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Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2011: TV on Blu

Brenden — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:35:43 +0000

Continuing with our look at what’s best to buy on Blu this year, here’s a fairly comprehensive guide to the years most extraordinary Blu-ray TV releases.

Next: Animation on Blu-ray

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS

You can always tell that the holiday shopping season is approaching when the handsome boxed sets start showing up in stores. This new 13-disc collection of all ten episodes of HBO series Band of Brothers and all ten episodes of its follow up series, The Pacific is a real beaut. From the matte finish of the carboard box (watch out for greasy finger-prints on this one), reflective silver print treatment and hidden, magnetic lid lock, you know you’re in for a treat before you even remove the thick, weighty book from it’s housing. Lifting a ribbon attached to the bottom interior of the box raises the hardcover tome from it’s housing, revealing book-packaging of the sort used for the Rome boxed set, but at twice the width. Most of the glossy pages hold two Blu-ray discs full of episodes, with the exception of the pages that bridge the two series, which houses but a single disc containing the sole new feature in the set – He Has Seen The War, an hour-long documentary featuring the surviving members of both Easy Company and the 1st Marine Division whose exploits are dramatized in the series’. It’s an excellent doc but not worth re-purchasing both Band of Brothers and The Pacific on Blu-ray for, if you already own both boxed sets. The rest of the discs and all their features are identical to those previously available.

Highly recommended for those who don’t already own the series and for those ultimate fans who are completists.

AMAZON: $105.49

Season Three is the most disappointing Clone Wars season yet but it’s still some of the most entertaining, thrilling sci-fi TV out there. The series hits a handful of lows in this collection of 22-episodes, including a three-parter that lingers in a sort of “Force realm” where Anakin is taught allegorical lessons and far too many Jedi-free episodes, that instead feature Jar Jar and the droids. But the season is balanced out with some of the best episodes of the series thus far. The three part “Nightsisters” arc which pits Force-powerful witches and Darth Maul’s brother against the forces of the Jedi and the Sith is as awesome as the Clone Wars has ever been! The transfers are gorgeous, as usual, and audio is finally presented in a lossless format. The standard collection of featurettes and “Jedi Temple” bonuses are present but gone is the fancy digi-book packaging. Season 3 is packed in a run-of-the-mill snapper case, housed in a slipcase. Despite the relative drawbacks of this season set, I still highly recommend it.

AMAZON: $34.99

Justified follows US Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a quick-draw deputy of the sort you’d find in the wild west, forced to return home to Harlan County, Kentucky when questions arise over his shooting of a Miami drug cartel hit-man. His past quickly surfaces to bite him on the ass in the guise of an ex-wife he still loves, former school-mates on the wrong side of the law and family members of an unsavory variety.

The 3-Blu-ray disc set from Sony features the entire 13-episodes series and whole whack of special features. The image presentation can appear somewhat inconsistent through the season with uneven blacks and occasional banding (most likely a weakness of the production source) but is highly detailed and generally pleasing throughout. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is crisp, clear and full of kick.

Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $22.49

This is a fantastic package. It’s just really unfortunate that this isn’t what the studio released back in March, instead of the two-disc, feature-lite set that most fans picked up. I think they’re going to have a lot of irate customers on their hands – folks who wish they would’ve held off grabbing the first set in favour of waiting for this, more feature-rich release. If you didn’t buy the previous set, this is your huckleberry. If you did and you dig extras, better start looking for a painless way to trade up.

AMAZON: $24.99

One of the funniest and finest television comedies in years made its Blu-ray debut this past summer in a 2-disc set that contains all thirteen episodes of the first season. Louie might be a little crass for the most conservative viewers but it’s so original and such a clear breakout hit for comedian and star Louis C.K. that it’s worth a look by even the most timid of sitcom fans. The Blu-ray disc features a nice high-def presentation, culled from digital footage shot on the Red One camera, that only falters during the pilot episode. The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack is solid enough for this sort of program – clean and clear but not terribly immersive. There are 11 commentary tracks to check out in the set, over half and hour of deleted content and a 4-minute interview with the star.

AMAZON: $17.99

As usual, Dexter’s family life is in peril (no, I’m not going to tell you what’s tearing them apart this time) and he spends the season trying to sort out his place within it. Seeking solace, he returns to his criminal-eviscerating ways but, in the midst of disposing of one particular serial killer, inadvertently rescues the fiend’s next victim. Lumen, as played by Julia Stiles is damaged from her ordeal but far from helpless. She and Dexter develop a deep connection and open up to one another. But now that she knows the real Dexter, will their shared secrets put them at greater risk or will they become the ultimate dark passenger teamup?

As per Showtime, CBS and Paramount‘s norms, the 3-Disc Dexter: The Fifth Season Blu-ray set is technically marvelous! There aren’t any bonus goodies on the Blu-ray discs themselves but the package claims you’ll be able to access cast and crew interviews as well as episodes of other programs over the BD-Live portal once it goes live.

AMAZON: $40.99

If your loved one is a proper nerd, their fascination with fantasy doesn’t end with guys in capes and warp-drive powered starships. They probably love themselves some good old sword and sorcery too! With that in mind, why not hook them up with the first season of the classic, British Robin of Sherwood series, now on Blu-ray and looking better than ever? This ‘modern’, young take on the story of the bandits of Sherwood forest is far more gripping and real than any version before or since, despite the odd episode that relies too deeply on paganism and magic. The 4-disc set carries over all the special features of the DVDs and is worth every penny.

AMAZON: $59.99

Another year, another couple of boxed set collections of The Simpsons and Futurama. I just gave a thorough once over of the feature-packed Simpsons set in last week’s New Release post so I’ll direct you there if you want to read again about how much I enjoyed this boxed set, despite the fact that the feature content is up-converted from SD. I anxiously await the new Futurama 2-disc Blu-ray set, due for release on December 20th. If it’s anywhere near as good looking and hilarious as last year’s Blu-ray release it’ll be an absolute must-own. Bring it on!

AMAZON: $38.99 and $27.99

Season Three of Fringe continues to follow the exploits of FBI agent Olivia Dunham, crackpot-scientist Walter Bishop and the team as they fight the good fight against the weird stuff that’s taking over their world as a result of a breach into an parallel dimension. The season is compelling as it shifts back and forth between alternate versions of the characters – good Olivia trapped in another universe one episode, bad Olivia in ours the next. The show never ceases to be fun and if you or your loved one already have the first two boxed sets you won’t want to miss this one!

The big news about this boxed set is that Warner has finally seen fit to grace its TV-on-Blu releases with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks instead of the lossy mixes of the past. Fringe: The Complete Third Season is one the first titles to benefit and I expect great things. As usual, the discs are packed with extras including a few commentary tracks, featurettes, a gag reel, trailers and more.

AMAZON: $45.99

HBO‘s New Orleans drama Treme is a tough show to get into, you know, starting off slow and heating up over the course of the first half of this first season. But it’s a commitment that rewards the viewer in the end, leading into a fiery second season, which will be collected on Blu-ray before you can say “Chicken Gumbo”. This Blu-ray disc set looks and sounds great, as I’m sure you’d expect from HBO. As there’s a great focus on the music of the city in this series, you’ll be happy to know that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is absolutely pitch-perfect – a demo-quality soundtrack with great dynamic range during the musical interludes and convincing atmosphere throughout. Special features are abundant, with episode commentaries, music commentaries, “making-of” featurettes, and an interactive “Look at the Music and Culture of New Orleans“.

AMAZON: $45.99

And now a few words from our reviewer, Chris Tucker:

Anyone who was a fan of Starz‘s Spartacus: Blood and Sand will be happy to hear about the Blu-ray release of it’s mini prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. You’re not left out on anything by missing Blood and Sand. In fact you can do no better than to start here and get the story behind the story. If you watched the show on cable and enjoyed the way the digital-shot footage looked, wait’ll you see it on Blu, presented clearer and at a much higher bitrate. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is even more powerful, spreading itself judiciously around the sound field, offering plenty of dynamic range for thunderous blows in the arena and the fullness of the score, all the while keeping dialogue clean and clear up the middle. Special features are plentiful and are, for the most part, found on the second disc of the 2-disc set. Getting to the commentary tracks can prove to be a challenge and involves clicking through too many menus but are ultimately well worth the effort. The main featurette runs almost 15-minutes long and is a fairly standard studio EPK piece. The rest of the features are quite short, all running around 5-minutes in length, give or take a minute, but offer plenty of fun looks behind the scenes, interviews and bloopers.

AMAZON: $24.99

Oh my God, True Blood is addictive. The Complete Third Season proves to be the most compelling season yet. But not always for the best reasons. Watching True Blood feels a lot like how I would imagine reading a dirty, yet well crafted romance novel would make one feel. I know I’ve been sucked into pulpy, low-class fare full of naked skin, spilled blood and creatures of the night but damn, I just can’t stop watching. And I don’t feel guilty about it, either. Much like the previous two seasons, the writing is strong and unpredictable, production design is pulpy, sweaty and dark and performances are solid across the board.

HBO and Warner deliver another fang-tastic Blu-ray transfer (sorry) with True Blood: The Complete Third Season. If you’ve seen the first two seasons on Blu, you know what I’m talking about. Blacks are deep and striking, colours are vivid and detail abounds. I did note some compression issues in the blacks but unless you’re watching an improperly calibrated LCD from off-centre, you’ll never notice. The sound track is beyond reproach, with every neck bite and howl to the moon perfectly reproduced in ambient, dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This third season features the best collection of extras for the series to date, with every episode awarded its own picture-in-picture ‘Enhanced Viewing Experience‘ and short ‘Post Mortem‘ follow-up. There are 6 commentary tracks, an 11-minute “Anatomy of a Scene” breakdown, an interactive guide to the characters, previews, recaps and a music video.

AMAZON: $34.99

Vampire Diaries feels as if it suffers from the same problems I perceive in a lot of series’ sophomore outings – random musical-chairs relationship shifting, out-of-character action to drive desperate plot contrivances and general, all around silliness. That said, it’s still a fun way to kill a few hours, if you’re into vampires, werewolves and teen-makeouts.

Warner‘s Blu-ray transfers look great, as you might expect. And, again, it’s one of the first Blu-ray season sets to receive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio tracks from the studio. Kudos to them for finally seeing the light. Extras include one commentary (on the episode “Masquerade“), deleted scenes, Pages of the Wolf (3 behind the scenes werewolf featurettes totaling around 20-minutes or so), “The Perfect Love Triangle: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches“, “Her Own Worst Enemy: Elena, Katherine and Nina! “, “Second Bite” gag reel and BD-Live.

AMAZON: $42.99

Season One was all about set up. Getting Ray (Thomas Jane) comfortable in his new role as gigolo and Tanya (Jane Adams) comfortable in her new role as pimp. It’s safe to say that one worked out a little better than the other as Ray has …ahem… risen to the occasion while his business partner can barely …ahem… keep her end up. Season Two sees all relationships becoming as strained as possible to the extent that I often wanted to reach right into the TV set and strangle some of the characters (read: Tanya.) The fact that this show is getting me wound up at all is evidence that the creators are doing something right here. I don’t want to give any plot details away but there are big changes afoot by the time the season wraps up, with most characters exploring a new status quo. I don’t pretend to feel as if Season Three will bring any resolution but I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.

As always, HBO delivers a solid Blu-ray release in Hung: The Complete Second Season. It’s far from the most attractive looking show on the air but the Blu-ray does it justice in just about every way, appearing source-accurate from beginning to end. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks are more muscular than the image on the image on the disc, delivering concert-quality music reproduction, clean, clear dialogue and plenty of ambient sound. Extras on the disc include a “Hung: Inside the Series” featurette, deleted scenes and five audio commentaries with the creators, producers and writers of the show.

AMAZON: $28.99

I can’t believe it took me so long to get into this show! Eastbound and Down is one of the funniest things on TV these days. It’s a show about an egotistical ass of a down-and-out former baseball superstar who insists he’s still a superstar while crashing at his brothers house and substitute teaching at the local elementary school. Amazing. Uncomfortable. And never not funny. This is great stuff. Danny McBride is a comedic genius.

Both Season One and Two boxed sets are new this year and look as good as the source material allows. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a whopper and offers a more bang for your buck than you’d expect. Both sets feature commentary tracks, deleted scenes and featurettes.

AMAZON: $26.99 each

TV SHOWS ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three Blu-ray announced and detailed

Brenden — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:26:02 +0000

It was almost exactly a month ago that Amazon.ca leaked the package art and release date for The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three Blu-ray set. Well, they got the art right but the date was actually a week off. Warner has officially announced the set for an October 18th release, with a collection of special features that mimic earlier sets. Expect further details in the near future, like the announcement of digibook packaging (I’m going to be pissed if they skimp out on the book this time!) and the non-revelation that the episodes are only encoded in compressed audio.

STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS: THE COMPLETE SEASON THREE
(October 18, 2011 – MSRP $59.99)
Video: 2.39:1 1080p
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

22 Action-Packed Episodes Featuring New Characters in Thrilling, New Adventures
Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes with Director and Artist Commentary on Each Disc
Exclusive to Blu-ray for a limited time! – The Jedi Temple Archives: Extensive Database of Early Test Animation, Concept Art and 3-D Turnaround

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three Blu-ray set in October

Brenden — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:02:46 +0000

Wow! This news is unexpectedly early. Amazon.ca (a source of tons of early Blu-ray info this week!) has posted their pre-order page for the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Three Blu-ray boxed set. The release date is listed as October 25th, which matches up to the time frame of previous Clone Wars boxed set street dates. Canadian retail price is $74.98, which is identical to the MSRP of Season 2 and translates to US $59.98 (Yeah, we really get hosed up here, north of the 49th parallel, don’t we?) Don’t be surprised if special features mimic previous sets exactly, with behind-the-scenes featurettes, Jedi Temple Archives and included hardcover book packaging. We’ll know more when the multi-disc Blu-ray set is officially announced.

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: TV on Blu

Brenden — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:36:48 +0000

Continuing with our look at what’s best to buy on Blu this year, here’s a fairly comprehensive guide to the years most extraordinary Blu-ray TV releases.

Tomorrow: Animation on Blu-ray

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

I hope you’ve been working out because HBO’s 13-disc Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set is a seriously weighty affair. This is one solid brick of high-def western goodness! The discs, which feature all 36-episodes from the series’ three seasons as well as gobs of special features, are housed within the pages of a gorgeous, solid hardcover book – much the same as last years’ Rome: The Complete Series set. The packaging is honestly a beautiful thing to behold, providing a slipcase for the book and all of the discs to rest in. Along with stunning video transfers, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks that border on perfection and all of the special features from the previously issued DVD sets (17 audio commentaries and over 6-hours of HD docs and featurettes), you’ll be hard pressed to find anything to dislike about this amazing Blu-ray boxed set. Unless, of course, you have an aversion to foul-mouthed (VERY foul) cowboys.

AMAZON: $124.99

Following their hit WW II miniseries Band of Brothers, HBO brings us a kind-of sequel in The Pacific – a 10-part look at the allies’ struggles against axis powers in the far east. Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg do their best to live up to Brothers‘ epic, emotional narrative and, for the most part succeed. The Pacific isn’t quite as engaging but proves to be equally cinematic and equally as memorable. The Blu-ray disc set consists of 5 discs in digibook packaging, housed in a tin case (almost exactly matching the Band of Brothers Blu-ray set, but a touch thinnner.) The series looks and sounds spectacular and features a great selection of quality of extras – “Enhanced Viewing Experience” picture-in-picture and “Field Guide” on all episodes as well as over an hour of docs and featurettes.

AMAZON: $66.99

Ah, Lost. It’s been over half a year since the groundbreaking series came to an end and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it as a whole. I mean, it had it’s high points (see my review of the Season 5 Blu-ray boxed set) and it’s dreadfully low points (remember Season 2?) But no matter how you feel about the series, there’s no denying it was infectious and quite memorable. Another point you can take to the bank is that it looks and sounds like a million bucks on Blu. In fact, I’d argue that it’s very nearly a different experience in high-bandwidth high-def. You can start over from the beginning with Lost: The Complete Series Blu-ray boxed set, pictured above – a comprehensive puzzle box filled with all 6 seasons worth of episodes along with scads of extras, collectibles and hidden secrets.

AMAZON: $179.99

The CG Clone Wars series has been my guilty pleasure now for a couple of years. I record and save new episodes as they air, hoarding them for those perfect Saturday morning marathons. The Blu-ray collections of the series do one better than just slapping the show on disc. These beautiful high-def presentations allow the Clone Wars to be seen as it was meant to be – in its original aspect ratio, instead of the cropped-for-TV versions we see on The Cartoon Network. The newest collection, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Complete Season Two features all 22 episodes, “Jedi Temple Archives“, featurettes and a 64-page book.

AMAZON: $41.99

The Pillars of the Earth is the perfect gift for that person in your life who loves their sword fights and royal intrigue laced with a hefty dose of melodrama. This is a quality production from producers Ridley and Tony Scott that both looks and sounds great on Blu-ray. You won’t find a lot of special features here but no matter. The play’s the thing.

AMAZON: $44.99

I admit to not keeping up with Futurama since its miraculous return but am excited to catch up when this new Blu-ray boxed set turns up on December 21st. The 2-disc set includes all 13 new episodes and features such as deleted and extended scenes, audio commentaries and featurettes.

AMAZON: $30.99

Season 13 of The Simpsons marked the beginning of the shows return to form, after several seasons of less than spectacular episodes. Fans will definitely want to add this Blu-ray set to their collections for the exceptional DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as well as the substantial batch of extras (commentary tracks on every episode!!) Take note that the episodes were produced in SD so the video presentation is a high-def encoded up-convert and a pretty nice one at that.

AMAZON: $40.99

Warner has packaged the three individual releases of the Peanuts holiday specials together into one handy boxed set. That means, if you or your loved one don’t already own the Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving Blu-ray discs, you’re in luck because you can now get them all together at a lower price. The discs and special features are identical to the individual releases, each one presenting an additional animated special and a short featurette. This is not reference material high-def but a definite improvement over whats previously been available.

AMAZON: $38.99

I think I can safely say, after watching two entire seasons of Fringe, that it’s hands-down the best genre show currently airing on TV. I actually held off watching season 2 for the entirety of the last year in anticipation of burning through it on Blu-ray. And burn I did!! The X-Files vibe takes even more of a back seat this season, in favour of furthering the story of agent Olivia Dunham, the Bishops and the secret experiments that tie them together. The episodes, once again look amazing on Blu. But, as they continued to do, WHV only serves up a compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Ah well. Such a small disappointment in an otherwise amazing set. Special features include commentary on four episodes, a gag reel, a host of featurettes and more!

AMAZON: $45.99

My girlfriend got me into The Human Target last year. I wasn’t interested for the longest time but finally gave in and boy am I ever glad I did. What a fantastic, fun series this has been. This collection of first season episodes are so spirited and packed with adventure and fun and danger and… well, everything you’d want from a TV show adapted from a comic book.

Christoper Chance is a bodyguard and security expert for hire. Along with his crack team of operatives, he integrates himself into his client’s lives in order to draw out the forces that threaten them. The Blu-ray transfers are nice, if not a bit compressed (12 episodes onto 2 discs!) with Warner’s typical DD 5.1 audio mix souring the milk slightly. Special features include commentary on the pilot, deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes.

AMAZON: $35.49

From my review of the boxed set:

“With a cast of great characters and compelling b-movie storylines, True Blood is just as silly, soap operatic and supernatural in its second season as it was in its first. Perhaps even more so! And that fun transfers in whole to this exceptional Complete Second Season Blu-ray set!”

This is another killer (pun intended!) Blu-ray boxed set from HBO. As is par for the course, all episodes look and sound fantastic. Outside of the excellent commentary tracks the supplemental material is fairly anemic. See what I did there? With the blood-thing? Urgh…

AMAZON: $47.49

And hey, speaking of vampires, here’s another great series about TV and film-goers’ favourite bloodsuckers! I didn’t expect to like The Vampire Diaries at all. AT ALL! And yet, after watching this first season on Blu-ray I’m hooked. It’s one of the shows I never miss on TV now, week to week. All 22 episodes are present and accounted for, all looking amazing in their high-def debut. Again WHV cheaps out on the audio, delivering only compressed DD 5.1 tracks. Not to worry though, they actually sound pretty good. Special features include a commentary track, tons of featurettes, a downloadable audio book and tons more!

AMAZON: $45.99

Entourage has been another guilty pleasure for me for years. And this season, the sixth season feels like a climax of sorts. Despite the fact that the show has continued on into a seventh year, this Blu-ray boxed set collection gives a real sense of closure for the Hollywood escapades of movie star Vinnie Chase, manager Eric Murphy and all their pals by the time it ends. All 12 episodes look and sound better than they deserve, thanks to the wizards at HBO. Special features include commentaries, featurettes and a short film directed by Matt Damon!

AMAZON: $26.99

Thomas Jane stars in Hung as coach and “happiness consultant” (read: male hooker) Ray Drecker, doing what he does best with the gifts the good Lord has given him. Like, um…coaching sports and stuff. This half-hour drama is honestly a lot of fun but feels brief at a paltry 10-episodes. Collected in boxed set form, they just zoom by! The technical presentation isn’t quite up to HBO’s usual high standards but that doesn’t mean things look or sound grim here. The Blu-ray boxed set is, sadly a bit lite on the special features with a handful of commentary tracks being the most noteworthy.

AMAZON: $27.99

TV SHOWS ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* ANIMATION
* CLASSICS
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Two Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:20:32 +0000

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO (2009-2010, Blu-ray released October 26, 2010 – MSRP $59.99)

EPISODES:	★★★½☆
VIDEO:	★★★★☆
AUDIO:	★★★☆☆
EXTRAS:	★★★☆☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★½☆

The Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars makes me hate myself a little bit. My head tells me over and over again that Emperor Lucas‘ prequel films were all kinds of garbage and that these cartoons only frolic in his poisoned playground. Well, that playground must be filled with crack-rocks or something because I continue to be addicted to this show!

Is it just me, or did the Clone Wars get even better in Season Two? Sure, there aren’t as many kick-ass lightsaber battles this time around but it’s a small gripe to make about a series that now seems to have hit its stride. As director Dave Filoni guides his animated baby ever closer to creative and temporal parity with the live-action Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, new and more lethal villains are introduced, the plot thickens, tensions increase and Anakin embraces his dickishness. That’s right, the future Darth Vader is clearly closer to embracing the Dark side in Season Two, taking lives in cold blood while appearing to mature into a steady mentor to his Padawan learner, Ashoka. This is pretty great stuff – super-fun for a Saturday morning and necessary viewing for any Star Wars fan.

Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Two is “most impressive” on Blu-ray but pales in comparison to the nearly rock-solid image of the Season One Blu-ray set. Fans who watched the episodes as they aired on television will be blown away by the image on the discs – highly detailed and in their correct, much wider aspect ratios. But videophiles might be disappointed by the occasional appearance of colour banding and artifacting/macro-blocking. As is par for the course with Warner Blu-ray discs featuring TV content, the audio is only available in a compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. It’s a nice one but can’t compete with what could, no doubt have been delivered via an uncompressed, lossless track.

Extras on the disc set are, once again, very informative and entertaining but, sadly, fewer than on the Season One set. Gone, this time around, are the longer “Director’s Cut Episodes” and episode specific featurettes. The short docs present amount to over an hour of behind the scenes footage, art and interviews. Thankfully, the excellent Blu-ray exclusive “Jedi Temple Archives” have returned, featuring over two hours worth of deleted and extended scenes, designs, art and animation. Also back for Season Two is the wonderful packaging of the 3-disc set which includes a 68-Page Production Journal, this time around slotted into an attached sleeve instead of bound into the hardcover digibook.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Two Blu-ray set officially announced

Brenden — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:24:55 +0000

Despite my general dislike for the Star Wars prequels, I really enjoyed the Clone Wars: The Complete Season One Blu-ray set. And now, less than a year later we’ve got all the details for the follow up – the Complete Season Two on Blu-ray. Now, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the specs state that the discs will have lossless audio but don’t hold your breath for that dream to come true. The first set was announced to have similar specs but shipped with a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track instead. We’ll know for sure when the October 26th release date rolls around…

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO
(October 26, 2010 – MSRP $59.99)
Video: 1.78:1 1080p
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes on each disc
- Attack of the Zillo Beast
- Magic of the Holocron
- Return to Geonosis
- Creating Mandalore
64-page production journal that includes early sketches, artist notes and concept art from Season Two of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Blu-ray Exclusive — The Jedi Temple Archives
- An extensive database exploring special effects footage, early concept art, 3-D character and object turnarounds and early animation. The Archives is a rare look at the assets in various stages of creation for The Clone Wars, with a wealth of surprises and never-before seen moments sprinkled throughout

Via: Star Wars.com

Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:12:00 +0000

STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE (2008-2009, Blu-ray released November 3, 2009 – MSRP $59.99)

The animated Star Wars The Clone Wars TV show is kind of hit and miss for me. But for some reason, most of its sins wash away or are simply forgotten with the brilliant, updated high-def presentation on the Blu-ray disc. This is the MUST HAVE holiday gift for the Star Wars fan in your life!

Let me start at the beginning. I grew up with Star Wars. I’ve always been a fan. And despite my dislike for the prequel films and the general apathy for the franchise they almost forced upon me, I perpetually maintain the tiniest slice of interest in anything cinematic that George Lucas might serve up connected to the Jedi and the Skywalker clan. So, of course I checked out the animated series. And of course I was disappointed. While my expectations were low, I was hoping that the producers of this new, ongoing CGI animated series would keep alive the spirit and sense of storytelling established in Gendy Tartakovsky‘s 2D, cell animated Clone Wars shorts from 2003. Sadly, the CGI series decided to follow its own path. And it travels a rocky road for quite a while, beginning with the clunky, ham-fisted Clone Wars theatrical release (ostensibly the pilot for the series and not included in this boxed set.) The animation comes out of the gate stiff, the characters as wooden as their Thunderbirds marionette-inspired designs and the stories uneven at best. But as the season wears on, everything improves. I even found myself warming to the character designs!

By the time the episodes in the box-set wrap up, the production team finds its footing and makes you cry for more! The stories become more coherent and effective and the characters more well-rounded. More, dare I say it…human. And the quality of the animation raises more than a notch or two above where it began. In fact, this is, without question, the best CGI that series TV has ever seen! And the presentation included on the Blu-ray just seems to amplify every positive quality of the show. I have to admit, I enjoy these episodes a lot more, watching them on these discs, shown in brilliant 1080p in their correct aspect ratios, than watching the versions shown on broadcast TV. Everything seems better, brighter, more well thought out. It might help that 7 of the 22 episodes are shown in their longer Director’s Cut versions (original cuts aren’t included.)

The whole Clone Wars package is a delight! The 3 Blu-ray discs in the set come served up in a beautiful hardcover digibook. This thing is amazing! It apparently replicates the series director’s production book, filling all 64-pages to the brim with sketches, character turnarounds, tests and lush background paintings. Every time I flip through the book, I have a hard time believing I’m looking at the standard packaging for the set. A few years ago this would have been marketed as a separate “Special Collector’s Book-Edition” sold for a premium price. We’re very fortunate to have such a wonderful package set as standard for the collection.

The discs within are beyond reproach, as far as video quality is concerned. Brilliant! All 22 episodes look better than ever before. Sadly, the audio doesn’t quite match up. While the Dolby Digital 5.1 sounds amazing all around, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Warner Home Video wasn’t able to include lossless audio in the set. Perhaps there wasn’t any room left after cramming all the episodes and bonus content on the discs?

And speaking of the special features, they are plentiful. In fact, every single episode is given its own short featurette! These run around 5 minutes or so per episode and are actually quite informative, given their brief runtime. I highly recommend checking each one out directly after you’ve finished watching the episode. Great stuff. In addition, the discs feature the Blu-ray exclusive “Jedi Temple Archives” which amount to several hours worth of 2D and 3D art, videos, sketches, storyboards and much, much more. You’ll lose hours to these two features alone! There is also a sneak peek at Clone Wars: Season Two and a trailer for the new “Republic Heroes” videogame.

Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One package art, details, release date confirmed

[VIDEO] Star Wars: The Clone Wars Complete Season One Blu-ray and DVD Trailer

Brenden — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:03:12 +0000

It’s almost 2AM. I should be asleep already (got an early day tomorrow) but I’m so excited about this trailer for the Clone Wars Complete Season One Blu-ray that I thought I’d better shove some toothpicks under the old eyelids and get this posted for you.

This package looks fantastic! Everything we’d heard in the early rumours has come true in this release, including the digibook packaging! Look at the examples given in the trailer of the design work featured in the pages of the book! This thing looks fantastic! Exclamation mark!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One package art, details, release date confirmed

Brenden — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:40:10 +0000

All right. You know what? It’s late. I’m tired. And there’s not much more to say about the Clone Wars except that I’m damn excited to have this press release from Lucasfilm and Warner confirming all the details for the upcoming release of The Complete Season One box set. So let’s just skip the commentary and jump right into the good stuff…

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE 
(November 3, 2009  – MSRP: DVD $44.98, Blu-ray $59.99 )
Total Episode Run Time: 484 Minutes  Featurette Run Time: 146 Minutes 
MPAA Rating: TV-PG
 Closed Captioned: Yes

Special Features:

• Seven Director’s Cut Episodes:

◦ Rising Malevolence, Shadow of Malevolence, Lair of Grievous, Rookies, Storm Over Ryloth, Innocents of Ryloth and Liberty on Ryloth

• 22 Episodic Featurettes that go behind-the-scenes with Supervising Director Dave Filoni and crew about the making-of each episode
• Spectacular 64 page production journal that includes early sketches, artist notes, and concept art from each episode from Season One
• Blu-ray Exclusive – The Jedi Temple Archives

◦ An extensive database exploring test footage, early concept art, 3-D character and object turnarounds and early animation. The Archives is a rare look at the assets in various stages of creation for The Clone Wars, with a wealth of surprises and never-before seen moments sprinkled throughout.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (July 15, 2009)

After wowing TV audiences with a cutting-edge, animated look at “a galaxy far, far away,” Star Wars: The Clone Wars™ The Complete Season One is coming to DVD and high-definition Blu-ray Disc November 3 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Warner Home Video.

Live the adventures again and again, and dig deeper into the first season of The Clone Wars with a comprehensive look behind-the-scenes of the popular animated series. Uniquely packaged with an exclusive 64 page production journal, the four-disc set contains all 22 episodes from the groundbreaking first season – including seven extended Director’s Cuts – as well as companion featurettes for each episode. And exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, The Jedi Temple Archives provides in-depth access to an extensive database of creative materials.

“I’m a longtime Star Wars fan, and the same’s true for a lot of the guys working on the show,” said supervising director Dave Filoni. “And as a fan, I know that Lucasfilm can be pretty secretive. They’re famous for it. But we’re all so proud of the work that’s gone into The Clone Wars, and we wanted to share some of our production tricks, and open up the vault and reveal our efforts. You’re going to get unprecedented access, to see the nuts and bolts of our series – from concept to finished animation.”

Created and executive produced by George Lucas, the first-ever TV production from Lucasfilm Animation explores the tumultuous time between Episodes II and III of the live-action saga, expanding the scope of Star Wars beyond anything seen in the feature films. With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, the heroes of the Republic – including the valiant Jedi Knights and their loyal clone troopers – fight bravely to repel the attacks of the evil Separatists and their droid army.

“The live-action saga was just the beginning. The universe is vast, and there are so many more stories to explore beyond Anakin’s fall and redemption,” said Lucas. “The scope of the war gives us the perfect vehicle for a weekly series, allowing us to look at how the conflict has affected the farthest reaches of the galaxy, including characters, creatures and races we only glimpsed in the feature films. Animation has allowed us to visualize the worlds and characters of Star Wars in all new ways.”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season One will be available November 3 for the suggested retail price of $44.98 for DVD and $59.99 for Blu-ray.

[VIDEO] Wish List: The Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray

Brenden — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:25:04 +0000

Man. This is really a no-brainer. Everybody wants this. I just thought that with all the hubbub over the Clone Wars box set this week, I should say a little something about the Star Wars films and when we might see them on Blu-ray.

The answer? No time soon. If George Lucas had any intention of hustling his perennial money-makers onto Blu-ray, he would’ve done it for the 2007 thirtieth anniversary of the original film’s release. But he didn’t. And we’re all still waiting.

There’s been a rumour swirling around the interwebs for a while now that Lucas’s intention was to release his new 3D versions of the Star Wars films onto Blu. It seems the process of interpreting 2D shots into 3D has proven a more expensive and time consuming process than expected and as a result the films are, at this point, not even on the theatrical release horizon, never mind home video. Lucas’s insistence on waiting for new technology to arrive before releasing his films into the wild yet again reminds me of a quote or two from the man back in the late 90s, when he stated that he wouldn’t release Star Wars onto then-new format DVD because he was waiting for a blu-laser based, high-definition format. And then he caved. And the Star Wars films hit DVD. It took a few years, but Lucas gave into the market demands. As I suspect he will again with Blu-ray.

There’s a lot of fan pressure at the moment. I’m certain Fox is also putting a lot of pressure on Lucasfilm. And I’m equally as certain that we’ll win out in the end, and get the Star Wars Saga on Blu-ray. It’s just not going to be this year. And it probably won’t be the next.

Are you satisfied enough with your DVDs or by watching low-bandwidth HD-TV broadcasts to wait a few more years for the Star Wars Saga to hit Blu-ray? Are you going to show Lucasfilm how much you want the films by purchasing The Clone Wars: The Complete First Season boxed set on Blu? Or have you completely given up on the franchise now, sick of all the re-issues and lack of commitment to the fan base? Has Star Wars worn you down?

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