HD DVD and Blu-ray releases on January 29th, 2008
And so it begins this week, as Warner's first title to be affected by the three week delay for HD DVD is released for Blu-ray. Meanwhile HD DVD fans will have to wait until February 19th to check it out. But that isn't the only thing that is in three weeks, as the first decent title for the red camp also comes out that day in the way of American Gangster. But the bad news for red doesn't end there this week because there are only three titles and we can't say we've ever heard of any of them. Of course this isn't that surprising considering HD DVD's ace in the hole Universal and Paramount are on the bench for the third week in a row. At the same time Blu-ray's lineup isn't anything to call home about either, but at least it includes a day and date in Invasion and Daddy Day Camp -- yeah, we're not excited either. Probably the most interesting title this week is the cult comedy classic Mony Python's Life of Brian, which includes both a TrueHD and LPCM sound track, that the reviewers say doesn't really sound any better -- but at least the video quality delivers. Looking ahead to next week, there isn't much to get excited about either, but at least Universal has a title for red.HD DVD 381 vs Blu-ray 427*
Blu-ray
- Daddy Day Camp (Sony)
- Damages: The Complete First Season (Sony)
- Dispatch: Zimbabwe - Live at Madison Square Garden (Warner Music Group)
- The Invasion (Warner)
- Justin Timberlake: Live at Madison Square Garden (Sony BMG)
- King of California (First Look)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (Sony)
- Dispatch: Zimbabwe - Live at Madison Square Garden (Warner Music Group)
- King of California (First Look)
- Strauss: Die Fledermaus (Opus Arte)




















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Anthony Pivac @ Jan 28th 2008 9:35AM
Looks like another poor sales week for HD DVD. Well I guess in 3 weeks when the Warner HD DVD releases catch up, so may HD DVD sales.
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 9:38AM
Jan - Mar is always a poor time for HD DVD releases, it was exactly the same last year too.
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 10:26AM
LOL....
Elad @ Jan 28th 2008 11:18AM
lol. idiot.
Eddie @ Jan 28th 2008 2:44PM
Especially pumped about Daddy Day Care?
I'd sell you some culture, but I'm afraid you wouldn't know what to do with it even if you could afford it.
mcrexx @ Jan 28th 2008 2:53PM
ya you keep telling yourself that
Gus @ Jan 28th 2008 9:51PM
As ardent a fan of HD DVD I am,it's very disappointing the apathy team red seems to be displaying at the moment.
The time for ACTION was yesterday, it just seems not even close to enough is being done.
I will remain faithful until the bitter end if it comes, but it's all most a month since the warner news, how about some fight back facts and not rumors.
C'MON TOSH, we need $99 A3's, $99 XBox 360 add ons, TLT's, and a truck load more releases YESTERDAY !!
Anthony Pivac @ Jan 28th 2008 9:40AM
At this point HD DVD can't wait for Q2 for some decent releases or it will be all over.
Ted @ Jan 28th 2008 11:56AM
I'm not an HD-DVD fan but to be fair they've got some solid releases coming up like American Gangster, Beowulf, Into the Wild, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Bee Movie.
JayHDDVD @ Jan 28th 2008 9:41AM
Yep I remember last year after buying my HD-A2 and having basically no new movies come out.
Honestly though, this is over.
DEEZNUTZ @ Jan 28th 2008 9:55AM
What a boring line up...
Larry @ Jan 28th 2008 10:00AM
Why doesn't EngadgetHD report all the worldwide HD-DVD releases?
There are 70 Blu-Ray USA exclusives out or announced on HD-DVD in Europe!
So it's more like HD-DVD 450 vs Blu-ray 427
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 11:11AM
Because importing is a niche within a niche.....most people will not do it...and often there are packaging differences and even content differences. It is just not practical to consider importing for anything other than the true fan.
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 12:56PM
Quite right Larry.
That's a little inconvenient truth for those who want to talk-up Blu-ray as having the most content.
It doesn't.
HD DVD actually offers the most available content & the most exclusive content thanks to imports.
Importing is no big deal now either, plenty of on-line shops will do it for you or you can just create an account & do it yourself direct
(as I do here in the UK with Amazon USA, for instance)
EQC @ Jan 28th 2008 2:09PM
Truth Teller:
Honest question: how much extra (if anything?) do you pay for the imports? I would expect a higher shipping price for an international purchase, and that *could* really kill things.
Every time I've looked to purchase something from overseas, even something small (but I've never tried Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD), the shipping is always at least $14 or so...which would be like an extra 50% for a movie.
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 4:20PM
@ EQC
It depends.
I bought the 5 disc Blade Runner from the US for the price of the 2 disc UK release.
I often buy HD DVDs around the $20 - $28 level from Amazon (or a supplier on Amazon) USA including postage; this means that they are approx 10 - 14 instead of the usual 17.95 ($35) they go for here normally.
tony @ Jan 28th 2008 10:04AM
funny, he forgot to put that The Invasion comes out on HDdvd also this week......
geseki @ Jan 28th 2008 10:24AM
The Invasion is the first Warner title to be 3 weeks delayed on the HD-DVD side. It comes out 3 weeks from now.
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 10:27AM
Tony, please....
tony @ Jan 28th 2008 10:32AM
Please what, im not like you bluray or HD fanatics that think one is superiour over the other and the other must be crushed. I own both, both look good to me, and i dotn care which format the movies come out on as long as they come out on one or both. Persoanlly i like the fact that HD is cheaper, tee hee
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 11:05AM
@Tony, the "please" is about your misinformation, Invasion doesn't come out this week in HDDVD, it is on a 3 week delay as are all Warner HDDVD titles until their last HDDVD release (which is scheduled for May 27th, Twister)...after which all Warner HDDVD titles are permanently delayed....
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 11:08AM
Also, how are you coming up with HDDVD being cheaper? Except for the players, which are being dumped in an attempt to dupe uninformed consumers....both Warner's Invasion on blu-ray and HDDVD (delayed 3 weeks) are listing at $35.99, last time I checked, in this reality, $35.99 = $35.99 everyday of the week.
Anthony Pivac @ Jan 28th 2008 10:46AM
Jim C
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1235/invasion.html
Feb 19th
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 11:03AM
Um, is Feb 19th "this week" as Tony tried to state (in error if course)....???
Elad @ Jan 28th 2008 11:25AM
Hmm... February 19th...
January 29th... + 21 days = February 19th...
21 days / 7 = 3 weeks....
carry the 7...
divide by pi...
Holy shit!! After some complex calculations, I have just discovered that The Invasion is in fact not coming out on HD DVD this week! But thank you Anthony for your input, and response to Jim. You must have forgot to carry the seven...
Dave @ Jan 28th 2008 11:17AM
Another good week for Blu-ray. In Europe BD had big winnings too :)
Rob P @ Jan 28th 2008 11:25AM
I saw a commercial yesterday for The Invasion...it said "get it on DVD & HD on Tuesday", but it showed both the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray cases. Kind of strange that they wouldn't take the HD-DVD case out of the picture, being as you can't get it on Tuesday.
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 11:39AM
They probably already had the spot created prior to the decision to go with a 3 week delay. It would have been better to clarify for those unsuspecting HDDVD owners.
Eric @ Jan 28th 2008 11:45AM
They better be careful in the Blu-ray camp. Releasing a Justin Timberlake disc will do more damage than a $10 HD-DVD player to their market.
Might as well sell a DVD by the Swedish Chef on "25 Ways to Prepare Soylent Green." It would be more people-friendly.
Ted @ Jan 28th 2008 11:58AM
Does anyone know if the U.S. Blu-Ray release of Life of Brian is any different from the one that's been out in the U.K. for ages?
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 2:21PM
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1100/montypythonslifeofbrian.html
su6oxone @ Jan 28th 2008 12:00PM
Wouldn't be surprised if the big Universal and Paramount releases for the summer come out on blu-ray exculsively.
david @ Jan 28th 2008 12:17PM
Can't wait until Wall Street comes out on BD next week!
EQC @ Jan 28th 2008 12:18PM
Daddy Day Camp? Isn't that like one of the 5 worst movies ever made?
I heard it'll blow up your HDTV if you try to watch it. Please, don't buy that crap -- if you do, Hollywood will just make more movies like it.
andy @ Jan 28th 2008 12:29PM
Wow, HD sales may overtake DVD sales this week with titles like that.
ridiculous all the way around.
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 1:00PM
*quote
Dave
Another good week for Blu-ray. In Europe BD had big winnings too
========================================================================
Go on then Dave, prove it.
Quit your usual reliance on ratios & percentage BS & tell us the actual numbers of that "good week".
Yeah right.
EQC @ Jan 28th 2008 2:06PM
true that actual sales numbers would add more to the argument than ratios alone (when you consider the fact that BD (or HD DVD) really need to overtake DVD, not each other), but I found an interesting piece today that says HD player sales are doing better than DVD player sales did in their first couple years:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080127-blu-ray-is-smokin-hot-hd-formats-outpacing-dvd.html
"The result has been an explosion of sales that puts the next-gen players ahead of DVD, if you compare their first couple of years."
I think that's just worth thinking about...
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 4:26PM
EQC
While some comparison is fair enough you cannot take this too far & directly compare the DVD switch from VHS to what is happening now.
Video discs are extremely widely established as a video medium now which they were not at all back then so it would be perfectly natural to expect a faster growth today in a market grown used to them.
Then we have the wholly predictable (but unique to high def) effect of drives being included in game consoles right at the beginning of the introduction of high def.
That did not happen with DVD and again provides a boost that makes this time around totally different.
(but it does mean that the whole issue is currently skewed because of the game consoles - especially on the Blu-ray side).
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 1:03PM
*quote
su6oxone
Wouldn't be surprised if the big Universal and Paramount releases for the summer come out on blu-ray exculsively.
========================================================================
LMAO
Back to the laughable self-delusions, eh?
I bet the XBox 360 BD add-on is coming out next week too.
Dream on.
okeygrak @ Jan 28th 2008 2:10PM
"Laughable self-delusions" : or how I learned to stop worrying and love Blu-Ray Disc.
Written, Directed by, and Starring Truth Teller.
JimC @ Jan 28th 2008 2:28PM
To be honest Truth Teller, laughing at su6oxone for stating his opinion that Universal/Paramount will release on blu-ray is a bit hypocritical considering your record so far on predicting studio alliance changes....
Truth Teller @ Jan 28th 2008 4:43PM
Hardly JimC.
Anyone reading the interview by Ken Graffeo recently can see what I said was correct.
Everyone had been led to believe that WB were going exclusive HD DVD until a very last minute change of plan (by their Blu-ray supporting CEO and a handful on their board).
So anyone who claims to have 'known' different is just guessing and/or lying.
That's a world away from the usual Blu-ray day-dream and propaganda lie
(cos that is the real intent behind it - to deliberately mislead anyone wondering what is going to happen).
As always you guys remain far too obvious & predictable.
Now, away to your organising your risible dreary little petition fanboy.
whoelse @ Jan 28th 2008 1:37PM
Wow, that's a hell lot better lineup for BD than HD DVD! :)
Devils Advocate @ Jan 28th 2008 1:59PM
Ben, it may be time to reinclude those Paramount titles for the bluray totals given the numerous reports of people seeing Paramount titles being restocked at Best Buy and Circuit City.
Perhaps engadgethd should look into this and find out the truth.
Ben @ Jan 28th 2008 2:02PM
Do you have a link?
Ben
Devils Advocate @ Jan 28th 2008 3:46PM
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=39533
http://forums.highdefdigest.com/showthread.php?t=39210
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=33925
I, myself have also noticed many titles that were long thought to be discontinued by Paramount.
This is far from fact, but maybe you and your staff can look into it and get us a REAL answer and not FUD by Truth Teller.
Ben @ Jan 28th 2008 3:53PM
Interesting, but that will be a hard thing to confirm because it's next to impossible to verify the titles haven't been sitting on a shelf somewhere all along.
Devils Advocate @ Jan 28th 2008 4:59PM
Yes it is interesting and it would be a great thing to look into. My Best Buy has been out of Paramount titles for a while and recently restocked several of them and I think it would be worth looking into to see if Paramount quietly opened up their bluray warehouse and allowing retailers to restock titles that they claimed would not be replenished.
Ben @ Jan 28th 2008 3:01PM
I guess I'm the only one who is excited about Damages on Blu-Ray then.
EJNelly @ Jan 28th 2008 3:16PM
You and I may be the only people on the site that know about what Damages is.