Blu-ray Update: TOS Season 1 + TOS Movies Coming May 2009 January 23, 2009
by Bill Hunt
As reported on Thursday at Digital Bits, select release details and cover art images of Star Trek sets on Blu-ray have leaked from European studio sources, but there's been conflicting information as to what exactly the release will entail here in the USA. We've checked in repeatedly with Digital Bits and TrekMovie industry sources and we're now able to bring you accurate, updated details.
Trek and Blu-ray in 2009
Keep in mind that none of this is official until actual studio announcements are made, and these details are still subject to change. But here's the latest...
As originally reported back in November on The Digital Bits and TrekMovie, the first six Star Trek feature films will be released on Blu-ray in the USA in May in a six-film "Kirk/Spock" (or Original Series film era) box set, each with remastered picture and sound. All six films will be in their original theatrical versions. On Thursday RELEASE.no reported that that the European set would not include Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, however sources indicate that Final Frontier will be in the USA set. Other regions may offer different disc configurations/packaging options (the leaked image below suggests the first three films will be in a trilogy package in Europe).
At least some new extras have been created for new Blu-ray releases, including "famous fan" commentary tracks for each film, as well as new featureettes (for example select scenes from a Klingon performance of Hamlet by the Commedia Beauregard will be packed with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - see previous report TrekMovie story). It's unknown yet whether these will be Blu-ray exclusive, or if there will be a simultaneous standard DVD release. It is also expected that the four Next Generation feature films (Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis) will get the Blu-ray treatment, at a later date.
(http://img.trekmovie.com/images/merchandise/dvdbr_films_no.jpg)
[note US packaging and configuration may be different]
TOS coming to Blu-ray
The biggest news we've learned is that CBS will finally release Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One on Blu-ray on the same street date in May as the movies. The release is currently planned to include both the original broadcast versions as well as the new Remastered versions of each episode. If this happens as planned, it's obviously very cool news, though we're still waiting to hear whether the Blu-rays will include all of the special features that were offered with the previous DVD and HD-DVD/DVD Combo releases of the series.
(http://img.trekmovie.com/images/merchandise/dvdbr_tos1_no.jpg)
[May not be final or apply to USA release]
May is still far enough away that it could be a month or more before we see official announcements, but The Digital Bits and Trek Movie.com are in contact with the studio and we hope to have more to report from them very soon.
Stay tuned...
About time! Guess I'll need a PS3 by then. Hopefully the price will drop like has been speculated. Timing is all good in conjunction with the new movie.
Quote from: Rico on January 23, 2009, 08:07:19 AM
About time! Guess I'll need a PS3 by then. Hopefully the price will drop like has been speculated. Timing is all good in conjunction with the new movie.
I have a friend who works for Best Buy.. he told me that PS3 will drop to $299 in April....
WOOT! SO glad I waited before getting new DVD gear!
Oh dear, this is going to cost me money!
finally i have put off buying the current standard version or the HD version. hopingthey would finally come to blue-ray.. i better start saving now ..
Just bought another HD television for the bedroom. I guess I need to get bluray now...
I hope the Digital Bits rumor is true! The only Star Trek I am interested in buying again on Blu-Ray are all 10 movies and TOS-R. That's it for me and all Paramount will ever get from me again on re-purchases for new formats. I'm quite satisfied with DVD for the rest of the series.
Kevin
Quote from: Ktrek on January 23, 2009, 08:16:00 PM
I hope the Digital Bits rumor is true! The only Star Trek I am interested in buying again on Blu-Ray are all 10 movies and TOS-R. That's it for me and all Paramount will ever get from me again on re-purchases for new formats. I'm quite satisfied with DVD for the rest of the series.
Kevin
For me a total remaster job of TNG like they did with TOS would seal the deal!
cant wait to get my hands on voyager in blue ray ;D.
Quote from: matthew on February 19, 2009, 07:11:02 AM
cant wait to get my hands on voyager in blue ray ;D.
Yay.. another Voyager Fan.... :)
I think I might buy the remastered episodes, but that's about it.
I still do not own a Blue Ray player. I'm still persuming that a Blueray player will play standard DVD's. If this is so then i may buy one and start buying BR discs. If not then i'll stick with my DVD player. Love the TOS design. i think May is going to be an expensive Trek month.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on February 19, 2009, 01:03:16 PM
I still do not own a Blue Ray player. I'm still persuming that a Blueray player will play standard DVD's. If this is so then i may buy one and start buying BR discs. If not then i'll stick with my DVD player. Love the TOS design. i think May is going to be an expensive Trek month.
Yes Blu-rays play standard DVD's.. in fact I'm told they enhance the standard DVD's. I'm waiting for the price to fall on the PS3/Blu-ray player in April.. then I'll have blu-ray.
Ooooooo, then I may have to convince the wife that its the best thing to buy to help for when the baby arrives ;)
Yeah Blu-Ray players when connected via HDMI will upscale standard DVDs, they basically do the same job as an upscaling DVD player although probably not as good a job as a dedicated one.
I have yet to invest in one but I will have to if they release Star Trek 'seriously' on Blu-Ray. I mean not just the movies and TOS-R but plans to remaster the other series. I don't think I will jump to it immediately. It's a shame Microsoft never released a Blu-Ray add-on as my house is networked with 360s already...
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on February 19, 2009, 02:10:15 PM
Ooooooo, then I may have to convince the wife that its the best thing to buy to help for when the baby arrives ;)
If your wife is anything like mine mate you have no chance! I'm not even going to risk it! ;D
Ha ha ;)
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on February 19, 2009, 02:10:15 PM
Ooooooo, then I may have to convince the wife that its the best thing to buy to help for when the baby arrives ;)
Wow!
Brave or naive, that is the question!
Not jumping on-board here yet, either. (Let's face it, I managed to get agreement for the iPhone at Christmas so my credit's run out. There's no way I'm going to get Blu-ray as well!)
Some great new videos of some footage that will be on the Blu-Ray sets - plus a little commercial for them. Check it out.
http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/trekbluray.flv (http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/trekbluray.flv)
http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/shat_stewart_bluray1.flv (http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/shat_stewart_bluray1.flv)
http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/whoppi_shat.flv (http://www.treksinscifi.com/video/whoppi_shat.flv)
Looks like an interesting interview there. Wouldn't mind watching the whole thing actually.
My copy of TOS season one on Blu-Ray came today and I have to say that the picture quality is amazing. The set comes with BOTH the original and remastered. That way no matter which version you prefer you can watch it. I have not had a chance to really check out the special features yet and expore the set but I'm just so happy to see Star Trek like I never have before! Can't beat Blu-Ray and a high def TV.
I'm tempted now to buy the little TNG package they have done just to see TNG in high def and whether it would be worth it if they released it on Blu-Ray. Anyway, I'm quite happy with the set and can't wait for them to release seasons two and three and the movies (the first 6 come out in a week or two and there are now rumours that TNG films will be out by years end).
Kevin
TNG remastered in HD would sell Blu-Ray for me!
Quote from: Dangelus on April 29, 2009, 10:19:47 PM
TNG remastered in HD would sell Blu-Ray for me!
Oh my, I would be in big trouble, I would have to get a TV AND a Blue Ray player if they did TNG.
Amy? :)
Kevin - I'm curious how the original (non-enhanced) TOS episodes look in Blu-Ray? Are they still cleaned up, etc. just without the new effects?
Quote from: Rico on April 30, 2009, 04:36:37 AM
Kevin - I'm curious how the original (non-enhanced) TOS episodes look in Blu-Ray? Are they still cleaned up, etc. just without the new effects?
They are cleaned up Rico. The only difference is the sfx. And what a difference that is too! The shots of the ship look super grainy on Blu-Ray. The defects of the film are much more noticeable than they are on my original series set (I have the set with 2 eps per disc). They also are a full 1080i shown in fullscreen format. So there are black bars on the side. That was a little strange because I have my DVD player set to show widescreen even if the episode is fullscreen. I've kind of gotten used to images being slightly squished and when I see full screen it just looks like everyone is elongated and unnatural to me now. lol I saw Best Buy has them on sale this week at the same price as Amazon ($64.99). Retail is $129.99. Not sure who would wait and spend double what they have to but...
Kevin
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to put all this older stuff on blu ray. I'd imagine even the first few seasons of TNG wouldn't look so hot.
I have a Blu-ray player and I honestly can not tell the difference between regular DVD's and Blu-ray when I play them on my Bu-ray player because the Blu-ray upconverts the DVD to look high def. So I usually still buy regular dvd's because they are so much cheaper.
Quote from: SPOCKFAN on April 30, 2009, 08:07:10 AM
I have a Blu-ray player and I honestly can not tell the difference between regular DVD's and Blu-ray when I play them on my Bu-ray player because the Blu-ray upconverts the DVD to look high def. So I usually still buy regular dvd's because they are so much cheaper.
I guess my question would be is do you own a 40 inch or larger high def TV? because I can definitely see the difference. Enough for me to upgrade my very favorites. I do agree the upconvert is a nice feature but it is no way high def.
Kevin
It all depends on the source material. A very recent movie, shot in high-def, but released on DVD and then upscaled won't look too bad. It also depends a lot on your TV, size, room lighting, even eyesight, etc. The thing they do with older films is remaster them, clean them up and then put them out on Blu-Ray. So you get the added benefit of that, plus the high-def factor. For example taking an older released version of a film and trying to upscale that will show a very big difference compared to a newer, updated Blu-Ray version. Blu-Ray is still struggling a bit to find a foot hold, and the economy isn't helping. Until the actual disc prices get close to DVD, many people will just be content with DVD.
My tv is 42" and I can at times notice a difference. The Blu- ray discs look amazing and in defence of blu-ray I only own 3 blu-ray discs so I havn't done much comparing. But the DVD's look great on the Blu-ray.
Quote from: Rico on April 30, 2009, 08:31:07 AM
Blu-Ray is still struggling a bit to find a foot hold, and the economy isn't helping. Until the actual disc prices get close to DVD, many people will just be content with DVD.
I don't think you can say that Blu-Ray is still struggling. Officially sales have doubled over the same quarter last year and continue to climb.
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2591 (http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2591)
Blu-Ray is a growing market and DVD did not overtake VHS for several years. As more titles that people really want to own become available I think sales will then really take off. Where is our Star Wars on Blur-Ray for instance? My local Best buy (and it's a small store in comparison to some) has grown from one 5 ft. wide shelf last year to almost three full rows and the DVD stock is diminishing. They no longer even carry classic film box sets for instance. I have also noticed that when I am in the store there are as many people now browsing the Blu-Ray section as there are the DVD section. Granted this may not be true up in Detroit where your economy is severely depressed but Detroit is the exception across the nation.
Kevin
I think you need to read between the lines with that article and also check a few more sources. Blu Ray might be up, but it's still nowhere that it should be as the winner of the format war. It hasn't yet to cut into the DVD sales and that's the only way that it's going to be a success.
It's just not happening. The buy in is way too expensive and the movies are too pricey for what they offer.
I think it's the same problem that Vista had over XP. At this point, for most people, DVD is "good enough". At the moment I personally don't see any compelling reason to buy a blu ray player. The only way I'd get one is if they stopped making DVD's or it got thrown in with a new TV.
Kevin - I'm not dissing Blu-Ray, but if you listen to several other Tech sources it is not doing nearly the business they had hoped it would do by this point. Especially considering it currently is the only HD disc option. I tend to know and hang out with very tech heavy folks. People who got CD players early, then DVD, etc. I think one of them has a PS3 - that's it. It is still way too expensive under the current state of things for the average person. I was there in the beginning of DVD. The only thing that finally allowed it to catch on, were many more titles and lower cost per disc. Until that happens, Blu-Ray will not be main stream successful.
P.S. Detroit is certainly not the only economically depressed city around.
I've looked into this for the past few months and I have to agree with rico here. Blue ray has not had the success they hoped. In England sales are good but not great. Yes my mate Ed has a ps3 and showed me Iron man on blue ray and it looked great but he had a 52 inch screen (give or take a inch) but he then put the dvd of dark knight on and it looke equally as good. I dont think people are going to rush out and buy Blue ray when you can DVD's for such a ridiculous cheap price. I'm still going to hold out for another year.
Well, I still buy most of my movies on DVD too but for my very favorites I want to replace them on Blu-Ray. I own too many DVDs to replace my entire library. Nor would I want to, but for new purchases I am opting more and more to go Blu, and for titles like Star Trek I will be replacing at least the TOS series I have and all the movies. I doubt that I would upgrade any other Trek though. Any of the Disney animated classics I would upgrade. Snow White is coming soon and although the Platinum edition DVD is really very very good I am still going to upgrade. The Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty films look so fabulous on Blu-Ray I can't resist. The Pirates of the Caribbean series looks soooo much better on Blu than it did on DVD. I had thought about upgrading all the James Bond films but the transfer on the Ultimate Edition DVDs is so good that I decided my money could be better spent on other titles. Some classic films like Gone With The Wind, Singin' In The Rain, The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Robin Hood, etc. I would definitely upgrade, when and if they become available.
I guess as far as buying new titles are concerned it would depend on the movie. Lately I have been able to get Blu-Ray for only $5 to $7 more than I would have spent for the DVD and to me that's reasonable for the better quality. At the $10.00 or more difference is when I really start weighing how badly I want a title and how frequently would I watch it again. So I still buy more DVDs than I do Blu-Ray's but if the price was the same there would be no hesitation as to what I would choose.
Kevin
I think if i were to jump into Blue Ray then i would only upgrade first generation DVD's. I would not upgrade my Bond collection either (i dont think they can do any better really). Is the new trek upgrades coming out on standard DVD or only on Blue ray?
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on April 30, 2009, 12:33:58 PM
I think if i were to jump into Blue Ray then i would only upgrade first generation DVD's. I would not upgrade my Bond collection either (i dont think they can do any better really). Is the new trek upgrades coming out on standard DVD or only on Blue ray?
Simon - Are you referring to the "remastered"? The answer to that is that they have already been released on DVD. The first season is on a HDVD/DVD combo set and seasons two and three were released last year on DVD only sets. Note - these do NOT contain the original broadcast with original special effects. The Blu-Ray version contains both so you can watch whatever version you prefer. I was probably more in the camp of leaving the original alone because I tend toward being a purist and viewing things as originally conceived. However, I have to admit that the remastered special effects look fabulous on an HDTV! As hard as it is for me to admit it I think the remastered version is nicer to look at overall. The version with the original effects clearly show the inferior quality of the film that was used for the effects vs. the film that was used for the rest of the production.
Kevin
I knew the first season had been released on HD/DVD but as i dont own a HD/DVD player i wasn't going to buy it. So I gather the Blue Ray versions (with both tyoes) wont be availale on normal DVD.
OMG he called you Simon! :o
Yeah I've already sent out our ninja squirrels round to kill him. ;)
ninja squirrels are scary little animals, that is if you ever catch a glimpse of them. ;)
Watch out for their nuts, no one likes to have their nuts coming at ya!
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on April 30, 2009, 01:33:05 PM
Yeah I've already sent out our ninja squirrels round to kill him. ;)
I ain't afraid of no ninja squirrels! If my defense perimeter doesn't kill 'em my cats will for sure! LOL
Sorry Sim...I mean MEDS! I forgot you hate your real name. Too bad because you're stuck with it! lol Why not just change your last name to Templar and then I think you will like it! :)
Kevin
ha ha, well i was named after Simon Templar as my mum had a crush on Roger Moore, plus the saint has two scars on his left hand and weirdly i too have the same scars. hmmm.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on April 30, 2009, 03:49:51 PM
ha ha, well i was named after Simon Templar as my mum had a crush on Roger Moore, plus the saint has two scars on his left hand and weirdly i too have the same scars. hmmm.
I guess that's better than being scarface! LOL
Kevin
My wife and I bought the Star Trek movie box set on Blu-Ray and I have to say that this set is wonderful! I have only seen the first three films thus far but the detail in the Blu-Ray is just so much better than the Special Edition DVDs. My only complaint is that they are all the theatrical release version, which is fine, but the Motion Picture was greatly improved, in my opinion, in the Director's Cut edition. If you have a Blu-Ray player though I recommend investing in repurchasing these on Blu-Ray. It has made me excited to see the TNG films on Blu at the end of the year! I can hardly wait!!
Kevin
Bargain deal for all three seasons of TOS on Blu-Ray at Amazon right now.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PQ7JQK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002PQ7JQK&linkCode=as2&tag=trekcore-20 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PQ7JQK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002PQ7JQK&linkCode=as2&tag=trekcore-20)
I already own them but, that's a tremendous deal. The other day they were offering it for a dollar less. They must have had too much inventory in expectation of selling them when the movie came out. I hope some members here can take advantage of it!
i know i am late coming to this party, but i finally got the dvd set of STAR TREK:TOS season one on dvd, WOW, i have seen this show on tv, but the new effects are awesome.
i had been holding off because i can still see the show on tv. i just couldn't pass up the price, lol.
Did you get in on Blu-Ray or DVD? There is a thread already about the transfer I'm sure Joe will merge the threads.
Yeah, some of the new effects on the remastered editions are pretty nice. I'll merge this with the other thread.