Blood Diamond June 5th

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by BLu-Balls

What was wrong with Happy Feet?

as he said. I'll also add bit-rate capped at HD DVD limit.

For 99% of the movie (since its a CGI file) it works, but there's a couple of seconds in high speed movement that I saw some compression artifacts. Those couple of seconds would have beneffitted from BD's 40 Mb/s video peaks.

The Blu-ray looks wonderfull overall and you should BUY IT

I used it to convince my brother to buy a 1080p display for himself




PS: I don't care about IME and junk either. Blood Diamond here we come!

[JTK]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Throwing us rabid types a bone, you think?

The Matrix: WE HATE YOU WARNER
Happy Feet: WE HATE YOU WARNER

Blood Diamond: Awww, you guuuys.

So, if they can release this without the IME: ????

Then it's: OH NOES< TEH SKY ISZA FALLING!O!NO!!!!!

[Garconis]

Sure, you've heard that Blood Diamond is coming out on Blu-ray before it does on HD-DVD. But get a load of this nonsense, from none other than Warner:

"Warner Home Entertainment is bringing 'Blood Diamond' to Blu-ray and HD DVD this summer, in two separate-but-unequal versions sure to generate controversy amongst early adopters.

Unlike the studio's usual policy of releasing identical Blu-ray and HD DVD releases of a title on the same date, Warner will instead debut 'Blood Diamond' about a month apart, with the Blu-ray hitting stores first on June 5, followed by the HD DVD on July 2.


What's more, though both versions will share identical tech specs, including matching 1080p transfers, supplemental content will be far from identical. The basic suite of extras are the same, including a filmmaker's commentary, four featurettes and a music video; however, the HD DVD will include a raft of exclusive cutting-edge features omitted from the Blu-ray release.

The HD DVD of 'Blood Diamond' will be the first next-gen title to include web-enabled extras, including allowing viewers to use their players to offer opinions in Warner's online polls, as well as view other exciting special features such as maps of conflict pertaining to war-torn areas in Africa.

Furthermore, the HD DVD boasts an In-Movie Experience (IME) video commentary with additional behind-the-scenes and interview footage. And for the first time on 'Blood Diamond,' Warner will include the new Focus Points feature that takes the viewer to exciting in-depth featurettes and production diaries.

Despite the considerable differences between the Blu-ray and HD DVD, Warner has set an identical list price of $28.99 for each.

Certainly, Warner's decision to offer such an impressive suite of extras on the HD DVD of 'Blood Diamond,' yet withhold them from the Blu-ray, makes a significant departure from the studio's previous "format agnostic" approach of issuing identical versions on both formats.

Even more notably, it strikes yet another blow for Blu-ray's much-maligned BD-Java authoring environment, which continues to be held up due to production delays. As such, advanced features such as IME remain unavailable on current Blu-ray releases. In the past, however, with such IME-enhanced titles as 'The Matrix Trilogy' and "Batman Begins,' Warner has chosen to simply withhold their release releasing a Blu-ray version until a future . Their decision to simply downgrade the Blu-ray for 'Blood Diamond,' however, is sure to generate controversy."

-from Highdefdigest.com

[GaS]

Don't care. Just give me the movie. Same thing with matrix and Batman begins. Don't care about seeing maps of war-torn africa or IME.

[Best of Both Worlds]

Very interesting. So Warners are basically saying that they're not putting interactive content on BD as the BD-Java environment has not been finalised. To me, that puts the blame fairly and squarely on Sony's shoulders. If you look at it from Warners' point of view, they want to generate revenue from their titles on HD, but are being compromised by yet-to-be-resolved technical issues with the BD format. The plus point is, I suppose, that the BD version will at least get a chance in the marketplace before the essentially superior HD-DVD version comes along and shows it up.

Not a great situation all round, but I can understand Warners' reticence to include features on a BD disc that might not work in the end.

[BLu-Balls]

Bullshit...

What it comes down to is numbers. HD dud can have all the features in the free fu--ing world. You could have Jennifer Connelly come give every HD dud owner of Blood Diamond a lap dance in their living room as a special feature. But if the sales are higher in the "inferior" Blu-ray release. Do you think WB or anyone with good business sense would be enthusiastic about less sales when they are offering more.

I am pretty sure that the sales for Blood Diamond on BD will outnumber H-DUD's sales, even with the extra features. Man, I wish that Jennifer Connelly SF existed, though.

Now, one question to ask ourselves. Do you think WB will be happy to invest all that money in producing a "superior" version to H-DUD and not outsell Blu-ray?

As for Jennifer Connelly, I will wait for "Requim for a Dream" to see her get nasty

[TBoneCapone]

Honestly an earlier release bodes better for BD than extra features. Someone trying to figure out which system to buy might catch Blood Diamond on BD and see that it isn't out yet on HD-DVD and jump on it. These things do matter.

[Shin-Ra]

Sounds fair to me, if you want the novelty extras you can buy the later double dip. But by that point you'll probably have seen that it's nothing special on the HD-DVD release and not care anymore.

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by Garconis

<snip> The HD DVD of 'Blood Diamond' will be the first next-gen title to include web-enabled extras, including allowing viewers to use their players to offer opinions in Warner's online polls <snip>

The problem is that they know that if they give the BD users a chance to offer opinions, we will as a general rule simply tell them what a bunch of screwups they are... and nobody wants to hear that.

They avoid hearing it, by not giving us the oportunity to be heard!

[Garconis]

Originally Posted by BLu-Balls

Bullshit...
Now, one question to ask ourselves. Do you think WB will be happy to invest all that money in producing a "superior" version to H-DUD and not outsell Blu-ray?

Now that would be awesome. I'd laugh.

[Spankey]

Right now, HD optical disk is an early adopter format. If this were DVD then the early release would sell a lot of copies. In this case, most buyers will hold off for the HD-DVD version. I have no interest in the film, but I don't think Warner should have to wait before releasing movies on either format do to each format's tech specs. This is not a catalogue title so holding back is not in their interest. If they wanted to be fair, though, they should offer the full version on Blu-ray at a later date.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by BLu-Balls

Man, I wish that Jennifer Connelly SF existed, though.

As for Jennifer Connelly, I will wait for "Requim for a Dream" to see her get nasty

Oh you know it

[nhaase]

I don't care about the extra features, so I'll buy it to show Warners that I don't care . It would be great if BD sales for this were comparable to HD-DVD, then maybe they'd rethink releasing Batman, V, and Matrix if they saw that Blu-ray customers don't really seem to care about HD-DVD getting more features.

I've said I don't really see the point of mass-buyings, but if one would EVER speak to the studios, getting people to buy this movie would be it. It would show them that we really want HD movies, and aren't too concerned about the other stuff. I know people on here do want the special features, but more of what I read on here is people saying they don't care about them much.

[Best of Both Worlds]

Originally Posted by TBoneCapone

Honestly an earlier release bodes better for BD than extra features. Someone trying to figure out which system to buy might catch Blood Diamond on BD and see that it isn't out yet on HD-DVD and jump on it. These things do matter.

Indeed they do.

It would have been interesting if these titles were released day and date. Could a BD that is inferior in terms of extras outsell a fully-featured HD-DVD in those circumstances?

[nhaase]

Originally Posted by Best of Both Worlds

Indeed they do.

It would have been interesting if these titles were released day and date. Could a BD that is inferior in terms of extras outsell a fully-featured HD-DVD in those circumstances?

Yea, that's what I'm saying, it would be awesome if Warners saw BD outsell, or even have sales comparable to HD-DVD, even w/out the features. It would show that HD movies are what the market wants.

From HDD: In the past, however, with such IME-enhanced titles as 'The Matrix Trilogy' and "Batman Begins,' Warner has chosen to simply withhold their release releasing a Blu-ray version until a future . Their decision to simply downgrade the Blu-ray for 'Blood Diamond,' however, is sure to generate controversy.

Maybe Warners is testing the waters of BD, seeing if they can sell those other movies mentioned w/out IME.

[KenThompson]

Just give us the movie. To hell with the java. Bring us our Batman Begins too.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by nhaase

Maybe Warners is testing the waters of BD, seeing if they can sell those other movies mentioned w/out IME.

IMHO that could very well be. But with all the titles coming May and June and don't really mind waiting just a little longer

[ProvenFlipper]

LOL at HDD.com trying to build hype around a controversy. There's going to be no controversy. I am going to buy this movie and hopefully enjoy it even though it is probably going to be another bit-starved VC-1 encode due to the "special features". What people fail to realize it the people buying these discs, (avg. consumer) doesn't read forums and web-sites to know that the BD version is "inferior", so it's not going to matter. They are going to go into the store on June 5th and see Blood Diamond and buy it.

[Deciazulado]

I think the BD of BD will outsell the HD of BD anyway.

[Best of Both Worlds]

Originally Posted by nhaase

I don't care about the extra features, so I'll buy it to show Warners that I don't care . It would be great if BD sales for this were comparable to HD-DVD, then maybe they'd rethink releasing Batman, V, and Matrix if they saw that Blu-ray customers don't really seem to care about HD-DVD getting more features.

I've said I don't really see the point of mass-buyings, but if one would EVER speak to the studios, getting people to buy this movie would be it. It would show them that we really want HD movies, and aren't too concerned about the other stuff. I know people on here do want the special features, but more of what I read on here is people saying they don't care about them much.

The trouble with this is that it sends out the message to Warners that they can get away with releasing inferior products and people will actually thank them for it.

I have no real interest in the film (just in the disparity between the releases across the formats), but I would be very concerned that by buying a film I liked on Blu-ray that was missing features that appeared on the HD-DVD release, I would effectively be saying to Warners "just go ahead and treat your BD customers with disdain".