9th January 2008

AUDIOBOOKS NEWS

Here's the sleeve art for the Doctor Who - The Monster of Peladon audiobook, which will be released on March the 3rd. The two-disc set will be narrated by Elisabeth Sladen, who also contributes an interview about the making of the series.

7th January 2008

BLU-RAY NEWS

The big news is that Warner Brothers has finally made a decisive move in the high definition format war, by deciding to release only on Blu-ray from May this year. You can read more about this here.

This gives the Blu-ray side the vast majority of studio support, and will see the format surge forward in sales. HD DVD still counts Paramount and Universal as exclusive studios, but Warner's move looks like it has allowed Blu-ray to conclusively take the lead, and there are strong rumours that Paramount and Universal will be going neutral, or exclusively Blu-ray, very soon.

Hopefully, before long, everyone will be able to unite behind one format, and the battle to win consumers over from DVD can begin in earnest.

Here's the full text of Warner Bros. Entertainment's official statement:

In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

“Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” said Meyer. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.”

Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.

"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Today’s decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner.”

“A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Tsujihara. “Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.”

Here in the UK, the news is somewhat more mundane, and, unfortunately, it's business as usual for Fox, who have delayed, once again, several forthcoming Blu-ray titles:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Day After Tomorrow

Master and Commander

Wall Street

Commando

These titles were due on February the 18th, but have been delayed (with no new release date given). Some of these titles have already been released elsewhere in Europe, so I don't expect that they will be delayed for long.

BOOK NEWS

Titan Books will release a series of hardback novels based on ITV's hit fantasy series Primeval on March the 21st. Here's the full press release...

Titan Books will be making a new foray into fiction with the launch of a series of originated novels based on the hit ITV prime time TV series from Impossible Pictures, Primeval.

When strange anomalies in time start to appear, Evolutionary Zoologist Professor Cutter and his team find themselves confronted with the creatures of their studies, and they must help track down and capture a multitude of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth's distant past. Written by Steve Saville, Scribe nominated author of tie-ins for Torchwood, Star Wars and Doctor Who, the first of Titan’s novels will be Primeval: Shadow of the Jaguar [Titan Books, 21 March 2008, £6.99, 272pp], plunging Cutter and the team into the Peruvian rain forest for a thrilling prehistoric ride!

A heady mixture of action and adventure, Primeval has captured the imagination of audiences and critics alike, selling over 100,000 DVD box sets and syndicating to networks across the world, from Germany to Australia to Korea. Now, these exciting new novels propose to carry Professor Cutter and his team to places and situations beyond the television series, exploring new levels of adventure in the Primeval universe. With the second series launching in January ‘08, Titan’s thrilling new fiction will be the perfect way for fans to immerse themselves in the show, and a great chance for those who’ve missed the series to jump on board.

Last week's Zeta Minor News can be viewed here.

Previous Zeta Minor News entries can viewed here.