Universal announces some BDs

[Ruined]

Universal joining Blu-ray bandwagon in the summer | Technology | Reuters

Mummy series, Hellboy 2, American Gangster, Knocked Up, 40YO Virgin, and more...

[MooglePorn]

Hey Derb...

Yeah, you know.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Hey Derb...

Yeah, you know.

Well, Ruined posted this so I guess anything is possible.

3 announced, 145 to play catch up. I believe Universal will release most of their titles which have HDi PIP on them. They have to start from scratch on them features though sinse BD-J is a new animal.

[dugpa]

I knew I waited on buying American Gangster for a reason. I wonder if they'll be able to port all the Miami Vice features over to blu, or will even bother if they can.

[ganthc]

Derb is already preparing to have a home equity loan put out so that he can afford to rebuy all his red movies in blu.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Derb is already preparing to have a home equity loan put out so that he can afford to rebuy all his red movies in blu.

Way ahead of ya man.

[Ruined]

I do hope they keep the PiP stuff and don't dump it to save money...

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Derb is already preparing to have a home equity loan put out so that he can afford to rebuy all his red movies in blu.

With the way the housing market has gone he could probably only afford to rebuy them on VHS.

Originally Posted by Ruined

I do hope they keep the PiP stuff and don't dump it to save money...

I don't know if it'd be a matter of saving money as much as saving time. They have a lot of catch up to do and redoing all those extras will take a lot of time. They are starting behind and I'm not sure they can afford to spend too much time waiting.

[Moonraker]

Looks like we are gonna get more details and possible art in a bit when the studio puts out its own press release.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by dugpa

With the way the housing market has gone he could probably only afford to rebuy them on VHS.

Hey!!!..



Thats the "guest" house.

[ganthc]

Isn't that the Sony Corporate cabin retreat? Maybe Dugpa was right about you Derb...hmm.

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Derb

Hey!!!..
Thats the "guest" house.

Okay, maybe laserdisc then. The housing market isn't what it used to be. That's assuming your Sony masters will let you sell it.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by dugpa

I wonder if they'll be able to port all the Miami Vice features over to blu, or will even bother if they can.

I wouldn't mind having the theatrical cut in HD. Damn combos . . .

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Pirate

I wouldn't mind having the theatrical cut in HD. Damn combos . . .

Indeed, I still haven't seen the uncut version of American Gangster yet on principle... WTF is Universal thinking!?!

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by dugpa

I don't know if it'd be a matter of saving money as much as saving time. They have a lot of catch up to do and redoing all those extras will take a lot of time. They are starting behind and I'm not sure they can afford to spend too much time waiting.

I don't think the extras would take that much time to re-do. Some time yes, but that time could easily be made available if they have the money.

U-Control I don't expect, because IMO BD-J simply isn't there yet on BD. However the PiP stuff could be ported using the template of some of the 1.1 BD-J discs with PiP.

[powerknowledge]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm mildly underwhelmed by the specific titles mentioned, especially the catalog choices. It's a decent enough start, I guess, just predictable and for me none-too-exciting (and yes, I know that a lot of the more desirable titles are probably caught up in the HDi-to-BDJava translation). New theatricals will be awesome (Hellboy 2!), but a lot of these aren't exactly big attention-grabbers (The Mummy films, with their somewhat dodgy CGI and constant on-basic-cable screenings? The Apatow films, which while great don't exactly scream "you gotta see this Carrell chest-waxing / Heigl prosthetic vaginal opening in HD!!!"? U-571 has a fantastic sound mix, but Bon Jovi vs. the Nazis isn't nearly as epic as it should be. Anyway, you get my point: the "wow factor" is a bit lacking after all this time, teasing, and speculation).

I'd really like to know what the "among others" rounding out the 40-or-so titles mentioned in the press release are likely to be. Because honestly, until (off the top of my head) the Bourne films, Children of Men, Serenity, The Thing, and (hope beyond hope) some Spielberg and Hitchcock titles (Vertigo? Pretty pretty please???) make it to the official release horizon, I'm feeling a bit "meh" with this slate.

[dugpa]

Here's the official press release, including Heroes details:

Universal Unveils Inaugural Slate of Film and TV Offerings Coming to Blu-ray(TM) Disc Day and Date With DVD

Heroes: Season Two Will Mark the Studio's First Global Event Release

Lineup to Include Summer 2008's Most Anticipated Films From Universal Pictures: THE INCREDIBLE HULK, Wanted, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Mamma Mia! and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, As Well as Some of the Studio's Other Biggest Titles

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Studios Home Entertainment revealed its initial lineup of film and television properties arriving later this year on Blu-ray(TM) Disc, day and date with DVD, it was announced today by Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. Marking the rollout of the studio's first global release on Blu-ray(TM) will be the "Heroes: Season Two," which will debut beginning August 26, 2008.

The highly anticipated premier of the sophomore season of NBC's "Heroes" will be buoyed by the simultaneous debut of "Heroes Season One" on Blu-ray(TM). Later in the year and in time for the holidays, five of the year's most promising feature films will arrive in high definition: THE INCREDIBLE HULK, the action-packed new chapter of one of the most popular Super Hero sagas of all time that stars Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler; Wanted, the action-thriller from stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov that stars Morgan Freeman, James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie; Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the epic vision of imagination from acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro; Mamma Mia!, the musical romantic comedy in which Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the adaptation of the beloved musical; and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the next installment in The Mummy franchise in which Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh and newcomer Luke Ford join the returning Brendan Fraser and John Hannah for a supernatural adventure that shifts the series to the Far East.

"We are thrilled that our preliminary slate of Blu-ray(TM) offerings comprises such a brilliant collection of high-def centric fare," said Mr. Kornblau. "As awareness for Blu-ray(TM) continues to grow, consumers will learn to rely on the superior quality picture, sound, interactivity and connectivity that only high-definition home entertainment delivers."

The first wave of Universal Blu-ray(TM) releases, which hits U.S. stores July 22nd, gives fans of The Mummy franchise a chance to relive the iconic blockbuster films' thrilling beginnings in crystal-clear high-definition. The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, starring Brendan Fraser, and the hugely successful action-packed spin-off The Scorpion King, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, all will be released on Blu-ray(TM) for the first time that day.

The first of Universal's new theatrical Blu-ray(TM) releases hitting store shelves this summer day and date with its DVD counterpart is the apocalyptic thrill-ride DOOMSDAY, starring Rhona Mitra, Malcolm McDowell and Bob Hoskins. Other titles on deck for 2008 include American Gangster, Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Miami Vice, End of Days, U-571 and Land of the Dead, among others.

Furthering Universal's aggressive rollout of Blu-ray(TM) product globally, Universal Pictures International Entertainment, the company's international home entertainment arm, is concurrently announcing its initial slate of Blu-ray(TM) releases for the international marketplace today.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Originally Posted by powerknowledge

I'd really like to know what the "among others" rounding out the 40-or-so titles mentioned in the press release are likely to be. Because honestly, until (off the top of my head) the Bourne films, Children of Men, Serenity, The Thing, and (hope beyond hope) some Spielberg and Hitchcock titles (Vertigo? Pretty pretty please???) make it to the official release horizon, I'm feeling a bit "meh" with this slate.

I think everyone forgets that Universal doesn't exactly have a ton of "wow" titles in their catalog. For the ones you mention, Spielberg is now a good possibility. If the transfers I saw on UniversalHD were any indication, the Hitchcock titles need some serious remastering work before being released. Children of Men, while a good film, isn't exactly the box office hit the Mummy and Apatow films are, so I can see why it's not high on their priority list. Same with The Thing. As for the other catalog titles, I'm sure they'll be coming along eventually. You just have to give them time, they aren't going to release 200 titles at once after all. Decisions are being made based on how easy it is to port over from hd-dvd, what will sell, and of course marketing tie-ins with new films (such is the case for the Mummy ones being released).

Originally Posted by Ruined

U-Control I don't expect, because IMO BD-J simply isn't there yet on BD. However the PiP stuff could be ported using the template of some of the 1.1 BD-J discs with PiP.

That's exactly the point I was trying to make. I think they're going to hold off until BD-J is up to being able to port over the U-Control features.

[ganthc]

I wonder if it's also a matter of getting the audio tracks right as well. Most hd-dvds had 1.5 mbps DD+ tracks, and Universal may have to reconfigure those as well to be either regular DD 640kbps or have TrueHD included.

[powerknowledge]

Originally Posted by dugpa

I think everyone forgets that Universal doesn't exactly have a ton of "wow" titles in their catalog. For the ones you mention, Spielberg is now a good possibility. If the transfers I saw on UniversalHD were any indication, the Hitchcock titles need some serious remastering work before being released. Children of Men, while a good film, isn't exactly the box office hit the Mummy and Apatow films are, so I can see why it's not high on their priority list. Same with The Thing. As for the other catalog titles, I'm sure they'll be coming along eventually. You just have to give them time, they aren't going to release 200 titles at once after all. Decisions are being made based on how easy it is to port over from hd-dvd, what will sell, and of course marketing tie-ins with new films (such is the case for the Mummy ones being released).

Yes, of course these decisions are made in exactly the way you describe, and it might well not be the best marketing strategy (to say nothing of a practical possibility) to release everything at once. I'm mostly noting my own personal preferences and anticipated titles. It's a good start -- hell, ANY start is a good start! -- and I'm sure that both more and (for me) more interesting titles will be specifically announced soon. It's just such a "safe" slate, and I do wonder whether the aging, overexposed, and past-shelf-date by half a decade Mummy films (tie-in or no) would have the same draw for people looking to get into HDM as something like the Bourne trilogy. I honestly don't know beyond what *I* would do, what would make me say "hoo-hah...I REALLY want to see that in HD!" And it isn't the majority of those titles.

That said, I really do hope that sometime in the (near-ish) future some of the Hitchcock classics get the restorations you note as necessary, and that the Spielberg goes from good possibility to great reality. The question (an open one, of course) is the degree to which the slate announced adds to the visibility of and consumer desire for BRD, because that is what will ultimately drive more of the "less safe/bland and/or in need of special care in restoration" titles to the market. We'll have to see what other announcement tricks Uni has up its sleeve...to say nothing of a certain other major studio dragging its feet unto eternity, sitting on a certain best-selling HD title with giant intergalactic robots that WOULD, if released on BRD, certainly move a lot of players too.

[Sehnzeleid]

Hopefully Universal remasters some of their shittier HD DVDs, the incredibly edge enhanced and digitally noise reduced The 40 Year Old Virgin for one...

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I wonder if it's also a matter of getting the audio tracks right as well. Most hd-dvds had 1.5 mbps DD+ tracks, and Universal may have to reconfigure those as well to be either regular DD 640kbps or have TrueHD included.

Audio encoding is a pretty simple matter, I seriously doubt that is part of the holdup. Heck they could probably transcode the original DD+ track to TrueHD for "lossless" and DD640 for compatibility and no one would know the better - would take less than an hour to do

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Audio encoding is a pretty simple matter, I seriously doubt that is part of the holdup. Heck they could probably transcode the original DD+ track to TrueHD for "lossless" and DD640 for compatibility and no one would know the better - would take less than an hour to do

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what they did when with hd-dvd. I do know that bd fans will freak if they offer just a regular DD track for all their movies.

[mighty mint]

Heroes seasons one and two - THAT was what I was waiting for...I am going to be diving into the Big Blu

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what they did when with hd-dvd. I do know that bd fans will freak if they offer just a regular DD track for all their movies.

What I'm saying is that they could easily transcode their 1.5mbps DD+ encode to "lossless" TrueHD, then transcode it also to lossy 640kbps. The "lossless" track would sound better than the lossy one so people would have no idea it came from a HBR lossy source encode (b/c of little to no difference between the two), but they would still be able to market it as a lossless track

Would be a quick and easy way to please those who look for the lossless bullet point while also having backwards compatibility without doing a whole new encode. I bet they would do this before they would offer DD+ 1.5 & DD640.

[Moonraker]

Here is the box art for Doomsday