Warner leads the home media market, and like any leader it is always looking for the next big movie to improve it's sales. It makes sense to us that a good way to promote Blu-ray -- and thus the future of the home media market -- is to make new releases available in HD before their SD counterparts, but we wonder what the rest of the SD world will think of this. It is hard to say if Warner's decision to release the Jack Black movie Be Kind Rewind on Blu-ray on June 10th -- a full week before it's available on DVD -- is one of these tests, but we certainly can't wait to see the results.

**UPDATE** New Line has clarified and the DVD will be released the same day.

300 is this month's highest profile DVD/Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo release, and it appears reviewers have already found it worthy of the crown. Frank Miller's previous effort Sin City was already well-received in HD with its highly stylized green screened special effects and 300 follows in the same vein. High-Def Digest didn't exactly love the "flat" look of the movie, but found the VC-1 transfer an "accurate representation of the theatrical experience", while IGN couldn't find enough superlatives to describe the video on its way to a 10 of 10 rating. The Blu-ray version includes a PCM soundtrack alongside standard and TrueHD versions, but it didn't seem to add or detract much from a highly rated aural experience. The HD DVD exclusive features include a PiP look at the film in preproduction, as well as an option to edit together favorite scenes and post them online for other fans to download via the player. 300's groundbreaking internet features are also tied to the anchor of Warner's ringtone and other paraphernalia advertisements, but in the end, all rated it a must-buy for your format of choice when released next week.

Read - 300 HD DVD review High-Def Digest
Read - 300 Blu-ray review High-Def Digest
Read - 300 HD DVD review IGN
Read - A Few Words About...300 HD & BD

More news from the Home Media Expo, as Warner Home Video made it a point to show off its upcoming deluxe box sets, few more widely anticipated than the high definition releases of Harry Potter and Blade Runner. Fans of the Harry Potter series can get all five films, on Blu-ray or HD DVD along with "exclusive memorabilia", at a price of $149.99, a $30 premium over the standard DVD set. Blade Runner is getting a five disc DVD re-release that will also hit Blu-ray and HD DVD, but no word on prices for the HD editions or special features. According to VideoBusiness both should debut sometime in the fourth quarter, it appears that Total HD or not Warner is taking advantage of its support for both formats by releasing its heavy hitters sooner, rather than later.

National Geographic has announced it's releasing its first HD title, Relentless Enemies on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, distributed by Warner Home Video on March 27. The 90 minute film, originally shot in HD, is National Geographic's highest-rated special to date. The network was pushed to release on high definition formats after surveys showed its content as what viewers would most like to see. We like watching lions and buffalo battling for survival as much as anyone, but with a $34.99 MSRP compared to the $19.99 DVD we hope they also start including some HD extras in future releases.

Warner Home Video unveiled some of the highlights of its planned HD DVD lineup for 2007 tonight, highlighted by hits like The Matrix and the entire Harry Potter series. Six-time Golden Globe nominee The Departed hits on an HD DVD combo February 13, but it doesn't stop there. Ocean's 11 and Ocean's 12, as well as classics like Bullitt and The Getaway (1972) are also planned. Expect to see more Ultimate Collector's Editions like The Forbidden Planet on both HD DVD and Blu-ray this year. WHV has been the most prolific studio releasing on both high definition formats, not to mention putting HD content in other avenues like Xbox Live Video Marketplace, and as a result can claim to have six of the top ten selling HD DVD titles, led at #1 by Superman Returns.

Warner Home Video might have had to cut sales projections but are still supporting HD, announcing three HD DVD releases and four Blu-ray discs due on October 31st. The highest profile title of the seven is V for Vendetta which will include Warner's In Movie Experience (IME), to view director commentary while the movie plays in the background. Joining V on HD DVD are Excalibur and Under Siege. Under Siege is also making its Blu-ray bow on the same day, along with The Phantom of the Opera, Searchers and Unforgiven. All will include the extras present on the standard DVD version -- no 1080p HD extras, 50GB discs or 30/9 combos here -- and we don't expect them given their $28.98 MSRP. Our Google Calendars are of course updated with the releases. Blu-ray may be catching up a bit, with one extra release, but we're sure some who were lucky enough to get a PS3 pre-order are looking to see when V for Vendetta crosses into the Blu.

HD DVD release schedule


Blu-ray release schedule

Summer blockbuster Superman Returns has a date from Warner Home Video, and VideoBusiness says you'll be able to see it no matter what side of the format war you're on. While The Lake House will still be the first triple-release later this month, you can pick up Superman Returns on DVD, HD DVD & Blu-ray November 28th. The standard DVD will be available either as a single disc (MSRP $28.98), 2-disc special edition (MSRP $34.99), HD DVD Combo disc (MSRP $39.99), or Blu-ray (MSRP $34.99). The special edition DVD will come with several hours worth of extras, but no word on the high definition IME extras we've already heard so much about. Still, considering such a high profile release and that they've already got HD extras ready, it seems likely that Superman follows Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift in being a 30GB/9GB combo disc. We're still not sure how many people are willing to pay a few extra bucks for a combo disc, but Warner is putting a lot of weight behind them. Information on whether or not the disc would allow buyers to fly merely by putting on a cape and yelling "I'm Superman" is also unavailable at this time.

As expected, Warner Home Video has announced Batman Begins and The Polar Express will be coming to HD DVD October 10th. Also coming to HD DVD that day are Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride (previously announced for Blu-ray), and both Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (2006 starring Johnny Depp) and the original Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. Batman Begins and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory both feature IME sequences, taking viewers into the creative processes of the directors of each movie while the movie continues to play in the background. In addition Warner will release both Syriana and 16 Blocks on Blu-ray the same day, both previously released on HD DVD, giving them over 50 movies total released on both formats. Other than the two IME-enhanced titles all will have the same extras as their DVD counterparts, the HD DVDs carry an MSRP of $28.99 and the Blu-ray discs $34.99. So far Warner's dual-release strategy seems to be working out well as they've got some of the best titles on each format, best features, and have been able to take their VC-1 encoded movies from HD DVD to Blu-ray and vice versa without trouble.

Much like their statement yesterday about European Blu-ray launch titles, Warner has let us know they are going to have 15 titles ready for the HD DVD launch in Europe...but not which ones. Launching in France, Germany, Spain and the UK they will include Rumor Has It, Constantine, Goodfellas, Troy, Lethal Weapon among others. No word on prices or specific dates yet.

Blu-ray will be launching in Europe this year, as Warner has queued up ten Blu-ray titles for a European launch later this year. France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom can all expect to have titles such as Firewall, Syriana, Full Metal Jacket, Training Day and Space Cowboys to choose from (yes that is just 5, they didn't announce which ten specifically). We're still awaiting word on European HD DVD releases but we wouldn't be surprised to see a very similar lineup.

Well that was quick. Warner has announced their first Blu-ray releases. They officially announced their support last October but had not yet announced any release dates. August 1 is the big day, with four movies coming out on Blu-ray, three already available on HD DVD and one all-new in high definition. Training Day, Rumor Has It and Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, have already shown up on HD DVD, while George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck has not. We'll finally be able to compare the same title on either format and tell what, if any, difference there is.

Syriana, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Lethal Weapon have been added to the slate of HD DVD titles scheduled as Blu-ray's debut continues to draw closer. With Samsung's BD-P1000 slated for June 25 and the first Blu-ray titles hitting shelves on the 20th, the high definition DVD format war will soon become a reality. 

Syriana is a day-and-date release with the DVD edition on June 20, carries an SRP of $34.99, and will contain two featurettes exclusive to the HD DVD version. Also released the same day is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the fourth combination HD DVD/DVD disc released and having an SRP of $39.99. Lethal Weapon will follow on June 27 with an SRP of $34.99. The latter two movies will have the same bonus features as the standard-def DVD editions.

Looks like Warner will continue with these day-and-date combo disc releases, as they have announced the Mos Def and Bruce Willis flick 16 Blocks will be available next week both on standard DVD and an HD DVD/DVD combo disc. Just like the first release Rumor Has It, the list price is $39.98. This may be an interesting trend to watch, what genres and what specific titles get day-and-date releases, combo releases, or extra features. A quick check on Amazon shows the Rumor Has It and Firewall combo discs going for $27.97 and the standard definition DVDs retailing for $16.96.  Is high definition future proofing worth $11? We will see.