Criterion Blu-ray Plans Revealed

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Criterion Blu-ray Plans Revealed

Post by gasteropod »

The latest newsletter email sent out by Criterion reveals their future Blu-ray Disc plans. Rather than summarise we’ll just quote verbatim…


We’ve got some exciting news for this fall, and we wanted you to hear it first.

Our first Blu-ray discs are coming! We’ve picked a little over a dozen titles from the collection for Blu-ray treatment, and we’ll begin rolling them out in October. These new editions will feature glorious high-definition picture and sound, all the supplemental content of the DVD releases, and they will be priced to match our standard-def editions.

Here’s what’s in the pipeline:

The Third Man
Bottle Rocket
Chungking Express
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Last Emperor
El Norte
The 400 Blows
Gimme Shelter
The Complete Monterey Pop
Contempt
Walkabout
For All Mankind
The Wages of Fear

Alongside our DVD and Blu-ray box sets of The Last Emperor, we’ll also be putting out the theatrical version as a stand-alone release in both formats, priced at $39.95. Our Blu-ray release of Walkabout will be an all-new edition, featuring new supplements as well as a new transfer; we will also release an updated anamorphic DVD of Nicolas Roeg’s outback masterpiece at the same time.


Thanks to SimonI for sending over this news.
Source: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=67696
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bradavon
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Post by bradavon »

Thanks Gasteropod.

Chunking Express in HD! Criterion haven't even released it on DVD.
all the supplemental content of the DVD releases, and they will be priced to match our standard-def editions.
You've really got to give credit to Criterion for retaining the DVD extras and charging the same price.
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Post by EvaUnit02 »

bradavon wrote:You've really got to give credit to Criterion for retaining the DVD extras and charging the same price.
Yeah, good on them.

Who would thought that the company known for some of the most expensive DVDs around would be delivering some of the best bargains on HD disc?

Fuck you Fox and your barebones releases priced at $40USD RRP.
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Post by Lourdes »

Tooze has his camera at the ready.

I really hope they don't fuck up in HD like they insist upon doing in SD. I really want CE to look good.
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Post by bradavon »

To be fair not all Criterion's SD transfers are stuffed up, are they? By others standards they are still very good, no?
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Post by romerojpg »

Region Code hell ahoyyy!

Not even one Samurai film on the list :roll:
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Post by bradavon »

Like Samurai are the be all and end all of Criterion's output ;). I'd imagine Seven Samurai will be high on their "to release" list.

I imagine some will be Region Free and some Region A, like their DVDs.
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Post by romerojpg »

bradavon wrote:Like Samurai are the be all and end all of Criterion's output ;). I'd imagine Seven Samurai will be high on their "to release" list.

I imagine some will be Region Free and some Region A, like their DVDs.
As far as I know all their dvds are region coded now, it changed a while back, I have not had a single dvd from them since the change that was not coded and I have probibly had 30+ of them, its only old discs that were region free.
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Post by Markgway »

EvaUnit02 wrote:Who would thought that the company known for some of the most expensive DVDs around would be delivering some of the best bargains on HD disc?
Is $39.95 a bargain price?
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Post by romerojpg »

Markgway wrote:
EvaUnit02 wrote:Who would thought that the company known for some of the most expensive DVDs around would be delivering some of the best bargains on HD disc?
Is $39.95 a bargain price?
Just for stupid people.
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Post by Lourdes »

bradavon wrote:Like Samurai are the be all and end all of Criterion's output ;). I'd imagine Seven Samurai will be high on their "to release" list.

I imagine some will be Region Free and some Region A, like their DVDs.
Bottle Rocket is higher. 'nuff said.
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Post by bradavon »

romerojpg wrote:I have not had a single dvd from them since the change
Thanks Romero. What change?
Markgway wrote:Is $39.95 a bargain price?
Based "specifically" on the criteria Eva was talking about yes.

Criterion SD DVDs are always expensive, that's just what they cost. To now take their prices and base them on Criterion BDs represents good value for money.

Generally speaking of course 40 bucks isn't good value for money but that isn't what Eva meant.
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Post by romerojpg »

bradavon wrote:
romerojpg wrote:I have not had a single dvd from them since the change
Thanks Romero. What change?
The change as in when Region codes were on ALL discs, unless I have missed some of the shit they output with no region codes, as they do bring op
ut a lot of shit stuff.
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Post by gasteropod »

Lourdes wrote:Bottle Rocket is higher. 'nuff said.
That's the only Wes Anderson film I don't want on Blu-ray.
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Post by bradavon »

Thanks Romero.
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Post by romerojpg »

Hell if Criterion go region coded, well I will probibly cry :D as I want pretty much all the stunning Samurai films they have on the books, just hope they still have the rights to the vast selection of samurai classics, they about all I but from Criterion anymore as they do such good work on them. Beats the up their own arse shite the release all the time.
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Post by bradavon »

You can always import a Region A player, no offence but you bought a PS3 late meaning you should've known all about Region A being the better of the two main regions.
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Post by EvaUnit02 »

Markgway wrote:Is $39.95 a bargain price?
In relation to the prices and supplements offered by a lot of big studio releases (notably Fox) and the fact that most Criterion SD DVD releases retail at 39.95, yes it is a bargain.

You're the idiot, Romero. Unlike most studio releases, Criterions NEVER permanently fall in price (not counting faux Criterions from Buena Vista/Miramax - eg Chasing Amy, past Wes Anderson releases.). Go on sale occasionally, yes, but they ALWAYS go back up.
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Post by romerojpg »

bradavon wrote:You can always import a Region A player, no offence but you bought a PS3 late meaning you should've known all about Region A being the better of the two main regions.
Its not better at all, people keep saying that as if it is true, its not as I have the whole of Europe open to me, far more varied titles come from them places than Just america. For every Criterion there is a title from france, or Germany etc.. what ever region you go for, your stuffed basically.


and Eva Criterions fall in price all the time, I have got most of mine for very low price over the years, many now I wait till they are well under £10, the last lot I got were £5-£6. Its not just crap Wes Anderson films that go low, its everything I have ever wanted, if you look you can get any cheap, esspecially if you wait till the right time. They are not worth the stupid close to full prices, well back in the day when you had no option, but nowadays we have.
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Post by Markgway »

I suppose you can also save big on the RRP.

I'd like to see Criterion put out Dazed & Confused on BD.

I've held off buying the DVD (upgrade) because it's too damn expensive.
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Post by bradavon »

Criterions are expensive :(
romerojpg wrote:For every Criterion there is a title from france, or Germany etc.. what ever region you go for, your stuffed basically.
Except for the vast majority of European Exclusive titles have been Region Free. I only know of EIV in the UK and Concorde in Germany that release Region B exclusive titles. Compared with much more Region A exclusive titles. The likes of Fox don't count either way.

That makes it better and besides you were the one hoping Criterion discs were Region Free. If you'd bought an American Player it wouldn't matter.

Not that I care any more, now it's possible to switch the LG BH200 Combo Player between Region A and Region B using the remote.
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Post by bradavon »

Criterion Kicks Off Blu-ray Support with 'Third Man' and 'Man Who Fell to Earth':

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/2035

Let the good times roll :D.
Each will receive a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p video (codec TBA) in the film's original aspect ratio, with 'The Third Man' enjoying a Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track and 'Man Who Fell to Earth' an uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo mix.
That's how it's done!

I guess Criterion decided PCM 1.0 for Third Man wasn't worth it.
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Post by bradavon »

Some of the titles Criterion plan to release are now up at Criterion.com:

* The Third Man: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=20002
* Bottle Rocket: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=20000
* Chungking Express: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=20001
* The Man Who Fell to Earth: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=20003
* The Last Emperor: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=20004

According to the link above The Third Man will in fact have PCM 1.0 after all, no DD1.0. It's a pity Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket are only getting plain jane DD5.1 when the rest are getting some form of lossless audio (PCM for all except for Last Emperor which is getting DTS-HD MA).

There's no release exact date for these yet, other than it was rumoured to be October. That link above says "The Third Man" and "The Man Who Fell to Earth" will be November.

They all have a DVD release/link too but I cannot see if they're new DVDs or not, some probably are and some are not.

The following are said to also be coming but as yet are not listed:

* Gimme Shelter
* El Norte
* Contempt
* For All Mankind
* The 400 Blows
* The Wages of Fear
* Walkabout
* The Complete Monterey Pop
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Re: Criterion Blu-ray Plans Revealed

Post by bradavon »

On the 30th of June, 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' Blu-ray will be discontinued:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/4881

The following titles have also been discontinued:

The Third Man
Pierrot le fou
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Re: Criterion Blu-ray Plans Revealed

Post by romerojpg »

Typical saddo Criterion price raising and rare limiting shenanegans!

Idiots will be paying £200 for them this time next year :lol:
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