No sooner does our illustrious editor, Chris Boylan, pose the question "Hey, Hollywood, Where Are All the Blu-ray 3D Discs?" than Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, holders of perhaps the most coveted film library in the world, answers with a resounding "Here ya go!" Warner Home Video has officially confirmed that they will be kicking off their 3D catalog with a whopping six Blu-ray 3D titles, all of which will be arriving at retail on November 16 [editor's note: hey... it's a start, but it'll take more than 14 total titles to get this format moving].
The specific titles are: Clash of the Titans 3D, only recently released in a 2D version; The Polar Express 3D, previously issued in an anaglyph 3D home version, now in full stereoscopic 3D; and the three acclaimed nature/science documentaries IMAX Deep Sea 3D¸ IMAX Under the Sea 3D and IMAX Space Station 3D. Perhaps most exciting (the "pick of the litter"?), at least from a timing perspective, will be Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D, which will mark the first-ever day-and-date release for Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray 3D. All of these titles will become available at a suggested retail price of $44.95 each.
At press time, only two Blu-ray 3D discs, Sony's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Monster House, can be purchased by consumers (without buying a specific manufacturer's 3D TV and Blu-ray 3D player). Major Blu-ray 3D titles have been announced, including the all-time box-office champ Avatar, but these are only scheduled to be made available to customers purchasing hardware bundles from various manufacturers, a source of frustration for 3D home theater fans. Some blame the lack of content for Blu-ray 3D's relatively slow rollout.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D and Clash of the Titans 3D will be released as Blu-ray 3D Combo Packs, containing the 3D Blu-ray (it will also play in 2D on legacy Blu-ray decks, per the Blu-ray 3D specification), a standard-def DVD plus a Digital Copy. The Polar Express 3D and the IMAX films will be Blu-ray-only. As with all Blu-ray 3D discs, this half-dozen will require a compatible player, HDTV, HDMI cable and active-shutter glasses in order to be displayed in 3D.
This wave of releases will also make Warner the studio with the most Blu-ray 3D titles at retail this year.
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