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Disney to include new Blu-ray features

The new Blu-ray spec 1.1 is mandated by the 31st of October, and Walt Disney Studios is preparing four new titles to feature BD-Java and BD-Live features. Although these features will be special, it is the titles themselves that are the real draw. Finding Nemo, National Treasure and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe are all impressive, but it’s the Platinum title Sleeping Beauty that will steal the show.

Nearly from its inception, Blu-ray advertisements have featured the visages of Aslan the lion and the aquatic friends from Nemo. This next year they will finally make their appearances with BD-Java features like Picture-in-Picture. Sleeping Beauty and National Treasure will feature BD-Live interactivity. The Beauty Blu-ray Disc release will include a “virtual castle” and multi-player activities.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment President Bob Chapek said of Sleeping Beauty, “The Platinum titles are the crown jewels of the Disney Studios and we do not take releasing them lightly on any format. The proven Blu-ray technology has allowed us to take our films to new heights.” Sleeping Beauty has previously been released on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD. Disney claims the Pinocchio’s VHS release, and Snow White’s DVD release were major catalysts for the respective format’s growth. I’m not sure how they explain Laserdisc’s limited market in light of the Platinum releases on that format.

This is exciting news for Blu-ray supporters. You can expect to pick up The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in spring 2008, National Treasure in summer with Nemo andSleeping Beauty in the fall. No other technical specifications were given.

TotalHD delayed until ‘08
Early this year, Warner Bros. announced the TotalHD disc format meant to put an end to the high-def format war. This double-sided disc features Blu-ray on one side and HD DVD on the other. Last month, Warner announced a couple titles would be released on TotalHD only to recall that comment. It now looks like TotalHD is pushed back until the beginning of next year at the earliest.

No reason for the delay was officially announced, but speculation within the industry suggests Warner is waiting to see if the ‘07 holiday season shakes out a definitive win. In my judgment, TotalHD sounds like a cool idea, but it may only create more confusion in a market already overrun with ennui. Retailers have already been mixing HD DVD software in the DVD rack, and offering Blu-ray deals along with Toshiba players, so adding another format in the mix will make things even more dificult for the average consumer to understand.

It is uncertain if the TotalHD disc would cost more for the consumer, but I’ve already heard many HD DVD supporters complaining about the HD DVD/DVD combo discs making the cost higher. Universal has re-released combo HD DVD “flippers” removing the DVD side, and Warner has announced a slew of titles going the same route. Perhaps time will only tell if TotalHD is a genius marketing move or a half-baked idea.

What do you think of the TotalHD format?

Blu-ray outsells HD DVD 2 to 1 in first half of 2007

Both Blu-ray and HD DVD promotional groups have been advertising and touting minor victories here and there throughout 2007. We have seen numerous press releases from both camps touting disc sales numbers, standalone hardware sales statistics and more. These press releases generally talk percentages and in the HD DVD group’s case, they conveniently leave out the Sony PS3 console when they flaunt HD DVD player sales numbers.

With all the percentages and ratios flying around, it is nice to finally see some hard numbers on disc sales, now available to the public.

Home Media Magazine’s research division (Home Media Research) has recently reported that sales of Blu-ray Discs hit 1.6 million compared to 795,000 HD DVD’s sold in the first half of 2007 (Jan - Jun). Adding these up, you can see that approximately 2.4 million high definition discs were sold in the first half of 2007, with Blu-ray Disc sales accounting for over 66% of all these sales.

Blu-ray and HD DVD units sold since inception

The units sold since format inception are a bit different though. HD DVD has an advantage in this statistic as the format hit the market a bit before Blu-ray, resulting in a longer window of sales periods for HD DVD. According to Home Media Research, an estimated 3.7 million high def discs have been sold since the inception of both formats, with Blu-ray taking 2.2 million of that share and HD-DVD taking 1.5 million (data collected through the end of July).

The overall home video market

While these high definition disc sales numbers are slowly creeping into the millions, it is not much compared to the overall DVD sales market. DVD unit sales are in the billions and most analysts have determined that the high definition disc market is sitting at a mere 1-4% of the overall home video market. This means that there is plenty of room to grow for both formats.

The format war will continue…

At this point in time, HD DVD certainly seems to be the struggling format, with lower overall disc unit sales, less studio support and less retailer support than Blu-ray Disc. Nonetheless, the format war will probably continue on for quite some time. Possibly long enough to herald in the introduction of low cost dual format Blu-ray/HD DVD players, which would make the whole war a bit moot. These disc sales numbers were first reported on Reuters.

Xbox 360 elite HD DVD bundle on Amazon

Amazon.com is now featuring a special Xbox 360 elite HD DVD bundle on the front page of their Video Game category.

This specially priced package is listed at $599.99 and includes the Xbox 360 elite, the HD DVD Add-on and the Warner film “300″, which appears on the HD DVD/DVD combo format. Universal Studio’s “King Kong” HD DVD is included in the HD DVD Add-on package and the purchase is also eligible for the 5 free HD DVD movie offer via a mail-in rebate form.



This deal appears to be the first Microsoft Xbox 360 bundle that includes the HD DVD Add-on drive, highlighting the high definition playback capabilities as the main selling feature. Sitting at $599.99, this Xbox elite HD DVD bundle looks to be in direct competition with Sony’s PS3 80GB gaming console, which is currently retailing for the same price.

It is certainly nice to finally see an Xbox 360 HD DVD bundle from Microsoft, but in my opinion, there should have been an HD DVD bundle available a long time ago. The bundle will increase awareness of the HD DVD format and will also lead to more HD DVD sales in the long run. This HD DVD bundle has only been spotted on Amazon currently and there is no telling whether or not this package will have widespread availability at multiple retailers.

Now if only they would make a new black colored HD DVD Add-on to go with that slick, black colored Xbox 360 elite…

Choose your own adventure on HD DVD or Blu-ray

Warner Home Video has recently announced that “Return to House on Haunted Hill” will be hitting Blu-ray and HD DVD on October 16th. The high definition versions of this title will feature “navigational cinema”, which will provide a ‘choose your own adventure’ type of in movie experience.

Viewers will be able to choose what options or paths a character will take during the movie, resulting in different consequences and different storyline paths for the film. All in all, Warner is promising that the film will provide at least 96 different possible paths, theoretically resulting in a much higher replay value for the title. Check out the video preview below to learn more about this first of its’ kind high definition release.

I will definitely be checking out this title once it is released in October. Warner has set a suggested retail price at $34.99 for both the HD DVD and Blu-ray versions, but I expect the actual retail pricing to drop to around $24.99 at some stores.

Motörhead HD DVD features new interactivity
If you’re into British heavy metal band Motörhead, as I am, you will be pleased to hear SPV is releasing a music HD DVD of Stage Fright.

The music HD DVD release will feature never-before-seen interactivity; aside from picture-in-picture video commentary, custom photo galleries and playlists, Stage Fright will have networking features that will update fans with band news, pictures and fan art. An online section allows fans to upload pictures to share with the community.

This will be released Sept. 3 only in Europe, but with HD DVD’s lack of region codes you can import it and play it on any HD DVD player in the world.

For more information and screenshots, visit the official website: HD DVD Germany

Onkyo announces DV-HD805 HD DVD player

Onkyo USA has just announced that they will be releasing their DV-HD805 HD DVD standalone player this fall.

An Onkyo brand HD DVD player has been in the works for quite some time now and it is nice to see that it will finally be hitting the market in time for this year’s holiday season.

Here are a few excerpts from the press release, which was published today.

ONKYO USA has announced the launch of its first HD-DVD player, the DV-HD805. This player has been introduced to realize the potential of high-definition HD DVD content. It is also one of the first HD DVD players to take advantage of high-bit-rate audio streaming via HDMI version 1.3a. The DV-HD805 will be available in the fall of 2007.

HDMI version 1.3a allows the DV-HD805 to offer the full potential of high-definition 1080p video (the native resolution of HD DVD discs). Furthermore, HDMI version 1.3a enables Deep Color™ technology to improve color tones and achieve finer color gradation. Also, when connected with the new Onkyo HDMI version 1.3a A/V receivers, the DV-HD805 is capable of high-bit-rate audio streaming output. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound codecs enable bit-for-bit reproduction of the studio master meaning that this player is capable of the highest clarity and most advanced realism from movie soundtracks.

At the heart of the Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD player

The image above displays a “possible look” of the Onkyo DV-HD805, but I expect that when the player is actually released this fall, it will look completely different. Why, you might ask? Because the above image shows an Onkyo HD DVD player that was based on an older generation Toshiba HD DVD player. With the specs that this player is now boasting, it is certain to have a 3rd generation Toshiba HD DVD player at its’ core. More specifically, it will probably be based on the Toshiba HD-A35. These 3rd generation players, which were recently announced, will be smaller than previous HD DVD players and have more smooth, rounded looks. Because the new model will be an Onkyo branded player, the look or outer casing could be completely different than the 3G Toshiba units, but nonetheless, I expect the player to look a lot slicker than the older rendition pictured above.

The DV-HD805 will offer some impressive features including full 1080p picture display, 24p support, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio capabilities, deep color support and more. The exact street date had not yet been determined, but the suggested retail price is set at $899. To read the full press release including additional specs, head on over to OnkyoUSA.