|
One year into the HD-DVD/Blu-ray format war, here’s about where we stand on player pricing.
Toshiba announced on June 29 price reductions for its HD-DVD players, and consumers can now pick up a new Toshiba 1080p HD-A20 HD-DVD player for $340 .
Sony’s BDP-S300 Blu-ray standalone is now selling for about $500.
Why anyone would buy it remains a complete mystery, since you can also buy the 60GB PlayStation 3 console, which also plays Blu-ray discs at 1080p, for the same $500 price. (To be fair, the price reduction on the PS3 was only formally announced by Sony on Monday, July 9.)
Still, if any AICN readers have ponied up for a stand-alone Blu-ray player, kindly pipe up in talkback or via email and explain why you didn’t just grab a PS3.
Blockbuster Shakes It Up!!
Since the last HDTV Cellar, Blockbuster announced it would start carrying Blu-ray discs at 1,700 of its stores. Blockbuster’s Netflix-like online rental service – like the real Netflix – has however been offering both Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles for more than a year now and continues to do so.
Two weeks after the June 18 Blu-ray announcement, the chain announced longtime CEO John F. Antioco had been replaced by 7-Eleven vet James Keyes.
I’m guessing one announcement has little to do with the other; Blockbuster has in recent years faced increasing competition from Netflix and pay-per-view and iTunes and who knows what else. From Franchising.com:
Blockbuster has lost significant amounts of money in recent years: $1.6 billion in 2002, almost $1.0 billion in 2003, and $1.2 billion in 2004.
Still No Old TV On HD Disc!! …
HD versions of old shows like “Square Pegs,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Hogan’s Heroes” are routinely transmitted on HDNet, but a year into the HD disc era, no studio has announced a season-set release date for a series that aired prior to the HDTV era.
What’s been issued or announced so far:
BLU-RAY:
* Galapagos: The Complete Series
* Nip/Tuck 4.x
* Planet Earth: The Complete Series
* Rescue Me 3.x
* Smallville 6.x
* The Sopranos 6.x Vol. 1
* Weeds 1.x
* Weeds 2.x
HD-DVD:
* Battlestar Galactica 1.x
* Galapagos: The Complete Series
* Heroes 1.x
* Nip/Tuck 4.x
* Planet Earth: The Complete Series
* Smallville 5.x
* Smallville 6.x
* The Sopranos 6.x Vol. 1
The remastered-with-new-effects 1960s Kirk-Spock “Star Trek,” I think, is still a year or more away from HD release.
Most old hourlongs, like “Star Trek,” were shot on 35mm film, which boasts even higher definition than 1080p. If a series’ original film can be found in good condition, HD releases for those series present no problem. If the show was shot on videotape, like “Barney Miller” or “All in the Family,” a release in HD is more problematic, as three-quarter-inch videotape common to sitcoms of the 1970s and ‘80s has significantly lower resolution than 35mm and HD.
(“Heroes,” I now realize, will next month be the first show from the three (or four) major broadcast networks released in HD.)
HBO & TBS Announce HD Plans!!
Time Warner announced on June 12 that it will make all of its 26 HBO and Cinemax feeds available in HD by mid-2008.
Does everybody at this point in history have access to all of those channels in SD? If not, those 26 channels are:
HBO (East/West)
HBO2 (East/West)
HBO Signature (East/West)
HBO Comedy (East/West)
HBO Family (East/West)
HBO Zone (East/West)
HBO Latino (East/West)
Cinemax (East/West)
MoreMAX (East/West)
ActionMAX (East/West)
ThrillerMAX (East/West)
WMAX (East)
@MAX (East)
5StarMAX (East)
OuterMAX (East)
Time Warner announced June 26 that it is launching TBS-HD, a hi-def simulcast of TBS’s East Coast feed, on Sept. 1. This means viewers will be able to watch sitcoms like “Seinfeld,” “Friends” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “My Boys” and “The Bill Engvall Show” in HD.
Blu-ray Calendar
July 3
Flatliners
The Patriot (Extended Cut)
The Untouchables
July 10
Blue Planet
July 17
The Fifth Element
Premonition
Waiting (Unrated & Raw)
Wild Things (Unrated Edition)
July 24
The Host
Out For Justice
Purple Rain
Weeds 2.x
July 31
Roving Mars
Shooter
300
August 7
Are We Done Yet?
Arlington Road
Disturbia
Final Fantasy
August 14
Doctor Strange
The Lookout
Vacancy
Wild Hogs
August 21
Immortal Beloved
Perfect Stranger
Van Wilder (Unrated)
August 28
Blades of Glory
September 4
Nip/Tuck 4.x
Remember The Titans
September 11
Face/Off
September 18
Deliverance
Jailhouse Rock</a>
Viva Las Vegas
September 25
The Jack Ryan Collection
October 2
Top Gun
October 23
Meet The Robinsons
Scary Movie
November 20
Badder Santa (Unrated)
The Santa Clause 3
HD-DVD Calendar
July 3
Blood Diamond
The Untouchables
The Warriors (Ultimate Director's Cut)
July 10
Billy Madison
Blue Planet
Dante's Peak
The War
The Wedding Date
July 24
The Bourne Identity
The Contract
The Host
In Good Company
Nutty Professor II
Out For Justice
Purple Rain
Scent of a Woman
Streets of Fire
July 31
Darkman
Hot Fuzz
Sea of Love
Shaun of the Dead
Shooter
300
August 7
Disturbia
August 14
Erin Brockovich
Meet The Fockers
Mercury Rising
What Dreams May Come
August 28
Blades of Glory
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Heroes 1.x
Notting Hill
September 4
Nip/Tuck 4.x
September 11
Face/Off
September 18
Deliverance
Elizabeth
Jailhouse Rock
Viva Las Vegas
September 25
The Jack Ryan Collection
October 2
Top Gun
Already On Blu-Ray
Alien Vs. Predator * All The King's Men (2006) * American Psycho * Annapolis * The Ant Bully * Apocalypto * The Architect * ATL * Babel * Badder Santa (Unrated) * Basic Instinct * Basic Instinct 2 * Battle of the Bulge * Beerfest (Unrated) * Behind Enemy Lines * Benchwarmers * Big Fish * The Big Hit * Black Hawk Down * Black Rain * Black Snake Moan * Blazing Saddles * Blood & Chocolate * Blood Diamond * Blue Planet * Bridge To Terabithia * Broken Arrow * The Brothers Grimm * Bubble * Bulletproof Monk * Bullitt * Casanova * Casino Royale * Catch and Release * Chain Reaction * Chicago * Chicken Little * A Christmas Story * Christmas Vacation * Chronos * Click * Closer * Coming To America * Commando * The Corpse Bride * Courage Under Fire * The Covenant * The Cowboys * Crank * Crash * Cruel Intentions * Curse of the Golden Flower * Dark Water * The Da Vinci Code * Deja Vu * The Departed * The Descent * The Devil's Rejects * The Devil Wears Prada * Dinosaur * The Descent * Dinosaur * Dirty Dancing * The Dirty Dozen * District B13 * Dog Day Afternoon * Donnie Brasco * Dreamgirls * Eight Below * Employee of the Month * Enemy of the State * Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room * Enter The Dragon * Entrapment * Eragon * Failure To Launch * Fantastic Four * The Fifth Element * First Blood * 50 First Dates * Finding Neverland * Firewall * First Blood * Flags of Our Fathers * Flight of the Phoenix * Flightplan * Flyboys * The Fountain * Four Brothers * Freedom Writers * The Fugitive * Full Metal Jacket * The Getaway * Ghost Rider * G.I. Jane * Glory Road * Goal! The Dream Begins * Good Night and Good Luck (BLU-RAY) * Gone in 60 Seconds * Goodfellas * The Great Raid * Gridiron Gang * The Grudge 2 * The Guardian * Happily N'Ever After * Happy Feet * Hart's War * The Haunted Mansion * Hellboy * Hitch * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy * The Holiday * Hoosiers * House of Flying Daggers * House of Wax * Hustle and Flow * Ice Age * Identity * Inheritance * Into The Blue * Invincible * The Italian Job * Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back * King Arthur (Director's Cut) * Kingdom of Heaven * Kiss Kiss Bang Bang * Kiss of the Dragon * A Knight's Tale * Kung Fu Hustle * Ladder 49 * Lady in the Water * The Lake House * Lara Croft Tomb Raider * The Last Samurai * The Last Waltz * Layer Cake * League of Extraordinary Gentlemen * Legends of the Fall<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=aintitcoolcoa-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> * Lethal Weapon * Lethal Weapon 2 * Letters From Iwo Jima * Little Man * Lord of War * Lost City * The Manchurian Candidate * March of the Penguins * Marie Antoinette * The Marine * Memento * Me, Myself & Irene * Men Of Honor * The Messengers * Million Dollar Baby * Mission: Impossible * Mission: Impossible II * Mission: Impossible III * Mission: Impossible: Impossible Missions Collection * Monster House * Nacho Libre * Night at the Museum * Nip/Tuck 4.x * Norbit * The Omen * One Last Thing * Open Season * Out For Justice * Payback: Straight Up (Director's Cut) * Pearl Harbor * Phantom of the Opera * Phone Booth * Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl * Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest * Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series * Planet of the Apes (2001) * The Prestige * Primeval * The Princess Bride * The Punisher * The Pursuit of Happyness * The Queen * Rambo * Reds * Reign of Fire * Remember The Titans * Rescue Me 3.x * Reservoir Dogs * Resident Evil: Apocalypse * Revenge (Director’s Cut) * Rio Bravo * Rising Sun * The Road Warrior * Robocop * Rocky * Rocky Balboa * Ronin * Roving Mars * Rumor Has It * Running With Scissors * RV * Sahara * Saw * Saw II * Saw III * A Scanner Darkly * Scary Movie * Scooby-Doo * The Searchers * Secret Window * The Sentinel * Seven Years In Tibet * Silent Hill * 16 Blocks * Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow * Sky High * Sleepy Hollow * The Sopranos 6.x Vol. 1 * Space Cowboys * Species * Speed * Stargate * Stealth * Stir of Echoes * Stomp The Yard * Stranger Than Fiction * Superman * Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut * Superman Returns * S.W.A.T. * Swordfish * Syriana * Tailor of Panama * Talladega Nights * Tears of the Sun * The Terminator * Terminator 2 * Total Recall * Trading Places * Training Day * Transporter * Transporter 2 * Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls * Ultimate Avengers Collection * Ultraviolet * Under Siege * Underworld Evolution * Unforgiven * The Usual Suspects * U2: Rattle & Hum * Van Wilder * Vertical Limit * Viva Las Vegas * Volver * Warriors of Heaven & Earth * The War Within * We Are Marshall * Weeds 1.x * We Were Soldiers * The Wicker Man * The Wild * Windtalkers<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=aintitcoolcoa-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> * Winged Migration * The World's Fastest Indian * World Trade Center * X-Men: The Last Stand * XXX * Young Guns
Already On HD-DVD
Accepted * The Adventures of Robin Hood (DVD/HD-DVD) * Aeon Flux * Alpha Dog (DVD/HD-DVD) * American Me * An American Werewolf in London * Animal House (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Ant Bully * Apollo 13 * The Architect * Army of Darkness * Army of Darkness (DVD/HD-DVD) * Assault on Precinct 13 * ATL (DVD/HD-DVD) * Babel {HD-DVD} * Backdraft * Batman Begins * Battle of the Bulge * Being John Malkovich * Beerfest {HD-DVD} * The Big Lebowski * Billy Madison * Black Christmas * Black Rain * Black Snake Moan * Blazing Saddles * Blood Diamond * Blue Planet * The Bone Collector * Born on the Fourth of July * The Bourne Supremacy * Breach (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Breakfast Club * The Break-Up (DVD/HD-DVD) * Brokeback Mountain * Bruce Almighty * Bubble * Bulletproof * Bullitt * Caddyshack * Casablanca * Casino * Charlie and the Chocolate Factory * Children of Men * A Christmas Story * Christmas Vacation * The Chronicles of Riddick * Chronos * Cinderella Man * Clerks II * Collateral * Coming To America * Constantine * The Contract * The Corpse Bride * The Cowboys * Dante's Peak * Darkman * Dawn of the Dead (2004) * Daylight * Days of Thunder * Dazed and Confused (DVD/HD-DVD) * Dead Silence * The Deer Hunter * Deliverance * The Departed * Derailed * The Dirty Dozen * District B13 * Dog Day Afternoon * Doom * Dragonheart * Dreamgirls * The Dukes of Hazzard * Dune * Enter The Dragon * End of Days * Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room * Enter The Dragon * Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind * Excalibur * Failure to Launch * The Fast and The Furious * The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift * Fast Times At Ridgemont High (DVD/HD-DVD) * Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas * Feast * Field of Dreams * Fireplace * Firewall (DVD/HD-DVD) * Flags Of Our Fathers * Forbidden Planet * The Fountain * Four Brothers * Freedom Vol. 1 * Freedom Writers * Friday Night Lights * The Frighteners * The Fugitive * Full Metal Jacket * Galaxina * The Game * The Getaway * Goodfellas * Good Night, and Good Luck * Grand Prix * Half-Baked (DVD/HD-DVD) * Happy Feet * Happy Gilmore * Harsh Times * The Hitcher (DVD/HD-DVD) * Hollywoodland (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Host * House of Wax * How The Grinch Stole Christmas * Hulk * Hustle and Flow * In Good Company * The Interpreter * Jarhead * The Jerk * Jet Li's Fearless * King Kong (2005) * Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (HD-DVD/DVD) * Lady in the Water (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Lake House (DVD/HD-DVD) * Land of the Dead (DVD/HD-DVD) * Lara Croft: Tomb Raider * The Last Samurai * Lethal Weapon * Lethal Weapon 2 * Letters From Iwo Jima (DVD/HD-DVD) * Liar Liar * Lost City * Lost In Translation * Lucky Number Slevin * Mallrats * The Manchurian Candidate (2004) * March of the Penguins * The Matador * Matrix Trilogy * Meet Joe Black * Meet The Parents * Mercury Rising * Miami Vice (DVD/HD-DVD) * Midnight Run * Million Dollar Baby * Mission: Impossible * Mission: Impossible II * Mission: Impossible III * Mission: Impossible Ultimate Missions Collection * Monty Python's The Meaning of Life * The Mummy * The Mummy Returns * Music and Lyrics (DVD/HD-DVD) * Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) * Mystery Men * Nacho Libre (HD_DVD) * Norbit * Notting Hill * The Nutty Professor * The Nutty Professor 2 * Out For Justice * Out of Sight * Payback: Director's Cut * The Perfect Storm * The Phantom of the Opera * Pitch Black * Planet Earth: The Complete Series * The Polar Express * Poseidon * Pulse * Ray * Red Dragon * Reds * Rio Bravo * The River * The Road Warrior * Rumor Has It (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Rundown * Sahara * A Scanner Darkly * Scary Movie 4 * Scooby-Doo * The Scorpion King * Seabiscuit * The Searchers * Serenity * Sister Street Fighter * 16 Blocks * Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow * Sleepy Hollow * Slither (DVD/HD-DVD) * Smallville 5.x * Smokey and the Bandit * Smokin' Aces * Sneakers * The Sopranos 6.x Vol. 1 * Space Cowboys * Spartacus * Spy Game * The Sting * Streets of Fire * Superman * Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut * Superman Returns (DVD/HD-DVD) * Swordfish * Syriana * Terminator 3 * That's The Way of the World * The Thing * Traffic * Training Day * 12 Monkeys * 2 Fast 2 Furious * U-571 * Ultimate Matrix Collection * Under Siege * Unforgiven * Unleashed * Unleashed (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Untouchables * V For Vendetta * Van Helsing * Waterworld * Waist Deep (DVD/HD-DVD) * The War * The War Within * The Watcher * Waterworld * We Are Marshall (DVD/HD-DVD) * The Wedding Date * We Were Soldiers * The Wicker Man (2006) * Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory * Wolf Creek * The World's Fastest Indian * World Trade Center * You, Me and Dupree
| 
