Retro releases just can’t stop surpassing one another. First Warner began its campaign to bring out cine-classics that both received, for the most part, great transfers and a nifty booklet casing and then Paramount dropped The Godfather bombshell as the seminal trilogy got ‘made’. Well, now Fox is in on the act as it announces its ‘Planet Of The Apes: 40 Year Evolution Blu-ray Collection’.

Featuring a near-endless list of HD extras to accompany the five films in this set, a 2.35:1/1080p AVC-encoded transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack all signal that the monkey madness of this series is going to be your new best (pri)mate in the home cinema.

Interview
Daniel Day-Lewis spills blood
Brian Azzarello talks Gotham Knight
Loewe launches a European HD offensive

Review
Batman Begins
Natural Born Killers
10,000 BC

Technology
The latest in high-def home installations
Panasonic kits out Abbey Road
Sharp LC-42B20E – An HD panel like no other

Currently busting blocks in cinemas, Pixar’s latest CG masterpiece, Wall•E, has been getting rave reviews and come November looks set to do the same on the Blu-ray format. One of a host of releases this year that the BDA will have high hopes for, the tale of the last robot on a deserted, polluted planet Earth will be available to own on the HD format from 24 November in the UK – and for once this Blu-ray announcement comes ahead of the US, with the title listed on Zavvi’s website for one.

 That’s right, despite Casino Royale already receiving a stellar treatment on Blu-ray, Martin Campbell’s box-office smash is now trekking out onto a two-disc collector’s edition on the format. Featuring all the extras and transfer treatment of its predecessor, additional features come in a rather plentiful selection. Comprising a pair of cast & crew commentaries, featurettes ‘The Road To Casino Royale’ and  ‘Ian Fleming: The Secret Road To Paradise’, plus six deleted scenes, two storyboard presentations and a filmmaker profile, this bounty ups the re-buy factor somewhat.This release may infuriate a few, but despite studios’ sneakiness when it comes to re-releasing treasured titles so reminiscent of the DVD days, this development can only serve to show how confidently the format is performing. Every cloud has a silver lining, eh?

Well, sort of anyway. CH-DVD, the Chinese version of HD DVD, is still in production and preparing for a fourth-quarter launch. However, facing tough competition from the all-conquering power of Blu-ray and let down by a distinct lack of hardware support the fate of CH-DVD is starting to look bleak already. So keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best – you never know, maybe the Chinese know something we don’t.