Sony Pictures to drop 20 titles to PS3 Blu-ray Disc

[TheRF]

Published: January 4, 2006 3:41 PM PDT
By Marcus Lai

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on Wednesday announced its initial 20 titles for release on next-generation high-definition Blu-ray disc format.
The first wave of titles will include The Fifth Element, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Desperado, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall, Resident Evil Apocalypse, Robocop, Stealth, Species, SWAT, XXX, and more.

The new Blu-ray Disc titles will feature 1920 x 1080p HD master quality, enhanced menu navigation, and new interactive capabilities.

"With the announcement of these first 20 titles, I am delighted to say that the age of Blu-ray has truly arrived," said Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) president, Benjamin S. Feingold.

"BD delivers the most advanced high-definition experience available to entertainment enthusiasts today, while offering filmmakers a limitless canvas to express their artistic vision."

Titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment will be released in conjunction with the first Blu-ray Disc retail players.

"MGM has always been committed to presenting its films in the best formats available," said Blake Thomas, head of MGM Home Entertainment.

"The Blu-ray high definition format allows us to give movie lovers what they deserve: the absolutely best viewing experience available today."

Future Blu-ray releases like Underworld Evolution will drop day-and-date with the DVD release and include BD Java games.

Sony's Blu-ray Disc is at war against rival Toshiba's high-definition HD DVD format, also slated to see title releases from motion picture home entertainment divisions. Blu-ray Disc is a key component of Sony's next Playstation console, Playstation 3.

[TheRF]

Published: January 4, 2006 9:24 AM PDT
By Marcus Lai

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced Tuesday its first wave of feature films on Blu-ray format.
Fox will drop 20 titles in its first wave, including Fantastic Four, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Behind Enemy Lines, Kiss of the Dragon, and Ice Age.

Blu-ray is a next-generation high-definition DVD format by Sony. It faces competition from rival Toshiba’s HD-DVD format.

The first Fox Blu-ray films will coincide with Blu-ray hardware launches in North America, Japan, and Europe in 2006.

"Blu-ray is the superior high definition technology that fully delivers on the promise of a next generation format and represents the bright future of home entertainment," noted Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"The release of our films on Blu-ray will provide consumers with in-home entertainment beyond anything they have imagined."

Blu-ray will be a key feature in Sony’s next Playstation console, Playstation 3. The game console is expected a mass market device that will penetrate Sony’s high-definition format into living rooms.

It is due out in spring 2006, the same the Toshiba's first commercial HD-DVD are expected to hit stores.

[Jon]

Those articles are nice because it shows that BD is prefered by top movie publishers and 2006 should be quite a year in the format wars. Its going to be interesting which disc format will come out on top and what the deciding factors will be to determine the winning format.

[Xak]

It's VHS vs. Betamax again!