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Warner Blu-Ray Press Release

post #1 of 11
Thread Starter 
WARNER BLU-RAY PRESS RELEASE

Best Films of 2006 and 2007 and Classic Favorites on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video
Superman Returns #1 Blu-ray title for 2006

2007 International CES
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kicking off 2007 with a bang, Warner Home Video (WHV) will continue to offer consumers a diverse choice of titles on Blu-ray Disc, including the critically acclaimed Martin Scorsese gangster drama The Departed on February 13. The Departed is the proud recipient of six Golden Globe nominations this year including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg), Best Director (Martin Scorsese) and Best Screenplay (William Monahan). The Departed will be available on Blu-ray Disc for $34.99 SRP.

Since August 2006 when WHV launched its titles on Blu-ray Disc it has released 33 titles on the Blu-ray format. Titles represented a combination of new releases and catalog favorites and included Superman Returns, which was the #1 selling title on Blu-ray Disc for 2006.

Also coming to Blu-ray Disc will be the riveting thriller The Wicker Man which will be available on January 30 and include an alternate ending not seen in theaters. Also debuting on the 30th will be the slapstick comedy Beerfest (Unrated) from the Broken Lizard comedy group. Both Blu-ray Disc titles will be available for $28.99 SRP. All bonus materials on the standard DVD version will be included on the high definition versions.

Warner Bros. recent theatrical hit Happy Feet and the critically acclaimed films Blood Diamond and We Are Marshall will make their Blu-ray Disc debuts in 2007. Dates and specifics for these titles will be announced soon.

WHV will be opening the vaults and bringing out fan favorites and top franchises for all genres. Planned releases for 2007 include The Matrix franchise, all of the Harry Potter films and Oceans 11 and Oceans 12. Other classic titles to be released in the first quarter of 2007 include GoodFellas, The Dirty Dozen, Enter the Dragon, Bullitt and The Getaway (1972) starring Steve McQueen. Also being released in 2007 is Alexander Revisited: The Unrated Final Cut.

Warner Home Video, which has the largest film library of any studio, will continue to release a wide variety of the most successful titles from its collection on HD-DVD and Blu Ray Disc to bring the high definition viewing experience home to more consumers than ever before. Warner Home Video will also release Ultimate Collector's Edition HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs to meet high definition and collector consumer needs.

Warner Home Video Blu-ray Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. Blu-ray Discs also provide a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu-bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film.

With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.
post #2 of 11
No info on Batman Begins
post #3 of 11
Thread Starter 
Don't worry, it's coming. From The Digital Bits interview:

Quote:


We've also finally heard back from Warner per our high-def inquiry from early last week. We've spoken today with Warner Home Video's VP of HD Media Development, Dan Silverberg, about the studio's support of both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats moving forward. Here's what he had to say:

"WHV's objective is to have triple day and date releases for all new theatrical titles on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. We began this with The Lake House and more recently Superman Returns and Ant Bully. As for our catalog titles, we would like to have simultaneous HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases. Again, this is something we have done recently with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story, and will be doing with Scooby-Doo and Alexander: The Director's Cut, as well as recent DVD releases coming soon to high def like Wickerman and Beerfest, both being the unrated versions.

We also plan to make every effort to "catch-up" the 2006 titles currently only out on HD DVD with the Blu-ray versions in 2007. There are two reasons that the discrepancy exists. One has to do with the interactivity layer for BD with respect to picture-in-picture functionality. Some of our titles like Batman Begins and V for Vendetta have extensive interactive experiences and we don't want the Blu-ray consumer to have a "lesser" experience. We expect that this enhanced interactivity will be ready on the Blu-ray side soon. The other reason had to do with length of movies and the availability of 50 GB discs. That situation has already improved, as the releases of Unforgiven, Last Samurai and Goodfellas (1/16) show. We are also working on Enter the Dragon and a few others for early 2007 Blu-ray release as part of that "catching up" plan."
post #4 of 11
The Perfect storm would be nice...
post #5 of 11
They took the WHV HD DVD press release and changed a few words...
"Find and Replace"
post #6 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elbie View Post

No info on Batman Begins

I feel your pain.
post #7 of 11
This is great for Blu-ray. Last year, WB was supporting HD DVD in a big way. This year? Equal support. A lack of those exclusives on BD was making HD DVD look like the place for WB titles.

If that's not an indication of a shift in the way the wind's blowing...
post #8 of 11
I'm looking forward to Warner catching up with their BDs. I really want T3, V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, and Enter The Dragon for starters.
post #9 of 11
What about the earlier Keaton Batmans! They just made spankin' new transfers a year or so ago yes?
post #10 of 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sisko197 View Post

This is great for Blu-ray. Last year, WB was supporting HD DVD in a big way. This year? Equal support. A lack of those exclusives on BD was making HD DVD look like the place for WB titles.

If that's not an indication of a shift in the way the wind's blowing...


WB always said they would release all titles in both formats. This is nothing new.

Eric
post #11 of 11
If it's better than DVD, I would still get it, hobbled or not. I like the film and it would be the best available presentation.
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