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Following up from the update we gave you on the 21st March, we now have further news about the audio dropout problem Dolby is having with certain A/V receivers. It seems that work is still be carried out out by Dolby and manufacturers. However Dolby are now recommending that you contact your A/V receiver manufacturer for details of any fixes. Dolby have stated the following:
"Dolby has been working with several consumer electronics manufacturers to develop remedies for this problem at the decoder device level. Consumers who continue to experience this problem should contact their A/V receiver manufacturer for more details on available service options."
Dolby have released more information about the problem which can be found here. We will continue to keep you updated with any further developments.
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| New Amazon for Canada (All Regions) at 13.52 on 28/06/02 |
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| Amazon.com, one of the largest on-line retailers of DVDs, CDs and Videos (amongst a large range of other products) are set to launch a new website in Canada. There are already established Amazon sites in Japan, France and England, each operated with the familiar style of Amazon. The new site, to be priced in Canadian Dollars, may make it cheaper for online DVD purchasers (even those in the U.S.) to find a better deal on Region 1 product. If you would like to read more about this news click here. |
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| Collateral Damage in September (Region 4) at 09.29 on 28/06/02 |
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Warner have announced the upcoming release of Arnie's latest action flick, Collateral Damage.
Gordon Brewer (Schwarzenegger) is an L.A. firefighter whose wife and son are killed in a terrorist bombing. Frustrated by the lack of progress in the official investigation, Brewer decides to take matters into his own hands to find the bomber, Claudio 'The Wolf' Perrini. Collateral Damage co-stars John Turturro (O Brother Where Art Thou?) and John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, Executive Decision).
Special DVD features include:
Anamorphic Widescreen Video Transfer (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Channel soundtrack
English and French language soundtracks
Audio Commentary by director Andrew Davis
'Behind the Scenes' documentary
'The Hero in a New Era' featurette, with interviews with Schwarzenegger, Davis and the producers
Additional scenes
Theatrical trailer
Cast/crew film highlights
English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Collateral Damage will start appearing on shelves everywhere from 25th September 25 and will retail for $AU34.95. |
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| Indecent Proposal Review (Region 2) at 09.05 on 28/06/02 |
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Richard Schuchardt has taken a look at the upcoming release of Indecent Proposal which is released on the 1st July this year. If you didn't know, the film stars Robert Redford, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Oliver Platt, Seymour Cassel and Billy Bob Thornton. Here's an extract from Richy's review:
'Diana (Demi Moore) and David Murphy (Woody Harrelson) are an everyday happily married couple. Diana works as an estate agent while David is an architect. The pair met at college and seem to have built up a strong relationship over the years. At the start of the film everything is going well for them and David starts building their own house. However, things take a turn for the worse as the result of a recession and the couple find that they are struggling to pay the mortgage. Desperate to keep their home, they decide to go to Las Vegas to win the money they need to do so...'
To read the full review of Indecent Proposal simply click here. |
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| Warner in dispute over bonus materials (All Regions) at 19.52 on 27/06/02 |
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Yahoo.com has reported on a dispute over last year's DVD release of the 70's movie classic Superman: The Movie.
Pueblo Film Licensing Ltd alleges that Warner "included archival material for the DVD, including actors' screen tests and special effects test footage (also included on the Region 4 version) without obtaining permission."
As this case is due to go before the courts in July, Warner has no comment. You can read the entire article here.
Although this story originated in the US, it has brought the issue of bonus materials on DVD titles around the world back to the fore. While there is an increasing parity between U.S. and international releases on newer titles, there are some classic, back-catalogue titles that are unavailable due to territorial licensing issues outside Region 1.
In developing a budget for each DVD title, studios must take into account the availability and price of acquiring rights to archival materials or to producing new material. In the past studios have reportedly paid whopping sums to produce material (Arnold Schwarzenegger was reportedly paid $US75,000 for an audio commentary track for Total Recall). Looking at this in terms of release budgets, it is easy to see cost alone, let alone sales territory issues as something that can make or break the viability of an individual title. We shall be looking closely at this issue and it's far-reaching ramifications as the case progresses. |
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Another hugely anticipated DVD release is the animation smash hit Ice Age. The region one DVD has just been announced by 20th Century Fox. Ice Age will receive a 2 Disc release, and is released just in time for the busy Christmas period. The disc will contain a widescreen and pan & scan transfer on the same disc. Dolby Digital 5.1 (English & French) soundtracks will also be included.
Here's a little info about the plot:
Back when the Earth was being overrun by glaciers, and animals were scurrying to save themselves from the upcoming Ice Age, a stupid sloth named Sid, a woolly mammoth named Manny, a saber-toothed tiger named Diego, and an acorn-loving saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat are forced to become unlikely heroes. The four reluctantly come together when they have to return a human child to its father while braving the deadly elements of the impending Ice Age."
Here's what to expect from the disc:
HBO First Look special Audio commentary with the directors
Deleted scenes
"Sid on Sid Silhouette" on scenes
"The Making of ICE AGE" documentary
Multi-angle scene exploration
"Scrat" interstitials
"Blue Sky" featurette
Still galleries & Interactive games
Trailers & TV spots
Academy Award-winning animated short "Bunny.
As you can see this looks like being a superb DVD release. You can expect Ice Age to hit the shops on 26th November, and retail price is likely to be $29.95.
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| Back to the Future: The Complete Trilogy (Region 1) at 13.39 on 27/06/02 |
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The details for the Back to the Future : The Complete Trilogy region one DVD set have just been announced. The region four specs have been available for a while now, so it was only a matter of time until we got hold of the region one details.
The set will include the following features:
Remastered Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks
All-New Audio Commentary with actor Michael J. Fox, director Robert Zemeckis and producer & screenwriter Bob Gale
Outtakes from all three films
Deleted Scenes
The Hover Board Test
The Making of Back to the Future Featurette
Production Archive
The trilogy will be released on 17th December. There will be seperate widescreen and pan & scan editions, which will contain the same extras. Both sets will retail for around $54.95 each. To see more information about the release click here. |
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Columbia Tristar have just released news about the region two DVD of The One. The movie stars kung fu legend Jet Li and British actor Jason Statham.
Here's some infomation from the PR:
From the director of "Final Destination" comes a wild action-packed trip to the future starring international superstar Jet Li ("Romeo Must Die," "Lethal Weapon 4") in an incredible dual role as a police officer in a fight for his life and a universe-hopping assassin obsessed with terminating it. Also starring Carla Gugino ("Spy Kids"), Jason Statham ("Snatch") and loaded with explosive action and jaw-dropping effects beyond your wildest imagination!
The disc will include the following extras:
Director and crew commentary
4 featurettes
Animatic comparison 'Re-shoot'
Trailer
Filmographies
Weblink
The movie will be presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and will have an English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. This looks like being identical to the region one disc. The One is released on 19th August and is likely to retail for �19.99 |
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| Time to panic! (Region 1) at 18.54 on 25/06/02 |
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Time to bolt up the doors as Panic Room is getting a region one release. Columbia are releasing the movie as one of their Superbit titles. Therefore you can expect no extras. Here's a little bit of info about the film for anyone who missed it at the cinema:
Panic Room centers around a divorced woman in her 30's and her daughter, who are caught up in a cat-and-mouse game inside their new New York brownstone when three burglars come looking for a hidden cache of cash. Mother and daughter hide in the "panic room," a secret room designed for just such a purpose, but still end up fighting for their lives...
The release will get a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer with DTS and Dolby Digital surround tracks. It looks like the David Fincher movie will get a more feature packed release later on in the year. The Superbit's release will arrive on 17th September, but there is no retail price yet. We will keep you updated with any further news concerning this movie. |
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| The Count of Monte Cristo (Region 1) at 14.34 on 25/06/02 |
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Buena Vista have just announced the region one
release of The Count of Monte Cristo. The movie is a remake of Alexander Dumas' swashbuckling revenge story. The movie stars Guy Pearce and James Caviezel.
Here's what you can expect from this 2 disc release:
2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks
Audio commentary with director Kevin Reynolds
"An Epic Reborn," featurette
"The Pen of Alexandre Dumas" featurette
"The Napoleonic World" featurette
"Clash Of Steel" featurette
Deleted scenes Trailers.
The Count of Monte Cristo is released on 3rd September and is likely
to retail for $29.95. |
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