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Paramount Makes Official Blu-Ray announcement! Read the press release here. (1 Viewer)

Jim_K

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I'm dying for a BD version of the recent 2-disc SE of Braveheart, an HD version was supposed to come this year.

The Godfather trilogy on BD (in conjunction with the remastered DVD set) should be a no-brainer but I'm waiting for them to bungle it.

I'm also not so hopefull about the Indy quadrology on BD, I've grown used to being screwed by Lucasfilm when it comes to newer formats.
 

Adam Gregorich

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While anything is possible and I would love to be suprised I'm being told not to get my hopes up for all four Indy films--things could change, but that is where it is now.
 

Jim_K

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That's what I figured Adam. I'll be shocked if even Crystal Skull made it to BD given Lucasfilm's past antics with DVD.
 

Jeff Adkins

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Be prepared for the multi-page thread debating the TrueHD vs. DD+ sound of Transformers if it comes out lossless on BD.
 

Dave Moritz

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I am hoping that Paramount does Blu-ray right and we can look forward to many top notch HD transfers from them. Right now I am really wanting to pick up the Jack Ryan Collection on Blu-ray. I hope that Paramount gets that out on Blu-ray this year since I beleive it came out for HD-DVD for a short time.
 

RobertR

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It's simple. Lucas will release on Blu Ray if and only if he calculates it will make him a lot of money. He won't lift a finger to help grow the format.
 

Douglas Monce

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Why should he? He finances his own company and films with no help from a huge multinational corporation. Yes Lucasfilm makes good money, but most of it goes back into films or research and development. He can't really afford to be charitable with a product that will in all likelihood lose money for him.

Now if Paramount offers to supplement the blu-ray release that might be a different story.

Doug
 

Jari K

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Releasing a film is charitable? Poor George. Perhaps he can do some CGI-tweaking in the meantime with some of his films or something... Ya know, just passing the time.. ;)

Btw. This is what he said recently in "Total Film" interview (issue 140):

**

Q/Matthew Leyland (TF) = Will we see the Indy and SW series in hif-def soon?

A = That´ll probably happen. We´re going to wait until Blu-ray gets a little more established, because it´s only won the war. It´s got a year or two to get some actual fission going.

**

So I guess it takes at least that year - perhaps two, before we see these on Blu-ray... And if Blu-ray "fails" or something (who knows what Lucas means with "actual fission", I don´t even understand the word! ;) ), people can download it in 720p! Cool! ;)
 

Douglas Monce

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It's charitable if it costs more to release on a particular format than he stands to make back. He is a business man and he is in this to make money, not prop up someone else's product.

I believe by fission he talking about nuclear fission that accelerates exponentially. Meaning that when blu-ray is expanding at a rate that seems to warrant releasing his films on the format. This assumes of course that the "chain reaction" starts with blu-ray and it doesn't fizzle out.

I just bought a Playstation 3 because I'm starting to produce material on blu-ray, and at the moment it is the only blu-ray player that will play blu-ray 5/9 authored discs. I need to do test runs on DVD-Rs before burning onto a blu-ray. Anyway I was astonished. I downloaded a 3 min 1080p trailer in 30 seconds. At that rate I could download an episode of a TV show in 1080p in about 6 or 7 min, and a feature film in about 15 to 20 min. The producer of the product doesn't have to press discs, they don't have to print cardstock for the cases, they don't have to buy cases. As much as I don't like, it I can easily see downloads as the future of home video.

Doug
 

Jari K

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I guess this thread is not the place for the "downloading vs psychical media" debates, but I was being mainly sarcastic with my comment. If you can understand why it´s so damn hard for Lucas to release anything on home video (whether he doesn´t want to release the "original version" or just want to "wait" for various reasons - he rarely just gives what the fans really want) - good for you, but it´s not that the filmmakers generally have the luxury to "wait". If everybody keeps "waiting", it´s soon "game over" with Blu-ray (=physical HD media). But hey, if downloading is one option...

Thank god most of these directors are not like Lucas (or should I say, "can´t be", since not many has the same power as Lucas/Spielberg).

Then again, it´s not that these studios are doing a great job at the moment with Blu-ray-releases..
 

Jonathan Kaye

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There's a joke in there to do with mind reading a DVD, or something...:)

(sorry Jari, couldn't resist. You did of course mean physical, rather than anything to do with psychics!)
 

Douglas Monce

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It's not that Lucas CAN'T release the original versions of the Star Wars films, its just that he didn't want to. As I'm sure you know he was never happy with the first film, and only moderately pleased with the second two. I'm sure he hoped that the original cut of Episode 4 would never be seen again because he is embarrassed by it.

The Special Edition is the only version that he would prefer be out there. I really don't understand why so many people have a problem with that.

Sorry to get off track, back to Paramount and why THEY won't be releasing Indiana Jones! :D

Doug
 

Jason_V

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Sorry to further derail, but I have to. The problem, at least for me, with the original version of any movie not being available is because that version is a historical document. It is what the audience fell in love with during the original theatrical run. Even for film students to see the progression of each cut of the movie would be beneficial.

It is, of course, Lucas' perogative to release what he wants to release. However, just for the sake of history, I'd like to see the various cuts put together and made available at some point. (Same for any film with an extended/director/uncut version without an available original theatrical edition.)
 

Jim_K

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Oh my! :laugh: Sorry but anyone who states that the Indy films would actually lose money?! :eek: on BD I just can't take seriously. Do you yourself believe the shit you're shoveling? Just curious. :D

The decision to release Indy on BD will come down to A) either release them this year and make a truckload of money or B) wait a few years and make a few dozen truckloads of money. I've never had any doubts that Lucasfilm will go for option B) mo money.

Unfortunately for everyone that'll probably translate to the 30th Anniversary (2011) or the release of the next Indy film (Indiana Jones and the Golden Hip Replacement).
 

RobertR

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Agreed. No one is saying "we want or expect Lucas to LOSE money to help grow the format". The point is that Lucas' "I'll sit back and let others work their asses off to help the next generation hidef medium grow and become more viable because I can't be bothered" belies all his rhetoric about being a high-tech "visionary" who wants to "lead the way" in showing movies "in the best possible way". I seem to recall that one of the reasons he gave for dragging his feet on releasing his films to DVD was that he really wanted to wait for a hidef medium. Now that it's here, what's the excuse?
 

TravisR

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He wants to make as much money as possible. And I don't mean that as the usual idiotic "Geroge Luca$" comment, I mean it in the sense that the guy wants to make as much money as he can like every other business man. He 'only' owns about dozen movies whereas studios own hundreds or thousands of movies so he's going to wait to maximize his profit.

It's not like all the people who want Star Wars and Indiana Jones on Blu Ray now aren't going to want it in two or three or five years when there will be alot more Blu Ray players in homes.
 

Paul Arnette

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The biggest difference between the Indiana Jones on BD and Star Wars on DVD situations that I can see is plans for future installments. When The Phantom Menace came out, it was known that SW would be in the genreal public's conscience for many year's to come.

Now if there are plans to make more IJ movies post KotCS, I could definitely see Lucasfilm and Paramount holding off on the original IJ trilogy. Otherwsie, I don't see a lot of difference between releasing them now when IJ is as relevant as it has been for the last 18 years and release it 2-3 down the road when BD adoption has grown but IJ is no longer in the forefront of the general public's mind.

Maybe that's just me though... It wouldn't be the first time. :)
 

Douglas Monce

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Honestly I don't know if selling 3 or 4 hundred thousand copies would make it worth releasing or not. I don't know if selling that many copies would really recoup the cost of replication, printing labels, advertising. If Paramount isn't picking up the tab, Lucas might not want to bother with something that might just brake even.

Doug
 

RobertR

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It seems like the logic of such statements is that no studio should bother with any BR release (or even DVD in its infancy). After all, you could always argue that any given release would do better given more players "down the road". All I'm saying is that Lucas is anything but a leader when it comes to growing and helping make viable a new movie medium, contrary to his "I'm a visionary tech leader" claims. I also don't understand why sales of an early release wouldn't continue to grow as more and more players are bought, eventually making it into the millions of copies (which even Lucas wouldn't sneeze at).
 

Douglas Monce

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The studios are bothering with it because they are priming the pump of a new revenue stream. They can afford to lose money for a while they lay the ground work for the future.

I don't think Lucas was ever a leader in home video presentation. His efforts have almost completely been toward the theatrical experience and improving the tools available to filmmakers. His development of the Edit Droid and the Sound Droid lead to digital sound and picture editing being the standard today.

He clearly changed the way we see and hear movies and changed audience expectations. The home THX efforts were just by product of that. I don't think Lucas has much interest in the home presentation.

Doug
 

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