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Friday, February 26, 1999
11:52pm PST - Word is out that Fox has finally "seen the light" and that all future widescreen releases, beginning with the ALIEN series will be anamorphic (aka 16x9 enhanced).

RIGHT ON.

Buena Vista? Paramount? You paying attention to this? For the collective good of all who seek the highest possible transfer quality, we sure hope so...

11:40pm PST - New Line Home Video has invited The BIG Picture to attend an "Editor's Day" on Wednesday, March 17th. They've assembled their DVD development team for a behind-the-scenes presentation, featuring the March 23rd release of PLEASANTVILLE for a demo. This is the same team behind LOST IN SPACE, BLADE, RUSH HOUR, plus current titles in progress including THE CORRUPTOR, the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series and AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME. You can bet your sweet bippy that we'll be in attendance. Look for our special report immediately following the conference. We hope we'll have the chance to meet some of our fellow DVD site webmasters there as well!

11:09pm PST - It's a high-stakes game fraught with suspense, danger and (insert women's shrieks of joy here) Matt Damon! Read TBP's latest review of : ROUNDERS.

3:41pm PST - Here's everything you ever wanted to know about the CD vs. DVD "Optical Format Wars"but were afraid to ask. Interesting reading, this stuff...

8:57am PST -- This past Wednesday, we linked to the story about Sony and LaserPacific Media's announcement of a new Digital 24 Frame (24P) High Definition Post Production system. We asked LPM's VP Leon Silverman what benefits -- particularly DVD buying consumers, can expect to derive from this new system. Here's the reply we received:

"24p is a method of mastering film originated product. The notion is that film can be transferred to a 1920 x 1080 HD (high definition) master that runs at 24 frames per second. From this master, any of the 18 different digital television or PAL standards can be derived with no loss of quality or technical compromise. The most tangible benefit to DVD would be the move to 24 frame HD masters that when down converted should yield very high quality 16 x 9 (or 4 x 3 for those film released that way) Digital Component masters from which DVDs would be made.

This technology for the most part is the answer the creative and technical community in Hollywood has been waiting for to enable prodcution for Digital Television given the fact that there are many different and mutually incompatible transmission and delivery methods.

In answer to your question about the cosumer impact - it seems to me that the ultimate benefit is that it will more easily enable film product to be archived in HD and to the extent that consumers will benefit from a possible wider choice of HD programming in the future, this technology would remove some of the technical barriers that exist today that inhibit wide spread HD product due to the fact that there are so many different distribution methods and a relatively small audience making it very costly to create programs that work in all these formats for such a small audience.

All in all however, the real benefit is to the industry in streamlining our process and the benefits to the consumer are not the real intent of this technology. Hope this provides the BACKGROUND you need to understand the impact of this siginficant development that LaserPacific is proud to have help pioneer."

It certainly does -- and we thank Mr. Silverman for taking the time to enlighten us about this new development.

11:00pm PST - Yabba Dabba Doooooooo... The BIG Picture goes stone-aged with our latest review of THE FLINTSTONES. Look for our review of ROUNDERS sometime tomorrow!

8:40pm PST - In a press release we received yesterday, Universal Studios Home Video has announced it will release seven new DVD the titles on May 4th, 1999 including the dual aspect version of Babe: Pig in the City for $29.98, MSRP, The' Burbs and The Land Before Time for $24.98 SRP each, and the DTS versions of Blues Brothers 2000, The Boxer, Out of the Site and Primary Colors for $34.98 suggested retail price each. All titles are Widescreen Anamorphic with the exception of The Land Before Time, which is full frame. Universal also provided these DVD corrections: 1941-Collectors Edition has been confirmed for release on March 23, priced at $34.98 SRP. The Burbs has been moved to a May 4th street date. Price remains $24.98 SRP.

9:28am PST - EXCLUSIVE - The BIG Picture's Jeff McNeal takes the Internet's first look at John Water's hilarious comedy, PECKER, just released on DVD from New Line!

4:59pm PST - My review partner, Bob Banka may beg to differ with me, but the best DVD I've seen lately is THE RIVER. Check our review and see why this film scores the top honors at The BIG Picture

3:36pm PST - Oh, it's crude and crass and has no class, but it's funny and made us laugh right off our ass. You want the latest poop on Divx? Hank Graham sent us this rather... uh... poopy link. But scroll down to the bottom of the page and take special note of the ad juxtaposition.

3:27pm PST - Here's another write-up over MGM's online event of RONIN, which we reported to you last month -- or was it in December? Anyway, it's interesting reading or those with, or are contemplating a purchase of, a DVD-ROM drive. Thanks to Christopher Malone for the link.

2:08pm PST - Today's USA TODAY features an article on DVD music. Thanks to reader Robert Hanson for the heads up!

2:00pm PST - Our sincere apologies for the incorrect link to our KILLER ELITE review (below). That's what we get for staying up until 3:30 in the morning. Mistakes like that can happen. The link has since been repaired. Thanks to all who e-mailed us about the discrepancy. BTW, we're putting the finishing touches on our review of THE RIVER. Stay close.

3:28am PST - If you liked the car chase scenes in BULLITT, just wait till you get ahold of THIS disc! Bob takes a look at John Frankenheimer's RONIN.

3:12am PST - It must be Sam Peckinpah week around here. First it was STRAW DOGS and now we spew forth on THE KILLER ELITE. Just how elite, you ask? Well,we certainly wouldn't want us spoil your surprise now would we?

11:27am PST - Just as long as it wasn't written by Madacy or Circuit City... As more and more content providers are releasing DVD content, it was inevitable that someone would release a "how-to" book on DVD authoring.

11:22am PST - MGM's last quarter and 1998 earnings report has been released. Lots of good, interesting info here -- DVD is mentioned as one of the bright spots of 1998 for the movie giant, who after purchasing Polygrams' library, now owns distribution rights to more than half of the films produced since 1948.

10:52am PST - Here's one of those overtly technical press releases that represents good news for the future quality of hi-def and DVD transfers. Sony and Laser Pacific have collaborated on, and just unveiled the new 24 Frame Progressive (24P) High Definition Post Production System to create a single, high-resolution digital format master from which all ATSC standards can be derived. In other words, this is the "first format ever created specifically to accomodate the needs of DTV, DVD, the Internet and all other electronic and digital distribution mediums."

10:40am PST - But not without a fight... Looks like MGM may be out of the loop to produce the SPIDER MAN flick that James Cameron has expressed an interest in creating... Trucated details at The Hollywood Reporter. If you want the full story (from them, at least), you've got to pay the parking meter...While you're in the Hollywood Reporter loading zone, be sure to check out the story about the Thanksgiving '00 release of the live-action HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, starring Jim Carrey as The Grinch. .A co-production of Universal and Ron Howards' Imagine Entertainment, this film should be a blast.

12:32am PST - It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, it's the size of the fight in the dog... Bet you thought we were going to mention something about Mike Tyson throwing television sets in jail, weren't you? Naaah. Just setting up the latest review on The BIG Picture. Your friends and mine Bob Banka takes a look at Anchor Bays' DVD of Sam Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS.

12:05am PST - We've watched two movies lately: THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR and THE RIVER. One scored our highest honors for image quality -- the other a mere two glober. Care to guess which scored what? Check our rating index. Be looking for our full reviews of these titles and LOTS more, coming shortly...

12:03am PST - Cue the swelling!! Ready for another self-aggrandizing press release from Multimedia 2000? Sure you are! This one is about their DVD-ROM flight simulator!

12:01am PST - Artisan is leaking the news to (as reported by DVD Resource) that they plan on becoming the first studio to issue an elusive DVD-18 title. To the uninitiated, that means a dual-sided, dual-layered disc, capable of holding twice the data than was previously possible. The title being mentioned for a fall '99 release is Stephen King's six-hour miniseries, THE STAND. Here's some added incentive for them to get busy: Not to rain on anyone's parade, but our DVD sPy says "Don't be surprised if Paramount beats Artisan to the gate with a DVD-18 release... The studio is planning to release TITANIC (with widescreen on one side and full frame on the other) on a dual-sided, dual layered disc by mid to late summer if all goes according to plan... James Cameron wants to be the first to have a title in the DVD-18 configuration and what Mr. Cameron wants these days, he usually gets..."

2:19pm PST - Take off your shoes... Jeff takes a look at Warner Bros. new release of WITHOUT LIMITS, the story of a brash, young runner named Steve Prefontaine and his brilliant coach who had a knack for making shoes, among other things...

11:10am PST - Onward and upward... Here's BIG news that our European friends will rejoice over. Columbia Tristar Home Video and Universal Home Video are joining as partners for DVD distribution outsde the USA. That means more titles and day and date releases with VHS titles in European markets:

"UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia TriStar Home Video (CTHV) and Universal Studios Home Video (USHV) today jointly announced the signing of a DVD distribution agreement outside North America for USHV DVD product.

The agreement between USHV and CTHV represents a milestone in the international expansion of DVD. CTHV, the first major Hollywood studio to release films on the DVD format outside the United States (i.e., in Europe, Latin America and Japan), is joined by USHV as one of the few major studios releasing its movies on a consistent basis internationally.

"Without the early commitment of CTHV, USHV, and Warner Home Video, the home video industry in North America would not be experiencing the exponential growth of this new exciting format. We hope that the USHV/CTHV announcement will foreshadow the entry of other studios into the international market as quickly as possible," said Benjamin S. Feingold, President of CTHV. "The availability of new films from Universal and one of the best catalogs in our industry will stimulate future sales of DVD machines and software purchases for rental and sale," added Mr. Feingold.

"We are happy to be partnering with CTHV as both companies share a high level of commitment to the format. We think this arrangement will significantly facilitate the rapid growth of the format outside North America," added Bill Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Studios Home Video. "Whenever possible, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic) will continue to provide worldwide authoring, compression, mastering and replication services for Universal titles."

Both USHV and CTHV have agreed that wherever possible, new release product will be day and date with VHS rental and VHS direct-to-sell through and that catalog titles will be released at the earliest possible moment to build a successful international DVD business.

The agreement includes such DVD titles as the recent theatrical hits "Patch Adams" and "Shakespeare in Love," as well as other prominent Universal titles, such as "Out of Sight," "Apollo 13," "Daylight," "Liar Liar," "The Nutty Professor," and "Dante's Peak." Additional titles include "Psycho," "Meet Joe Black," and the original "Babe."

The DVD hardware format was launched in April 1997, with software becoming readily available in 1998. By the end of 1998, 1.2 million players were installed in U.S. homes, excluding DVD-Rom personal computers. To date, DVD hardware penetration has surpassed historical rates posted by both CD and VHS formats.

CTHV is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures' global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television, programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development and implementation of new entertainment products, services and technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries.

Universal Studios Home Video is a part of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd. (NYSE: VO), a global entertainment and beverage company. SOURCE Universal Studios Home Video

Copyright 1999, PR Newswire

10:44am PST - If you're in the same boat as we are, looking to upgrade your aging PC fleet, then we think you'll really enjoy this Family Computing article in ZDNET. They list and compare 8 PC systems that all embody the "WOW" factor...

10:33am PST - From the land of the rising sun and copy protection... Macrovision is expanding its reach into the protection of CD-ROM software. A recent demonstration proved impressive in Japan.

10:25am PST - Zoran International has devised a high quality USB video capture device for use with I-Mac and PC's for about $150, overcoming a technical barrier that the I-Mac has faced until now.

I10:17am PST - The Puget Sound Business Journal is hailing DVD as the "next generation of compact disc". This appears to be a repackaging of a story we linked to last week -- but what the heck -- it's a good primer for those not familiar with DVD.

3:12am PST - Be sure to check DVD Reviews' interview with ARMAGEDDON, THE ROCK and BAD BOYS director Michael Bay -- and see what he thinks about Criterion and Disney not issuing anamorphic transfers of his works! Then again, as we learned in our own, exclusive interview with Laser Pacific and New Line last month, Bay is savvy enough to know exactly how to shoot a film with the end product (DVD) in mind. And in all candor, we could find nothing significant to complain about. Indeed, ARMAGEDDON and THE ROCK are among the very few DVD's we've rated and reviewed that have scored a five-glober in spite of their non-enhanced status. We hope Michael Bay shares his telecine secrets with other directors. Which ones? Well, all of them, if you must know.

12:34am PST - The infamous "big brother" Intel Pentium III chip makes its official debut this week, but is it really a big enough deal to go out and upgrade over? This CNET article would seem to suggest otherwise...

12:00am PST - Let's kick off the week with another new review, shall we? Bob Banka provides the lowdown on Artisans' THE LAST EMPEROR.

Special Field Correspondent Dana brought us this sad news. "Siskel and Ebert" are no more with today's death of 53 year-old Gene Siskel (pictured at right), who had recently taken a leave of absence to further recover from brain surgery last May. Details can be found here.