| HD DVD NEWS BLOG | Receive HD DVD News via RSS |  |
Amazon Offering $50 Gift Certificate to HD DVD Customers
Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:00 PM ETTags: Amazon, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
In a move reminiscent of last month's Best Buy offer, Amazon has begun contacting customers who qualify for a $50 gift certificate for purchasing HD DVD players.
In a company email that has begun going out to qualifying customers, the company states that players purchased before February 23, 2008, the same date specified in the Best Buy offer, qualify for the gift certificate, which can be used for new purchases on the site.
The email states, "New technologies don't always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50." The announcement does list some restrictions for the certificate's use.
Unlike the Best Buy offer, the company does not mention trade-in options for HD DVD media, but does state that the "Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones." Perhaps suggesting that customer's might want to use their certificates to bring down the price of a shiny new Blu-ray player.
The program will run through April 9, 2009, so customers have plenty of time to take advantage of the offer.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
Vanguard Ends HD DVD Support with 'Disco Pigs,' Makes Move to Blu
Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 01:00 PM ETTags: Industry Trends, Vanguard (all tags)
Indie Vanguard has confirmed that it will close out its HD DVD support with the June release of 'Disco Pigs,' and that it plans to begin releasing titles on Blu-ray later this year.
Although Vanguard says there will be no official statement to come, the company has released an updated high-def release schedule that confirms they will no longer issue any new titles on the format following the June 24 HD DVD debut of the Cillian Murphy-starrer 'Disco Pigs.'
Also nixed from the company's schedule were two previously-announced HD DVD releases, 'The Low Life' and 'Animal Room.'
When asked for comment on Vanguard's future high-def plans, a company rep told us that a move to Blu-ray is currently in the planning stages for later this year. Initial titles and street date information are yet to be determined, however, so we expect to have additional information in the coming months.
As always, we'll keep you posted on further details of Vanguard's transition to Blu-ray as they're announced.
In the meantime, we've removed 'Animal Room' and 'The Low Life' from our HD DVD Release Schedule.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Disco Pigs (HD DVD)
BCI Moves to Blu, Cancels Upcoming HD DVD Slate (UPDATED)
Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Industry Trends, BCI (all tags)
UPDATE 03/26/08: We've received word from BCI that the 'Son of Paleface/My Favorite Brunette' HD DVD will be available via select retailers as originally scheduled. The company has no plans to support the format with any further releases. We've updated our database accordingly.
BCI/Eclipse has announced it has become the latest indie to go Blu, and has cancelled all previously-scheduled HD DVD titles.
The indie distributor was the first major indie to announce HD DVD support in late 2006, with a line-up of diverse cult gems that included 'Galaxina,' 'Golgo 13' and 'The Way of the World.' After a delay of over a year, however, only 'Galaxina' finally showed up in stores earlier this year, joining such recent BCI HD DVD releases as 'Ultimate Force' and the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby double-feature 'Road to Rio/Road to Bali.'
BCI had originally announced its latest HD DVD title (another Bob Hope double-header, 'My Favorite Brunette'/'Son of Paleface') was due to hit stores this week, but it failed to materialize on retail shelves. When asked for comment, a BCI rep confirmed to us that the company has nixed the release, as well any future support for the format.
Fans can still look forward to future next-gen BCI titles, however, as they will continue to throw their weight behind Blu-ray (the company has so far released 'Ultimate Force' on the format, as well as the "double feature" titles, 'Night of the Werewolf/Vengeance of the Zombies' and 'Sister Street Fighter/Sister Street Fighter 2'). According to the rep, it is planning a more aggressive Blu-ray line-up for later this year, although exact titles and street dates have yet to be determined.
As always, we'll keep you posted of all of BCI's future announcements as soon as they are officially confirmed.
In the meantime, we've removed the listing for 'My Favorite Brunette/Son of Paleface' from our HD DVD Release Schedule.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Galaxina (HD DVD)
- The Road to Bali/The Road to Rio (HD DVD)
- Ultimate Force (HD DVD)
- Ultimate Force (Blu-ray)
- The Night of the Werewolf/Vengeance of the Zombies (Blu-ray)
- Sister Street Fighter/Sister Street Fighter 2: Hanging By a Thread (Blu-ray)
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- BCI Sets Fall Release for First HD DVD Titles; Blu-ray Also On the Way (Jul 03, 2006)
Verdi's 'Il trovatore' Set for HD DVD
Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 01:00 PM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Music on High-Def, Opus Arte (all tags)
In a late-breaking announcement, Opus Arte is bringing its latest musical release 'Guiseppe Verdi: Il trovatore' to HD DVD this week.
Shot entirely in high-definition, 'Il trovatore' features Jose Cura and Dmitri Hvorostovsky leading an all-star cast of Verdi’s blazingly passionate opera, in Elijah Moshinsky’s Royal Opera House production co-produced with Teatro Real Madrid and featuring sets by noted Italian film designer Dante Ferretti.
Opus Arte has set a March 25 street date for the stateside HD DVD release.
Tech specs include 1080i video (at 1.78:1), with Dolby TrueHD tracks in 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo.
Supplements include a suite of three behind-the-scenes featurettes, including "Meet the Cast," "All About Schläger" and "Designing Il trovatore."
Suggested retail price for the HD DVD has been set at $39.99.
You'll find disc details for 'Guiseppe Verdi: Il trovatore' linked from our HD DVD Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 25.
We've also set up a dedicated thread for Opus Arte's latest in our Forums area -- click the following link to discuss the 'Il trovatore' HD DVD release.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Verdi: Il Trovatore (HD DVD)
|
Best Buy Offers $50 Gift Cards To HD DVD Buyers
Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 03:00 PM ETTags: Best Buy, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
Hoping to help heal the battle scars of the High-Def format war, Best Buy has announced plans to offer $50 gift cards to all customers who purchased HD DVD players before February 23, 2008.
As announced via press release this morning, customers will receive the gift cards for every HD DVD player or HD DVD attachment purchased at Best Buy before the February 23, 2008 cut off date. All told, the company estimates it will distribute more than $10 million dollars in gift cards.
“The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven’t seen since Betamax took on VHS,” said Brian J. Dunn, President and Chief Operating Officer for Best Buy. “Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs.”
Best Buy says it will proactively mail the cards to all customers whom they can determine purchased qualifying equipment. Best Buy Reward Zone members, Performance Service Plans (PSPs) participants, and online customers should expect to receive their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers should have credit card proofs of purchase or Best Buy receipts ready and call (888) BEST BUY.
“The beauty of this offer is that it doesn’t require our customers to give up their HD DVD player,” said Best Buy’s chief marketing officer, Barry Judge. “We know that many people who purchased these players have HD DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We’re telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores.”
Customers who want to trade in all of their HD DVD equipment and movie libraries will also have that option. By visiting www.bestbuytradein.com beginning March 21, visitors can get instant estimates regarding the value of their collections, regardless of where they were purchased. If they agree to the estimates, they will then be able to send their items to the Trade-In Center for free by downloading prepaid shipping labels. These customers will also receive payment in the form of an additional gift card.
Further information can be obtained by visiting the Best Buy HD DVD Action Center.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding More Than $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers [Press Release]
- Best Buy HD DVD Action Center [Best Buy]
'Freedom: 6' Comes to HD DVD This June
Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 09:00 AM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Bandai Visual (all tags)
Bandai Visual says it will bring the penultimate installment in the popular 'Freedom' series to HD DVD this June.
Originally presented as a seven-part series in Japan, entitled The Freedom Project, Bandai has retained the same strategy for the series' stateside release, issuing a new 30-minute episode as a stand-alone title every few months.
The company says that despite the imminent end of the HD DVD format in North America, it plans to finish out releasing the series on the format. Due in stores June 24, 'Freedom: 6 ' will again see a "twin format" configuration like the first five volumes of the series. (The company says that the last installment, 'Freedom: 7,' will be released on HD DVD sometime this August.)
Tech specs include a 1080p/VC-1 transfer (at 1.78:1 widescreen), and Japanese tracks in Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 Surround (1.5mbps) and PCM 2.0 Stereo (optional English subtitles are also provided).
Extras remain slim, with the disc including only a theatrical trailer, and for web-enabled users, a "digest version" of 'Freedom: 5' plus a TV spot for 'Freedom: 7.'
Retail for the HD DVD has been set at $39.99.
You'll find disc details for 'Freedom: 6' linked from our HD DVD Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 24.
We've also set up a dedicated thread for Bandai's latest in our Forums area -- click the following link to discuss the 'Freedom: 6' HD DVD release.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Freedom: 6 (HD DVD)
- Freedom: 5 (HD DVD)
- Freedom: 4 (HD DVD)
- Freedom: 3 (HD DVD)
- Freedom: 2 (HD DVD)
- Freedom: 1 (HD DVD)
Digital Leisure Grounds 'Space Ace' HD DVD
Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:00 AM ETTags: Street Date Changes, High-Def Gaming, Digital Leisure (all tags)
Citing Toshiba's "cessation of support for the format," Digital Leisure has pulled the plug on its planned HD DVD port of the arcade classic 'Space Ace.'
As previously reported, Digital Leisure had announced a dual-format release for 'Space Ace,' with both the HD DVD and Blu-ray due to touch-down on April 8. The company's decision now leaves only the Blu-ray still on track for release.
Also blasted like an asteroid is the "head-to-head" online gaming feature that was to be an exclusive to the HD DVD version. (At press time, Digital Leisure says the Blu-ray version of 'Space Ace' will not be BD-Live enabled. Whether the company plans to reissue the title in the future in a Profile 2.0-compliant version that includes the online gaming component remains to be seen.)
Although the company says it does not plan to issue an official statement regarding its HD DVD support, a company rep tells us that with the cancellation of 'Space Ace,' Digital Leisure is no longer planning any future titles for the format. That leaves 'Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp' (which the company had previously indicated in press materials would see a dual-format release sometime in 2008) also DOA on HD DVD.
As always, we'll keep you posted on all future Digital Leisure announcements as they come to us.
In light of the nixing of 'Space Ace,' we've removed the title's listing from our HD DVD Release Schedule. You'll find complete specs for the Blu-ray version in our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 8.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Space Ace (Blu-ray)
- Dragon's Lair (Blu-ray)
- Dragon's Lair (HD DVD)
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- 'Space Ace' Rockets to Blu-ray, HD DVD (Feb 06, 2008)
Microsoft: “We’ll support Blu-ray”
Fri Mar 07, 2008 at 03:00 PM ETTags: Microsoft (all tags)
Amid rumors that Microsoft is in talks to add Blu-ray support to its Xbox 360 game console, CEO Steve Ballmer has indicated the company’s intention to support the remaining high-def format.
As reported by The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took part in an onstage conversation at the company’s Mix08 Internet conference in Las Vegas Thursday, where the topics discussed included Microsoft’s high-def plans following the discontinuation of Toshiba’s HD DVD format.
Without offering specifics, Ballmer said the company will work to support Blu-ray.
“We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like,” Ballmer stated. “I think the world moves on. Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense.”
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Ballmer lets out his inner Monkey at Mix08 event [Seattle PI]
Image Cancels Upcoming HD DVD Slate
Fri Mar 07, 2008 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Street Date Changes, Image Entertainment (all tags)
Image Entertainment has canceled its entire remaining HD DVD release slate, and says an official announcement ending support for the format is forthcoming.
One of the leading suppliers of independent titles on high-def, Image had previously supported both the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats, releasing a variety of music, special interest, and theatrical releases over the past two years.
A company spokesperson tells us that a written press release, due in the next several days, will confirm an end to their HD DVD support. Furthermore, effective immediately, Image has canceled all of the remaining HD DVD titles on its release schedule.
Among the HD DVD titles affected by the change are 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' (originally due April 15), and a spate of IMAX films (which had been set for an April 8 release).
Image's upcoming Blu-ray release schedule will be unaffected by the news.
We'll keep you posted on Image's official exit from the HD DVD format as soon as an announcement is released.
In the meantime, we've removed all of the distributor's upcoming titles from our HD DVD Release Schedule.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
Rachmaninov's 'Piano Concertos' Multichannel Audio HD DVD Announced
Fri Mar 07, 2008 at 09:00 AM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Music on High-Def, Surround Records (all tags)
Surround Records has announced a late-March arrival for the latest addition to its line of HD DVD multichannel audio releases.
Featuring a pair of performances presented in an "Acoustic Reality Experience," the street date for 'Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 ' is March 29.
Carrying on the tradition of its past HD DVD releases, Surround Records presents 'Rachmaninov' in remixed 7.1-channel DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio high-resolution surround, along with an accompanying video track that features multimedia artwork and visuals encoded in 1080p/VC-1.
As we've previously reported, Surround Records has announced that it will begin rolling out Blu-ray editions of its HD DVD titles this Spring. The indie distributor has yet to announce exact release dates for its first Blu-ray releases.
Retail price for 'Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3' on HD DVD has been set at $29.95. (The disc is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com for 19.95 -- see the link below.)
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 2&3 [Amazon.com]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Surround Records Announces Dual-Format Format
- << NEWER STORIES
- OLDER STORIES >>
|
High-Def Digest Text Ads |