Despite everyone thinking that Toshiba should just throw in the towel, they just keep on truckin’. It’s like they’ve watched too many WWE wrestling matches, and believe that just because it’s the main event and they’re the crowd favourite, they’ll come back and steal victory at the last minute.
Except that they won’t. Not with Universal announcing its undying love for the format with a paltry 20 movies over 2008. Sure, the release said a minimum of 20 movies, so there could be more thrown in there with classics like Atonement, The Kingdom, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, American Gangster, and Charlie Wilson’s War.
Is it just me, or do all of those films sound like the tedious drone of boredom in list form? What Universal really needs to do is release something big, like Lord of the Rings to save the format. Oh wait, that’s right. New Line went Blu-ray with Warner. Sorry HD DVD, you’re screwed.
Universal Pictures Australasia announces continuing support for HD DVD
SYDNEY (4 Feb. 2008) – Universal Pictures Australasia announces its continuing support for the HD DVD format including plans to release at least 20 HD DVD titles in 2008.
Consumers in Australia & New Zealand can look forward to owning some of 2007’s most acclaimed movies on HD DVD, including the 14-Bafta nominated Atonement (30th April 2008), The Kingdom(6th February 2008), Elizabeth: The Golden Age(12th March 2008), American Gangster(14th May 2008), and Charlie Wilson’s War(4th June 2008).
HD DVD is loaded with signature features and state-of-the-art technology, including real-time interactivity, picture in picture, scene sharing, and web-enabled bonus content, giving viewers the power to go deeper into the action.
HD DVD players are the most affordable option which as well as enabling more consumers to enjoy the superior benefits of HD DVD also gives them the ability to up-scale their entire DVD movie collection via HDMI™ output to near high def picture quality.
In addition, due to mandated specifications every HD DVD player is able to offer a superior and consistent interactive experience such as picture in picture. Internet connectivity is also a mandatory feature of every HD DVD player which means that HD DVD player owners can experience cutting-edge content and additional advanced interactive features directly via the internet. All of this comes on top of the ultimate high definition experience through superior audio/video performance.
Eddie Cunningham, President Universal Pictures International Entertainment, said: “Universal Pictures Australasia is delighted to be releasing some of the most high-profile and celebrated titles on HD DVD in 2008.”
The American Gangster HD DVD, to be released on 14th May 2008, delivers amazing features using Microsoft’s HDiÔ technology. You can navigate through the movie, bonus features and settings as the movie plays, and instantly turn U-Control on or off. Your American Gangster HD DVD puts you in control of a new multi-dimensional, high-definition movie experience.
The HD DVD will include U-Control picture-in-picture, taking you behind the scenes with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, director Ridley Scott, producer Brian Grazer and key cast and crew members for exclusive interviews and revealing footage about the scene you’re watching. The My Scenes feature let’s you create your own personal collection of favourite American Gangster scenes. Bookmark the ones you want and all will appear as a visual timeline of the movie. Select any clip and you are instantly transported to that moment. Your HD DVD player will store your scenes until you delete them, so you can enjoy your own personal version of the film whenever you like.
About HD DVD
HD DVD is the next generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity, high definition optical discs, approved by the DVD Forum, which develops and defines DVD formats. Its more than 220 strong membership brings together leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer electronics and software. The European HD DVD Promotional Group. is an organization established to promote the HD DVD format and educate consumers in Europe. For more information and a complete listing of HD DVD launch titles please visit http://www.hddvdeurope.com/