Casino Royale BD Marks First High-Definition Title to Ship 100,000 Units -- Confirms Blu-ray Market Leadership.Sales of SPHE's Chartbuster Bond Hit Break Hi-Def Records - 100% of SPHE's Newly Announced BD Titles Utilize Capacity Advantage of 50GB Discs - CULVER CITY Culver City, city (1990 pop. 38,793), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1917. It is a center of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose roots in the city date to c.1915. Its chief manufactures are rubber products and computers. , Calif. -- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in 1978 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment. (SPHE SPHE Sony Pictures Home Entertainment SPHE Society of Packaging and Handling Engineers SPHE Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers )'s blockbuster Bond title, Casino Royale, released March 13 on Blu-ray Disc A Blu-ray Disc (also called BD) is a high-density optical disc format for the storage of digital information, including high-definition video. Overview The name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blue-violet laser used to read and write this type of disc. , has hit the 100,000 units shipped mark and is setting records at retail for greatest number of high-definition copies sold in one day, it was announced today by SPHE Worldwide President, David Bishop
David Bishop is an award-winning screenwriter and author. Born in New Zealand, he was a UK comics editor during the 1990s, running such titles as the . The title debuted in the top 10 on Amazon's DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. top-sellers list - a first for any film in high definition. The film's director, Martin Campbell, extolled the disc quality and commented, "It's just unbelievable. Clearly, it's fantastic. The comparison between standard def DVD and Blu-ray is quite stunning and quite transparent to the master. It's precisely what would make me want to buy a copy." Since the November launch of Playstation 3, sales of Blu-ray titles have risen exponentially - a more than 700 percent increase. "As a point of comparison, the first DVD title to ship 100,000 units took approximately 11 months (Air Force One, in February 1998)," said Mr. Bishop. "Casino Royale on Blu-ray has done it in far less time and is clearly demonstrating the format's robust growth in the marketplace." Sony DADC DADC Denver Automotive & Diesel College DADC Digital Audio Disc Corporation DADC Digital Air Data Computer DADC destination area distribution center (US Postal Service; fee for bulk mail) has replicated more than two million Blu-ray Discs for Sony Pictures since the launch of the format. SPHE's Blu-ray Disc offering at retail has expanded with new release titles such as The Holiday (March 13), Rocky Balboa (March 20), The Pursuit of Happyness (March 27), Volver (April 3), Catch and Release (May 8) and Stomp the Yard (May 15) hitting shelves across the next two months. One hundred percent of the new release and catalog titles just announced from SPHE, detailed below, fully utilize the capacity advantage the Blu-ray format's 50GB dual-layer disc offers, with more than 20 50GB titles already in the marketplace. "Blu-ray has accounted for approximately 70 percent of the high-definition market since the first week in January, and as that market share continues to grow, we are dedicated to providing consumers with the content they crave," added Mr. Bishop. SPHE's Blu-ray releases will continue to utilize MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC See H.264. codecs The following is a list of codecs. Audio codecs Non-compression formats
"We are wholly committed to bringing consumers the best picture and sound quality available, with the most innovative format features, and will continue to expand our high-definition slate in 2007 and beyond," said Mr. Bishop. SPHE has also announced a broad selection of catalog titles including: Big Fish (March 20), Identity (April 3), Donnie Brasco (May 8) and Closer (May 22). Other catalog titles scheduled for upcoming release are Warriors of Heaven and Earth (March 27), Secret Window (April 24) and Revenge (May 8). Please refer below for more details on SPHE's new release and catalog Blu-ray Disc line-up. THE HOLIDAY - March 13 From acclaimed director and writer Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something's Gotta Give), an all-star cast of Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet <noinclude></noinclude> Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born October 5, 1975) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award-nominated, BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English actress. , Jack Black and Jude Law star in this heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. romantic comedy that follows two women on opposite sides of the globe who, desperate for a change in scenery, meet on the Internet and swap houses for the Christmas holiday. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc of The Holiday, which offers SPHE's Blu-Wizard, includes the following features that consumers may customize: -- Audio commentary with writer/director Nancy Meyers and guests -- A behind-the-scenes featurette including interviews with Nancy Meyers, as well as cast members Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Jude Law, Rufus Sewell and Eli Wallach -- Foreign Exchange: The Making of The Holiday BIG FISH - March 20 From celebrated director Tim Burton, Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (French for Red Mill or windmill) is a traditional cabaret, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who already owned the Paris Olympia. ) shines in the imaginative tale of a son's quest to piece together the life of his father via snippets of magical stories from his youth. The capability of the 50GB Blu-ray Disc gives viewers the opportunity to experience the magic of the film in breathtaking high definition, with Java-based menus, and also comes with the following special features: -- Director's commentary -- Uncompressed audio ROCKY BALBOA - March 20 Sylvester Stallone reprises REPRISES. The deductions and payments out of lands, annuities, and the like, are called reprises, because they are taken back; when we speak of the clear yearly value of an estate, we say it is worth so much a year ultra reprises, besides all reprises. 2. his famous role in the inspiring underdog story of the Philadelphia-bred boxer with heart, Rocky Balboa. Written and directed by Stallone himself, this film marks the final round of the Academy Award[R]-winning franchise. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc provides Rocky fans with an abundance of high-definition features that can be customized using SPHE's Blu-Wizard playlist A file that contains an index to a selected group of music files on the computer. Using digital jukebox software such as iTunes and Winamp, playlists are created by the user by dragging and dropping titles from a master index. The software may be able to create a playlist automatically. technology, including:
-- Deleted scenes, including an alternate ending
-- Boxing bloopers
-- Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone
-- Featurettes:
-- Skill vs. Will: The Making of Rocky Balboa
-- Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight
-- Virtual Champion: Creating the Computer Fight
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS - March 27 Will Smith, in an Academy Award-nominated performance, stars in the poignant tale of a father's struggle to build a future for him and his five-year old son, played by real-life son, Jaden Smith. Based on the inspiring true story of Chris Gardner Christopher Paul Gardner (born February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher, Jr. , this 50GB Blu-ray Disc also features SPHE's Blu-Wizard playlist technology and provides consumers with a variety of bonus features, including:
-- Audio commentary with director Gabriele Muccino
-- Featurettes:
-- Father and Son: Onscreen and Off - A look at Will Smith and his
on and off-screen son, Jaden
-- The Man Behind the Movie: A Conversation with Chris Gardner - A
behind-the-scenes look at the story of the man whose life story
inspired the feature film
-- Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream
-- Inside the Rubik's Cube
-- "I Can" song feature (audio)
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH A- March 27 This action-packed adventure tells the story of two rival swordsmen who team up to defend a sacred holy relic from falling into the wrong hands of blood thirty bandits. Set in the ferocious Gobi Desert Gobi Desert Desert, Central Asia. One of the great desert and semidesert regions of the world, the Gobi stretches across Central Asia over large areas of Mongolia and China. , the 50GB Blu-ray Disc provides several special features, such as: -- Cast interviews -- The Making of Warriors of Heaven and Earth featurette -- Jolin Tsai Music Video, "Warriors of Peace" VOLVER - April 3 Written and directed by Academy Award winner Pedro Almodovar (Talk to Her), this critically-acclaimed comedy stars Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky, Blow) in an Academy Award-nominated performance as one of two sisters whose mother returns from the dead to fix her daughters' troubled lives and reveal family secrets. A comedic and compassionate story, the 50GB Blu-ray Disc contains a variety of interviews and features, including: -- Interviews with director Pedro Almodovar and cast members Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) -- A tribute to Penelope Cruz IDENTITY - April 3 With a stellar ensemble cast An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different , John Cusack leads this thriller about ten strangers stranded at a deserted motel, who quickly find themselves being murdered one by one. Encoded in MPEG-4 AVC, the 50GB Blu-ray Disc keeps viewers riveted with a wide assortment of special features, including:
-- Commentary with director James Mangold
-- Commentary with writer Michael Cooney
-- On the set featurette
-- Deleted scenes
-- Domestic Disturbance
-- I Put You in 8
-- The Search for Caroline
-- The Face in the Mirror
-- Deleted scenes commentary with the writer and director
-- Storyboard comparisons
-- Lou's Demise
-- George's Death
-- Rhode's Backstory
SECRET WINDOW - April 24 Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9 1963) is an American actor. Biography Early life Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, to John Christopher Depp Sr., a city engineer, and Betty Sue (Wells), a waitress. gives a gripping performance in this spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. based on the Stephen King <noinclude></noinclude>
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror and novel about a famed mystery writer who is confronted at his remote lake house by a stranger who cries plagiarism Using ideas, plots, text and other intellectual property developed by someone else while claiming it is your original work. and demands justice. Full of murderous suspense, the 50 GB Blu-ray Disc brings consumers a number of added-value offerings, including:
-- Commentary with writer/director David Koepp
-- Featurettes
-- From Book to Film - A riveting featurette that explores the
creation of the film's script, collaborating with Stephen King
and casting
-- A Look Through It - A look at the design, acting and creating
of suspense in the film
-- Secrets Revealed - A behind-the-senses look at creating the
story twists, alternate ending and overall experience in making
the film
-- Deleted scenes
-- Deleted scenes commentary with the writer and director
-- A selection of animated story boards
DONNIE BRASCO - May 8 Al Pacino and Johnny Depp lead an all-star cast in this brilliant gangland thriller about an undercover FBI agent, Donnie Brasco, who befriends a hitman to gain entry to the mob. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc version of the legendary film from acclaimed director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) brings consumers 21 minutes of additional footage as well as a selection of added-value features, including:
-- Featurettes
-- Donnie Brasco: Out From the Shadows
-- Original Theatrical Featurette
-- Photo montage
CATCH AND RELEASE - May 8 This heartfelt comedy stars Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner[1] (born April 17, 1972) is an Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning American actress. She first became known for her role as CIA agent Sydney Bristow on TV's Alias. ("Alias," 13 Going On 30) who, after the sudden and unexpected death of her fiance, turns to her fiance's former roommates and friends, and moves in. With a fantastic supporting cast that includes Timothy Olyphant ("Deadwood Deadwood, city (1990 pop. 1,830), seat of Lawrence co., W S.Dak.; settled 1876 after discovery of gold. A Black Hills tourist center, it is also a trade hub for a lumbering, stock-raising, and mining region. ", The Girl Next Door), Kevin Smith (director/actor Clerks I & II, Dogma) and Juliette Lewis Juliette L. Lewis (born June 21, 1973[1]) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and musician. Biography Early life Lewis was born in Los Angeles, California. (Natural Born Killers, What's Eating Gilbert Grape), the film, directed by Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant Susannah Grant (born on January 4, 1963), is an award-winning American screenwriter and director. She wrote the screenplays for Ever After, Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brockovich, 28 Days and Disney's Pocahontas. (Erin Brockovich), follows the haphazard events where wounds begin to heal and faith in love in renewed. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc is equipped with a wide variety of features, including:
-- Commentary with writer/director Susannah Grant and Kevin Smith
-- Commentary with writer/director Susannah Grant and cinematographer
John Lindley
-- From Concept to Completion - a featurette on the making of the film
-- Deleted scenes
-- Uncle John's Band
-- Whistling is Not Allowed
-- Rehearsal/Audition footage of the following cast members:
-- Kevin Smith
-- Sam Jaeger
-- Juliette Lewis
STOMP THE YARD - May 15 Stomp the Yard is an explosive film that follows a troubled 19-year old street dancer from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on his quest for a new life at Truth University, a historically Black college in Atlanta. However, once he arrives, his aspirations for an education and search for love are put on hold while he is courted by two top campus fraternities who want his innovative street dance moves in order to win a highly-coveted National Step Show Championship. Bonus features on the 50GB Blu-ray Disc include: -- Battles. Rivals. Brothers. - The Story of Stomp The Yard featurette -- Filmmaker commentary -- 2 Extended Dance Sequences: Get Buck & Opening Battle -- Deleted scene: The Clean Up -- Outtakes/Gag Reel CLOSER - May 22 With an all-star cast of Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owens, Closer is a witty, romantic and dangerous love story that follows two couples who meet, cheat and deceive each other. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc of the film, adapted from the award-winning stage play, includes the Damien Rice music video, "The Blower's Daughter," among other special features. REVENGE Academy Award winner Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) and Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys, The Last of the Mohicans) ignite the screen in the suspenseful thriller about a former fighter pilot who finds himself drawn to the wife of an old friend (Stowe). When her husband finds out, so begins a terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. cycle of retribution against the newfound lovers in this film from the director of Top Gun and Crimson Tide. The 50GB Blu-ray Disc provides viewers with special features, including: -- Audio commentary with director Tony Scott -- Obsession: The Sex and Violence of Revenge - A look back at the moving of the film with Scott, Costner and Stowe About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a division of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SCA) is the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation. It is based in Inglewood, California. It is the umbrella company under which all Sony companies operate in the United States. Subsidiaries
Please contact the SPHE press office for Blu-ray spokesperson availability and artwork. |
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