First there's the Blockbuster thing. The Weinstein Company has an exclusive 4-year deal with Blockbuster. That means they have no other outlet for their HD DVD's as far as in-store rentals go.

Second, they're apparently allowing an HD version of Hard Boiled to be included on the bonus disc for Stranglehold for PS3. So, one of the movies they own is being released in Blu-Ray. 360 only gets SD.

Third, I've been hearing that it was announced at ComicCon that Grindhouse (either the full movie, or the two seperate parts, not clear on that) will be released on both HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and that it will be their first release on Blu-Ray.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Hard Boiled is in SD on Stranglehold as well.

And where did you hear that Grindhouse would be on both formats?

First there's the Blockbuster thing. The Weinstein Company has an exclusive 4-year deal with Blockbuster. That means they have no other outlet for their HD DVD's as far as in-store rentals go.

Second, they're apparently allowing an HD version of Hard Boiled to be included on the bonus disc for Stranglehold for PS3. So, one of the movies they own is being released in Blu-Ray. 360 only gets SD.

Third, I've been hearing that it was announced at ComicCon that Grindhouse (either the full movie, or the two seperate parts, not clear on that) will be released on both HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and that it will be their first release on Blu-Ray.

Grindhouse has not been announced on either format.

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=507329

It's mentioned somewhere in there about Grindhouse on Blu-Ray, although it's obviously just speculation at this point.

Also:

Forth, Tartan is releasing Oldboy on Blu-Ray, and the Weinstein's are involved with the American distribution of that movie, somehow. I have both region 1 DVD's of Oldboy, and while the standard version has no mention of it, the 3-disc tin has the Genius Entertainment logo on the back, and that's Weinstein. I'm not sure if they just own some of the bonus features or what. The cover art for the Blu-Ray is based off the standard release.

As for Stranglehold including a high-def version of Hard Boiled:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/07/19/stranglehold-to-include-remastered-high-definition-version-of-hard-boiled

I’ve long said that I think Weinstein and Lion’s Gate will be the first exclusive studios to go neutral, but I’ve heard nothing about either of them doing so. I must admit that I’m a bit concerned about the lack of recent Weinstein/Genius HD DVD releases; I was hoping to rent Hannibal Rising in HD DVD and 1408 is a must buy for my wife.

Even though Weinstein is very small and havent released anything since Black Xmas, I really hope they don't go neutral. What, that would make Universal the only HD DVD exclusive company..? Even though Universal has an unbelievable library it would suck not having anyone else. I had no idea Lion's gate was a company that could possibly go neutral, I figured there strictly Blu. Can anyone elaborate on that some more??

I would've loved to have bought Bobby. No idea why it wasn't released in HD. :(

There were (still are?) high-def Lion's Gate movies available on Xbox 360's marketplace, which fueled speculation that they were going neutral.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Hard Boiled is in SD on Stranglehold as well.The version of Hard Boiled included in the Strangelhold SE is in HD on BluRay.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/05/16/best-special-edition-ever-stranglehold-se-exclusive-to-the-ps3/

There were (still are?) high-def Lion's Gate movies available on Xbox 360's marketplace, which fueled speculation that they were going neutral.

Their still there, along with tons of titles by Disney.
Its only a matter of time before both release on HD DVD.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Hard Boiled is in SD on Stranglehold as well.

And where did you hear that Grindhouse would be on both formats?

It was indeed reconfirmed to be in 1080p HD.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/07/19/stranglehold-to-include-remastered-high-definition-version-of-hard-boiled

I was hoping to rent Hannibal Rising in HD DVD

If you're willing to import and wish to purchase the movie, it's getting released on HD DVD in Poland on August 23.

Even though Weinstein is very small and havent released anything since Black Xmas, I really hope they don't go neutral. What, that would make Universal the only HD DVD exclusive company..? Even though Universal has an unbelievable library it would suck not having anyone else. I had no idea Lion's gate was a company that could possibly go neutral, I figured there strictly Blu. Can anyone elaborate on that some more??

Remember that since Weinstein is small they are probably planning playing it safe with their small library. Their last two releases were in mid-June which isn't that long ago, especially since those two releases in June account for 18% of their releases on HD DVD. So Weinstein isn't exactly MIA like Fox is.

Personally I was thinking the HD DVD PRG might have asked Weinstein to hold back on some releases until the holiday season to help offset the exclusives that Blu-Ray would be receiving. Right now this is just speculation and I don't want their to be a big outburst of rumors like the "Target goes Blu-Ray only" misrepresentation.

Don't know whats going on but Death Proof and Planet Terror have been announced
for DVD but sadly there was no mention of an HD release.

Weinstein has 13 movies with their HD DVD release date pending over at highdefdigest (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/releasedates.html) one of them being Sin City 2, which obviously isn't coming out until '08 at the earliest.

The version of Hard Boiled included in the Strangelhold SE is in HD on BluRay.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/05/16/best-special-edition-ever-stranglehold-se-exclusive-to-the-ps3/


That sounds tome more like Midway is supporting BD than Weinstein; I don't see Weinstein mentioned in the article at all. I'm sure things will become clear down the road.

That sounds tome more like Midway is supporting BD than Weinstein; I don't see Weinstein mentioned in the article at all. I'm sure things will become clear down the road.

Hard Boiled is Weinstein's movie. Not Midways.

First there's the Blockbuster thing. The Weinstein Company has an exclusive 4-year deal with Blockbuster. That means they have no other outlet for their HD DVD's as far as in-store rentals go.

Second, they're apparently allowing an HD version of Hard Boiled to be included on the bonus disc for Stranglehold for PS3. So, one of the movies they own is being released in Blu-Ray. 360 only gets SD.

Third, I've been hearing that it was announced at ComicCon that Grindhouse (either the full movie, or the two seperate parts, not clear on that) will be released on both HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and that it will be their first release on Blu-Ray.

<sigh> This is how rumors get started and distorted.

This all came from a guy who posted in the blu forums about an alledged conversation he had with Weinstein reps at comic con.

Does it ever stop? :rolleyes:

Don't know whats going on but Death Proof and Planet Terror have been announced
for DVD but sadly there was no mention of an HD release.They've never released a title day-and-date on HD DVD, so this is expected.

This all came from a guy who posted in the blu forums about an alledged conversation he had with Weinstein reps at comic con.As far as I know, it started on DVD Talk in their DVD forum (http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=507329) -- not even the high-def forum -- so I don't think there's any bias creeping in.

A couple of separate users there have confirmed that this is what the Weinstein reps are saying:

SPIDERone (who I believe posts on AVS as Sofdec7): When asked if they plan to release it on HDDVD or Blu Ray.. "We plan to put it on blu ray later this year" - likely a simple error, but worth noting.

Just got a bit more info..

Grindhouse will be their first blu ray title

fitprod: I don't think the Blu-ray part of the equation is an error, I asked when the Weinstein Company would start releasing Blu-ray discs, and their Video Rep told me specifically that Death Proof and Planet Terror would be their first Blu-ray releases. But, they had no street dates...

Talking with their Home Video rep, it will be both formats, and their intial launch title on Blu-ray.

It's possible that the rep is mistaken, but this doesn't seem that unrealistic to me.

As long as they put the stuff out on HD-DVD, why does anyone care if they put it out on Blu-Ray also? I don't get the concern here.

As long as they put the stuff out on HD-DVD, why does anyone care if they put it out on Blu-Ray also? I don't get the concern here.

That's why it's called format WAR.


The mind of most single-format users: It is not enough just to get a given release, "the other side" not getting it is a major part of the fun. :rolleyes:

As long as they put the stuff out on HD-DVD, why does anyone care if they put it out on Blu-Ray also? I don't get the concern here.Because it reduces the chances of HD DVD winning and increases the chances of Blu-ray winning. Basically, it is about future releases and events for many people. For others it might be a jealousy thing with the "other format" getting a title, but regardless of things like that studios going neutral is relevant to content you may or may not get for a certain player in a year or two. I think when most people buy a player it matters to them what content they will be able to get in the future, not just what content they can get now.

I hope this thing with somebody representing the Weinsteins reportedly saying that Grindhouse would come to both gets cleared up, in whichever direction is true. I would personally like to see them do it, but if they aren't going to then hopefully they will clear this up soon.

--Darin

Isnt Weinstein a big supporter of Kevin Smith? I doubt this means much to everyone but for me I love Kevin Smith and his dvds always seem to be packed filled with extras. I am waiting for down the line when Kevin gets in deep with bonus content for blu ray and hddvd.

So when is Medellin coming out on HD DVD and Blu ray?

Their still there, along with tons of titles by Disney.
Its only a matter of time before both release on HD DVD.
Thank you for injecting some much needed comedy into this thread. Good one :D

Hard Boiled is Weinstein's movie. Not Midways.

Yes, but did Midway pay Weinstein for the rights to do this? I bet they did. Did Midway hire a company to do an HD transfer? Did Weinstein do it for them? Did I miss those points in the article?

To me it's not all that different from Disney and Lion's Gate being on the XBox marketplace; the presence could be an indicator of eventual neutrality, but it isn't exactly a press release.

EDIT To respond to the following:

Isnt Weinstein a big supporter of Kevin Smith? I doubt this means much to everyone but for me I love Kevin Smith and his dvds always seem to be packed filled with extras. I am waiting for down the line when Kevin gets in deep with bonus content for blu ray and hddvd.

Well Clerks 2 was a two-disk HD DVD set. Here's a bit about the extras from High-Def Digest:

I don't think there's ever been a Kevin Smith DVD that wasn't spilling over with supplemental features, and 'Clerks II' is no exception. Smith and the View Askew crew have stacked the standard-def release with two discs of goodies, and happily all of them have made the jump to HD DVD. And as an added bonus, all of the video material is presented in full 1080p video. Sweet.

Disc one features not one but three audio commentaries. It's a total overload of information. The first is a 'Technical" commentary by Smith, producer Scott Mosier and director of photography David Klein; the second is a "Feature" commentary, again with Smith and Mosier plus actors Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman and Jennifer Schwalbach. The cast gathering is far more fun (only the absence of Rosario Dawson disappoints), despite the fact that with so many participants means little face time for all. Yet Smith is a total pro, after years of doing commentaries and his legendary Q&A's -- he acts as interviewer, probing the cast with questions, so it ends up being a laid back, really charming track. Finally, there is also a third "Podcast" commentary with Smith, Mosier and Anderson that was originally intended to be a downloadable MP3 fans could listen to in theaters on their iPods. Despite a bit of redundancy between all these tracks, the third one might actually be the best, mixing the technical with the on-set anecdotes and other fun reminiscing about the ten years between 'Clerks' and 'Clerks II.'

Also on the first platter are 37 minutes of Deleted Scenes. The assortment is fairly typical, with a few extended or alternate versions of scenes, as well as a couple of gems, including a six-minute improv with guest star Wanda Sykes. Hilarious stuff. Also a hoot is the 8-minute "A Closer Look at Interspecies Erotica" featurette, which, um, goes deeper inside the film's unforgettable "Donkey Dance" scene. This featurette isn't subtitled "Making a Watershed Cinematic Moment" for nothing.

The rest of the extras are all on disc two. The whopper is a 90-minute documentary, "Back to the Well: The Making of 'Clerks II,' which I loved. By far one of the best "video diaries" I've seen in years, the story of the making of the movie is as engaging, if not more so, than the film itself. The production stories are great, from Smith's difficult experience on his pre-'Clerks II' flop 'Jersey Girl,' to what really happened with the aborted 'Green Hornet' project, the difficulty in landing a star for the female lead, and Harvey Weinstein's initial reservations with the script. But Smith also lets the cameras in on his personal life, which allows for some genuinely touching moments, whether it is Smith taking the "avowed agnostic" Mosier to church, or Jason Mewes' surprisingly candid recollections of how his well-publicized heroin addiction influenced the movie. More than the aforementioned commentaries, "Back to the Well" is the heart of the many supplements on the 'Clerks II' HD DVD.

More fun can be found on the Blooper Reel, which runs an incredible 30 minutes on its own. Perhaps this is too much of a good thing, though, as I couldn't make it all the way through without fast forwarding. Dawson chirping "Mooby's!" over and over is a treat, as are the numerous bad line readings by a surprisingly inept Jason Lee, which diehard fans will probably appreciate most. Then there is the VH-1 Movie Special on 'Clerks II.' Running 24 minutes, and the only extra here presented in 4:3 full screen/480p video, it's kind of redundant given the breadth and depth of the rest of the supplements, but far be it for me to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Rounding out this rather impressive collection are ten Online Production Diaries, dubbed "Train Wrecks." Though dozens of these vignettes were posted to the View Askew website throughout the production of 'Clerks II,' Smith and Mosier selected the ten best for inclusion on the HD DVD. Unfortunately, the picks are something of a mixed bag. About half are interesting production quickies, including a look at the film's big "special effect" of the burning of the Quickie Mart, though I personally could have lived without the discussion between Smith and Schwalbach about underwear. And watch for appearances by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez, who offer advice to Smith after a first-cut screening of 'Clerks II.'

Article Link (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/clerksii.html)

I don't know if that's special enough, but it certainly isn't "run of the mill" for HDM at this point.

Well Clerks 2 was a two-disk HD DVD set. Here's a bit about the extras from High-Def Digest:They're nuts if they sincerely think the extras are in high definition. If they're encoded in 1080p, they're very, very clearly an upconvert.

The extras are the same as the DVD release, for what that's worth.

I hope WAR will be on HD DVD since it's Lions Gate