News and Opinions

From this Digg thread on the earlier HD-A2 deal at Amazon:

// Netflix plug.
Don’t forget, Netflix offers HD-DVD and Bluray for no additional fee, so once you have those players and watch your free movies, consider signing up. [from Digg]

Thanks, AdamTReineke!

From AVSForum. Apparently having an HD-A2 in your cart with 3 combo discs works out to $210. Then, you get five straight HD DVD’s by mail. Not a bad way to get in the HD game if you feel so inclined! Still good to go as of 4:46 PM central.

…So the end cost is only around $210 for a HD-A2 plus three combo HD-DVDs (with 5 more after rebate).

It worked..

Toshiba A2
300 HD-DVD Combo
Departed HD-DVD Combo
Happy Feet HD-DVD Combo

Total $210 shipped and you get 5 more free by mail in..

Worked for me too…A2 for $210 including 8 HD DVD’s.(3 Combos – 5 mail in)

TechDirt sums up my thoughts astutely in their post on the recent dealings to reignite the HD DVD vs Blu-ray format war:

Fewer people are willing to adopt one technology if there’s still a half decent chance the other one might prevail. At the same time, fewer people are willing to adopt one technology if half the content they want to view is stuck on the other technology. It’s a lose-lose situation. [from TechDirt]

Read more about HD DVD’s recent deals here.

See the whole collection on FilmSchoolRejects.

Here’s a great round up from Trigger Street – the Top 5 Most Ridiculous Movie Plots of All Time.

Behold Number One – see how long it takes you to guess the movie:

Here’s yet another huge release on Blu-Ray and DVD: Spiderman 3! No cover art yet – waiting to get a membership at the Sony PR firm’s media website. But! Lots of other details in the meantime. There’s a stack of versions coming:

• DVD single-disc release – $39.90
• DVD two-disc Special Edition release – $47.95
• PSP – $39.90
• DVD three-pack release which will include Spider-Manâ„¢ and Spider-Manâ„¢ 2 – $55.96
• Blu-ray Spider-Manâ„¢ High Definition Trilogy, a three-pack release of all three films – $117.95 (yeeaarrghhh)
• Blu-ray stand-alone two-disc release – $62.95

Paraphrased from the press release: more than six hours of all-new bonus materials, including…

Read More

You will want to check out these two new Buena Vista TV on DVD releases coming on Tuesday: 8 Simple Rules Season One, and Home Improvement Season Seven.

Check out these samples, including clips from the blooper reels found exclusively on these DVD’s.

8 Simple Rules Clip

Blooper Clip

Home Improvement clip

Blooper Clip

And don’t forget our own exclusive reviews:

Home Improvement – The Complete Seventh Season

8 Simple Rules – The Complete First Season

Kedrix, author of our often alarming Dare to Play the Game series is going to like this one – Morgan Webb’s new daily gaming video blog.

Not that it isn’t without some controversy already, though.

Via Boing Boing – the 50 Best Movie Robots Ever. #50 – Andrew Martin, the Bicentennial Man. #1 – Terminator Series 800/Model 101. Great list, each entry has a corresponding YouTube video. Beware – this is a workday afternoon killer.

Looks better that I imagined after “Apocalypse.”

Yeah. Of all the portents of HD DVD’s coming demise, this one – citing the Japanese porn industry’s technology decision – is the least savory, though SFW on PC World. Thanks for the creepy cover art, Crunchgear.

Sony Corp. has started offering more technical support to the adult film industry in Japan, movie makers said at the Adult Treasure Expo 2007 in Chiba, Japan, and the problem of finding companies to mass produce their movies appears to be over.

It’s an important step for Blu-ray Disc. HD DVD has already won over the U.S. adult film industry through its lower costs and ease-of-use. People in the industry say they’ve received plenty of help from backers of the format, including Microsoft Corp. and Toshiba Corp. [from PC World]

Hmmmm. Back in the VHS/Beta days, the porn industry was cited as a major turning point in that format battle. I wonder though, to what degree that is still a factor. Do porn aficionados really crave the “Look and Sound of Perfection?” Or does DVD provide all the detail required? Further, what portion of pornography is consumed on disc formats vs. internet downloads now?

Also, between VHS and DVD, there has been a huge shift in mainstream consumer purchasing patterns, with DVD collections driving disc sales in a way that VHS collections never did. IMHO, this change will weight the success factors of this format war in favour of the mainstream over the porn market.

I really have no idea about any of these questions, but I’m willing to hazard a guess that the harbingers of HD DVD’s doom are jumping the gun here and that porn will play a secondary role to mainstream consumption this time around.

Found via Boing Boing, the BBC reports:

Although most of them in the remote village of Tabaka in Kisii have never watched the animated TV show, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have changed their lives and the new film should see demand for their work soar they hope. [from the BBC]

Talk about strange marketing gimicks. Is it callous exploitation (third world people producing trinkets for our amusement and their survival?) or philanthropy (helping a community lift itself up with their traditional strengths)?

Via Techmeme this AM: Target to go Blu-ray only for players.

• BGR calls it a death blow to HD DVD, citing BlockBuster’s move, and $500 Sony Blu-ray players as contributing factors.
• Joystiq advises gamers to skip Microsoft’s crazy XBOX360 HD DVD player + 5 discs deal.
• DailyTech points out how bizarre and contradictory Target’s PR is on this – hello Target? Only selling players in one format is restricting choice no matter how you cut it.
• NewTeeVee rightly points out that the format war is stupid and no-one cares anyway.

My take? Upscaling DVD is carrying me until widely available broadband downloads make “formats” pointless. That being said, certainly HD DVD looks to be on the ropes, with “free disc” ploys being a sign of desperation, and Blu-ray actively locking down channel partners. I’m willing to bet that Blu-ray will take this battle and keep Sony solvent for a few more years.

Hah. Looks like the format wars are over, from DVD Dossier, via Engadget.

We called the store to verify this and were told that, yes, they were wiped out of Blu-ray Discs on Sunday, about seven thousand bucks worth.

We then asked if they sold both high definition formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Once again, the answer was yes. But they still have a “good selection” of HD DVDs, as none were taken.

Two interesting movie-related bits have popped up on BoingBoing already today.

The Color of Money: BB points to an analysis of the colors used in top grossing movie posters. Restrictive ratings and big earners are dark and fleshy colored. [from BB]

Trailers from HELL:

The idea behind the recently launched “Trailers from Hell” website is simple and fun. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, there’s a new video segment in which a renowned movie director comments over one of their favorite b-movie / exploitation / grindhouse flick trailers. Lots of personal memories, inspiration revelations — it’s like having a beer with a filmmaker whose work you dig, and fessing up about crappy movies you’re both ashamed to admit loving. [from BB, via Hurty Elbow]

Good morning, evening or afternoon! I’m pleased to announce that there are big changes in the works for UpcomingDiscs – to bring you more reviews, news, and great movie coverage in a much better format.

In a nutshell, were moving UpcomingDiscs from its current layout, design, and “backend system” to WordPress. WordPress is a fantastic blogging platform that will make UpcomingDiscs easier to read and enjoy – on the site, in your email inbox, and in your RSS reader. WordPress also makes UpcomingDiscs much eas…
Read More