So much cooler than the iPad.

Paramount has announced that Minority Report — the Steven Spielberg-directed, Tom Cruise-driven sci-fi thriller — will be available on Blu-ray on April 20th.

Spielberg’s Philip K. Dick adaptation will be a two-disc package, featuring a video transfer from a true 4K master created last year. It’ll be presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

The Blu-ray package certainly looks like it’s going to be worth the upgrade, as in addition to the previous released extras presented in standard definition (except for HD trailers), there will be plenty of new special features presented in high-definition.

The full rundown of new supplements includes: The Future According to Steven Spielberg; Inside The World of Precrime; Phillip K. Dick, Steven Spielberg and Minority Report; Minority Report: Future Realized; Minority Report: Props of the Future; Highlights from Minority Report: From the Set; Minority Report: Commercials of the Future; Previz Sequences. All presented in HD.

It’s been listed at $29.99, so one can safely assume it’ll be going for 20 bucks on Amazon and Best Buy (at least on release week).

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3D glasses not included

CES — the largest consumer electronics tradeshow in the world — has kicked off its 2010 edition and 3D seems to be one the hottest technologies on the floor. There have been 3D HDTV announcements and DirecTV jumping into the 3D fray, but what we care about here is the Blu-ray news. Every major Blu-ray player manufacturer showed off a new model capable of 3D, which at this point it looks like most people will break in with an Avatar Blu-ray disc.

Sony showed off their BDP-S770, which in addition to 3D will have built-in WiFi, and iPhone/iPod Touch app for remote utilization, and a bunch of streaming options including Amazon, Netflix, Youtube and Pandora, among others. It’s due to hit stores this summer.

Panasonic’s 3D Blu-ray player will be the DMP-BDT350, a player featuring VIERA CAST, which means it’ll be able to stream the same stuff as Sony’s player. But you’ll have to hook it up to your network through the USB port. Maybe the 96kHz surround re-master and 1080p upconverting will make up for the lack of built-in WiFi. Expect it on shelves sometime in the spring.

Samsung’s top-of-the-line 3D player will be the BD-C6900, but next to nothing is known about it other than it’ll be compatible with Samsung’s existing 3D displays.

Even Toshiba, the company behind some other disc format you might have heard about, announced a 3D Blu-Ray player in the BDX3000. It’ll have built-in WiFi, some streaming capabilities such as Netflix and Pandora, and should hit sometime in Q3.

Oh, and you PS3 owners out there? Don’t worry, your multi-functional Blu-ray player is ready to go. Sony announced it’ll play 3D BRDs on their upcoming 3D Bravias.

1. NVIDIA to demonstrate 3D Blu-ray tech at CES GPU manufacturer to roll out its 3D solution at annual trade show.
2. ‘Cloudy’ available early for Sony Blu-ray owners Sony announces exclusive, pre-street perk for eligible Blu-ray and HDT
3. Sony moves forward with 3D Blu-ray format Could hit shelves as early as 2010.
4. District 9 bows earlier than expected Sony moves the Blu-ray release forward, just ahead of Christmas.
5. Blu-ray 3D is here! Blu-ray Disc Association announces official Blu-ray 3D specs.

Matt Damon is Jason Bourne in The Bourne Mid-Life Crisis.

Warner Home Video announced that Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant!, the political comedy starring Matt Damon, will be available on Blu-ray this February 23rd in all Region 1 territories.

[Ed. Note: No date for a Region 2 release has been confirmed by Warner Home Video at the time of this article.]

The Informant!, Soderberg’s latest pairing with star Matt Damon, depicts Damon as a corporate vice-president who decides to blow the whistle on his company’s illegal price-fixing tactics. Based on the novel by Kurt Einchenwald, Damon has generated Oscar buzz with a recent Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

Outside of BD-Live support, deleted scenes, and audio commentary with Soderbergh and writer Scott Burns, most of the specs remain unconfirmed at this time. It will, however, be the first Warner Home Video release to be released under its new mandate to include a physical DVD copy with all new releases.

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What 3D will look like on your 2D television without 3D glasses.

After months of speculation, and various manufacturers demonstrating their individual 3D solutions, the Blu-ray Disc Association settled on official specs for the 3D Blu-ray format.

And it’s pretty much what we’ve already written about.

As previously reported, Blu-ray 3D will use Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec, an extension of the AVC codec currently utilized by most distributors. Exact specifications have still not been released to the press, but the format is said to be display agnostic, meaning it will display 3D video to any compatible display device.

Rumors that Blu-ray 3D glasses would utilize shutter-based technology, such as the NVIDIA 3D Vision solution on display at CES next month, also turned out to be a safe bet.

Another key selling point is that the PlayStation 3, Sony’s flagship player for the fledgling format, will be able to playback 3D Blu-ray content in full, digital 3D.

“Throughout this year, movie goers have shown an overwhelming preference for 3-D when presented with the option to see a theatrical release in either 3-D or 2-D,” said Victor Matsuda, chairman, BDA Global Promotions Committee. “We believe this demand for 3-D content will carry over into the home now that we have, in Blu-ray Disc, a medium that can deliver a quality Full HD 3-D experience to the living room.”

“In 2009 we saw Blu-ray firmly establish itself as the most rapidly adopted packaged media format ever introduced,” said Matsuda. “We think the broad and rapid acceptance Blu-ray Disc already enjoys with consumers will be a factor in accelerating the uptake of 3-D in the home. In the meantime, existing players and libraries can continue to be fully enjoyed as consumers consider extending into 3-D home entertainment.”

1. NVIDIA to demonstrate 3D Blu-ray tech at CES GPU manufacturer to roll out its 3D solution at annual trade show.
2. Sony moves forward with 3D Blu-ray format Could hit shelves as early as 2010.
3. CES 2010 = 3D Blu-ray Players You'll be wearing multi-colored sunglasses indoors in no time.
4. ‘Cloudy’ available early for Sony Blu-ray owners Sony announces exclusive, pre-street perk for eligible Blu-ray and HDT
5. District 9 bows earlier than expected Sony moves the Blu-ray release forward, just ahead of Christmas.

Similar to the existing PC technology, NVIDIA will demonstrate its 3D Vision solution for Blu-ray.

NVIDIA is poised to unveil its 3D Blu-ray technology, an extension of its 3D Vision technology currently available for the PC, at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) this January.

The GPU manufacturer has been apparently demonstrating the technology behind closed doors with members of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), the film industry and select media. Touting an enhanced version of its pre-existing, shutter-based technology, this new 3D Vision platform has been created as a complete 3D movie solution.

NVIDIA has already lined up support with Arcsoft, Corel, CyberLink and Sonic for Blu-ray playback and support, with 3D Blu-ray titles expected to be announced sometime in 2010. All four vendors had nothing but high praise for the platform.

“3D Blu-ray will be the leading format for watching 3D movies in the home,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “PCs with Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra and NVIDIA 3D Vision will provide movie lovers the perfect platform for experiencing 3D the way it was meant to be seen.”

Similar to technology already unveiled by Sony, NVIDIA’s demonstration is likely to cement the shutter-based technology as the front runner for BDA approval. NVIDIA has gone so far as to encode and playback software using AVC Multi-View Codec, another safe bet as the standard codec for future 3D Blu-ray titles.

Although currently making the rounds, NVIDIA’s 3D Vision technology will be shown to the public January 7th to 11th in Las Vegas, as part of the annual CES trade show.

Toy Story Blu-ray in 3D. Make it happen, Disney.

1. Blu-ray 3D is here! Blu-ray Disc Association announces official Blu-ray 3D specs.
2. ‘Cloudy’ available early for Sony Blu-ray owners Sony announces exclusive, pre-street perk for eligible Blu-ray and HDT
3. Sony moves forward with 3D Blu-ray format Could hit shelves as early as 2010.
4. District 9 bows earlier than expected Sony moves the Blu-ray release forward, just ahead of Christmas.
5. CES 2010 = 3D Blu-ray Players You'll be wearing multi-colored sunglasses indoors in no time.

Crab people - taste like crab, talk like people!

Looking to capitalize on brisk Christmas sales and an expected surge in hardware adoption, Sony has moved the release date of District 9 forward to December 22nd for US audiences.

The release date of December 28th remains unchanged for UK fans, however.

Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, District 9 depicts his native South Africa as a slum for stranded aliens referred to as “prawns”. Produced by Peter Jackson for a budget of only $30 million, the surprise summer hit went on to gross over $163 million worldwide.

Specs and details for the two-disc set remains unchanged from previous reports, and there is no indication that the move will effect the planned roll out of MovieIQ or the recent announcement that a demo of God of War III is to be bundled with the Blu-ray.

Sony is banking on the title to be a huge crossover hit for its entertainment divisions, recently unveiling the title as a platform for expanded BD Live support.

Anything that gets the disc into the hands of fans earlier is good by us.

1. ‘Cloudy’ available early for Sony Blu-ray owners Sony announces exclusive, pre-street perk for eligible Blu-ray and HDT
2. CES 2010 = 3D Blu-ray Players You'll be wearing multi-colored sunglasses indoors in no time.
3. NVIDIA to demonstrate 3D Blu-ray tech at CES GPU manufacturer to roll out its 3D solution at annual trade show.
4. Blu-ray 3D is here! Blu-ray Disc Association announces official Blu-ray 3D specs.

Cloudy with a Chance of Diabetes.

Owners of Sony Blu-ray decks and Bravia HDTVs will be able to rent Sony Pictures’ animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs a full month before the Blu-ray release on January 5th.

Starting December 8th, eligible Sony consumers will be able to rent the film in high-definition on networked Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray players for $24.95 for a 24-hour rental. Anyone who purchases and registers a Bravia HDTV or Blu-ray player between now and January 4th will be receive one 24-hour rental of the film for free.

“Given our breadth of content and strength in networked products, Sony is the first company to utilize its internet enabled TVs and other networked devices to stream feature films directly to consumers’ televisions prior to availability on DVD or Blu-ray,” said Hiro Kawano, SVP for Sony Electronics’ home division business.

The two-disc Blu-ray set for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs hits retailers on January 5th in the US and February 15th in the UK.

1. NVIDIA to demonstrate 3D Blu-ray tech at CES GPU manufacturer to roll out its 3D solution at annual trade show.
2. District 9 bows earlier than expected Sony moves the Blu-ray release forward, just ahead of Christmas.
3. CES 2010 = 3D Blu-ray Players You'll be wearing multi-colored sunglasses indoors in no time.
4. Blu-ray 3D is here! Blu-ray Disc Association announces official Blu-ray 3D specs.

Now you'll have enough space to store all your porn, er, I mean music!

Tech On announced that TDK has made a startling advancement in Blu-ray optical storage, by unveiling a 10-layer 320GB Blu-ray disc at the CEATEC 2009 convention in Japan.

The mega-disc, easily the largest Blu-ray disc announced thus far (at a whopping 32GB per layer), surpasses Sharp’s recent announcement of laser technology capable of producing quad-layer 100GB discs.

Rather than implement Sharp’s method of new laser technology, TDK has created the disc utilizing existing Blu-ray hardware. Without getting into too much technical jargon, the manufacturer has created a superior topmost surface capable of transmitting 99 percent of the light through it.

The composition of the layers also differs from a standard disc, but TDK promises that the error rate will remain commercially viable and expressed confidence in its new manufacturing process.

There is still decent amount of experimentation to be done with the new technology, but TDK strongly reaffirmed plans to go commercial with the new product after rigorous testing.

While there is no firm street date for Japan or North America, speculators have not ruled out the mega-disc being made available to retailers as early as next year.

1. Blu-ray sales see increase But my checking account shows sharp decrease.
2. Sony moves forward with 3D Blu-ray format Could hit shelves as early as 2010.
3. THX branded Blu-ray player coming The extra digit in the price tag means it sounds good!

It's so glorious!

Pioneer has finally unveiled its new PC Blu-ray drive, the BDR-205 Blu-ray Writer, which is capable of burning single and dual-layered Blu-ray discs at 12x speeds.

This is a boon to audio/video enthusiasts, long forced to contest with the slow writing speeds of previous Blu-ray drives. Prior to the BDR-205, it took owners upwards of 90 minutes to burn a 50GB disc with conventional drives.

Pioneer is the first electronic manufacturer to achieve 12x write speeds with the popular format.

“The BDR-205 drive represents our ongoing efforts to combine Pioneer’s engineering expertise with advanced technologies, and our next generation Blu-ray Disc writer is a great example of our no-compromise approach to optical disc product development,” said Pioneer Electronics director of optical disc sales Steve Cohn, in a statement.

The drive, also capable of handling DVD and CD media, will be available to system manufacturers later this month. A similar version of the drive will be made available to retailers early next year, with a suggested retail price of $249.

A far cry from Pioneer’s first Blu-ray drive that debuted just three years ago, for approximately $999.

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Boldly go where no man has gone before!

Amazon, determined not to be topped by other competing limited edition box sets hunting for geek dollars this fall, whipped out their own Limited Edition Star Trek Blu-ray set now available for pre-order.

In addition to the swank 3-disc Blu-ray set currently storming the pre sales charts, Amazon has gone the extra mile and included a fully detailed replica model of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

The Enterprise replica is modeled directly from the digital effects files used in the film, and is constructed entirely of solid metal and textured steel. Created by Quantum Mechanix, the online retailer was adamant in its description that absolutely no part of the replica is plastic whatsoever.

Each replica comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Industrial Light & Magic’s Roger Guyett, Visual Effects Supervisor.
The U.S.S. Enterprise replica was created exclusively for Amazon.com, and is available in a limited edition of only 5,000 ships.

It’ll only put you back $90.99 worth of Federation credits, and will arrive on your doorstep November 17th – when the film hits retailers in the US.

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