Inception Blu-ray Announced, Limited Edition Case Also Available

Christopher Nolan's huge hit has been given a 6th December release date in the UK, where it will be available as both a standard Triple Play edition and a Limited Edition Briefcase version too.  Before we get into the contents of the LE briefcase, here are the special features expected to be on the disc:

• Maximum Movie Mode.  Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio talk about the movie on screen as it plays.
• Motion Comics Prologue.
• Inception: The Cobol Job.  An online comic that shows Cobb, Arthur and Nash's enlistment to Cobol Engineering.
• Inception: The Big Under.  Another online comic we think, this time revelaing how Cobb put Saito under for the dream we see at the beginning of the film.
• Dream of Consciousness.  Leading scientists make the case that the dream world is a parallel reality and not an altered state of consciousness.
• Focus Pods.  15 featurettes.
• Photo Gallery.

It's great to see Maximum Movie Mode included here, a feature which has proved to be one of the very best reasons to choose Blu-ray over DVD.  If it's anything like as in-depth as Kevin Smith's MMM on the Cop Out Blu-ray, it'll be quite something!  Now, on to the Limited Edition.

Packaged inside a replica of the briefcases used in the film is a PASIV Device User Manual, a collection of movie art-cards and an Inception spinning top.  The briefcase itself is made of aluminium and its dimensions look to comfortable exceed that of the disc case.

Currently only announced in the UK, the Triple Play Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy set is up for pre-order for £14.99, while the briefcase set can be pre-ordered for £29.99 at most major online retailers.

Yamaha S1067 Blu-ray Official at IFA 2010

The Yamaha S1067 is the latest universal Blu-ray player to be announced for Europe, although it will be released in other regions at a later date.  To remind readers, a universal player will spin almost any disc you put in its tray, including in the case of the S1067, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, SACD and DVD-A.  A similar approach has been taken with files formats, so it supports MP3, WMA, HD-JPEG, AVCHD and WMV.  The player is also one of the first to be DivX Plus HD certified, so it can playback 1080p MKV files too.

The S1067 upscales DVD to 1080p, provides 7.1 channel analogue outputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio decoding, DLNA certification, USB ports on the front and rear panels and an Ethernet port.

The player is expected to go on sale in October and the price will hover around the €600 mark, that's £500 or $775, and it will be available both in the titanium pictured above and in black too.

Toshiba Debut 3D Blu-ray Player

Two new Toshiba Blu-ray players were announced for the UK late last week, the standard BDX1100KB and the 3D-ready BDX3100KB.  Starting with the BDX1100, Toshiba say it's designed to be an ideal first Blu-ray player and contains all the features needed for that initial step into HD playback at home.  The slim player will send 1080p images to your TV, including upscaling DVDs to that resolution, plus output Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio, and connect to the Internet via an Ethernet cable.

The BDX3100 is Toshiba's first 3D Blu-ray player and although it does the basics, it doesn't include anything like Wi-Fi to make it standout.  It's even slimmer than the 50mm BX1100 though, at just 45mm, the design is good and if you've invested in Toshiba's own REGZA WL 3D TV, the REGZA-LINK will let you share the same remote control for both devices.  This feature can also be found on the BDX1100. 

The HDMI port is described as '3D capable', so we presume it's 1.4 and content is displayed at 1080p/24fps with audio in Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio.  Aside from 3D and upscaled DVD, the DBX3100 supports several different file types including DivX, MKV, HD-JPEG, AVCHD and MP3, all of which can be accessed from the USB port.

Both models are expected to be launched in the UK during October, although no pricing has been announced.

PS3 3D Update in October?

We added a question mark after the title because although this is an official announcement made by Sony CEO Howard Stringer, this was previously slated for a September release, so we'll remain only quietly confident at this stage.  On stage for Sony's keynote at the IFA show in Berlin, Mr. Stringer didn't give any reason for the delay, nor did he provide an exact date for the firmware.

This is the second part of the 3D firmware, with version 3.30 already providing 3D game support, whereas the next version will add the full 3D movie experience too.  Of course, you'll still need a 3D TV to see the movies.

Will this make any difference to 3D adoption?  Probably not, as the player itself isn't the bulk of the investment, and having yet another machine to play 3D movies doesn't help the fact that there are very few 3D movies to play.  Add in the fact that Avatar is now scheduled for exclusivity with Panasonic, and you've got very few reasons to be excited about this news.

Onkyo THX Blu-ray Coming in September

The Onkyo BD-SP808 is a high-end Blu-ray player complete with THX and DNLA 1.5 certification, and it's due out in September.  The player uses a centrally mounted drive and a rigid chassis to minimise vibration, the Marvel Qdeo video scaler and it supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, while the drive itself plays DVD and CD in addition to Blu-ray.  An SD card slot on the front panel will playback video content too.

Around the back of the player, there is a single HDMI port, an Ethernet socket, an RS232 jack, an optical and coaxial output and a component video out too.  By connecting the SP808 to the Internet, users will be able to access Blockbuster On Demand too.

So, how much will this non-3D Blu-ray cost?  It will retail for $599 and as we mentioned, it'll be on sale in September. 

IFA 2010: New LG Blu-ray Players Debut

Although the IFA doesn't officially open its show floor until the 3rd September, there have been several presentations already, with LG using theirs to show off a variety of new TVs, all-in-ones and Blu-ray players.

There are three new Blu-rays, all with 3D support on show.  The LG BX580 has already been seen in the USA and announced for Europe, however it has now been joined by the BD590, which adds a DVB tuner to the spec list, plus the HR550 with a 250GB hard drive that can record broadcast 3D content.

A new soundbar, the HLX55W is wall-mountable and has a vertical 3D capable Blu-ray drive at its centre, while outputting 430 watts through 4.1 audio channels.  Three new Blu-ray all-in-ones have also been announced, the HX995TZ, with 1100 watts of power through 5.1 channels, the HX995DF has 560watts and 2.1 channels and the HX900 uses the Real3D Sound Home Theartre System.

Release dates and prices are yet to be confirmed for the majority, however both the BX580 and the HX995TZ are viewable on LG's website.

Avatar 3D Blu-ray to be Panasonic Exclusive? Delays 3D Adoption Even More

What a lot of Avatar whisperings there have been over the last week, from details on the extended version to some leaked cover art for the Collector's Edition due in November.  The latest however, isn't good news for anyone.  It starts off well by saying the 3D Blu-ray of Avatar will be out on the 1st December, but then goes on to say that it will be an exclusive for purchasers of a Panasonic 3D TV and Blu-ray player.

So, the film which has beaten all box-office records, sold a giant amount of Blu-rays on its first bare-bones release and is the poster-child for 3D will not be available seperately instores until Panasonic's exclusivity period ends, which according to HollywoodinHighDef is 'unusually long'.  Given that Monsters vs. Aliens exclusivity is a year, does that mean Avatar's is even longer?

Is Avatar in 3D at home worth $2000-$3000?  No, the film - as a film and not a technical demonstration - works better in 2D, but this isn't about Avatar, it's about the continued enforced belief that 3D is the future.  How can this possibly be if by 2011, only three titles will be available on sell-through - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Monster House and A Christmas Carol - with the rest, all two or three, as exclusives?  Where is the incentive? 

Perhaps even worse, everyone who has already purchased a 3D setup will not be able to buy Avatar, the film that probably inspired them to buy the set and player in the first place!  What a great way to alienate 3D early adopters.  Still, we're sure their kids are happy to watch Monsters vs. Aliens again. 

If the studios all want exclusive deals like this, that's fine, we don't have to buy them, but what has to stop is the bleating about 'waiting for 3D adoption to grow', as they are the very ones who are halting it!  Despite the studios failure to admit 3D is a niche fad, they're actually making it one by treating the new technology this way. 

 

Avatar: Collector's Edition Accidentally Leaked

As the time of its release draws near, more and more information on the second home release of James Cameron's epic, Avatar, appears; this time hidden away inside a preview of a documentary on the Amazon.  Late last week we discovered the special edition would contain 16 minutes of extra footage, plus a few snippets on what those scenes may be, but now we seem to have confirmation that the disc will be known as the Collector's Edition and its release date is likely to be the 16th November.

It's speculated that the set will be made up of three discs - a combo pack with the Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy perhaps - and some of the extras will include 45 minutes of unfinished material and the documentary whose preview contained the cover art and release date, A Message from Pandora.  Before we get too excited, A Message from Pandora doesn't seem to be a making-of, but a documentary on the Belo Monte Dam Complex in the Amazon rainforest, a project which Cameron is campaigning to halt.

We're sure that this won't be all fans can expect, however thanks to the brilliant first release in terms of picture and audio, the main reason to double-dip would be the inclusion of a feature-length making-of documentary, something which an eco-friendly doc and 45 minutes of people standing in front of a green screen can't replace.

If you want to see what A Message from Pandora will be like, here is the preview without any naughty leaks:

 

Star Trek Cleans Up at the Home Media Magazine Awards

Well-established trade publication Home Media Magazine has published the winners of its third High Def Awards, where the best Blu-ray discs, extras and so on are honoured.  The candidates were submitted by the studios and then voted on by consumers, with the winners emerging after a month.

Here are the categories and their respective top discs:

Consumers' Choice Award: Star Trek.

Best Theatrical Blu-ray: Star Trek.

Best Nontheatrical Blu-ray: Ben 10 Alien Swarm.

Best TV on Blu-ray - Complete Series Set: Battlestar Galactica, The Complete Series Limited Edition.

Best TV on Blu-ray - Season Set: True Blood, The Complete First Season.

Best Catalog Blu-ray: The Wizard of Oz, 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition.

Best Blu-ray Collection: The Bourne Trilogy.

Best Animation Blu-ray: Up.

Best Nonfiction Blu-ray: The National Parks: A Ken Burns Film.

Best Single Extra: Star Trek's Starfleet Vessel Simulator.

Best Picture Quality: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Best Audio Quality: It Might Get Loud.

Best Blu-ray Upgrade: Fight Club.

It's hard to argue with these choices and it's great to see Star Trek do so well, a disc we really loved when we reviewed it too.  Also, the Limited Edition of Battlestar Galactica may have been pricey, but it was worth it for such a stunning collection!

How about you, would you substitute any of the above with another 2009 release which you consider superior?

Sony Introduce New Blu-ray Recorders and 3D TVs

Sony Japan have unveiled some very interesting products for the domestic market this week, and we sincerely hope they will make an appearance outside the country in the near future.  First up are three new Bravia 3D TVs, all of which have built-in hard disc drives and Blu-ray recorders.  Named the Bravia KDL 2 series, buyers have the choice of a 40", a 46" or a 55" LED backlit panel for between the equivelant of $3500-$5200.

Full HD is a given of course, and each hard drive has 500GB of space, plus each model has three HDMI ports, dual-tuners and a USB socket too.  You'll have to splash out for however many pairs of 3D glasses you need though, as the sets apparently come with none, cheeky considering the price!

If you're only in the market for a 3D Blu-ray player, then Sony have six new models to choose from, each with the very special function of supporting the latest 100GB BDXL discs.  So much for being touted as a business product, as these are on the market far quicker than expected!  You'll have to open your wallet pretty wide to get one though, as the cheapest - a 500GB hard drive equipped player - costs just over $1000 and the top range 2TB equipped model costs just over $3000!

The 2TB player, the BDZ AX2000, and its 1TB sister the BDZ AX1000, both have dual digital tuners, two HDMI ports, a Memory Stick and SD Card slot and Sony's CREAS PRO chip, while the lower end models make do with a 320GB, a 500GB and a 1TB hard drive and lose one HDMI, the CREAS Pro and the expansion slots.  Finally, the basic single tuner player has a 500GB hard disc built-in.