Fox announce their first Blu-ray Disc titles - Artwork added
19-09-2006 01:57 | 10316 views | Dave Foster | Show Backlinks
Fox Home Entertainment have announced their first wave of titles set to debut on Blu-ray Disc, the only HD format they are currently supporting. The studio's first eight BD releases are right on target with the BD early adopter and Playstation 3 purchaser. Taking full advantage of the next generation format's high definition technology and advanced Java-based functionality, titles will be presented with the highest quality audiovisual elements including AVC (MPEG4 Compression) and HD "Lossless" Audio (select tracks) and many have unique interactive special features.
Fox's action-packed line-up of initial BD releases includes: Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut), Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen (2006), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter. This first wave of BD titles will arrive at retail outlets worldwide in November. Japan launches November 10 and product hits North American (SRP US$39.98/CAN$49.98), Australian and European stores on November 14.
Of Fox's Blu-ray announcement, three-time Academy Award nominated Director Ridley Scott commented, "I reviewed my Director's Cut of Kingodom of Heaven, which is 3 hrs and 8 minutes thereabouts, on Blu-ray Disc and I was astounded. It was like looking through a window of clarity. It was the most impressive thing I've ever seen."
The Studio's first day-and-date release with DVD is the concurrent BD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown (known as Ice Age 2 internationally) on November 21 in North America and the week of November 13 in Australia and select European territories. This inaugural day-and-date release will benefit from the comprehensive, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns already in place for Ice Age: The Meltdown, which will tout the availability of the title on both DVD and BD.
The BD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown, the global $645 million box office behemoth and sequel to one of Fox's best-selling DVDs ever, is authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and explodes with all-audience friendly HD bonus materials. Chief among the added features is the never-before-seen CGI short "No Time For Nuts" -- created exclusively for the DVD and BD releases -- featuring more antics by the nut-obsessed breakout character "Scrat," voiced by ICE AGE director Chris Wedge. The disc also includes a Director's commentary, "Crash and Eddie" Stunts -- three CGI short shorts, The Animation Director's Chair, Lost Historical Films on the Ice Age Period, "Scrat's Piranha Smackdown" Sound Effects Lab, "Crash And Eddie" Blooper, and much more.
Titles and disc configurations are detailed below:
Behind Enemy Lines: Marked as one of the studio's first three BD-J releases, Behind Enemy Lines features DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and MPEG 4 compression. The disc also includes commentaries by Director John Moore, Editor Martin Smith, and Producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey, as well as selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
Fantastic Four: Presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, the HDMV Blu-Ray Disc of Fantastic Four boasts commentaries by Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon, and selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
Ice Age: The Meltdown: Authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio Ice Age: The Meltdown explodes with all-audience friendly HD bonus materials.
USA Disc Spec:
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut): To accommodate the full 3 hour and 42 minute run time of Ridley Scott's Director's cut version of his epic masterpiece, Kingdom of Heaven is one of the industry's first dual-layer BD releases and is authored in HDMV presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio.
USA Disc Spec:
Kiss of the Dragon: Authored in HDMV with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, Kiss of the Dragon includes commentaries by Chris Nash, Bridget Fonda, and Jet Li, as well as selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: One of the industry's most advanced BD releases, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is authored in BD-J with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and AVC (MPEG 4 compression) and includes commentaries by the cast and crew, a unique search index which allows the viewer to sort scenes from the movie into 72 categories ranging from actor (e.g., Shane West, Sean Connery) to character (e.g., Allan Quarterman, Agent Tom Sawyer) to locations (e.g., Paris, Venice), among others. Additional features include an interactive first person shooter game boasting 12 unique play modes, up to 99 bookmarks, an animated pop-up trivia track, and HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
The Omen (2006): Authored in HDMV with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, The Omen (2006) includes commentary by John Moore, Glenn Williamson and Dan Zimmerman, two featurettes and two extended scenes plus a BD-exclusive animated pop-up trivia track entitled "The Devil's Footnotes," which explores the history of the triple sixes (666).
USA Disc Spec:
Speed: This BD-J release boasts DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and MPEG 4 compression. Special features include commentary tracks and commentary chapter selections by Jan De Bont, Graham Yost, and Mark Gordon, as well as an animated pop-up trivia track, up to 99 bookmarks, a 56-category search index (see description on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and a java game entitled, Speed: Take Down, touting six game play modes. The title also includes HD trailers for upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
The Transporter: Authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, The Transporter Blu-Ray Disc features commentaries by Actor Jason Statham and Producer Steven Chasman, in addition to host of selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
USA Disc Spec:
Selected artwork follows (click film titles above to see individual title artwork)...
Fox's action-packed line-up of initial BD releases includes: Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut), Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen (2006), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter. This first wave of BD titles will arrive at retail outlets worldwide in November. Japan launches November 10 and product hits North American (SRP US$39.98/CAN$49.98), Australian and European stores on November 14.
Of Fox's Blu-ray announcement, three-time Academy Award nominated Director Ridley Scott commented, "I reviewed my Director's Cut of Kingodom of Heaven, which is 3 hrs and 8 minutes thereabouts, on Blu-ray Disc and I was astounded. It was like looking through a window of clarity. It was the most impressive thing I've ever seen."
The Studio's first day-and-date release with DVD is the concurrent BD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown (known as Ice Age 2 internationally) on November 21 in North America and the week of November 13 in Australia and select European territories. This inaugural day-and-date release will benefit from the comprehensive, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns already in place for Ice Age: The Meltdown, which will tout the availability of the title on both DVD and BD.
The BD release of Ice Age: The Meltdown, the global $645 million box office behemoth and sequel to one of Fox's best-selling DVDs ever, is authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and explodes with all-audience friendly HD bonus materials. Chief among the added features is the never-before-seen CGI short "No Time For Nuts" -- created exclusively for the DVD and BD releases -- featuring more antics by the nut-obsessed breakout character "Scrat," voiced by ICE AGE director Chris Wedge. The disc also includes a Director's commentary, "Crash and Eddie" Stunts -- three CGI short shorts, The Animation Director's Chair, Lost Historical Films on the Ice Age Period, "Scrat's Piranha Smackdown" Sound Effects Lab, "Crash And Eddie" Blooper, and much more.
Titles and disc configurations are detailed below:
Behind Enemy Lines: Marked as one of the studio's first three BD-J releases, Behind Enemy Lines features DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and MPEG 4 compression. The disc also includes commentaries by Director John Moore, Editor Martin Smith, and Producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey, as well as selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
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USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French & Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentary by Director John Moore and Editor Martin Smith
- Commentary by Producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
Fantastic Four: Presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, the HDMV Blu-Ray Disc of Fantastic Four boasts commentaries by Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon, and selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
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USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French DD5.1 Surround
- English subtitles
- Cast Commentary by Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
Ice Age: The Meltdown: Authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio Ice Age: The Meltdown explodes with all-audience friendly HD bonus materials.
USA Disc Spec:
- 1.85:1 1080P Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French & Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentaries by Director Carlos Saldanha, Producer Lori Forte, and Production Team
- Scrat Short - "No Time for Nuts"
- Crash & Eddie Stunts - Three Short Shorts
- The Animation Director's Chair - Storyboard, Animation, Final for "Play Dead," "Fish Story," "Nuts," "Family," "Face Off," "Drain"
- Lost Historical Films on the Ice Age Period:
- The Sloth "Nature's Lovable Lisper"
- The Wooly Mammoth "Nature's Beast of Burden"
- The Saber-Tooth Squirrel "Nature's Nutty Buddy"
- -The Saber-Tooth Tiger, "Nature's Fearsome Feline"
- The Vulture "Nature's Cleaners"
- The Possum "Nature's Spunky Spectacles"
- Scrat's Piranha Smackdown Sound Effects Lab
- Outtake Prank
- Artist Gallery Channel
- "The Ice Age Factoid Meltdown" Game
- "Who's Your Buddy?" Game
Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut): To accommodate the full 3 hour and 42 minute run time of Ridley Scott's Director's cut version of his epic masterpiece, Kingdom of Heaven is one of the industry's first dual-layer BD releases and is authored in HDMV presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio.
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USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- English, French & Spanish subtitles
Kiss of the Dragon: Authored in HDMV with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, Kiss of the Dragon includes commentaries by Chris Nash, Bridget Fonda, and Jet Li, as well as selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
){kind=link}
USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentary by Chris Nahon, Jet Li and Bridget Fonda
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: One of the industry's most advanced BD releases, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is authored in BD-J with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and AVC (MPEG 4 compression) and includes commentaries by the cast and crew, a unique search index which allows the viewer to sort scenes from the movie into 72 categories ranging from actor (e.g., Shane West, Sean Connery) to character (e.g., Allan Quarterman, Agent Tom Sawyer) to locations (e.g., Paris, Venice), among others. Additional features include an interactive first person shooter game boasting 12 unique play modes, up to 99 bookmarks, an animated pop-up trivia track, and HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
){kind=link}
USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French & Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentary by Producers Don Murphy and Trevor Albert, and Actors Jason Flemyng, Tony Curran and Shane West
- Commentary by Costume Designer Jacqueline West, Visual Effects Supervisor John E. Sullivan, Makeup Effects Supervisor Steve Johnson and Miniatures Creator Matthew Gratzner
- Trivia Track
- Search Content
- Personal Scene Selections
- LXG: Shooting Gallery Game
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
The Omen (2006): Authored in HDMV with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, The Omen (2006) includes commentary by John Moore, Glenn Williamson and Dan Zimmerman, two featurettes and two extended scenes plus a BD-exclusive animated pop-up trivia track entitled "The Devil's Footnotes," which explores the history of the triple sixes (666).
){kind=link}
USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 1.85:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French & Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Director, Producer and Editor Commentary - John Moore, Glen Williamson and Dan Zimmerman
- Abbey Road Sessions Featurette
- Revelations 666 Featurette
- Two Extended Scenes: “Impaling” and “Beheading”
- Exclusive Blu-Ray trivia track: The Devil's Footnotes
Speed: This BD-J release boasts DTS HD Lossless Master Audio and MPEG 4 compression. Special features include commentary tracks and commentary chapter selections by Jan De Bont, Graham Yost, and Mark Gordon, as well as an animated pop-up trivia track, up to 99 bookmarks, a 56-category search index (see description on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and a java game entitled, Speed: Take Down, touting six game play modes. The title also includes HD trailers for upcoming BD releases.
){kind=link}
USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French Dolby Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentary by Director Jan De Bont
- Commentary by Screenwriter Graham Yost and Producer Mark Gordon
- Trivia Track
- Speed: Take Down Game
- Search Content
- Personal Scene Selection
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
The Transporter: Authored in HDMV and presented with DTS HD Lossless Master Audio, The Transporter Blu-Ray Disc features commentaries by Actor Jason Statham and Producer Steven Chasman, in addition to host of selectable HD trailers of upcoming BD releases.
){kind=link}
USA Disc Spec:
- 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
- English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
- French & Spanish DD5.1 Surround
- English & Spanish subtitles
- Commentary by Jason Statham and Producer Steven Chasman
- High Definition Theatrical Trailers
Selected artwork follows (click film titles above to see individual title artwork)...
Comments
Member
Posts: 1817
Still single-layer though, presumably?
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Administrator
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Administrator
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Originally Posted by DaveF:
I noticed this when doing some blu-ray searches - Sony shipping 50GB Blu-ray writeable discs - no idea how the writeable discs track with the pressed versions but I would have thought they must be close.
Writing the discs is not the problem. The issue is getting them to play back - and so far they can't get dual-layer discs to play in the currently released Samsung player or any of the prototype players from Sony, Pioneer etc. Therefore they're continually having to refine the discs to get them to work with the hardware. Writeable media is a whole different kettle of fish - and in any event, as far as I'm aware, the Samsung can't play dual-layer writeable media anyway!
They've had god knows how many years to sort this out and are still in a mess. I'm frankly extremely doubtful that they'll manage to clear this up in time for the end of the year. In fact, I'd be willing to put money on Kingdom of Heaven being the first Fox release to be "delayed indefinitely".
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Posts: 356
Originally Posted by Phil Q:
These sound a lot more sophisticated than any of Sony's Blu-ray releases. I wonder why Fox are in a position to use MPEG 4 and advanced audio when Sony are still struggling along with MPEG 2?
< http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=62615 >
Toshiba owns a lot of MPEG-4 and Microsoft owns VC-1.
Sony therefore want to avoid that and send as much money their way, at the expense of quality - and use MPEG-2 which they hold some patents in.
Member
Posts: 1817
Originally Posted by David Mackenzie:
Toshiba owns a lot of MPEG-4 and Microsoft owns VC-1.
Sony therefore want to avoid that and send as much money their way, at the expense of quality - and use MPEG-2 which they hold some patents in.
But don't Sony effectively control (wrong term, but I couldn't think of another) all Blu-ray releases, and wouldn't they therefore "encourage" Fox to also use MPEG-2?
Or is it just the technology of the disc itself that's proprietary, and not the way in which data is stored on it?
Member
Posts: 74
That's really interesting about the ownership of the codecs. It explains a hell of a lot.
I think other authoring houses who aren't directly associated (ie owned by) Sony are offering Blu-ray encoding (as well as HD-DVD). Deluxe Digital Studios, DGP, Eyeframe to name three. These places are more likely to be committed to achieving the best quality, rather than being bogged by the politics and policies of sony's internal authoring facilities.
Member
Posts: 448
But when are Fox gonna release Rising Sun?!! I can't wait!!:p
Banned
Posts: 2907
I'd only pick up this and Speed personally but I'm loving the new chapter idea.
Agreed it's great to see Fox using MPEG AND DTS-HD too, wow! I suspect it's the usual case of Sony digging their heels in and sticking with their preferred format.
By calling it HDMV it's obvious this is WMV at it's core. Shame some of the extras are being dropped mind you (Kiss of the Dragon for example).
Originally Posted by DaveF:
Artwork added. The darker shade of blue is interesting, not sure if I like it though (not keen on the regular blue really).
The darker shade of blue is much nicer IMO but it will be annoying when importing and having a mixture.
Member
Posts: 448
You gotta hand it to FOX. They are bringing movies into the HD-era with a bang! :cool:
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Idiot
Posts: 132
The tagline on the front looks a bit naughty and cheeky though "beyond high definition". Hmmmm. And it's annoying too.
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Originally Posted by Deadly Messiah:
Are the extras on KoH going to be the same as the DVD? ANd WHY are these idiot companies not using VC-1? Most of all, Sony!! Why should anyone support BR is BR's own father will not use the most advanced codec in the market at this time?
Kingdom of Heaven appears to be bare-bones - such is the result of having to put such a long film on a single disc, I suppose.
As for VC1, I'm not sure whether it's more or less efficient than MPEG4/AVC, but having seen the latter myself on the Japanese HD DVD of The Machinist, I'd say that it's a perfectly serviceable codec with no noticeable problems as compared to VC1. I agree, though, that Sony (and MGM and, at the moment, Lions Gate) using MPEG2 is an absolute joke.
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