CES 2006 News & Announcements

[Titanio]

Summary of news sofar:

PS3

- Sony has confirmed over 4000 dev kits have been delivered to developers
- PS3 is being shown on the floor - seemingly without the controller unveiled at E3.
- PS3 Blu-ray playback details have been divulged: Cell will handle software decoding, RSX will handle image processing. It will offer 1080p/60 output with 12-bit (per component) color. Video and audio processing will be 32-bit floating point.
- Sony is demoing PS3 Blu-ray playback on the showfloor. Some pics:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060105/ces04_11.jpg
http://internet.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/static/image/2006/01/05/cessn04.jpg
http://www.edn.com/media/CES2006/KIF_0448.JPG
http://www.edn.com/media/CES2006/KIF_0450.JPG

- Ken Kutaragi mentioned to Watch Impress at the BDA presentation that Sony will incorporate the next-generation HDMI spec into PS3, if it's ready on time (see: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060106/ces09.htm)
- Also relevant to PSP, Sony announced 4GB & 8GB Memory Sticks (see: http://www.memorystick.com/en/events/ces2006/report.html)


XBOX 360

- Microsoft announced an add-on external HD-DVD drive for Xbox360, for some time in 2006. The drive will only be used for movie playback. No other details were announced.
- Microsoft announced that it is on track to sell 4.5m-5m Xbox360 units by the end of June 06. 50% of the current Xbox360 userbase is now also online with Live.
- Microsoft says 50 Xbox360 titles will be released by the end of June, and 20 Live Arcade games.
- EA and MS announced the release of a Fight Night Round 3 demo on Xbox Live, and release date of Feb 21st.

BLU-RAY

Software

Announced initial titles:

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
The Fifth Element (multichannel uncompressed audio)
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Desperado
For a Few Dollars More
The Guns of Navarone
Hitch
House of Flying Daggers
A Knight's Tale
Kung Fu Hustle
The Last Waltz
Legends of the Fall
Resident Evil Apocalypse
Robocop
Sense and Sensibility
Stealth
Species
SWAT
XXX
StarGate Atlantis
Crouching, Tiger Hidden Dragon
Memento
Spiderman 2
Into The Blue
Black Hawk Down
Bridge Over the River Kwai
The Amityville Horror

In addition to new releases, Sony will start releasing 4 catalog titles per month from the Summer, rising to 10 per month later in the year.

Lionsgate
Lord of War
The Punisher
The Devil's Rejects
Saw
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Reservoir Dogs
Total Recall
Dune
Rambo: First Blood
See No Evil

20th Century Fox
Fantastic Four
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Behind Enemy Lines
Kiss Of The Dragon
Ice Age

and 15 others including 2 sci fi titles on 50GB

Paramount Pictures
Four Brothers
Sahara
Aeon Flux
Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow
The Italian Job
Tomb Raider
U2: Rattle and Hum
Sleepy Hollow
We Were Soldiers
Manchurian Candidate
Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible 2
Mission Impossible 3

Warner Bros:
Batman Begins
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Constantine
The Dukes of Hazzard
Goodfellas (see: http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/673/br14ot.jpg)
The Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
The Matrix
The Matrix: Reloaded
Million Dollar Baby
Oceans 12
Swordfish
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Training Day
Troy
Twister
Unforgiven

Disney
Kill Bill: Vol 1
Hero
Dark Water
Ladder 49
The Brothers Grimm
The Great Raid
Armageddon
Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Dinosaur
Everest
Pirates Of The Caribbean
Flightplan

Hardware

Samsung BD-P1000 $1000 Early Spring
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12901

Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 $1800 June
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/press/release/detail/0,,2076_4313_291805824,00.html

Sony BDP-S1 TBA Early Summer
http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/6400

Pioneer BDR-101A Internal Blu-ray Disc Writer $995 January
http://www.pioneer.co.jp/press/release159.html

Sony have also announced that they will start including Blu-ray Disc Writers in their Vaio line, and will have another Blu-ray writer for PCs available by the end of the year.

LG has announced a player for Spring, no pricing details.

Sharp has announced a player for Summer, again no pricing.

Philips will have a “competitively priced” player for the second half of the year.

HD-DVD

Software:

Announced initial titles:

Paramount Pictures
Four Brothers
Sahara
Aeon Flux
Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow
The Italian Job
Tomb Raider
U2: Rattle and Hum
Sleepy Hollow
We Were Soldiers
Manchurian Candidate
Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible 2
Mission Impossible 3

Warner Bros
3/28
Batman Begins
Constantine
Million Dollar Baby
Phantom of the Opera
Twister

4/11
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Training Day
Unforgiven

4/25
Goodfellas
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
The Matrix
Swordfish
Syriana

5/9 –
Blazing Saddles
Dukes of Hazzard
Full Metal Jacket
Rumor Has It
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

5/16
Charlie & Chocolate Factory
The Green Mile: Special Edition
Ocean's Twelve
Troy

Warner has also announced Superman Returns and Poseidon for later in 06.

Universal
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Jarhead
Doom
Cinderella Man
Apollo 13
Serenity
The Chronicles of Riddick
U-571
Van Helsing
The Bourne Supremacy

HBO Studios
The Sopranos
Deadwood

The HD-DVD association expects over 150 titles by the holiday season in 2006.

Hardware:

Toshiba HD-XA1 $799 March
Toshiba HD-A1 $499 March
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-04-2006/0004242550&EDATE=

Toshiba also announced that they will ship a Qosmio notebook with a built-in HD DVD drive later this year.

Microsoft announced plans for an external add-on HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360. No further details were forthcoming.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/external-hd-dvd-drive-due-for-xbox-360-this-year/

(If I miss stuff, let me know! I know there is other news appearing all the time, I'll try to keep up..)

 

[Nicked]

I posted the SPHE announcement in another thread, but yours has better formatting and is all-inclusive, yay. I'm surprised at the sheer volume of titles that will be available at launch, even just the ones announced so far. I expected a rather small launch. Guns'a'blazin' I guess.

 

[overclocked]

Great to see the Underworld sequel coming, been looking forward to that movie since the first one.

 

[Titanio]

A couple of more tidbits courtesy of Variety (free subscription required to read the whole thing):

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117935452?categoryid=20&cs=1

Lionsgate will release its perennial new format driver, "Terminator 2," among its first wave of high-def movies. Lionsgate president Steve Beeks says his company will be ready to release as many as 10 titles as early as March or April or whenever the first players hit the market.

I think Lionsgate is an exclusive Blu-ray backer?

Other studios planning to release in both formats, including Warner, New Line and HBO, as well as the lone studio supporting only the HD DVD format, Universal (the studio is said to be about to announce it will also release in Blu-ray), will announce their titles late Wednesday at CES. But Amazon.com lists many of the titles from those studios already, including U's "King Kong" and "The Bourne Supremacy," Warner's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Batman Begins" and "Friends," New Line's "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and "Seven""Seven" and HBO's "Band of Brothers."

Studios would not confirm the accuracy of those titles Tuesday.

 

[Platon]

One question though, is there a benefit to old movies as well when having higher def, shouldn't movies also be recorded in high def or not?...

 

[Titanio]

One question though, is there a benefit to old movies as well when having higher def, shouldn't movies also be recorded in high def or not?...

Most old movies are recorded on film. The masters of such films are better quality than any DVD. HD will bring you closer to the quality of the original master. You can't really talk in terms of resolution because movies recorded on film are continuous signals. Previously they took a master an encoded a relatively low resolution version (480p) for DVD, and now you'll be getting HD 1080p transfers from the original master.

In other words, yes, there's a large benefit, no different than any other type of movie.

 

[!eVo!-X Ant UK]

One question though, is there a benefit to old movies as well when having higher def, shouldn't movies also be recorded in high def or not?...

Well the newer the film the better its gonna look, Robocop is gonna look like complete and utter crap in High def, you'll see alot of artifacts and it will generally look ALOT worse than other titles due to its age. Films like shrek2 for example should look supurb in High def.

 

[Pugger]

Personally, I think thats quite a poor line up. Theres nothing there to convince me to buy a BR player. Hitch for goodness sake.

 

[Titanio]

I'm kind of surprised Spiderman isn't there!

But the lineup isn't too bad at all. And we've still yet to hear from Warner, Disney, New Line etc. The launch lineup for Bluray should probably run 60 titles, at least.

I think possibly more important is that Sony and Fox, at least, appear to be aiming for simultaneous release of Blu-ray titles alongside new DVDs.

 

[inefficient]

I'm kind of surprised Spiderman isn't there!

I'm surprised neither Spiderman I or II is not there as well. And even more surprised that Charlies Angels is not there. I thought that was the first movie mastered in HD for BluRay? And why does their launch line up include Steath??

Are they waiting for actual market penetration as far as players before trying to sell the big titles like Spiderman or Titanc? The line up from all studios seem to be either new action movies (04'-05') or popular classics which never really became blockbusters.

Not sure I understand the studio marketing team's motives here.

 

[Titanio]

I'm surprised neither Spiderman I or II is not there as well. And even more surprised that Charlies Angels is not there. I thought that was the first movie mastered in HD for BluRay? And why does their launch line up include Steath??

Are they waiting for actual market penetration as far as players before trying to sell the big titles like Spiderman or Titanc? The line up from all studios seem to be either new action movies (04'-05') or popular classics which never really became blockbusters.

Not sure I understand the studio marketing team's motives here.

It's tricky choosing what titles to launch a new format with, but you can be sure they think about this carefully. You first of all need choice, which Blu-ray will have judging by the numbers, and second you need a broad variety of titles with something that might appeal to everyone, not just film buffs or those with particular tastes, and there does seem to be a varied mix of titles there. "Landmark" titles that to you and me may seem more worthy aren't often the first to arrive on a new format. I guess you want a format to look as "normal" and as established as possible, so restricting releases to just the cream of the crop starting out mightn't work toward that. That said, there's talk of LoTR announcements from New Line later, for example, Harry Potter from Warner etc. We'll see..

 

[MrWibble]

I'm surprised neither Spiderman I or II is not there as well. And even more surprised that Charlies Angels is not there. I thought that was the first movie mastered in HD for BluRay? And why does their launch line up include Steath??

Are they waiting for actual market penetration as far as players before trying to sell the big titles like Spiderman or Titanc? The line up from all studios seem to be either new action movies (04'-05') or popular classics which never really became blockbusters.

Not sure I understand the studio marketing team's motives here.

With Spiderman 3 coming out sometime next year, I expect they'll have a big release of that on Blu-Ray later on in the year - perhaps they'll want to do some kind of special box-set release, which would be compromised if people already own the previous movies on both Blu-Ray and DVD....

Or maybe they lost/deleted the masters by mistake

 

[avaya]

So it looks like there is already 50 Blu-Ray exclusives

20 SPE
20 Fox
10 Lions Gate

Add the Disney side and the list is only going to grow.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Black Hawk Down should look AMAZING in High Def. That would probably be one of my first Blu Ray movies buys.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

With Spiderman 3 coming out sometime next year, I expect they'll have a big release of that on Blu-Ray later on in the year - perhaps they'll want to do some kind of special box-set release, which would be compromised if people already own the previous movies on both Blu-Ray and DVD....

that goes against the grain. I'd expect Spiderman 1 and 2 to be released, than Spiderman 3, then a box set, then individual director's cuts of all the films, and finally a collectors edition boxed-set of the director's cut. Sell the same film as many times to as many of the same people as possible...

I see they mention 1080p. Are we going to see any films >24fps where progressive will make a difference? Maybe now they've got more rendering power, Pixar could re-render older movies at higher frame-rates

 

[Hardknock]

House of flying daggers should be awesome in HD! Can't wait to pick that one up...

Those blu-ray cases are ridiculously ugly though, I hate the blue

 

[Titanio]

Lions Gate's launch titles

Lions Gate's first 10 titles include:

Lord of War
The Punisher
The Devil's Rejects
Saw
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Reservoir Dogs
Total Recall
Dune
Rambo: First Blood

They also seem to be planning simultaneous Blu-ray/DVD releases:

"Lionsgate's upcoming May theatrical horror release "See No Evil," featuring WWE star Kane, will be the company's first title released simultaneously on DVD and Blu-ray, Lionsgate president Steve Beeks said."

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...2_RTRUKOC_0_US-FILM-BLURAY.xml&archived=False

 

[rabidrabbit]

I think the studios want to keep the really big names (Spiderman, LOTR, Star Wars...) to be released closer to the Christmases future.
As the format is still new and unproven, they understandably do not want to release their best selling films at launch when they would sell much much less than if released later when (if) the format is more widespread and people want to buy them as gifts.
For example, releasing Spidermans now they would not sell nearly as much as releasing them near next Christmas when the PS3 has hopefully been released and there is much more demand for BR movies. Then they will also have much bigger marketing impact too.

 

[Titanio]

More detail on Fox

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6296434.html

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn said the studio will have five titles, including Fantastic Four and Ice Age, in stores two weeks prior to the release of the first Blu-ray Disc player by any manufacturer. Fox will release 20 titles by summer, also debuting most new theatrical titles day-and-date on DVD and Blu-ray.

Fox also is preparing two sci-fi titles to be announced later that will take advantage of the extra capacity of the 50GB dual-layer disc.

“We have material that we set aside a long time ago for these,” Dunn said. “We’ve been working up to this and cataloging content for two years.”

Any guesses what they could be? Star Wars? Alien? Planet of the Apes? X-Men?

 

[weaksauce]

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6296434.html

Any guesses what they could be? Star Wars? Alien? Planet of the Apes? X-Men?

Gaah, I'd love an "Alien quadrology special edition directors cut HDTV". :smile: