Paramount has gone Blu
by Jem Alexander 
{ Feb 21st 2008 at 12:00PM }
While Universal quickly made the jump over to Blu-Ray after Toshiba's big announcement on Tuesday, Paramount remained quiet. Instead, they announced a further HD-DVD releases for the next couple of months. In a statement given to the Hollywood Reporter today, however, Paramount has said that they "are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer. As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."
As such, no release dates or titles have been announced. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as either of the two new converts make their release data known. Hopefully, one of Paramount's next Blu-Ray releases will be the excellent Cloverfield.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phoenix8387 @ Feb 21st 2008 12:09PM
At long last! Now I can't wait for Transformers or Cloverfield!
Schoolimangooli @ Feb 21st 2008 12:11PM
Which studio made transformers?
and Cloverfield? are you kidding me?
DMeisterJ @ Feb 21st 2008 12:14PM
Blu-Ray am Win.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Feb 21st 2008 12:14PM
"excellent Cloverfield"
Does not compute.
schoolwhateva:
Paramount made Transformers. Allegedly the BluRays of it are already pressed and ready to go. Michael Bay has been very vocal about this, so if they were to rush a release, that'd be it.
It'd be great to see "There Will Be Blood" on BluRay. Hopefully day-and-date with the HD-DVD and DVD.
thinkofmeasmra @ Feb 21st 2008 12:17PM
Hazaaaaaaa for the shopkeep!
Stef Geiger @ Feb 21st 2008 12:17PM
Sadly I expect that we'll be made to wait till the holiday buying season for the heavy hitters like Transformers. I wouldn't expect any of the formerly HD DVD studios to start releasing blu-ray stuff for months. Likely the first discs we'd see would be the ones that were weeks away from release when Paramount went HD DVD exclusive, since they're probably sitting on market-ready BRD masters. However, like I said, this wouldn't go for the heavy-hitters, but movies like Blades of Glory might come out damn soon.
Stef Geiger @ Feb 21st 2008 12:19PM
I'd really like to get my hands on The Kingdom on BRD. An underrated movie.
Stef Geiger @ Feb 21st 2008 12:25PM
And for my... third comment on this post (sorry, apparently my thoughts aren't terribly organized today):
One thing that seems to be overlooked is that because studios are no longer producing HD DVD titles, the overall quality of BRDs will improve. This isn't a shot at HD DVD - video bitrates can go up, and likely almost everything will be mp4 AVC instead of VC1 like so many of the dual-format releases. Also, the studio doesn't have to spend money on authoring for two different formats, so features like slick menus, commentaries etc will be more and more common.
Nate @ Feb 21st 2008 12:30PM
Things I need to come out on Blu-Ray:
Heroes
The Matrix
Mystery Men
The Princess Bride
Star Wars original trilogy
Serenity
Firefly
Nothing else really matters to me, but those I would all buy the minute they dropped on Blu-Ray.
Stef Geiger @ Feb 21st 2008 12:50PM
Seeing Lucasfilm released the original trilogy seven years after DVDs became available, we'll be waiting a LONG time for BRDs.
Funny though, it seems like there are a lot of people who actually think that "movies filmed before 1999 shouldn't be released on Hi definition because they're too grainy." The fact is that even 60s film stock, if well preserved, is more than high-resolution enough to benefit from an HD transfer.
Haiddasalami @ Feb 21st 2008 1:16PM
Screw transformers..give me my Heroes.
motorer @ Feb 21st 2008 1:47PM
"The fact is that even 60s film stock, if well preserved, is more than high-resolution enough to benefit from an HD transfer."
@Stef Geiger
word. 2001: a space odyssey looks absolutely incredible on blu-ray. granted, kubrick used 70mm film for the movie - it's almost like he *knew* waaay back in 1968 that it would be great for hi-def. ^_^
Ed @ Feb 21st 2008 12:45PM
"the excellent Cloverfield"-
Is that a joke??? I don't get it. I suppose if your really drunk or high you might think Cloverfield is an excellent movie.... otherwise it's nice to see MS's $150 mill payoff shoved back at them.
A-Troll-Named-Slickback (Yes the A Troll Named part, and yes every time!) @ Feb 21st 2008 1:01PM
What's wrong with having an opinion, this is America!
*crowd chants USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!*
I loved Cloverfield!
Sammy @ Feb 21st 2008 1:12PM
It is actually the internet.
Chuck @ Feb 21st 2008 1:24PM
"otherwise it's nice to see MS's $150 mill payoff shoved back at them."
lol, what? They get to keep the money and get to stay in business making Blu Ray discs. Shoved back at them? Haha.
Haiddasalami @ Feb 21st 2008 1:16PM
LOL
Ed @ Feb 21st 2008 1:43PM
Chuck said...
"otherwise it's nice to see MS's $150 mill payoff shoved back at them."
"lol, what? They get to keep the money and get to stay in business making Blu Ray discs. Shoved back at them? Haha."
I doubt MS got a dime back. Toshiba/MS are the ones who broke or let them out of their contract. What are you, mentally disabled?
Ed @ Feb 21st 2008 2:08PM
@Chuck
Hey, I'm sorry man. I get it now. You thought I meant Paramount gets the money shoved back into it's face.... No what I should have said is MS loses $150 Million bribe and thats gotta sting.
Cxplorer @ Feb 21st 2008 1:16PM
NICE!!Now I want transformers in blu-ray!
exolstice @ Feb 21st 2008 1:12PM
Cloverfield was garbage.
Galley @ Feb 21st 2008 1:05PM
What about Dreamworks? I would assume they are going Blu as they are distributed by Paramount.
Wonderflex @ Feb 21st 2008 1:33PM
Cloverfield was awesome. Transformers is just a special effects montage with product placment. No real acting. No great storyline. As cool as it was to watch, it's no tour de' force, nor was Cloverfield, but at least there was some acting and plot mixed in.
Bring on Hot Rod.
ComicShaman @ Feb 21st 2008 1:34PM
Why all the Cloverfield hate? Look, guys, just eat some ginger snaps before you see it. They settle the stomach marvelously.
Although I do think it's funny that Cloverfield is mentioned as an attractive Blu-Ray proposition. Wasn't the thing shot all on hand-cams, which are low definition to begin with? So would you really get anything more out of a high def version? Maybe I'm off base here.
Wonderflex @ Feb 21st 2008 1:55PM
No, the movie was shot actually with Sony's top-of-the-line HD camera the F23.
http://www.i4u.com/article14187.html
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/cinealta/shoot/f23.shtml
Cost? Well, it's not posted, but the next model down cost only $90,000.00.
navstar @ Feb 21st 2008 1:42PM
Interesting because Paramount just released an amazing HD-DVD set of the first season of Star Trek with lots of PiP extras.
I would be p.o.'d if I bought it and now there wont be any more.
navstar @ Feb 21st 2008 1:42PM
Interesting because Paramount just released an amazing HD-DVD set of the first season of Star Trek with lots of PiP extras.
I would be p.o.'d if I bought it and now there wont be any more.
Riley Freeman @ Feb 21st 2008 3:16PM
am i the only one that thinks transformers sucked? u couldnt tell who was who. i think they tried a little too much with the comedy FBI i forget the actors name (i actually like him). it was just a terrible movie. they better fix that piece of crap in the sequal.
cloverfield uhhh wat to say about cloverfield. hiding under bridge when theres a monster stepping on things that could crumble nuff said right there. stupidness. going up a building thats leaning on another? who does that. finally flying the helicopter in the same direction as the monster. Im sorry cloverfield was different but a lot of dumb decisions made me just not enjoy it.
They will both stay on the shelf
Teddy @ Feb 22nd 2008 2:13PM
cloverfield uhhh wat to say about cloverfield. hiding under bridge when theres a monster stepping on things that could crumble nuff said right there. stupidness. going up a building thats leaning on another? who does that. finally flying the helicopter in the same direction as the monster. Im sorry cloverfield was different but a lot of dumb decisions made me just not enjoy it.
While it's far from being one of my favorite movies, it wasn't too bad (as long as you didn't pay full price at the movie theater). I'm sure there's one or two guys in the world who might go up a leaning building to try to save a girl they tapped only once. This scene was definitely added for the ladies in the audience. The helicopter moving in the same direction as the monster, yeah it was dumb, but the director/writers wanted the "reunited for a short time" couple to eventually die in each other's arms and the irony of almost being saved. A nuclear strike was coming so hiding under the bridge was just a place to die, perhaps providing enough time to say "I love you". Also added for the ladies. I'm a native New Yorker and Cloverfield is basically a bunch of hipsters/transplants getting the shaft. That's one of the reasons I'll be getting it when it drops on Blu-ray.
John @ Feb 21st 2008 4:39PM
having bluray movies is totally cool, but why cloverfield? I don't want hd quality of a camera. Its not worth the extra $10 u can get from a dvd. But still, i finally get to see a bigger library of bluray movies.
Sean K @ Feb 21st 2008 5:25PM
Does anyone care that the A-holes over at Paramount didn't give a crap about you until the choice they made failed miserably?
Don't you think you should hold off on supporting a company who did not choose to support you??? I'll rent or borrow (not even buy) DVD's of Paramount movies and upconvert to 1080i using my PS3. Screw them.
Sean @ Feb 21st 2008 5:19PM
Does anyone care that the A-holes over at Paramount didn't give a crap about you until the choice they made failed miserably?
Don't you think you should hold off on supporting a company who did not choose to support you??? I'll rent or borrow (not even buy) DVD's of Paramount movies and upconvert to 1080i using my PS3. Screw them.
beinggay @ Feb 21st 2008 7:00PM
dont understand the Cloverfield hate, I thought it was great movie. Maybe they were same people that were looking for an explanation as to why the monster was attacking in the first place or where it came from, or maybe they were expecting the next B-Movie Godzilla?
Michael K. @ Feb 21st 2008 8:26PM
Good, I was going to be really pissed if I couldn't get Sweeney Todd on Blu-ray
locofranco @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:18PM
I hope we all realize that Microsoft got exactly what it wanted it it's 150 mil "gift" to Paramount. It created additional time for them to add more movies and improve their video download service. Other than trolls who need to somehow justify their purchases, everyone got exactly what they wanted. If Microsoft really, really wanted HD-DVD to win, they would have added the drive to their elite system (by that time it was certainly cheap enough to include and still compete with ps3 in price.)
P.S: Cloverfield was a good movie and accomplished it's goal