Displaying items by tag: HBO

All right, we’re wrapping up the week with a big title announcement and additional release news, some new disc reviews, and a few words about HDR. But first, those reviews...

Tim has just turned in his thoughts on a trio of great new Blu-ray titles, including MVD’s The Man from Earth: Special Edition, Warner Archive’s The Green Slime, and Synapse’s Suspiria: 40th Anniversary Edition Steelbook. All three packages are quite good and well worth a look, so do check them out when you have time.

Now then... let’s have that big title news: Disney and Pixar have just announced Coco for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 2/27, with the digital and Movies Anywhere release expected on 2/13. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release will feature HDR10 and Dolby Atmos audio, while the 4K digital release will feature HDR10 or Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos audio. The Blu-ray will feature English 7.1 DTS-HD MA. [Read on here…]

First off, before we begin today, a number of you have asked about Lionsgate’s delayed Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Ultra HD EndoArm edition. We’ve contacted the studio for an update and we’ll keep you informed when they respond.

Now then, in news from CES 2018, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) says that there’s been an eightfold increase in Ultra HD disc sales in 2017 from the previous year. 4K Ultra HD player sales are also up 133% in 2017 over 2016. FutureSource data suggests that more than a third of households globally anticipate purchasing a 4K TV by 2021, while fully half of the households in Western Europe and the US expect to do so by then. The BDA has also officially added HDR10+, SL-HDR2 (for Philips and Technicolor), and Dolby Vision to the Ultra HD spec, in addition to regular HDR10. They’ve also approved the spec for a new UHD BD recording format for use in Japan. [Read on here…]

We’ve got some great new announcements for you today. First up though, Tim has turned in a review of Dan O’Bannon’s The Resurrected on Blu-ray from our friends over at Scream Factory. It’s a fun disc, so do give it a look if you’re of a mind to. Now then...

In announcement news today, Monsieur David Lynch has, his very own bad self, announced the forthcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Twin Peaks: The Third Season via Twitter today. Look for it on 12/5 from CBS Home Entertainment and Showtime. We expect that they’ll have cooked up some nice extras to go with that tasty slice pie, so watch for further details in the weeks ahead. You can see the cover artwork below. We’ll add the Amazon link as soon as it goes live.

Also on the TV front today, are there any Game of Thrones fans in the house? HBO has just officially set Game of Thrones: The Complete Seventh Season for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 12/12, with the Digital HD version due on 9/25. [Read on here…]

We’ve got one more quick update for you today...

Lionsgate has just announced the 9/5 4K Ultra HD release of The Cabin in the Woods, Red, and Red 2. All three will carry an SRP of $22.99 each and will include Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR. They should also carry over all of the previous Blu-ray special features.

And here’s a total surprise... what we believe to be the very first TV series title released in 4K: HBO has just announced that Westworld – Season One: The Maze will street on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 11/7 (SRP $49.99, $54.97, and $64.99)! All 10 episodes will be included, along with 3 new featurettes (Inside Look with Jonah Nolan and Lisa Joy – Season One, Imagining the Main Title, and The Key to the Chords), 5 previously-seen featurettes (Welcome to Westworld, Crafting the Narrative, An Invitation to the Set, Welcome to Westworld: About the Series, and Reality of A.I.: Westworld), several The Big Moment featurettes, video of the 2017 Comic-Con Panel, and a Gag Reel. The Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD versions will include Dolby Atmos audio. The 4K disc will also come in Steelbook packaging. You can see the Westworld: Season One 4K cover artwork to the left there and larger below (Amazon pre-order links will be added as they become available).

Note that we’ve updated the 2017 4K Ultra HD Release Update from today’s early post with these titles.

Stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)

All right, we’re closing out the week with some interesting announcement news and a few other odds and ends...

First up today, Warner Bros has just announced that HBO’s Westworld: The Complete First Season will be available in Digital HD on 3/6. The Blu-ray and DVD release is expected to follow later in 2017, ahead of the debut of the series’ second season. Meanwhile, the Digital release will have some extras, including 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes (Welcome to Westworld, Crafting the Narrative, An Invitation to the Set, Reality of A.I.: Westworld, and About the Series), as well as 7 The Big Moment clips (Bernard Faces an Unlikely Saboteur, Teddy Versus the Man in Black, A Host Self-Sabotages, Maeve Gets An Answer, Dr. Ford’s Blood Sacrifice, The Truth About Bernard, and Dr. Ford’s New Narrative). [Read on here…]

Okay, there isn’t a ton of release news to report early this week, so we’re going to be focusing mostly on review work...

As such, I’ve just posted my thoughts on Warner’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format. It’s a complicated film to discuss, and one that’s neither as bad nor as good as the most ardent critics would have you believe. But at least it’s a better experience than the theatrical cut. Do check it out. I’ve taken a look at Shout! Factory’s new Humpback Whales on 4K as well. And yesterday, in case you missed them, we posted regular Blu-ray reviews of Bite from Shout! Factory via our own Tim Salmons, as well as Diary of a Lost Girl (1929) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics via Jim Hemphill. Enjoy.  [Read on here…]

John Garfield gets the spotlight this week and another MGM musical spectacular from the 1950s makes its Blu-ray debut. Let’s take a gander at this week’s MOD deliveries, available with the click of a mouse via the banners yonder.

Thank you, as always, for helping to support The Bits. [Read on here...]

We’re closing out the week with a bit of a slow news day here at The Bits, but we do have a new column for you to enjoy...

Our own Bud Elder has turned in a new View from the Cheap Seats – The Sundance Kid Rides into Town features a good story about a Robert Redford visit to Oklahoma. Bud also talks about some of his favorite books on film, and picks a few great recent catalog DVD and Blu-ray tiles too. Enjoy!

In announcement news today, MGM has set a new Escape from New York (1981) Blu-ray for release on 6/3, along with The Birdcage (1996). We have no other details yet on either, aside from the fact that each will SRP for $19.99. [Read on here...]

The various MOD services haven’t exactly hit the ground running in 2014, with only a handful of new releases trickling out each week.

That might be starting to change this week.

Warner Archive has a number of interesting titles and the Sony Choice Collection has five new ones for your consideration.  [Read on here...]

Remember the Universal Vault Series, Universal’s intermittent foray into the world of MOD?  Well, apparently Universal just remembered about it, too.  On August 30, they released several new entries, quietly and with zero fanfare, presumably out of respect for those of us who were reverently observing the Feast of Alexander of Constantinople that day.

Of the various MOD programs, Universal and 20th Century Fox seem to be having the most trouble (I’ll be talking about Fox next week).  Sony and MGM went through similar growing pains before partnering with Warner Archive for promotion and distribution.  I’m not saying that all MOD needs to go through Warner Bros.  But all MOD programs should be able to learn from Warner’s model.  At least people know what’s available and when from them.

Anyway, here’s a look at what’s new from the Universal Vault Series.  And if you’re interested in a complete list of available Universal Vault titles, I’ve posted one on the Jahnke’s Electric Theater Facebook page.  All Universal Vault titles are available for purchase on Amazon here at this link.  [Read on here...]