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'Star Trek' HD DVD to be Screened in Theaters
Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 11:00 AM ETTags: High-Def Disc Marketing, Star Trek, Paramount (all tags)
Mark your calendars, Trekkies! An episode from the upcoming HD DVD/DVD release of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' is headed to a theater near you.
As we've previously reported, 'Star Trek: The Original Series' will make its next-gen debut November 20 in a gargantuan HD DVD/DVD box set, featuring newly remastered picture and sound, all-new re-tooled special effects and tons of extras.
Now, as part of unique promotional campaign for the box set, Paramount Home Entertainment has announced plans to screen a classic episode from the HD DVD in select theaters nationwide on November 13, a full week before its scheduled release.
Nearly 300 theaters across the country are scheduled to take part, presenting the complete two-part episode "Menagerie," in full high-definition picture and sound. Each showing will also include a new taped introduction by Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry (son of the late 'Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry) and a 30-minute featurette that takes a behind the scenes look at the disc's remastering.
Alas, this big screen preview won't come free; tickets are being sold online at $12.50 a pop. For a full list of theater box offices and ordering information, visit www.FathomEvents.com.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- "Star Trek: The Original Series" Episode "The Menagerie" to be Presented in Special Big Screen Theatrical Event [Press Release]
- Participating Theaters and Ticket Information [Fathom Events]
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
- Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One (HD DVD)
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Paramount Unveils 'Star Trek: The Original Series' HD DVD Details (Jul 26, 2007)
CBS Forms Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD TV Unit; Classic 'Star Trek' to Lead Title Brigade
Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 04:35 PM ETTags: Disc Announcements, TV on HD, Star Trek (all tags)
A first step in bringing their TV titles into the high-def arena, CBS has launched a new home entertainment unit to handle DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD title releases, with the newly-restored original 'Star Trek' series leading the charge.
The company's new division, CBS Home Entertainment, will operate as part of the CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group, and will distribute all upcoming next-gen and standard-def disc releases via Paramount Home Entertainment.
With a stable of over 120 current series and a substantial library of more than 2,600 titles, CBS has an extensive and diverse catalog of television programming to exploit. Some of the company's current shows include 'Jericho' and 'Criminal Minds,' both of which are broadcast in HD, plus such long-running reality shows as 'Amazing Race' and 'Survivor.'
The new unit plans an aggressive increase in their TV on DVD output in 2007, with planned growth of an estimated 20 percent. Though no comparable plans have been announced by the new unit for Blu-ray and HD DVD, the possibilities are still exciting for both of the next-gen formats. That's because with only handful of TV releases thus far on Blu-ray and HD DVD, the platforms continue to be starved for television content.
Though CBS Home Entertainment has not yet announced any official release dates for its first Blu-ray or HD DVD television titles, they did confirm that first out of the gate will be the one series most had already been expecting. After being re-tooled in HD for syndicated broadcast late last year -- complete with all-new effects -- 'Star Trek: The Original Series' will finally make its next-gen debut as an HD DVD/DVD combo sometime in the second half of 2007.
"The reason we chose to do that [an HD DVD/DVD combo] is to give us the ability to make high-definition transfers of the show available to people who don’t yet have high-definition players," Ken Ross, Executive VP of CBS Home Entertainment told The Hollywood Reporter.
A Blu-ray release for 'Trek' has not yet been scheduled, although after contacting Paramount, word to High-Def Digest is that the studio remains fully and equally supportive of both formats. So we can expect to see 'The Original Series,' and all other future CBS titles, on Blu-ray as well.
We'll continue to keep you posted on all CBS Home Entertainment Blu-ray and HD DVD release announcements as soon as they are officially announced. Watch this space!
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- CBS Pushes DVDs, Goods Via New Units [Home Media Retailing]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Paramount to Boldly Take 'Star Trek' into the Next Generation of High-Def? (Aug 30, 2006)
Paramount to Boldly Take 'Star Trek' into the Next Generation of High-Def?
Wed Aug 30, 2006 at 03:30 AM ETTags: Star Trek, Paramount (all tags)
The online rumor mill has begun to churn in a big way for 'Star Trek'
fans, with Paramount allegedly in the early stages of a major high-def restoration
of the entire franchise.
At least that's according to The Digital Bits, which recently posted an update to their popular Rumor Mill column, indicating that Paramount has covertly begun a massive retooling of the complete 'Trek' motion picture and television canon, with an eye towards an eventual release on HD DVD and Blu-ray.
Seems the Bits' editor Bill Hunt recently attended a panel discussion at the World-Con in Anaheim that focused on the future of the Star Trek franchise, and one of the topics that came up was plans for the eventual release of all 'Trek' titles in high-definition.
In addition to the expected release of all nine big-screen 'Trek' films on both next-gen formats (plans for which Paramount has publicly confirmed through various press releases and an announcement at last January's CES), panel members indicated that sources within the studio have confirmed remastered versions of all six 'Trek' television adventures -- 'The Original Series,' 'The Animated Series,' 'The Next Generation,' 'Voyager,' 'Deep Space Nine' and the recently-cancelled 'Enterprise' -- are already in production.
Though 'Enterprise' has been broadcast in full high-definition since its 2002-2003 debut season, the other five TV properties have so far only been seen in their original 4:3 aspect ratios. However, all were shot on film, which means that Paramount could, in theory, go back to the original film elements and re-transfer them all in high-definition.
What's more, according to the Bits, work has already started on further retooling the special effects for 'The Original Series' with the high-def in mind. Meaning many shots will be given a new "CGI face-lift," specifically all of the series' trademark "spaceship shots."
Paramount has, predictably, refused to confirm nor deny the story to High Def Digest. But needless to say, this is potentially exciting news for 'Star Trek' fans -- though equally as troubling for purists, at least if Paramount pulls a George Lucas and does not include the original, untouched versions on any potential HD DVD or Blu-ray release.
Stay tuned for any further news on this developing story...
- Related links:
- Star Trek: The High-Def Special Edition?! [The Digital Bits]
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