LG Japan is to launch the company’s recently announced BD370 Blu-ray player in Japan later this month. Network-enabled, the player won’t have the Netflix and CinemaNow compatibility  of it’s US counterpart  (due sometime during Q2)  but will support YouTube and BD-Live content. At Â¥34,800 ($416), users will likely want to make use of the streaming feature - no news on a European release just yet…

Paramount has announced that it will be bringing CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The First Season to Blu-ray on 12 May. Leaving us few clues on this BD set, fans of the world’s biggest TV franchise can expect this high-def package to feature a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD sound treatment.

 

300, TMNT, Casino Royale… these titles and many more hit the high-def formats early and took pristine pleasure in showing off what they could do in 1080p. However, landing on are desks in those heady early days, it was 2001: A Space Odyssey that was the true bolt out of the Blu.
Proving that retro releases can trounce the contemporary titles, Stanley Kubrick’s space opus set something of a high standard for following older gems to live up to. Fast-tracking to now - the midst of a Blu revolution - and studios seem to be lagging with regards to churning out some vintage Blu-rays. Warner showed early promise by following up 2001 with a gritty but great treatment of Bonnie And Clyde and a staggering Blade Runner package. Sony crafted a double feature package crammed with features for its anniversary launch of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind while Disney has excelled in bringing back to life Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio.
But amongst the retro classics scrubbed up to standard in HD, there is a trail of disappointments. Paramount sang, danced and generally hyped up its ‘grand’ Godfather trilogy treatment only to produce a noisy clunker of a package. 20th Century Fox gave heavy extras treatment to The French Connection only for the finished picture to be an optimised mess and even MGM delivered a stinging blow by turning in a lacking treatment for office favourite, Raging Bull.
Each studio has proved that it can pluck a film from the archives and turn it into something special on Blu-ray. But incidentally it’s the titles that haven’t been hyped up, that haven’t had documentaries made gushing about a – let’s face it, failed –restoration process. 2001: A Space Odyssey is knocking on two years old now and has barely had a retro contender to take its crown. It really gets you thinking, are there any cinematic greats of old that are left to be turned into Blu gold?

20th Century Fox has given full spec treatment to The X-Men Trilogy and consumers can expect some hefty disc treatment. Giving two discs – per movie, mind – to roam each instalment, the series comes accompanied by extensive featurettes and production bits. Check out our forthcoming issue for a full spec listing…

Does anyone think the search  for the next big thing in home entertainment has spiralled out of control? Super hi-vision, 3D, and now 21:9 aspect ratio TVs are all vying for our attention this year, but maybe we should just let the population catch up with getting reasonably priced, decent-sized, 1080p displays, concentrate on broadcasting HD programming into UK homes, and then move on from there. Look how long it’s taken for Blu-ray to get where it is - how long do you think it’ll take 3D at home to do the same? DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg thinks that 3D can reinvigorate box office revenues, but is less sure about it’s potential at home - and I’m inclined to agree that it’s a step to far for the near future. The cinema’s size has always made it a unique experience, so unless you have hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on a private version you won’t be able to recreate it at home. 3D films will be a great Friday night treat at the pictures, but I won’t feel the need to spend a large sum of money to recreate an inferior version at home for some years to come…