HD-DVD Titles coming in April - Blu-Ray Suffers Some Setbacks
By Chris Boylan
While Blu-Ray Disc (BD) supporter
LG has announced that it will not come to market with a BD player this Spring, but will release a dual format BD/HD-DVD player in the fall, and while Sony's BD-based PS3 next generation video game console is suffering delays, Warner home video has announced that it will deliver its first three HD-DVD movies to the North American market as early as next month.
According to a recent press release, the first three films will be available April 18, with 17 additional titles to follow in the weeks ahead. Although this is a delay from the originally scheduled date of March 28, it's still the earliest announced street date for media in either format.
The first films slated to appear on HD-DVD include Clint Eastwood's Academy Award® winning
Million Dollar Baby, Oscar® nominated epic,
The Last Samurai and Joel Schumer's movie adaptation of
The Phantom of the Opera. Each of these titles will be available for $28.99 SRP.
Seventeen additional titles will be released in the coming weeks including
Batman Begins,
Constantine,
Training Day and
The Matrix.
Warner Home Video HD DVDs promise to take full advantage of HDTVs with video resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, enhanced contrast and color resolution and crisp surround sound (up to 7.1 channels of discrete high resolution audio). HD DVD also introduces instant access to extra features and supplemental material with the debut of a seamless menu-bar that, unlike standard DVD, allows viewers to enjoy additional features and settings without leaving or interrupting the film.
Both Toshiba and RCA are scheduled to release HD-DVD players this spring starting at a list price of $499.99. The players will also support standard DVDs as well as CDs. Blu-Ray Disc players (and titles) should follow soon after.
