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Invelos Forums->General: General Home Theater Discussion |
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Universal Blu-ray Press Release |
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| Registered: March 13, 2007 | Reputation:  |  Posts: 1,911 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quote:
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.
--END--- | | | | Signature banned: Reason out of date... |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: |  Posts: 3,197 |
| | Posted: | | | | I'm glad they're not holding off Heroes Season 2 until they've released Season 1 on Blu. | | | | First registered: February 15, 2002 |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,911 |
| | Posted: | | | | Of course they announce Seasons 1 and 2 of Heroes, I just bought Heroes Season 1 on DVD. Guess I won't open it now! | | | | Signature banned: Reason out of date... |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,911 |
| | Posted: | | | | More from Universal on Blu-ray Quote:
High-def strategy now Universal
Day-date format bows part of studio's Blu-ray way
By Thomas K. Arnold
April 17, 2008
Beginning in the summer with "Doomsday," Universal Studios Home Entertainment will bow all its new releases the same day on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, division president Craig Kornblau is set to announce Thursday.
The studio that once was Hollywood's top backer of the HD DVD format got behind Blu-ray the day format developer Toshiba officially threw in the towel two months ago, though without any details.
Now, Kornblau said, he's ready to go public with Universal's Blu-ray strategy, which includes plans to release about 40 titles in the second half of the year.
Among them are the studio's five big feature films of the summer, including "The Incredible Hulk," with Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler; "Wanted," the action thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie; Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"; "Mamma Mia," the adaptation of the musical starring Meryl Streep; and the sequel "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," with Jet Li, Maria Bello and Michelle Yeoh joining the returning Brendan Fraser and John Hannah.
"We're thrilled that our preliminary slate of Blu-ray offerings comprises such a brilliant collection of high-def-centric fare," Kornblau said.
Universal officially will enter the Blu-ray market July 22 with a trio of films from its "Mummy" action-adventure franchise: "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns," both starring Fraser, and the spinoff "The Scorpion King," with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Also planned for domestic Blu-ray before the year is up are the catalog titles "American Gangster," "Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Miami Vice," "End of Days," "U-571" and "Land of the Dead," among others.
"We are taking great care in mining our library for those properties we feel precisely hit that high-def 'sweet spot' and best deliver on the promise of providing consumers with the state-of-the-art home-viewing experience," Kornblau said.
The second season of NBC's "Heroes" will be Universal's first global Blu-ray release, with a worldwide bow set for Aug. 26, the same day as the DVD. Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release the title in North America, while Universal Pictures International, NBC Universal's international home entertainment arm, will release it in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Japan.
Also coming Aug. 26 will be Season 1 of "Heroes," which Universal released on HD DVD exactly one year before.
Universal's international Blu-ray slate will consist of 29 titles this year, including the five big theatricals as well as such catalog titles as "Gladiator," "Casino" and "The Thing."
"I am delighted that highly anticipated feature films and TV titles from one of Universal's strongest lineups ever will be available on Blu-ray for the first time," said Eddie Cunningham, Universal Pictures International Entertainment president.
Universal had been HD DVD's biggest studio backer ever since the next-generation optical disc format came to market in April 2006. But when Toshiba pulled the plug on the format in February, Kornblau wasted no time switching his allegiance.
He's also firmly committed to BD Live -- which allows Blu-ray Discs to be connected to the Internet for special features, from additional content to real-time chats with fellow viewers -- though the studio is not ready to announce any concrete plans.
HD DVD offered Web connectivity from the start, and Universal aggressively exploited this through features like a virtual store that allowed viewers to buy items they saw in the movie with a couple of clicks of the remote. -- The Hollywood Reporter | | | | Signature banned: Reason out of date... |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 |  Posts: 460 |
| | Posted: | | | | I hope they'll release "Slither" very soon, and "Back to the Future"... But knowing how long this took to bring this movie to DVD I can only say, the long wait begins...  | | | | Jean-Paul |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,911 |
| | Posted: | | | | Back to the Future Trilogy for 2009 -- Digital Bits | | | | Signature banned: Reason out of date... |
| | Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Posts: 460 |
| | Posted: | | | | I just read the other posting you made!!!
Really great news... and very much something to look forward to. Hopefully it'll be 2009, because the DVD release actually took about 10 years or so? | | | | Jean-Paul |
| | Registered: March 14, 2007 |  Posts: 868 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting NewEnglander: Quote:
Universal's international Blu-ray slate will consist of 29 titles this year, including the five big theatricals as well as such catalog titles as "Gladiator," "Casino" and "The Thing."
So if i read this correctly we can expect Gladiator on BluRay this year? I was also wondering i there was word yet on the decision if region coding would be used by Universal. I would be very interested in Heroes S2 (already own s1 on HD), Doomsday, Hellboy II (obviously!!), Incredible Hulk, Wanted, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (already own Mummy, Mummy Returns and Scorpion king on HD). Also, would they just rerelease their HD-DVD's on Blu-Ray or would they actually put some work in it, because some HD-DVD's were not very good and contained no extras, hopefully they try a bit. Finnally if they release American Gangster would it be the theatrical and the Director's Cut because the fact that the HD-DVD was only the theatrical cut held me from buying it, and would Atonement be released on Blu-Ray. Paul |
| | Registered: June 27, 2007 | | Posts: 2,049 |
| | Posted: | | | | I personally found that the quality of their HD-DVD's wasn't very good. The picture was a lot worse than for example WB Titles. Also the sound was usually only Dolby Digital Plus. Only a few titles were released in True HD.
Hopefully they'll do better with Blu Ray.
I wonder, does anyone know if the coming Universal titles will be region-coded? | | | | Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder |
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