The first network TV series to see release on HD DVD or Blu-ray,
Smallville just gave us a few more reasons to eagerly anticipate the release of the season 5 boxed set. There will be an
HDi interactive feature for the season premiere episode "Arrival" -- we suppose Warner can't call it
IME seeing as its not a movie, but we're sure they'll come up with something -- and all episodes will be encoded in 1080p, with Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks. All this HD goodness comes at a price, $79.98 to be exact; a $20 bump over the standard DVD edition when it hits
February 6, 2007. Despite the premium price, after watching a series in HD, going back to DVD quality later isn't our preferred option.
Update: VideoBusiness
is reporting that the 5-disc set will be available November 28, 2006. Sooner = better. (Confirmed.)
[Thanks, TJ]
Accurately measuring exactly how much juice your HDTV is consuming has been all the rage of late, and now, "television manufacturers and broadcasters have produced what may be the world's most boring TV program to measure energy consumption on new-generation televisions." Apparently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is looking to "have a standard way of measuring how much energy plasma and LCD TVs use," and there seems to be no better way to accomplish the goal than to edit together a ten-minute clip consisting of bits from soap operas, nature programs and sports which the tested sets would play. No word yet on whether this highly-anticipated programming will hit HD DVD or Blu-ray, though.
