Times That Night (1971) both on Blu-ray from Indicator and Powerhouse Films.

As always, more reviews are coming all this week, so be sure to keep checking back for them.

Now then… before we get to what may be bad news for physical media fans, we do have something good for you: There’s a really great article over on The Film Stage website wherein columnist Nick Newman interviews the film historian and archivist Michael Chaiken, who is a prolific producer of Criterion Collection special editions, about his work on The Complete Kubrick 4K box set, which finally streeted this week. [Read on here...]

Well, here’s another nice 4K catalog surprise…

Walt Disney Pictures Home Entertainment has just set Andrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) for release in 4K Ultra HD Steelbook format on 12/15!

This is obviously tied to the launch of the promotional campaign for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (2027), which arrives in theaters early next year on 2/12 (and 4/2 on Netflix).

The package will include the film on 4K disc (66GB) and Blu-ray, as well as a Digital Code. The 4K disc will include English Dolby Atmos audio, as well as 2.0 Dolby Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS, and French 5.1 Dolby Digital (and subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, and French). HDR is TBA.

The Blu-ray should carry over all of the legacy special features.

I don’t think anyone had this title on their 4K bingo card for 2026, and it gives us a lot of hope that more 4K UHD surprises await us from Disney in 2027. (PLEASE Disney: Finally release Star Wars: Andor – Season Two on the format!) [Read on here...]