Our good friends over at The Digital Bits were able to squeeze Warner for a little more information about some of the catalog titles expected to be released on Blu-ray this year. The current goal is to release a Blu-ray version of any catalog film day-and-date with a Special Edition DVD release. This will take some time to implement, but they hope to get that policy up-and-running by the end of the summer.
Without further delay, here is the updated list of titles announced by Warner for Blu-ray release.
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- A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector's Edition
- Otis: Uncut
2008
2009
As you can see, those missing Warner titles which have been released on HD DVD but not Blu-ray are still coming - including '
The Matrix' trilogy.
Warner is discovering that many catalog titles don't have transfers which are good enough for Blu-ray release, including 'Clash of the Titans' (which has been delayed for restoration) and 'Heat' (which Michael Mann has just agreed to supervising a new 1080p transfer). Rest assured, Warner will continue to scrutinize every release to ensure it looks and sounds as good as possible before being released to the public.
Speaking of audio, Warner has heard your cries, and they will start releasing all high definition titles with lossless audio. Obviously, the switch to Blu-ray exclusivity makes this move easier, as the format has much more storage and bandwidth.
Additionally, any Warner catalog title you hear that is receiving 4k restoration will get a Blu-ray release. Warner spent years mastering their catalog at 1080i, and they are now having to do new masters in order to get a perfect transfer. Some catalog titles will receive 4k restoration (four times the size of 1080p), and any title you hear receiving this treatment will get a Blu-ray release
Remember, these are just a taste of what's coming from Warner this year, and there is still a bunch of titles planned for release that they are holding under their jacket, not to mention all the new release titles. But even with the list we have today, its shaping up to be a great year for Blu-ray fans.