Hopefully we'll get a review here, though it doesn't matter much as I'm sure they wanted to make this one of their flagship Blu-Ray titles so the A/V quality should be up to snuff.
This is really the first MAJOR (big budget, popular, and recent) BD release (from Sony, no less), so I expect it to be top-notch. This the equivalent BD to HD's Batman Begins.
As much as I hate to say it, I picked up a Playstation 3 last night entirely because of this movie. I've never been a big fan of Sony and I'm very pleased with what HD-DVD has had to offer, but I knew when I left the theater after seeing the midnight opening night showing of Casino Royale that this day would come. Now I'm just trying to decide if one movie is really worth $700 or if I should return the PS3 and wait for those $300-400 standalone players Sony claims will be around at the end of this year. Decisions, decisions...
I've been thinking about doing the same thing(picking up a PS3 for upcoming Blu Ray titles like Casino Royale, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Rock, Crimson Tide, etc), but I can't convince myself to pull the trigger after buying an HD-DVD player back in Oct. I'll probably do it in a moment of weakness, but for right now I'm still holding out.
Well, Brent...I'm with you. And it looks like cheaper players will be here sooner than later for both formats making it easier for us "poor" boys to sell off less plasma.
Here's hoping that around October-ish? A BD player will be available around $350 or less. Until then, it's using the Blockbuster Online rental plan for the standard def versions (slumming I know )
That's what I keep saying, but I get tempted more and more by the day. I think the PS3 is probably the best route for me to go when I finally do pull the trigger because that new Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game that's coming out on the format later this year might be worth the cost of the player alone.
No, I think things will be clearer near the end of 2007. At that time I'll have to decide. Can't deny myself too long. Right now it's a financial decision more than anything. Actually, it's the only reason. Plus, I want to get a new projector this year and that's a bit higher priority than adding another HD source.
As soon as Sony gets the review copy of Casino Royale to me, I'll have a review up for all of you. I am definitely excited about this release... not only do I think it's the best Bond movie to date, it actually makes most of the Bond catalog look kind of silly. That's pretty hard for me to say, as I'm a HUGE Bond fan...
While I don't think it was nearly the best Bond to date, I'll have to grab this one as I just upgraded the HT receiver and am loving PCM uncompressed titles. The clarity in audio is stunning, and that was Black Hawk Down, old compared to CR.
$700 does seem quite a lot for one film - but it was a very good one. Look on the bright side - it may not be too long before the other Bond's are released on Blu-ray and you can start to average down your per-title cost.