While researching my post on the Metropolis missing footage that's been discovered in Argentina, I missed a vital tidbit of information. (My brain is still leaking, sorry.) The tidbit? Kino International officially confirmed to The Digital Bits that their upcoming Blu-ray of Metropolis will include the newly-discovered footage, and that a standard definition DVD would also be released. Ta-da!

One of our readers, Eric, noted that Kino's Restored and Authorized Edition DVD, released in 2003, "actually makes sense," plot-wise, and recommended it highly. (Thanks, Eric! I've already ordered my copy.) By coincidence, Kino announced in May that they would begin offering their titles in Blu-ray in 2009, and then said that Metropolis would be their first title offered in the high-definition format, per High-Def Digest, though they did not provide details on a release date, technical specifications, or supplements.

In the UK, Eureka released a Region 2 DVD edition in 2005. DVD Beaver did a detailed comparison between Kino and Eureka and found the Eureka release to be superior: "This appears to be a classic example of PAL-NTSC ghosting derived from improper conversion." If you know what that means, you'll want to read their entire article before making a purchase decision -- and note, of course, that you'll need a region-free DVD player for the Eureka version. Film critic Glenn Kenney recommends the Eureka edition, by the way.

Others will choose to wait for Blu-ray, but whatever your decision, now would be a good time to get caught up with Metropolis so you can fully appreciate the new missing footage. If you need any more convincing, check out the clips and trailer at Kino's site.

There's a very interesting discussion going on over on Hollywood Elsewhere today about whether studios re-releasing older movies on Blu-ray are going too far in tweaking the originals to make them look "better." At the center of the discussion is the Dirty Harry Blu-ray DVD. Glenn Erickson, writing for film.com, points out that the Patton Blu-ray DVD was "enhanced to minimize the natural grain," but that in that case, the altering makes it look more like the theatrical 70mm presentation, so he doesn't take issue with that one. The Dirty Harry Blu-ray, however, Erickson considers "more complicated." He notes:

"The Blu-ray disc shows heavy tweaking to minimize grain, sharpen contrast and brighten colors. Sunny exteriors haven't changed much but heavy processing has given most night shots an almost unnatural look -- detail and bright color in what were once dimly lit areas, with everything else falling into inky blackness. "

Jeff Wells doesn't have a problem with this -- if it makes Dirty Harry look better, who cares? But in the discussion thread on the post, folks are getting down into the nitty-gritty of the issue: studios doing digital remastering for Blu-ray transfers, sometimes without consulting the cinematographer as to why scenes where shot as they were. HE commenter TheVicuna links to an excellent interview at cameraguild.com, the website for the International Cinematographer's Guild, with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond; in part of the interview, he talks about the DVD transfer of Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, for which he was not called in to supervise the transfer; the resulting transfer, Zsigmond says in the interview, was "terrible."

I'm beginning to believe that no one really wants to watch movies anymore. Or, at least, they don't want to actively watch them. Big movie theaters are hurting with the advent of saucy home theater systems, and it seems like most people would rather curl up on their couch then head out for the big community experience. We've already heard arguments about the mass distractions that are attached to home viewing, but I never thought that it would become part of the movie experience.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Walt Disney is itching to use Blu-ray's Live technology to make a more interactive movie experience. But they're not talking about the Choose Your Own Adventure sort of fare. They're adding a whole lot of bells and whistles to their classics. First up, my favorite Disney film ever -- Sleeping Beauty.

Luckily, it doesn't seem to be presenting anything that will make me want to go out and get a new player. It's all movie distractions. It might be cool that the menu will have a customized version of Sleeping Beauty's castle that will reflect your weather conditions, but that's just fluff. Besides that, there's just things to distract you from the film -- integrated chats on the movie screen, customized video messages to insert into the movie, the option to mail clips to friends, trivia games, and the option for a constant stream of web trailers.

We were all just waiting for the announcement. And here it is, finally and inevitably. Blu-ray called, "red rover, red rover let Paramount come over," and Paramount went over. Now all six major studios are on board, and HD DVD is being fitted for its casket. Thank goodness. The format war is over! And no, I won't be telling anyone to go out and buy any HD DVD products this time around (although Roger Ebert mentioned the other day that this is a great time to buy VHS tapes, so he's apparently even more insane than I am). But I'm not just going to jump on the Blu-ray wagon just yet either (remember: I'm a cheap bastard). Who knows how soon the next format war will come about anyway? It's best to just sit around and read books. They'll never be obsolete. Oh wait, I forgot that I'm a movie blogger. Never mind. Buy movies! And buy them on Blu-ray!

Well, it's just about done. We told you the other day that Toshiba would most likely concede to Blu-ray this week, and they have officially done just that. With the manufacturer and distributor of HD-DVD consumer products out of the way, one assumes Blu-ray will reign supreme within the next couple of months. For those that have already invested in Toshiba's HD-DVD products, they will still offer support and continue to stock parts for the next eight years. There's no word as of yet whether Paramount and other Hollywood HD-DVD supporters will turn, though we should expect announcements in the very near future.

Keep in mind I don't know all the technical differences between the two formats (sorry folks, I'm limited in that area), but at first glance -- and from a marketing standpoint -- I totally thought HD-DVD would eventually win this war. My friend and I always said that consumers would go with the name they most easily related to. If they had an HD TV, they would buy an HD-DVD player. It just seemed right. But I guess the flashier name won out. On a personal note, I'm happy I opted to side with Blu-ray this past Christmas, because now I'm not out all that money. Had you picked a side yet? And how do you HD-DVD supporters feel about all this?

For the complete Toshiba press release, head on over to our sister site Engadget.

Forget all those retailers and studios abandoning HD DVD. Here's the biggest domino to fall: Toshiba, which was surely the biggest and most important exclusive supporter from the beginning, releasing the first commercially available HD DVD player back in 2006. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Japanese company is expected to discontinue production of HD DVD products, including players and other devices related to the format. Apparently, however, they will continue selling existing equipment and have only ceased development and manufacture of new HD DVD products. There has been no formal announcement, though, from Toshiba. The trade quotes a vp of marketing for Toshiba America as saying the company still believes HD DVD to be technologically the best high-def format (over Blu-Ray) for customers. The decision, if in fact true, comes on the heels of, and is surely an effect of, last month's news that Warner Bros. and then (maybe) Paramount were going Blu-ray exclusive and recent announcements from Netflix, Best Buy, Blockbuster and Wal-Mart that they would each stop renting and/or selling HD DVD discs (or in Best Buy's case, stop selling HD DVD players yet continue selling the discs, but push/recommend Blu-Ray as the favored format) within the year.

The Hollywood Reporter details some of the more recent HD DVD history, including Toshiba's desperate moves to stay in the game after Warner's abandonment. The company significantly cut the cost of their players, but still Blu-ray was the champion in the market. Additionally, new Blu-ray movie titles are constantly out-selling new HD DVD movie titles. The trade mentions that Toshiba's "last ditch effort" was a TV commercial that ran during the Super Bowl and which cost the company $2.7 million. Now all eyes are on the few HD DVD supporters that are left: Microsoft; Universal; DreamWorks and Paramount. How long before they all admit defeat? Within the week?

Today I'm glad to be cheaper than cheap. Had I not been so frugal, I would have bought myself an HD-DVD player this past weekend after seeing a commercial advertising one for less than $150. And then, I would have been excited about renting HD-DVD discs from Netflix, to which I've been a very happy subscriber for more than four years. But then I would have received an email (like the one seen here), stating that Netflix has just decided to exclusively support Blu-ray as its sole hi-def format. Thankfully, I am cheaper than cheap and have no plans to purchase one of those expensive Blu-ray players. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I no longer plan to spend the $20 a month on Netflix.

Actually, my cheapness combined with my laziness will probably keep me a Netflix customer, but I can't imagine others will be so loyal. Apparently Blockbuster's online rental service still offers both HD-DVD and Blu-ray, so perhaps a number of HD fans will be switching over. Of course, also considering how significant a player Netflix is, this could be a heavy hit on the coffin nail for HD-DVD. The decision made by Netflix comes soon after last month's moves by Paramount and Warner Bros. to also go Blu-ray exclusive. It may only be a matter of time before Blockbuster, which primarily rents Blu-ray at its stores, will dump HD-DVD itself.

According to the Netflix emails going out today, any "Saved" HD-DVD selections in your rental queue (meaning for releases not yet out) will be switched to regular DVD by the end of the month. However, it seems you will still be able to rent HD-DVD discs that Netflix already currently offers throughout the year.

I'm actually glad we sat on this story a bit today, because now more info has come out of the CES show in Las Vegas. First off, the London Financial Times reported that Paramount was preparing to follow Warner Bros. and drop HD-DVD to sign an exclusive deal with Blu-ray. Should such a move take place, it would leave Universal all alone in the HD-DVD camp, and most likely signal an end to this long, hard-fought format war. How could Paramount do this? Would they be breaking a contract with HD-DVD? According to sources, there's a clause in Paramount's contract that states if Warners goes Blu-ray, they would have the option to do the same. So did Paramount leave? Was there a huge announcement today?

YES! Only it was a different kind of an announcement from Paramount. Basically, they denied all rumors and issued the following statement: "We are still supporting HD DVD." Ah, but then later on in the day, Paramount said they would not be announcing the titles of future HD-DVDs during the CES conference. Hmm. They're sticking with HD-DVD, but they refuse to announce future titles? Seems a bit ... sketchy.

I know what you're about to ask, so let me beat you to the punch -- what does Michael Bay (who, you might remember, threw up a stink when Transformers came out in only HD-DVD) think of all this? Am I right? That's what you were thinking, right? Well, following the Warner Bros. announcement, Bay had this to say over on his official site: "Well another studio down. Maybe I was right? Blu ray is just better. HD will die a slow death. It's what I predicted a year ago. Now with Warner's down for the count with Blu Ray. That makes it easier for Wal-Mart to push Blu Ray. And whatever Wal-Mart pushes - wins. Hd better start giving out those $120 million dollars checks to stay alive. Maybe they can give me some so I can give it to my Make-A-Wish charity, just to shut me up. Have faith people Transformers will come out in Blu-ray one day!"

So how long before Paramount and Universal give in and switch teams?

Warner Brothers' decision to side with Blu-Ray has caused early HD-DVD adopters to feel like losers while Blu-Ray supporters are gleefully congratulating themselves for their great foresight. On the assumption that the format wars are actually over -- not everybody agrees -- you might think this would be the final nail in the coffin for Bill Gates. He's already halfway out the door at HD-DVD backer Microsoft, but multi-billionaire Bill has always been a positive thinker.

When USA Today asked for his reaction, he replied in part: "HD DVD did well over the holidays. The other trend we're seeing is that direct download over broadband - I think the greatest example of that is XBox Live - (is) becoming an important choice. Over time, that will be the dominant way that people get their movies."

Is he trying to say everybody loses? I think he's just acknowledging that high-def DVD is only a stopgap measure. The format wars may or may not have fostered innovation and lower hardware prices, but the elephant in the room has been downloading over broadband, an idea whose time has finally (apparently) come. In addition to XBox Live, Netflix recently announced a deal with LG for a new download box, Apple is talking about renting movies through iTunes, Sony is hinting they'll roll out something similar to XBox Live for the Playstation 3 this year, and so on and so on.

Why does this matter for movie fans? Beyond the obvious, if you have an interest in non-blockbusters and don't live in one of a handful of big cities, movie downloading holds the prospect of opening up the playing field to smaller distributors and independent filmmakers. Right now we tend to look down on films that go straight to DVD (or iTunes), but if Radiohead can make a success of a completely independent release structure, why can't filmmakers?

Score one for Blu-ray! According to a press release, Warner Brothers has struck a deal to release all of their films exclusively on DVD and Blu-ray, beginning in May 2008. The studio will continue to release their films on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray until May, but from then on out they're going strictly with the latter. Which is great for me, seeing as I finally chose to side with Blu-ray this past Christmas when I received a PS3 from Santa. We'll have to see how this breaks down for HD-DVD in the long run, but having Warners exclusively on your side is definitely a great thing. Now, in your opinion, how big of a move is this? And is Blu-ray in a great position to finally win the format war? Check out the official press release below:

(January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – 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."

More after the jump ...

[via Engadget HD]