Star Trek: Next Generation Confirmed for Blu-ray in 2012

It was only logical that Paramount should follow-up its brilliant Blu-ray presentation of the Original Series of Star Trek, with an equally lovingly-prepared edition of Next Generation; the question was, when?  Through an official announcement over at StarTrek.com, we've been given an answer, as a Blu-ray sampler of three Next Gen episodes will be released on the 31st January 2012.

The sampler release will pave the way for a complete Season One boxset before the end of next year, and it promises to be quite a release.  According to StarTrek.com, CBS returned to the original negatives and re-edited them together exactly as they were when they first aired, and then came up with a special process to create true 1080p masters.  The visual FX are being recomposited rather than upconverted from videotape, and the sountrack will be remixed into 7.1 DTS Master Audio.

To show how much Paramount and CBS care about this release, they've enlisted the help of Denise and Michael Okuda, both longtime Star Trek contributors and authors of various books inlcuding the Star Trek Encyclopedia, as consultants.

Back to the January release.  It will be called Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level and will include three episodes: the Encounter at Farpoint pilot, Sins of the Father and The Inner Light.  You can see the artwork above, and a teaser video for the release below.  It's out on the 31st January and has been given a retail price of $21.99 in the US.

As for a release date for Season One, Dark Horizons speculates it'll be out in a year's time, on the 28th September, to coincide with the original pilot's airing.  It's a good theory, but it may also depend on when the sequel to 2009's Star Trek movie hits the big screen, as that's when next year's Star Trek fever will be at its highest.

 

Akira Steelbook Pictures and Features

Genre-defining anime Akira saw its UK Blu-ray release at the end of June, and in addition to a standard edition, it was also treated to a Steelbook release.  Described at the time as 'super-limited' by Manga, the disc is still available from a few outlets, but is getting rarer by the day.  If you need convincing this is a release to grab while you can, take a look at the pictures here.

The iconic image of Kaneda walking towards his motorcycle adorns the front cover, and is printed on a shiny, silver background, while the rear simply shows the silver background image.  A cardboard slip cover contains the information on the film, plus the usual BBFC certificates, but is easily removed to reveal an incredibly clean case - there isn't even a BBFC cert on the spine!

Inside there is both a Blu-ray and a DVD copy of the film, plus an excellent 32-page booklet containing information on the remastering process, the effort put into the audio, interviews and examples of the concept art and storyboards.  Behind all this is another great image from the film spanning the width of the case.

Akira's steelbook is easily one of the best of 2011, and the Blu-ray remaster is equally as fantastic too.  The audio presentation is particularly good, with superb clarity and perfect seperation - something often lacking in modern film.  If you haven't already, make sure you add the Akira Steelbook to your collection soon.

BFCA Announces Top Five Blu-ray Releases Ever, Do You Agree?

The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced their choice of the top five Blu-ray discs released since the format began selling back in 2006/2007.  The final five came from an original line-up of 32 discs voted on by members, and rather than concentrate on retail successes, took into consideration the things we hold dear about the format.

For example, the audio and video quality was judged, as was any restoration work, along with the choice of bonus material and the overall disc design and operation.  Packaging was also looked at, an area we think has advanced considerably over DVD already.  So, here's the BFCA's winners:

2006/2007 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition.

2008 - Planet of the Apes: 40-Year Evolution Box Set.

2009 - The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Edition.

2010 - Apocalypse Now and Avatar.

2011 - Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition Motion Picture Trilogy Box Set.

Without a complete list of the 32 original titles, it's difficult to evaluate the choices made here, but it's fair to say they're all standout editions which belong in every collection.  However, that doesn't mean we agree entirely, as the Extended Edition of Lord of the Rings is pretty much a reissue of the DVDs, with very little in the way of new material.  While the quality is no doubt outstanding, 2011 has already been a great year for Blu-ray, and there are plenty more exciting discs to come too.

Avatar is indeed a beautiful Blu-ray presentation, as is Apocalypse Now, however we'd substitute one of them for the excellent Alien Anthology release - a truly fantastic set with amazingly in-depth documentaries on each movie.  Plus we'd be very hard pushed not to include the amazing Inception Blu-ray, especially in its limited edition UK form.

What would your choices be?

Two New Budget Blu-ray Players from Sony and Pioneer

Both Sony and Pionner unveiled new budget Blu-ray players at the recent IFA show in Berlin, and we've got the details for you below.  Of course, these being low-end models there's nothing ground-breaking in terms of new tech, but the spec still impresses considering the price tag.

Sony's BD-S185 has an unusual design which deviates from their previous super-slim slabs.  The disc tray remains on the left-hand side of the player, but the controls now sit on the top of the casing, which has a a slight curve to it and is thicker at the rear than at the front.  It's still only 290mm thick though, and the brushed aluminium chassis is sure to win it a few fans.

A single HDMI socket sits on the rear, sending 1080p images to your TV and upscaling DVD to 'near HD quality' according to the blurb on Sony's site.  A USB port will play digital media plus there's access to a variety of online content too.  It'll also decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.  Sony has the player up for £99, but online retailers seem to be selling it for around £80.  A bargain for Sony's quality.

Pioneer's new Blu-ray is really only budget by their standards, as it wears a £170 price-tag, but it does have a more varied feature set than the Sony.  In addition to Blu-ray and DVD, Pioneer's BDP-140 will also play 3D Blu-ray and SACD, plus it can be controlled by iOS and Android devices thanks to a free application.  Like the S185, there's only an Ethernet connection for the Internet, but Pioneer's online services are restricted to YouTube and Picassa. 

Both the BDP-140 and BD-S185 are available now.

Hanna UK Steelbook Images and Features

One of this week's major Blu-ray releases is the Joe Wright directed thriller Hanna, which has also been treated to a limited edition steelbook on UK shores.  We've got some pictures of this very good-looking steelbook, along with the special features found on the Blu-ray.

This classy steelbook has a shiny finish and comes with a removeable card wraparound, revealing the steelbook itself to be free of text and BBFC certification logos - a very nice touch.  Inside, the rear panel features a couple of scenes from the film, and has two discs stacked on the right-hand side.  It's a Triple Play edition though, with the DVD doubling up as the digital copy disc.

Here's the list of extra features, with the Blu-ray exclusives first:

• Adapt or Die.  A feature on Saoirse Ronan's intese training regime for the film.
• Central Intelligence Allegory.  A chat with the cast and crew on their process for making the film.
• Chemical Reaction.  A look at the Chemical Brothers approach to the soundtrack.
• The Wide World of Hanna.  Storyboards for the Container Park scene.

Also:

• Audio commentary with Joe Wright.
• Anatomy of a Scene: The Escape from Camp 6.
• Deleted Scenes.
• Alternate Ending.

The Hanna steelbook is available through several online retailers right now, and is recommended for collectors.