I would love to tell you this morning that the record breaking Iron Man Blu-ray release on October 1 was all puppies and rainbows, but that just isn't the case. And I can't lie to you, dear readers, at least not about Iron Man. The truth is, while the release made director John Favreau a happy man, it's done nothing but piss off consumers, thanks to huge BD-Live-related traffic jams the popular release created on Paramount's servers. Tony Stark, thy newest enemy and threat to the free world is BD-Live!

Read More »

Okay, so you don't have a Blu-ray player and you're not getting a new Dell. That still leaves you with eight—EIGHT—different versions of Iron Man to choose from, with everyone from Walmart to Borders hawking their own exclusive kit. Best Buy's might the most exquisitely fanboy fapworthy, encasing the flick and a custom lithograth in a Mark II mini-bust made by Sideshow Collectibles. Here's a guide to the rest, which we've placed in order of awesomeness, if you need some help deciding.

AU: Don't expect 8 different versions down here. And seriously - if you don't already own a Blu-ray player, this is the movie you want to buy one for.

Read More »

It's confirmed. Apple will release all new movies from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios on the same day as their DVD release, for US$14.99. Full press release after the jump.

Read More »

Even though Paramount has taken longer to announce their Blu-ray slate than the other former HD DVD lackey, they're getting 'em out the door quicker, surprisingly. The first three BDs (I hate the acronym, but let's go ahead and digest it) from Paramount arrive May 20: Face/Off (yes!), Bee Movie and Next. Then it gets kinda sparse, with intermittent releases through the rest of the summer (AU winter), though its first simultaneous new release w/ DVD will be The Spiderwick Chronicles on June 24. Not the hot roster I was looking for (Woo's opus excepted), but at least the Blu ball for every major studio is finally rolling. Update: We just did one better and got Paramount's press release with the full list (which confirms HR's report), check it out below.

Read More »

There won't be a soft transition to Blu-ray for Paramount—they're dropping their whole HD DVD release slate right this second. Their last two movies on the dead format hit Tuesday, even though we won't see Blu titles from them until this winter—that's months of lost $$$.

Read More »

By now you know waaaaay too much about Toshiba's format-war surrender, the death of HD DVD at the hands of the larger Blu-ray armada. You may even be eying the Blu-ray players mounted proudly in point-of-sale displays at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Pricing hasn't come down to HD DVD player levels—and with those sinking even further, it's unlikely they ever will—but the need to get in on the action might provoke you to spend some extra cash. All we're saying is DON'T! Not yet. If you don't know why, let us explain.

Read More »

Paramount's PR department is slower than the rest of the industry. They're officially Blu-ray as of today. So now it's totally and completely finished: All of the major studios, Wal-Mart, Amazon, Best Buy and Netflix are full steam ahead on Blu-ray. If you haven't digested the fact that HD DVD is gone by now, maybe it's time for some Tums. And counselling. [Reuters]

Read More »

The first signs of HD DVD ultimate demise may be coming from the UK on March 10. After the news on Universal and Paramount abandoning the exclusive HD DVD deal, it seems that Amazon UK is listing three Paramount Blu-ray titles with that definitive release date: Trading Places, Coming to America and Anchorman, which was never available in Blu-ray before. Amazon UK doesn't list the HD DVD versions, and these are all new Zone 2 releases, not US imports. Could this be an error on Amazon's part or just a sign of things to come? [Format War Central]

Read More »

The end of the war is near: Hollywood insider Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal will not longer exclusively support HD DVD. Following Warner defection to Blu-ray and reports clause that opens the door for Paramount to publish Blu-ray titles too, the end of Universal's exclusivity deal may be one blow to many for HD DVD. However, Universal is not going to stop publishing movies in the latter format:

Read More »

Financial Times is reporting that Paramount has a clause in its HD DVD exclusivity contract allowing them to bail from the sinking HD DVD ship if Warner defected to Blu-ray, and they are "poised" to do so. Warner's switch already put 70 percent of Hollywood's output on Blu-ray—Paramount rolling Blu-ray too would promptly and undoubtfully close the books on HD DVD's future in Hollywood. [Financial Times]