Finally separate from Paramount, DreamWorks doesn't appear to have wasted any time inking a seven year distribution deal with Universal. While we shouldn't expect anything to change too drastically -- the deal kicks in next year, with the first Universal-distributed DreamWorks flicks likely hitting theaters in 2010, while Paramount hangs onto sequel and remake rights for films it's already distributed -- it does mark one change that could have an effect on the high definition landscape: the return of Steven Spielberg (quoted saying "Universal has always been my home base, so this agreement starts a new chapter in what has been a long and successful association") to Universal. After several Spielberg movies were erroneously listed as Coming Soon to HD DVD, we're still waiting for Jurassic Park, E.T. and Jaws on high definition discs. If they're not already in the works, lets hope someone (where is Michael Bay when we need him, since Jeffrey Katzenberg's never going to bring it up) thinks to mention this to Mr. Spielberg before the ink dries on the new deal.

You've already seen how Sound & Vision graded the biggest Blu-ray studios, but now we're interested in getting your take. Now that you've had a number of months to check out each studio on a level playing field (read: everyone on team Blu), which studio(s) have impressed you the most? Feel free to include pros / cons from image quality, soundtrack fidelity, extras, BonusView / BD-Live support, etc. Let us know which of the Blu-ray studios has made you smile the most in 2008, and make sure you voice your opinion on which one(s) could stand to improve.

And to think, most of you probably had no idea that these two were even having issues. After Paramount's parent company, Viacom Inc., acquired DreamWorks in 2006 for $1.6 billion, things were never exactly pleasant. Now, the two have finally hammered out a deal that will enable them to part ways and retain "joint custody," if you will, of around 40 movie projects. Where do things go from here? Spielberg and his team of executives are out to form an "independent studio backed by one of India's biggest conglomerates, Reliance ADA Group, which plans to invest $550 million for a 50% stake." Under the settlement, Spielberg's new firm (which will still go by DreamWorks) will take the lead on upwards of 20 film projects currently owned by Paramount. As with most divorces, this one too is filled with complexities -- if you're into that, tap the read link for all the minutiae.

[Image courtesy of Kinoweb]

Paramount was more than adamant that absolutely nothing was wrong with its Iron Man discs, but in what's easily one of Blu-ray's biggest releases of the year, folks are still having issues. The bulk of the problems seem to hover around clogged up pipes from everyone downloading BD-Live material at the same time. Users are reporting a handful of issues ranging from the film hanging on a "blue chest loading screen" (affectionately dubbed the Blue Ring of Death) to a muffled TrueHD soundtrack. Some PS3 owners have suggested that manually telling it to bypass the whole BD-Live download circumvents the hangs, but it seems that other players aren't having such luck. So, how has your Iron Man experience been? Do these folks have legitimate beefs, or are these fools just whining for nothin'?

[Thanks, Mark]

Since the year between HD DVD & Blu-ray releases wasn't enough time to get all the features on-disc, BD-Live connected owners of the Transformers Blu-ray disc can download "Robot Ninjas" starting today. Promised to be the first of many downloadable add-ons, this one gives a look behind the scenes of the fights in the movie, specifically Bumblebee vs. Barricade. High-Def Digest mentions that next up is a "What Effing Happened to Mason City" feature, as these fill in the gap until the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters. Wondering what in the name of Michael Bay's righteous indignation you're missing? Check out a clip from the feature after the break.

Although Viacom, Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM pitched in together to form a premium movie channel a while back, the group is now trying to secure itself a place more towards the digital-basic service level to the hefty tune of $1 - $2 per subscriber, per month. Even with market exclusivity and considerable studio marketing muscle on the table, though, we doubt there will be much traction among MSOs at this price point; and honestly, we'd hate to see the content chopped up with ads, um, ad nauseum. Worst of all, though, is that we imagine HD could be one of the first items to get the axe if this service is a digital-basic offering. Don't get us wrong -- we're not looking to spend more money every month -- but we are willing to pay for a quality experience.

Who knows, maybe this holiday season will be a decent time to stock up on Blu-ray Discs. Exactly one month after hearing that Warner would be lowering the BD price bar this winter on a slew of its titles, in comes word that Paramount Home Video is preparing a promotion of its own. Reportedly, the studio will be offering movie collectors a $10 rebate when they upgrade select DreamWorks and Paramount DVDs to Blu-ray Discs. Blu-ray copies of Transformers, The Godfather, Old School, Stardust, Sweeney Todd and Zodiac will be eligible for the rebate, with the purchase having to be made by December 31st, 2009. For all the fine print (there's not too much), the read link has you covered.

[Via CDFreaks]

Last time we heard from Jaman, it was giving viewers the choice between watching downloaded HD video with or without ads. The decidedly indie offerings on Jaman are about to get a big dose of Hollywood, though, thanks to a distribution deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment. Slated for release are some big titles, too. Certainly, Paramount likes the security offered up by the Jaman service. But we think there's more to it than that -- film aficionados like those who frequent Jaman are a great set of eyeballs to grab. Even if titles like Beowulf don't strike us as necessarily appealing to this crowd, the Kite Runner and There Will Be Blood, for example are a pretty good fit. Now we just hope that Jaman and Paramount decide to really cinch things by making these premium titles available in HD quality.

Catching The Godfather on HD VOD is one thing; catching the famed trilogy on remastered Blu-ray is another. On September 23rd, Paramount will (re)release what's sure to be a holiday favorite in The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration. The package will be available in both DVD ($72.99) and Blu-ray ($119.99) formats, and videophiles will be elated to know that director Francis Ford Coppola oversaw the restoration process himself. The four-disc BD set will be presented in 1080p with Dolby TrueHD, and extras junkies should find plenty to love as well. For a rundown of what to expect on each disc, check out the read link below.

[Via Electronic House]

Now that the Paramount is back onboard the Blu-ray train, it's going above and beyond in its efforts to fuel the format by creating a Blu-ray support website. Insert the joke of your choice about "life support" being more accurate; we still think Blu-ray is coming along fine. Paramount's new website will, naturally, promote the studios releases (complete with links straight to corresponding pages on Amazon), but also adds bits like new player announcements. A big chunk of the page is set aside for a "Coming Soon" Flash player, so expect to see some content poured in there, well, "soon." Given the growing pains Blu-ray is experiencing, we'd choose to remove the non-functional Flash player, but overall we applaud Paramount's effort. And yes, title announcements will buy a lot of forgiveness in our book as well!

[Thanks, Dave C.]

There are some times in our life when being wrong is awesome, and when we told you last week that only two of the Jack Ryan movies would be available on Blu, it was one of those times. Usually the first movie in a franchise is the best, and that is true in this case with The Hunt for Red October, which will be available in HD along with Clear and Present Danger at the end of July. We are however concerned that no details have been announced yet, as this title has seen its fair share of issues and we'd feel much better if Paramount gave us reason to believe all the issues were ironed out.

Check it, Blu-ray fans. That totally believable rumor about Transformers finally fitting into a BD sleeve was indeed accurate, and now we're starting to see the nitty-gritty details about what we can expect come September 2nd. For starters, the Blu-ray edition will feature a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track as well as a 5.1 PCM uncompressed track to complement the obligatory 1080p transfer. We're also told to expect a trailer for the BD release of Iron Man, BD-Live content and a lengthy list of supplemental material -- all of which is expected to be in beautiful high-def. Tap the read link for the full list of extras, and start saving that $39.99 (or so) right now.

[Thanks, Wii60Warrior]

The day Michael Bay and fans of Blu-ray and big robots have all been waiting for is September 2, according to advanced, inside information obtained by TVShowsonDVD.com. Last year's HD DVD blockbuster Transformers is finally coming to Blu-ray after last fall's exclusivity agreement fell by the wayside, in a 2-disc release described as "similar" to the previous version. Hopefully that means all HDi and internet connectivity features intact, with new bits added courtesy of 50GBs of storage space and BD-Live. We expect there should be, and with a majority of Blu-ray owners using PlayStation 3s, they may even surpass the HD DVD edition's 30% internet-connected rate.

[Via Seibertron.com]

Although it's all water under the bridge now, we still find it interesting that Viacom's recent earnings statement confirmed that Paramount received compensation for dumping Blu-ray. But contrary to the New York Times article, Variety is reporting that it was only $29 Million, instead of $150 Million. This is of course only cash, and it is still entirely possible that the other $121 Million included future revenues that didn't materialize once things fell apart, but we have a hard time believing Paramount received that much in promotional services or free replication. And while the Warner payoff rumors weren't from a source as sound as the NYT, we'll still be keeping an eye on revenue statements from Engadget and Warner's shared parent company all the same.

[Via Format War Central]

The last HD DVD exclusive studio to announce Blu-ray titles won't be the last to release, as Paramount has announced its first Blu-ray movies will hit the street starting on May 20th with Face/Off, Next, and Bee Movie. But the fun really starts in June, as the long awaited award winning There Will Be Blood and Cloverfield are both due on June 3rd. Then a few weeks later, the first day and date title will come with The Spiderwick Chronicles on June 24th. So with the last studio finally lined up, it won't be long until we really get to see DVD and Blu-ray go head to head and once and for all find out if the new Blu format can make a run at the defending champ.

[Via Blu-ray.com]