More Star Trek DVD/Blu-Ray News

Geekyfanboy · July 21, 2009, 10:06:40 AM

Get Ready For Star Trek September

September 22nd is shaping up to be the biggest day in Star Trek home video history with a plethora of titles. These includes new sets (complete with new special features), as well as new individual titles from previous (or new) box sets. Here is a full breakdown (including USA MSRP):

New sets:

* STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION – BLU-RAY ($69.99)
* STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION – DVD ($39.99)
* STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES Season Two – BLU-RAY
($79.99)
* STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION – DVD ($59.99) [DVD version of Blu-ray set released in May]

New single titles (from motion picture box sets)

* STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN – BLU-RAY ($24.99)
* STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN – DVD ($12.99)
* STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME – BLU-RAY ($24.99)
* STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME – DVD ($12.99)
* STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY- BLU-RAY ($24.99)
* STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY – DVD ($12.99)
* STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT- BLU-RAY ($24.99)
* STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT – DVD ($12.99)

Press Release

Here is a press release covering the various new titles and their special features. You may want to pay close attention to the details on the Next Generation set for a certain someone (OK, it's me!).

PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATES THE
BIG SCREEN RETURN OF ONE OF THE GREATEST FRANCHISES EVER WITH A UNIVERSE OF NEW RELEASES

Original Feature Films and the Second Season of the Original Series Energize onto DVD and Blu-ray September 22, 2009 Loaded with Stellar Bonus Features

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – In anticipation of the home entertainment debut of J.J. Abrams' thrilling reinvention of the STAR TREK franchise, Paramount Home Entertainment will give audiences the chance to revisit where it all began with a galaxy full of new DVD and Blu-ray releases. Docking on September 22, 2009 are the STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION on DVD, which includes the first six "Star Trek" films and loads of special features; the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray, featuring the four "Star Trek" films starring the Next Generation crew with new special features, plus a bonus disc with over an hour of additional content; STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES Season Two on Blu-ray in high definition for the first time ever; plus The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country and First Contact all available individually on DVD and Blu-ray.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION Blu-ray & DVD

The STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION Blu-ray discs are presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish & Portuguese subtitles. The 5-disc DVD collection is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround (plus Portuguese Mono on Generations, Portuguese 2.0 Surround on First Contact and Insurrection and Portuguese 5.1 Surround on Nemesis) and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The special features are as follows:

Star Trek: Generations

DVD Content:

* Commentary by director David Carson and Manny Coto
* Next Generation Designer Flashback Andrew Probert
* Stellar Cartography on Earth
* Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond Part 1
* Trek Roundtable: Generations
* Starfleet Academy: Trilithium
* Scoring Trek

Blu-ray Content (in addition to the above):

* Commentary by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
* Library Computer
* Production featurettes
* Visual Effects featurettes
* Scene Deconstruction featurettes
* A Tribute to Matt Jefferies
* The Enterprise Lineage
* Captain Picard's Family Album
* Creating 24th Century Weapons
* Deleted Scenes
* Storyboards
* Production Gallery
* Trailers
* Star Trek I.Q. (BD-Live)

Star Trek: First Contact

DVD Content:

* Commentary by Damon Lindelof and Anthony Pascale
* Industrial Light & Magic—The Next Generation
* Greetings from the International Space Station
* SpaceShipOne's Historic Flight
* Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond Part 2
* Trek Roundtable: First Contact
* Starfleet Academy: Temporal Vortex

Blu-ray Content (in addition to the above):

* Commentary by director and actor Jonathan Frakes
* Commentary by screenwriters Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore
* Library Computer
* Production featurettes
* Scene Deconstruction featurettes
* Jerry Goldsmith: A Tribute
* The Legacy of Zefram Cochrane
* First Contact: The Possibilities
* The Borg Collective featurettes
* Storyboards
* Photo Gallery
* Trailers
* Star Trek I.Q. (BD-Live)

Star Trek: Insurrection

DVD Content:

* Commentary by Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis
* Westmore's Legacy
* Marina Sirtis: The Counselor Is In
* Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond Part 3
* Trek Roundtable: Insurrection
* Starfleet Academy: The Origins of the Ba'ku and Son'a Conflict

Blu-ray Content (in addition to the above):

* Library Computer
* Production featurettes
* Westmore's Aliens
* Star Trek's Beautiful Alien Women
* Creating the Illusion featurettes
* Deleted Scenes with intro by Peter Lauritson
* Storyboards
* Photo Gallery
* Trailers
* Star Trek I.Q. (BD-Live)

Star Trek: Nemesis

DVD Content:

* Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda
* Reunion with the Rikers
* Today's Tech Tomorrow's Data
* Robot Hall of Fame
* Brent Spiner: Data and Beyond Part 4
* Trek Roundtable: Nemesis
* Starfleet Academy: Thalaron Radiation

Blu-ray Content (in addition to the above):

* Commentary by director Stuart Baird
* Commentary by producer Rick Berman
* Library Computer
* Production featurettes
* A Star Trek Family's Final Journey
* A Bold Vision of The Final Frontier
* The Enterprise E
* The Romulan Empire featurettes
* Deleted Scenes with intro by Rick Berman
* Storyboards
* Trailers
* Star Trek I.Q. (BD-Live)

Star Trek Evolutions—Bonus Disc (DVD and Blu-ray):

* The Evolution of the Enterprise
* Villains of Star Trek
* I Love the Star Trek Movies
* Farewell to Star Trek: The Experience
* Klingon Encounter
* Borg Invasion 4D
* Charting the Final Frontier

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES Season Two Blu-ray

The STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES Season Two Blu-ray is the definitive collection of the second season of the legendary series in pristine high definition. The seven-disc set features all 26 episodes, including the celebrated "The Trouble with Tribbles", with new seamless branching that allows fans to toggle between newly remastered versions with enhanced special effects or the episodes as they were originally broadcast. The Blu-ray collection also includes hours of featurettes, interactive bonus features and new clips via BD-Live and every disc is Mobile Blu enabled, allowing iPhone users to turn their phones into a Blu-ray remote control and download exclusive content to their iPhones.
The discs are presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Original 2.0 Mono, Spanish 2.0 Mono and French 2.0 Mono with English SDH, Spanish Brazilian Portuguese and French subtitles.

STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION DVD

The STAR TREK: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE COLLECTION DVDs are presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions. The 7-disc collection also includes a bonus disc entitled "Star Trek: The Captains' Summit" that features a 70-minute exclusive round table discussion hosted by Whoopi Goldberg in which William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes share candid moments and intimate details about life on the set. The following details the specifications and special features on each disc:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman
* The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture
* Special Star Trek Reunion
* Starfleet Academy: Mystery Behind V'ger

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto
* James Horner: Composing Genesis
* A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban
* Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics
* Starfleet Academy: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor
* Industrial Light & Magic: Visual Effects
* Spock: The Early Years
* Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
* Starfleet Academy: The Vulcan Katra Transfer

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 2.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
* Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments
* The Three-Picture Saga
* Star Trek for a Cause
* Starfleet Academy: The Whale Probe

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman
* Star Trek Honors NASA
* Hollywood Walk of Fame: James Doohan
* Starfleet Academy: Nimbus III

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Specifications: Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround EX, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish Mono, Portuguese Mono; English, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles

Special Features:

* Commentary by Larry Nemecek and Ira Steven Behr
* Tom Morga: Alien Stuntman
* To Be Or Not To Be: Klingons and Shakespeare
* Starfleet Academy: Praxis

Jobydrone · July 21, 2009, 01:59:02 PM

I recently saw the "Star Trek Summit" which I believe was included in the Bluray package of Original Series cast movies. It was hosted by Whoopie Goldberg and featured a very casual interview/conversation with Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. I loved it and found it extremely funny and entertaining.

Ktrek · July 21, 2009, 04:05:23 PM

Looking forward to the TNG movies being released on Blu-Ray and also TOS season two and Star Trek 2009! I hope season three comes soon too! After that no more upgrades for me. I'll be finished with Paramount milking me for more money with the exception of any more new movies they release in the future.

Kevin

Jobydrone · July 22, 2009, 05:48:12 AM

Yep they're doing a good job making me really want these old movies on Bluray. I have every film on special edition 2 disc DVD and my wife will kill me if I buy them again. What to do!?!

batmite · July 22, 2009, 07:57:52 AM

Quote from: Jobydrone4of20 on July 22, 2009, 05:48:12 AM
Yep they're doing a good job making me really want these old movies on Bluray. I have every film on special edition 2 disc DVD and my wife will kill me if I buy them again. What to do!?!

Personally I'd wait for the reviews and see what the quality and effort is made on the HD transfers of the movie. If the films are actually "restored & remastered" for a true HD experience, then it's a no brainier, pick them up. But if they were just simply ported over from the DVDs with no effort to enhance the picture (and sound), then wait for them when they hit the bargain bins. otherwise you'd just essentially be paying (again) for new packaging.

Meds · July 22, 2009, 08:13:54 AM

We compared the dark knight blue ray and dvd on a hd tv. You know what couldn't see any difference. I'm sticking with dvd, unless i win some money then i'm buying a ps3 hee hee.

Jobydrone · July 22, 2009, 12:34:59 PM

I'm actually more interested in the new features and commentaries than I am the high def transfers of the films.

Ktrek · July 22, 2009, 04:39:22 PM

Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on July 22, 2009, 08:13:54 AM
We compared the dark knight blue ray and dvd on a hd tv. You know what couldn't see any difference. I'm sticking with dvd, unless i win some money then i'm buying a ps3 hee hee.

That's interesting because I did the same thing and thought the Blu-Ray had about twice the resolution! It must have been your TV.

Kevin

Rico · July 22, 2009, 04:44:45 PM

Quote from: Ktrek on July 22, 2009, 04:39:22 PM
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on July 22, 2009, 08:13:54 AM
We compared the dark knight blue ray and dvd on a hd tv. You know what couldn't see any difference. I'm sticking with dvd, unless i win some money then i'm buying a ps3 hee hee.
That's interesting because I did the same thing and thought the Blu-Ray had about twice the resolution! It must have been your TV.

Kevin

A recent title like "The Dark Knight" upscaled (if your DVD player upscales Meds) compared to an actual HD content disc like Blu-Ray can sometimes be hard to tell apart. Depends a lot on the HDTV you have, lighting in the room, your eyes, a LOT of things. I just wish the Blu-Ray disc's would drop in price. Sometimes they do pop up on sale, but they still average about $10 more than a DVD. If they want to truly take a hold on the market, the media needs to get closer to DVD cost.

Ktrek · July 22, 2009, 05:36:30 PM

Quote from: Rico on July 22, 2009, 04:44:45 PM
A recent title like "The Dark Knight" upscaled (if your DVD player upscales Meds) compared to an actual HD content disc like Blu-Ray can sometimes be hard to tell apart. Depends a lot on the HDTV you have, lighting in the room, your eyes, a LOT of things. I just wish the Blu-Ray disc's would drop in price. Sometimes they do pop up on sale, but they still average about $10 more than a DVD. If they want to truly take a hold on the market, the media needs to get closer to DVD cost.

Not sure where you get the $10.00 more per price because around here I would say the average is around $5.00 to $6.00 more and to me that's inconsequential anymore.

Kevin

Rico · July 22, 2009, 05:46:29 PM

Quote from: Ktrek on July 22, 2009, 05:36:30 PM
Quote from: Rico on July 22, 2009, 04:44:45 PM
A recent title like "The Dark Knight" upscaled (if your DVD player upscales Meds) compared to an actual HD content disc like Blu-Ray can sometimes be hard to tell apart. Depends a lot on the HDTV you have, lighting in the room, your eyes, a LOT of things. I just wish the Blu-Ray disc's would drop in price. Sometimes they do pop up on sale, but they still average about $10 more than a DVD. If they want to truly take a hold on the market, the media needs to get closer to DVD cost.

Not sure where you get the $10.00 more per price because around here I would say the average is around $5.00 to $6.00 more and to me that's inconsequential anymore.

Kevin

At any Best Buy in my area. Or Wal-Mart, etc.

Ktrek · July 22, 2009, 08:21:18 PM

Quote from: Rico on July 22, 2009, 05:46:29 PM

At any Best Buy in my area. Or Wal-Mart, etc.

Hmmm....I guess pricing is not standardized because most new DVDs coming out here are priced around the $16.99 to $19.99 price depending on what the title is. There may be a few exceptions on special kids films where they sell for around $14.99 but most sell for what I said. Most Blu-Rays here sell for $19.99 to $25.99. I really do not see the ten dollar price difference. I used to but in the last 6 to 8 months I would say things are closing in price point and the difference is so little that I am now usually choosing Blu-Ray over DVD. There are some titles I still buy on DVD but mostly out of the bargain bins. I have not bought any new titles on DVD in months if the title is available in Blu-Ray.

Kevin

PepperDude · July 23, 2009, 01:39:05 AM

Thanks for this informative thread guys. I might pick up TNG movies on Blu-Ray. Is the TNG series or DS9 on Blu-Ray yet? If not, does anyone know when they will be? I have to get those on Blu-Ray!

billybob476 · July 23, 2009, 05:10:44 AM

I would so get DS9 on blu ray. Love that series.

Rico · July 23, 2009, 05:42:56 AM

Kevin - it depends a lot on whether you buy things on sale and so forth. A Blu-Ray title on sale vs. a full price DVD, yeah about a $5 difference - sometimes. However, again on average I still see about a $10 price difference. Here are some example prices from Best Buy.com:

"The Dark Knight" Blu-Ray = $29.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9124743&st=the+dark+knight&type=product&id=1919817

"The Dark Knight" DVD = $19.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9124583&st=the+dark+knight&type=product&id=1919817

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" Blu-Ray = $24.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9374535&st=harry+potter&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1780496

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" DVD = $14.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8579683&st=harry+potter&lp=11&type=product&cp=1&id=1780496

"Transformers" Blu-Ray = $29.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8936896&st=transformers&type=product&id=1754542

"Transformers" DVD = $14.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=17865883&st=transformers&type=product&id=1754542

The only time I see Blu-Ray titles get within maybe a $5 difference is either during their first week of release when they are on sale, or some special online pricing at times. Again, the average difference I see is typically $10 for most titles. And this is too much and continues to hurt penetration for this format. Many, many people have still not adopted it. Not just based on the price difference but on the very thing Meds mentioned above. To many, the visual difference just isn't great enough to justify the costs for many people - especially these days.

Keep in mind, I'm not knocking the format at all just stating some simple facts. I also think streaming media these days is also making a dent in this adoption rate. Higher visual quality is not that big a deal to many people. Most people watch a film or TV show once and are done with it. They are satisfied much of the time with media streaming via Netflix or other places like hulu.com These are not of Blu-Ray quality, but still impact overall sales. When the data lines are in place to stream true full 1080p content over the net I would see sales of traditional media to drop even more.

- sorry for the long divergence from the post topic - ;)