Paramount Pictures has mapped out its Blu-ray roadmap, marking its re-entry to the Blu-ray business a year after it signed exclusively to the now defunct HD DVD format.
The first three movies to hit Blu-ray will be “Face/Off,” “Next” and “Bee Movie” which will hit retailers on May 20th. “Bee Movie” was a highly anticipated HD DVD title but was scrapped after Toshiba dropped production and support for the format in early March.
Two other box office hits, “Cloverfield” and “There Will Be Blood” will hit Blu-ray on June 3rd. Both were recently released on standard definition DVD. “Cloverfield” will also hit the international market in August, added the studio.
Another important date to note is June 24th when Paramount will “issue its first day-and-date Blu-ray Disc release,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles.”
Paramount was originally a format neutral studio, along with Warner Home Video, but then moved HD DVD exclusive last August after allegedly receiving up to $150 million USD in compensation.
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Vudu has officially announced that it will be rolling out films in a new high-definition format, dubbed HDX which the company claims is the best looking format yet for content delivered via the web, TV or cable VOD.
The launch will have 50 films available in the format, which plays back in full HD 1080p resolution. A few of the releases include the new hits The Spiderwick Chronicles, In Bruges, Speed Racer and a few classics such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Chinatown.
All Vudu users can watch the content via a purchased set-top box and although Vudu admits Blu-ray will offer a superior video and audio experience, HDX will trump any current HD service.
Although the company did not say how large the file sizes were on average, they did say HDX delivery would take about 4 hours per film for the average user. HDX will cost the same as the current HD films, $3.99 to $5.99 per film.
“We don’t make the claim that this is as good as Blu-ray, but consumers will not think the quality is lacking,” said Prasanna Ganesan, Vudu chief technology officer. “This is better than any other on-demand high-def experience out there.”
From now on all HD film releases on Vudu will also be available in HDX, says the comapny. HDX promises “to enhance details within dark images, preserve film grain and tune the picture for optimal display on current LCD and plasma TVs.”
“Vudu HDX truly raises the bar on picture quality for [high-def] movies delivered on demand, over the air, satellite or Internet and across the entire video landscape,” added Mark Jung, Vudu CEO. “Accelerating consumer adoption of large-screen HDTVs has fueled strong demand for the kind of viewing experience and picture quality that only HDX can deliver.”
