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Koch Offers 'Ultimate DVD' Blu-ray, HD DVD Bundles
Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Koch, Disc Announcements, Bundles (all tags)
Starting today, Koch Releasing is offering bundled copies of its 'Ultimate DVD' home theater set-up disc with its releases of 'Chronos' and 'Nature's Journey' on Blu-ray and HD DVD.
Offering up a series of diagnostic tools designed to help consumers maximize their home theater's performance, 'Ultimate DVD' has already sold over 500,000 units, according to the distributor.
Priced at an MSRP $34.98, the two-disc bundle will retail for roughly five dollars more than the stand-alone next-gen editions of 'Chronos' and 'Nature's Journey.' That's a $15 savings off the cost of both discs if purchased separately.
In an email to High-Def Digest, Richard Casey, the producer of all three discs explained the rationale behind the new bundle:
"We are big believers in maximizing performance not just for our releases, but for the systems that play them back as well. Including the Ultimate DVD with our [high-def] releases will hopefully educate consumers on how to properly fine tune their system to achieve the best possible entertainment experience, not just with our titles but with all forms of entertainment media."
The 'Ultimate DVD' bundles are now available at DVD Empire (see links below).
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Ultimate DVD/Chronos (Blu-ray) [DVD Empire]
- Ultimate DVD/Chronos (HD DVD) [DVD Empire]
- Ultimate DVD/Nature's Journey (Blu-ray) [DVD Empire]
- Ultimate DVD/Nature's Journey (HD DVD) [DVD Empire]
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Chronos (Blu-ray)
- Chronos (HD DVD)
- Nature's Journey (Blu-ray)
- Nature's Journey (HD DVD)
Koch Readies 'Nature's Journey' for Blu-ray, HD DVD
Fri Jul 13, 2007 at 09:30 AM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Koch (all tags)
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the HD DVD edition of 'Nature's Journey' will include a Lossless Master Audio 5.0 surround track. In fact, the lossless track appears only on the Blu-ray edition. We regret the error. (Thanks to David, Don and Merlins for the corrections!)
Koch Distributing has announced it will bring the made-for-high definition 'Nature's Journey' to Blu-ray and HD DVD on September 11.
Dubbed a "mesmerizing sensory experience" of natural wonders, 'Nature's Journey' promises to deliver reference-quality high-def video and audio.
Hitting both formats on single-layer discs, the 25GB Blu-ray edition gets the the upper hand in terms of specs, enjoying a peak 37mbps 1080i video encode and a DTS HD Lossless Master Audio 5.0 surround track (at 5.3 Mpbs avg and 6.8 Mbps max), while the 15GB HD DVD gets a 26mpbs 1080i encode and a standard DTS-HD 5.0 surround track (at 3 Mbps).
Koch has set a $29.98 list price for both versions.
'Nature's Journey' follows Koch's first high-def release, the classic IMAX experience 'Chronos,' which debuted this past year on both formats.
We've added new listings for 'Nature's Journeys' to our Blu-ray Release Schedule and HD DVD Release Schedule, under September 11.
We've also set up dedicated threads for the title in our Forums area -- click the following links to discuss the 'Nature's Journey' Blu-ray release and the 'Nature's Journey' HD DVD release.
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Nature's Journey (Blu-ray)
- Nature's Journey (HD DVD)
- Chronos (Blu-ray)
- Chronos (HD DVD)
'Chronos' HD DVD Gets New Distributor; Blu-ray Version on the Way
Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 03:08 AM ETTags: Disc Announcements, Koch (all tags)
Due for HD DVD release today, the award-winning IMAX space documentary 'Chronos' will be hitting stores thanks to a new distributor, who have also announced a Blu-ray version for release early next year.
Originally expected from indie distributor Goldhil way back in April to coincide with the HD DVD hardware launch, we originally reported that the company had bumped the release to upgrade the disc's features. Word then came to us late last week that 'Chronos' -- the first IMAX film to see a next-gen release, by the way -- was back on the schedule and due in stores today, December 5.
However, we now have some updated info. Koch Entertainment has taken control of the rights to the title, and has sent us updated specs. In addition to a new 1080i (not 1080p) transfer in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (reformatted from the original IMAX exhibition of 1.37:1), the disc will come with the audio triple play of Dolby Digital-Plus (48kHz, 24-bit), DTS-HD (96kHz, 24-bit) and PCM (48kHz, 24-bit) 2.0 stereo tracks.
Koch has set a suggested $24.95 list price for the release.
The distributor also informs us that a Blu-ray version of 'Chronos' is also due for release in February 2007. But in what is likely to be a controversial decision, Koch has decided to upgrade the Blu-ray transfer to full 1080p, as well as use a higher bitrate DTS HD Lossless Master Audio soundtrack. This one will certainly make for an interesting comparison review, and stay tuned for more details on the Blu-ray version when it is officially announced.
Full specs for the HD DVD have now been added to our HD DVD Release Schedule, as well as a preliminary listing for the Blu-ray version to our Blu-ray Release Schedule.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- 'Chronos' Back in Orbit for HD DVD Debut (Nov 27, 2006)
- Goldhil Bumps 'Chronos' Release Date, Adds HD Bonus Content (Apr 26, 2006)
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