Serenity chosen as Universals first HD-DVD release!
POSTED BY: Hera
UPDATED: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 18:13
VIEWED: 19222
PAGE 5 of 6
I ordered one; another sale for the 'verse. If I can't play it yet, oh well. :)
Sex and violence on the big screen, where it belongs.
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Looks like this biggest point of this has been missed so far in the posts. Universal has chosen SERENITY to be their flagship HD-DVD (regardless of whether the format lives or dies). And this makes it mighty. Remember, Universal has been around for a good long while, they've got an awesome bucket of movies to choose from, and they chose our piece of cinematic heaven? Come on, this HAS to mean *something*! Maybe it's just the underlying desperation for more of the 'verse, I don't know.
--- Aegis
www.legalwarfare.com
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Quote:
Originally posted by Aegis:
Looks like this biggest point of this has been missed so far in the posts. Universal has chosen SERENITY to be their flagship HD-DVD (regardless of whether the format lives or dies). And this makes it mighty. Remember, Universal has been around for a good long while, they've got an awesome bucket of movies to choose from, and they chose our piece of cinematic heaven? Come on, this HAS to mean *something*! Maybe it's just the underlying desperation for more of the 'verse, I don't know.
You're damn right it means something! Maybe the boys over at Universal actually watched the BDM and have become ravenous Browncoats themselves. Unlike the guys over at fox who were too stupid to see they were sitting on a gold mine.
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We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Aegis:
Looks like this biggest point of this has been missed so far in the posts. Universal has chosen SERENITY to be their flagship HD-DVD (regardless of whether the format lives or dies). And this makes it mighty. Remember, Universal has been around for a good long while, they've got an awesome bucket of movies to choose from, and they chose our piece of cinematic heaven? Come on, this HAS to mean *something*! Maybe it's just the underlying desperation for more of the 'verse, I don't know.
I hate to be a pessimist but...
maybe it just means Universal knows they've just guaranteed themselves some sales.
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Hi, guys!
I am a big Firefly fan, and have been lurking on and off for a long time. I never had a chance to see Serenity because of certain family issues when it came out. I never got the DVD either, because I knew it was going to be one of the first hd dvd titles, and now, I got it on preorder at Amazon! This along with Apollo 13 and Batman Begins will be a real treat for me!
For those interested, I placed an order for Toshiba hd a1 dvd player with value electronics. I got two players, one for me and one for my brother. As a result we got a $50 discount for each player. On top of that, each of us gets a free hd dvd movie and a documentary Chronos HD DVD. (Unfortunately, you can't order Serenity as a free movie, only a WB title). Also, Toshiba is providing a $25 certificate for anyone ordering their player between now and end of may. So it's a better deal than $500.
I want to emphasize that I am NOT a dealer and this is not a secret sales pitch. I just wanted to share some of my research with fellow browncoats.
As for high def DVD, I expect that for a movie like Serenity, it will be a far more intense experience on HD DVD than on regular dvd. Of the two formats, I currently favor HD DVD because of its lower price point. However, unless one format gains decisive advantage over the other in the near future, I expect that the future belongs to the unified players that will be able to play both. Until that happens, I'll be happy to play around with my Toshiba player.
By the way, don't expect Universal to join Blu-Ray any time soon. There was an article on the imminent demise of Sony's UMD, that had a quote from a Universal executive: "it's another Sony bomb, just like blu-ray".
Stan Rozenfeld
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SERIOUSLY
Just wait for a PS3.
If you play games or use the current playsation2 to play movies then wait for a ps3 and bluRay discs.
The ps3 IS going to rock.
I dont want you to think this as a pitch as much as my severe anticipation but when the ps2 came out it was the cheapest dvd player at the time AND you could play new games on it.In my opinion it ushered in a whole new era of Digital video to the mass market.
The High Def war will be intresting to watch unfold.
Everything I read about the future of the gaming industry tells me sony and its ps3 will be A powerhouse.
Every gamer is anxiously awaiting it.I know I am.
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I work at Best Buy. We have a Toshiba I believe and it isn't an arm and a leg to buy. However, it is not recommended you buy the first ones released. Glitches and the fact that these ones are going to outdate within the first couple, 3-4 months. Wait until atleast September or so to buy.
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Quote:
Originally posted by LittleAlbatross:Quote:
Originally posted by Aegis:
Looks like this biggest point of this has been missed so far in the posts. Universal has chosen SERENITY to be their flagship HD-DVD (regardless of whether the format lives or dies). And this makes it mighty. Remember, Universal has been around for a good long while, they've got an awesome bucket of movies to choose from, and they chose our piece of cinematic heaven? Come on, this HAS to mean *something*! Maybe it's just the underlying desperation for more of the 'verse, I don't know.
I hate to be a pessimist but...
maybe it just means Universal knows they've just guaranteed themselves some sales.
I think that's a good bet. Launch with a title that they know will probably sell more copies than there are players sold. They're useing Browncoats to get a foothold on the market.
That said, I think they're making a mistake by not supporting Blu-Ray, as they're about the only major studio who is not at this point. I don't know if either format will survive, but if I were to pick one, I'd go with Blu-Ray.
The PS3 is the bigger tipping element in this, I think, because plenty of people will buy that just for the games, and end up with a BR player by default. And once they have a player, why not pick up a few movies... This is why the PS2 is considered to have given a big boost to DVD.
The other issue, I think, it the available library. Blu-Ray is launching later, but with a lot more titles. Look at the case of Universal. Universal (who supports only HD-DVD) is launching with 1 title (an awsome one to be sure, but still), and following up with 2 more the week after. 20th Century Fox (who support only Blu-Ray) are planning to launch with 20 titles the first day.
Really, I wouldn't be surprised if both formats fail (as movie distribution anyway, there'll still be BR PS3 games, regardless). Standard DVD is just fine for me. I don't see myself getting an HD set for a few years anyway, so these new formats are pretty much moot to me. I see them going over about as well as the DVD-A and SCD disks that launched a few years back as a higher-quality replacement for CD's. Has anyone here EVER bought one of those formats? Or know anyone who does? I don't.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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What are the special features?
looks like none... that Tom Cruise movie lists a bunch... might be a misprint
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Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:Quote:
Originally posted by LittleAlbatross:Quote:
Originally posted by Aegis:
Looks like this biggest point of this has been missed so far in the posts. Universal has chosen SERENITY to be their flagship HD-DVD (regardless of whether the format lives or dies). And this makes it mighty. Remember, Universal has been around for a good long while, they've got an awesome bucket of movies to choose from, and they chose our piece of cinematic heaven? Come on, this HAS to mean *something*! Maybe it's just the underlying desperation for more of the 'verse, I don't know.
I hate to be a pessimist but...
maybe it just means Universal knows they've just guaranteed themselves some sales.
I think that's a good bet. Launch with a title that they know will probably sell more copies than there are players sold. They're useing Browncoats to get a foothold on the market
QUOTE]
There's a huge brightside for the Browncoats here.
Every Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc, etc could be using Serenity to not only demo the capabilities of HD-DVD (which rock) but the big selling HDTV's themselves. Think about how many casual shoppers thinking about buying an HDTV and will spend a good chunk of time watching Joss's Serenity. (It's a lot harder to let R-movie HD-DVDs play in the background at BestBuy and how many sales reps are going to want to watch Phantom of the Opera all day)
This happened with the 5th Element, which didn't do that great at the box office. It was such a fantastic film to demo DVD players it just sold many more copies than anybody ever imagined. 5th Element was such a hit on DVD the director got to shoot another film (unfortunately it wasn't a sequel but a Joan or Arc thing).
There will be people asking, "This is great. How did I miss this before? Do you sell this here?"
Universal is probably thinking that having a good fan base will lift sales a little, but at a entry $500 + $25 cost, I don't think the Browncoat early adopters will be their bread and butter on this endeavor.
In reality, I think this is a big show of confidence in Serenity. They know its a quality film with real characters and a some very cool visuals to show off the new HD-DVD hardware. They have to be proud of the film to have it flagship a whole new media format that they are completely invested in.
Personally, I love HD and the verse. So this will be so much closer to the theater experience with 1080i/p picture and a DD+ soundtrack. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the Firefly DVDs on my HD and wished the picture quality was up to HD standards the way it really deserves to be.
Don't worry about the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD thing. If you follow the high quality content (the film itself + the best possible copy of it) and the consumer electronics companies will follow you.
HD-DVD brings us much closer to a sequel.
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