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?

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…

Having had the misfortune of sitting through almost two miserable hours of football the other night I came to a realisation – one, Merseyside derby’s aren’t what they used to be and two, I’m just about done with watching football (and TV in general) in standard definition. I’ve only had my Sky HD box for around a year now but it’s amazing how quickly you become accustomed to the optimised visuals – I use football as an example because nothing else quite shows off the difference between the broadcast technologies. Football in high definition genuinely brings you closer to the action and provides the pop we’re used to seeing in the top Blu-ray releases. Colours, textures and overall atmosphere is enhanced by the new cameras proving a massive boon when watching on Sky but when it comes to viewing games (or even the hallowed Match Of The Day) in SD I can’t but feel a bit short-changed. Fast motion is continuously blurred and the visuals lack any sort of crispness making it painfully obviously I’m watching from my sofa and not the stands.
The quicker televisions companies jump on board and offer sports fans a high-def feed without being tied to an exclusive channel or service provider the better it will be for everyone, and if they could stay on air long enough to show the goals that might be nice as well… ITV hang your head in shame.

For a few months now we’ve been hearing all about how the BDA is building up to a big fourth-quarter marketing drive ahead of the lucrative holiday season. We’ve heard that the Digital Entertainment Group, the industry body widely credited with helping drive DVD, was to get its weight behind the format. But other than an increase in titles being released on the format, has anyone noticed a significant rise in Blu-ray marketing materials?

HD Review forum member ‘maverick’ recently asked ‘do Blu-rays get enough publicity?’ – the general consensus was ‘absolutely not’, with high street retailers hardly stocking hardware and discs, and charging far too much for both to boot. A colleague recently saw the Sex and the City movie DVD advertised on the side of a bus with no mention of the Blu-ray release. How much effort does it take to add ‘and Blu-ray’ with a Blu-ray logo? Do they need more bus space?

It seems that more Blu-ray education isn’t only required for consumers but also for the industry – we’ve come across PR people who still don’t really know what they’re promoting in Blu-ray. Even Sony’s recent HD campaign which ties in with Quantum Of Solace doesn’t single out Blu-ray for any special attention. It maybe that with the global financial climate at the moment, studios, distributors and retailers will revert to depending on the comparatively solid DVD market, but it seems (as with most things) that while the format really hots up in the US, no one feels the need to push it more in Europe.

Given extensive coverage on our news feed, hearing of the sad demise of Tartan, a premier world cinema distributor, you’d be easily lulled into thinking that this loss leaves a gaping culture hole in the HD market. However, that may not be the case. With signature releases such as ‘Paranoid Park’, ‘The Seventh Seal’ and top-end BD ‘Oldboy’ still holding their own in the market, Tartan’s short legacy in the HD world bears a torch begging to be passed on; this, thankfully is already evident. Those with the eagle eyes will have spotted that the Tartan touted ‘Funny Games’, despite apparently getting shelved, has landed in stores courtesy of producers Halcyon, while the most promising catalogue releases are coming from the UK’s own BFI. That’s right the all-knowing celluloid buffs are dipping their toes in the Blu-ray market and have set ‘Salo’ – perhaps one of the most controversial films ever made – to be their first title. Packed with features and historical docs the promise of this disc signals that the organisation’s dedication to the format will be of a high calibre. Across the pond platinum DVD remaster legends, Criterion, have already laid out a Blu slate featuring classics such as ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’, ‘The Third Man’ and ‘Bottle Rocket’ so, granted these titles carry the hallowed region-free tag, the future of cinema par excellence in HD is looking bright. So spare a thought for Tartan, watch DVD classics such as Jules et Jim and The Virgin Springs – upscaled – on your home cinema setup, and then gear up for this new flow of classics, oddities and world cinema champions to class up your BD collection.