Before you rush off to theaters to catch Quantum of Solace this November, MGM and Fox are planning to keep you squarely planted on the couch for at least a few days in October. Announced today, the two studios have agreed to push out a half dozen Bond classics on Blu-ray this October (20th internationally; 21st in North America), each of which will be "restored and re-mastered." The films in question are Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia With Love and Thunderball. There's no mention of a price just yet, but judging by how extraordinarily well Casino Royale did, we're sure these will do just fine.

[Image courtesy of OriginalProp]

Well, would you look at this. Not even a month after we heard that TiVo would be offering on-demand movie rentals from Disney comes word that internet junkies will be able to get their fix this summer, too. Announced today, Disney.com will soon be delivering films from the Wonderful World of Disney to the web, as it streams out full-length movies gratis for web viewers. The deal is this: after a title airs on ABC as part of the network's Saturday night summer lineup, it will then be made available for streaming for one week (and one week only, we presume). It will also be serving up the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock, but this online presentation will also include "unique interactive content so fans can chat and play games while watching." For the full schedule of events, head on down to the read link below.

This one has been around the block a time or two, but it's just too juicy to pass up. The famed Back to the Future has always seemed like a perfect fit for a Blu-ray release, and based on a few hints dropped during a recent screening and cast reunion near Orlando, it could be happening. Writer and producer Bob Gale was quoted as saying that what folks were seeing in the theater was the "digital master for the upcoming high-definition Blu-ray version of Back to the Future." He continued by saying that he "didn't know when it was coming out," but affirmed that he was "involved in the mastering [process]." Go on and cross your fingers, alright?

[Thanks, Joel]

As if 3D really needed any more momentum, famed director James Cameron is openly backing the technology and actually shooting an upcoming film (Avatar) in 3D. In a recent interview with Variety, Cameron notes that when viewers see a scene in 3D, the "sense of reality is supercharged," and he even went so far as to say that every film he's ever done previously could have "absolutely benefited from 3D." Still, he does admit that the "economics of 3D" are unclear, and end results will depend heavily on how many theaters adopt it and how many filmmakers choose to "play in the new space." Trust us when we say that these comments are just the tip of the iceberg, so head on down to the read link for tons more insight from James on what 3D is doing (and what it can do) for cinema.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Given that the HD DVD flavor of I Am Legend is still a few weeks off, we figured we'd point the eyes of BD supporters to a couple of Blu-ray reviews for the time being. Both reviews noted that the 1080p encode was nothing short of beautiful, and visually, the film was an absolute treat. Colors, contrast and black levels were all found to be "excellent," and the Dolby TrueHD track was singled out as being particularly fantastic. As for extras, there was enough here to keep the casual fan satisfied, but as with we saw with Michael Clayton, those really, truly interested in getting behind the scenes may be somewhat disappointed. Overall, it sounds like the BD version is certainly worth a glance if you enjoyed it in cinemas, but those hoping to find a world of extras may want to pass on the purchase and get their rental on.

Read - The Man Room's I Am Legend Blu-ray review
Read - HighDefDigest's I Am Legend Blu-ray review
Read - DVDTown's I Am Legend Blu-ray review

We'll be honest, we can't exactly recall what the going rate on rare Betamax tapes was soon after VHS took over, but it seems that one HD DVD fanatic was willing to shell out quite a bundle in order to take home a presumably canceled version of Bee Movie. In a war that saw some 23 bids fly in, one particularly fortunate eBay seller was able to move a copy of Seinfeld's latest on the now-deceased format for $400 -- we think. Curiously enough, the seller didn't specifically mention that it was the HD version in a publicly answered question, and even more suspicious was the fact that he / she chose to end the auction early despite the chance of it soaring even higher. Here's to hoping the winning bidder both reads this and gets the film they purchased, but let's see some actual pictures as soon as it arrives, cool?

[Thanks, Mack S.]

Now that all studios can focus their efforts on cranking out titles for a single format (well, almost), it's no surprise to hear that Warner is already planning a few special sets for the hordes of collectors out there. Early reports are suggesting that the aforementioned firm will debut a series of "book-like" Blu-ray packages on March 25th with the unveiling of Bonnie & Clyde. Apparently, at least nine other films will follow suit, offering movie buffs a "handsomely bound volume containing rare and never-before-seen archival material." As for exact titles, we're hearing that Dirty Harry, Woodstock, Gone with the Wind and North by Northwest could be among those chosen (no Matrix?), but Warner could re-release hits such as Blade Runner and certain Harry Potter selections as well. Interestingly, it seems as if HD DVD followers will also get the chance to indulge with the red release of Bonnie & Clyde, but there's been nothing said officially either way just yet.

[Via The Leaky Cauldron, thanks Kellan]
Read - Warner Plans Ten Blu-ray "Book" Releases for 2008
Read - Warner to Bow "Ultimate" Dirty Harry

Not like this comes as any surprise whatsoever, but the latest to jump on the HD DVD fire sale wagon is Discovery Channel. As of now, the firm is offering up its famed Planet Earth, Sunrise Earth and Discovery Atlas titles with massive discounts attached (some flicks are as low as $9.99), but alas, all sales are inevitably final. Still, $29.99 for the Planet Earth HD DVD set could be reason enough to keep that unsupported player around.

[Via John B.]

It's no surprise that this year's winner of Best Picture is garnering quite a bit of buzz on Blu-ray, so we figured it prudent to pass along a review for those still on the fence about adding it to their collection. Without giving away any of the plot, reviewers seemed quite pleased with the HD transfer, noting that the plethora of special effects were "highly defined" and the beauty of the location was able to really shine. As for audio, nothing was really frowned upon, but it was stated that the lossless track didn't add much over the Dolby Digital track considering the film's heavy reliance on dialogue. Unfortunately, the shining review headed south when we came to extras, as this disc has SD bonus features that do little to excite. Still, fans of the film are likely to find enough here in the feature presentation alone to make it worth owning, but those curious simply because of its recently acquired accolades may be better off renting first.

If you've been wishing that those double digit theater prices would actually net your local hot spot an upgrade, here's an idea you can certainly nudge their way. Showing off at ShoWest 2008 in Las Vegas, the Electrosonic MS9600 is hailed as a "high-performance JPEG2000 appliance," which plays back unencrypted JPEG2000 content at 2K, 1080p and 720p resolutions. Designed specifically for digital cinema, post production and show control applications, this unit also touts dual HD-SDI / dual DVI-I video outputs and 16-channels of broadcast quality digital audio. Furthermore, it even supports 48fps 3D playback, but unfortunately, we've no idea how soon it's destined to hit cinemas of any kind.

While the release list for hot new HD DVDs is quickly dwindling, that's not to say that there aren't any titles just hitting the shelves worth picking up. Oscar nominee Michael Clayton is one such film, which has landed on both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats and has been reviewed on both. On the BD side, critics over at Home Theater Mag were quite disappointed by the exclusion of any advanced audio tracks, but did appreciate the "inky blacks" and overall strong HD (read: visual) presentation. Conversely, Home Theater Spot found things to be "too dark" in the HD DVD version, but we're chalking that one up to personal preference. Nevertheless, the red version did no better in terms of audio, but it was noted that this film wasn't one to really take advantage of such luxuries, anyway. Extras were scant on both discs, leaving both reviewers to suggest picking this one up only if you're a fan of the genre, or more specifically, this very title.

Read - Michael Clayton Blu-ray review
Read - Michael Clayton HD DVD review

Earlier this month, we disagreed that HD movie downloads would trump HD DVD / Blu-ray disc purchases in the not-too-distant future, and now we've got yet another clever alternative on deck that just doesn't have the makings of a winner. While it seems that consumers still prefer something tangible when purchasing movies, we can't help but agree that flicks on flash drives just wouldn't work. Aside from the prohibitive cost to pop out a standard DVD on a flash chip versus a disc, the idea of having customers flock to some sort of movie download kiosk to refill memory cards with new releases just seems absurd. Sure, we understand how this could sound marginally appealing from the sidelines, but we just can't imagine all those DVD cases at your favorite big box retailer getting swapped out with movie-filled SDHC cards anytime soon.

Just a week after the DVD CCA approved an unexciting (and incredibly restrictive) download-to-burn scheme, DataPlay has unveiled what it calls the "world's first CSS-managed recording DVD burner." Of course, this isn't the first time we've heard about this type of setup, and as it turns out, DataPlay is actually "participating in the Qflix technology and IP licensing program." The aptly-named MovieWriter is an external USB 2.0 device that is "capable of writing CSS encrypted content for playback on standard DVD players," but alas, you'll be forced to pick up the presumably expensive CSS-MR pre-keyed recordable discs through Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden before any burning can take place. Currently, no pricetag is being listed, but we are told that the outfit is already planning an internal version for OEMs to integrate into pre-fabricated machines. [Warning: PDF read link]

Here's an interesting one. Reportedly, the copy of 300 that comes bundled alongside the Bourne Identity in any of Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD players completely omits the DVD side found on the traditional combo disc. Granted, the content on the HD DVD side remains exactly the same, but since the vanilla DVD held exclusive audio commentary, it seems that this particular disc adds "its own exclusive picture-in-picture video commentary" to compensate.

If you thought the previous HD film records set by MI:III, The Departed, and 007: Casino Royale were impressive, 300 just raised the bar in a big way. According to sales figures from the title's first week on shelves, more than 250,000 copies were moved on HD DVD and Blu-ray. Moreover, this mark makes it the fastest selling high-definition disc to date, and enables Warner Home Video to claim six of the top ten selling HD flicks. Of course, the news we're truly interested in -- which format made up the majority of the sales -- was unsurprisingly omitted.

[Via MovieWeb]