Blu-Ray Best Of The Best - for discussing releases only

[JP]

No idea what this is but when I buy BDs from Australia I use ezydvd and it seems that Australia is getting a new version of Casino Royal in October.

Six films had been announced for the end of the year so far and this wasn't one of them. I wonder if these specs give us some sort of an idea of what to expect from the others?

Casino Royale (007) - Deluxe Edition (2 Disc Set) (Blu-ray)
Coming Soon! Pre-Order Now - Available Wednesday, 22 October 2008
AU$39.83


Audio: PCM 5.1 Aspect Ratio:2.40:1 16:9 EnhancedTransfer
Format:1080p HD Widescreen
Category: Action Thriller
Region:B
Format: Blu-ray (more information)
Year:2006
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Rating:M
Languages: English
Running Time:TBC mins

[Lyris]

Casino Royale (007) - Deluxe Edition (2 Disc Set) (Blu-ray)
Coming Soon! Pre-Order Now - Available Wednesday, 22 October 2008
AU$39.83

Or how about they use the same cash to release a different film instead of re-releasing one which already has a near-perfect or perfect release?

[JP]

The HD Room

Warner Home Video has kept good on their promise and will deliver a new Ultimate Collector's Edition of Oliver Stone's JFK on Blu-ray Disc on November 11.

The set will be packaged in a hardcover Digibook case and include a number of physical pack-in goodies like photos, letters and campaign item replicas.
The film itself on the disc will be 17 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. The other major addition is The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings documentary, set to premiere November 10 at Boston College.


While technical specs are not yet available other than confirmation the extras are presented in standard definition, we have a complete list of disc and package supplementals below.

• New The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings documentary - an extraordinary new documentary from filmmaker Robert Kline based on Thomas Maier's acclaimed book about five generations of the renowned political family
• 17 Additional Minutes
• Reproductions of Kennedy family and presidential photos, letters written by or to John F. Kennedy from J. Edgar Hoover, Lyndon. B. Johnson and more
• Kennedy campaign button from the National Archives and Records Administration
• Collectible booklet containing production photos and photo cards showcasing the actors in character with a mini bio of their character
• Premium hardcover book packaging with press material and photographs from the film
• Commentary by Director Oliver Stone
• Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
• Assassination Update ? The New Documents
• Meet Mr. X: The Personality and Thoughts of Fletcher Prouty
• Deleted/extended scenes with commentary by director Oliver Stone (production audio only)
  • Jack Ruby Injected with Cancer
  • Jim Garrison and Dean Andrews ? Extended
  • Jim Garrison and Liz Garrison at Home
  • Jim Garrison and ColoradoBusinessman
  • Beverly Oliver Interview ? Extended
  • Jean Hill Interview ? Extended
  • Jim Garrison in the Book Depository
  • Antoine's Restaurant ? Oswald Information ? Extended
  • Clay Shaw Trial 1 ? Oswald Information ? Extended
  • Clay Shaw Trial 2 ? Oswald Information ? Extended
  • Fantasy Sequence ? Oswald from the Grave
  • Alternate Ending
• Theatrical trailer

JFK Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray will carry an SRP of $34.99. Check back regularly for high-res cover art and pre-order information.

[JP]

I know that they're not really that important but I'm not sure what to make of these covers yet.





I know I won't be able to resist though, especially From Russia With Love as that's probably my favourite of the series. I'm really hoping that they'll be releasing a few titles every few months as Quantum of Solace approaches on blu-ray.

EDIT:
Amazon.com (US) pre-orders $23:95 or $62:95 for each one of the two 3 film boxed sets.
Amazon.co.uk pre-orders £17:25 or £76:49 for a boxed set of all 6 films.

[SuperBeatBoy]

Im a newb when it comes to audio, but i recently picked up a lovely set of pioneer wireless surround sound headphones. Just wondering which is better, the uncompressed 5.1 or the normal dolby digital 5.1?

[JP]

Does your receiver support HD formats such as TrueHD?

If it does then make sure you select it as you'll get all 8 channels but if your receiver doesn't support the format you'll still get better sounding audio by selecting them.

Are you using your PS3 for the films? If you are then don't select PCM the audio unless audio is being sent via HDMI as Optical will only support 2.0 channel PCM.

EDIT:
Obviously you'll only get up to 5.1 on a 5.1 headset but I was wondering if your receiver itself supported HD audio. Or is the surround sound only available via the headset?

[SuperBeatBoy]

I don't think it supports HD audio. I have a pair of these version 2s http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/4...00C/index.html

Im using my ps3 for films, hooked it up via hdmi and optical cable.

[JP]

I like the look of those, I've never tried surround sound headphones although I've been tempted a few times.

Decorder formats
• Dolby Digital / Dolby Surround / DTS / PCM
• (Fs = 44,1 kHz, 48 kHz)

With these choose one of the lossless formats if the disc supports them but avoid PCM as it'll be reduced to 2 channels. If a film doesn't support HD audio I'd always choose DTS over Dolby as I really prefer the sound you can get from the format.

On the PS3 you'll need to make sure you have the correct settings. Settings > Sound Settings > Audio Output Settings > Digital Out (Optical) and make sure that these are selected: Dolby Digital 5.1 Ch, DTS 5.1 Ch & AAC but don't select any of the others.

Although I recommended DTS over Dolby you'd be better off trying both and seeing which you find to be better.

Also go into Settings > BD/DVD Settings > BD Audio Output Format (Optical Digital) and make sure that is set to Bitstream rather than Linear PCM.

[SuperBeatBoy]

Excellent, thanks for the help John really appreciate it. I haven't owned a surround sound setup before, but do know that DTS sounds the best, well to me it does. I can remember watching Blade 2 on an ex-gf's setup in dts and being blown away by it.

[JP]

I know that some people have been waiting for this collection so here it is.

It's good to see that the blu-ray set is getting a proper Animatrix disc as for me that was really the only good thing to come out of this franchise.

Ending months of anticipation, Warner has confirmed a mid-October Blu-ray release for the 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection.'

Long one of Warner's most oft-requested Blu-ray "catch up" titles, the studio previously released the 'Matrix' films on HD DVD in two expansive box sets, the five-disc 'Complete Matrix Trilogy' and the even more extensive seven-disc 'Ultimate Matrix Collection.'

Now Warner has finally earmarked an October 14 Blu-ray arrival for 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection,' which will replicate the seven-disc configuration of the HD DVD version. (At presstime, Warner has not announced a companion 'Complete Matrix Trilogy' release for Blu-ray.)
Full specs for Blu-ray box set have not yet been revealed, but preliminary details tout "35 hours of extras" and In-Movie Experience picture-in-picture commentaries for all three films, and the full supplement package is expected to match those found on the HD DVD version.

Additional confirmed upgrades to the Blu-ray include a full 1080p presentation of 'The Animatrix' (the HD DVD was standard-def only) as well as a Digital Copy of the original 'Matrix.'

Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray is $129.98.

As we await more details, you'll find the latest specs for 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 14.

[Rossco]

WANT! Love to see the Animatrix in HD!

[EvilBoris]

Tis about time!
This will be about the 6th time I've bought the Matrix films

[JP]

Not sure if this has been confirmed as a release yet but Play.com have The Animatrix available for pre-order at ?14:99.

Also found the The Matrix Trilogy there for ?34:99.

[Lyris]

I hope they redo the video on the first film.

[Rossco]

Not sure if this has been confirmed as a release yet but Play.com have The Animatrix available for pre-order at ?14:99.

Also found the The Matrix Trilogy there for ?34:99.

I've still got my Play pre-order at ?15 for the Trilogy from a while ago on a pricing error, still haven't fixed it!

Was the video on the first one messed up then Lyris?