Die Another Day Coming on Blu-ray in October

[Mazer Rackham]

Not just DAD, a total of 6 Bond movies spanning 3 Bond actors will be released on the Blu-ray format.
Lowry Digital Images is the company behind the restoration for the most recent DVD release. In all probability they have all of the Bond movies ready for High Def release. HD masters done at the same time they remastered the original material for the DVD.
Time for Good News Bad News
Good news CR's sales numbers are small enough it is possible for the classic series to eclipse the sales numbers of CR sold on BR. Bad news it theses are likely to be pricey and if they do not sell well the rest of the series will probably be delayed until the install base of Blu-ray player warrants the investment of pressing the discs.

MGM/Fox today officially announced the first next-gen release of a half-dozen James Bond catalog titles, which will hit Blu-ray this October in newly-remastered special editions.

Spanning several Bond eras (and lead actors), the six titles due to hit Blu-ray on October 21 (day-and-date with new DVD re-issues) include: 'Dr. No,' 'From Russia with Love,' 'Thunderball,' 'Live and Let Die,' 'For Your Eyes Only,' and 'Die Another Day.'
Timed to coincide with the upcoming theatrical release of the latest Bond film, 'Quantum of Solace,' each of the six titles will receive a frame-by-frame digital restoration courtesy of Lowry Digital Images (the same company behind the recent well-received remasters of 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones'), as well as a bevy of still-unnamed supplemental features.

MGM/Fox has yet to release any additional specs or bonus features on the six Bond titles, but says full details will be revealed over the coming weeks.

[Mazer Rackham]

Update: tech specs
New information, cover art and MSRP announced.

6 Blu-ray Bond releases will be time to coincidence with a new standard dvd re-release October 21st.

MGM will also package the six titles in a pair of three-pack bundles, with the 'James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack: Volume 1' featuring 'From Russia with Love,' 'Thunderball' and 'For Your Eyes Only,' and the 'James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack: Volume 2' with 'Dr. No,' 'Live and Let Die' and 'Die Another Day.'
Suggested list price for the stand-alone Bond titles has been set at $34.95 a pop, and $89.95 for each 3-pack bundle.

Now the full specs are in, with each Bond adventure receiving the BD-50 dual-layer treatment, complete with fully-remastered 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and audio tracks in DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround.

Extras will be comparable to the previously-released two-disc DVD editions of each title

Dr. No:
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio commentary featuring director Terence Young and cast & crew
• Featurettes: "Inside Dr. No," "Premiere Bond," "Terence Young: Bond Vivant," "Dr. No 1963 Featurette"
• "Top Level Access 007: License to Restore" - Featurette detailing the Bond Ultimate Edition film restoration process
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" - The Guns of James Bond
• "007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of Dr. No
• "Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

Die Another Day:
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary Featuring Director Lee Tamahori and Producer Michael G. Wilson
• Audio Commentary featuring Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" - From Script to Screen
• Featurettes: "Shaken and Stirred on Ice," "Just Another Day," "The British Touch: Bond Arrives in London," "On Location With Peter Lamont
• "007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of Die Another Day
• MI6 DataStream
• Madonna’s "Die Another Day" Music Video
• "Ministry of Propaganda" Photo gallery

Live and Let Die:
• Audio Commentary featuring Sir Roger Moore
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary featuring Guy Hamilton
• Audio Commentary featuring Tom Mankiewicz
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" - Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary
• Featurettes: "Roger Moore as James Bond, Circa 1964," "Inside Live and Let Die," "On Set With Roger Moore"
• Live and Let Die Conceptual Art
• "007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of Live and Let Die
• "Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

For Your Eyes Only:
• Audio Commentary featuring Sir Roger Moore
• Audio Commentary featuring Michael G Wilson and Crew
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary featuring John Glen and Actors
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" Deleted Scenes and Expanded Angles
• Featurettes: "Inside For Your Eyes Only," "Bond in Greece, Bond in Cortina," "Neptune’s Journey
•"007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of For Your Eyes Only
• Animated Storyboard Sequences
• Sheena Easton’s "For Your Eyes Only" Music Video
• "Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

From Russia with Love:
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary featuring director Terence Young and cast & crew
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" - Ian Fleming: The CBC Interview
• Featurettes: "Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler," "Ian Fleming on Desert Island Discs," "Inside From Russia With Love," "Harry Saltzman: Showman"
• Animated Storyboard Sequence
• "007 Mission Control" - Interactive Guide Into the World of From Russia With Love
• Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

Thunderball:
• "The Complete Special Features Library: Mission Dossier" - Audio Commentary featuring Terence Young and others
• Audio Commentary featuring Peter Hunt, John Hopkins and Others
• "Declassified: M16 Vault" The Incredible World of James Bond - Original 1965 NBC Television Special
• "A Child’s Guide to Blowing Up a Motor Car" - 1965 Ford Promotional Film On Location With Ken Adam
• Featurettes: "Bill Suitor: The Rocket Man Movies," "The Making of Thunderball," "The Thunderball Phenomenon," "The Secret History of Thunderball"
• Thunderball Boat Show Reel
• Selling Bonds - Original 1965 Television Advertisements
• "007 Mission Control" Interactive Guide Into the World of Thunderball
• "Ministry of Propaganda" - Original Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery and Radio Communications

[The Sweeney]

The Worst Film Ever MadeTM is coming on BR???

Why would they even bother? The film does not deserve to be on VHS, never mind BR.

[Kristatos]

Why would they even bother?

Because it put 2 million more bums on seats in the US than CR did? An inconvenient fact that the "Craig saved Bond" crowd don't like to be reminded of - which is why I do it at every available opportunity.

[stockslivevan]

Why would they even bother?

Because it put 2 million more bums on seats in the US than CR did? An inconvenient fact that the "Craig saved Bond" crowd don't like to be reminded of - which is why I do it at every available opportunity.

Maybe in the US, but worldwide is a whole different story.

[Kristatos]

Maybe in the US, but worldwide is a whole different story.

True, but it still sold 78.6 million tickets worldwide - more than twice as many as LTK

[stockslivevan]

Maybe in the US, but worldwide is a whole different story.

True, but it still sold 78.6 million tickets worldwide - more than twice as many as LTK

Shame. Dalton deserved better.

[Kristatos]

Maybe in the US, but worldwide is a whole different story.

True, but it still sold 78.6 million tickets worldwide - more than twice as many as LTK

Shame. Dalton deserved better.

Glad we agree on something.

[Mazer Rackham]

Thunderball is a must have for me.
What bothers me about these new editions is where do they get the surround sound for a previously mono/stereo track movies?
Obviously technical trickery and and magic is used.

[Mazer Rackham]

Any reaction to the cover art? Presumably the new DVD release will have the same covers.

[Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

I prefer the old poster artwork but Sir Rog looks very suave there. Those were the days when Bond didn't have to hide in the shadows on the poster...or wear 'special shoes'.

[FormerBondFan]

Pierce does look very good on the DAD Blu-ray cover.

[Dr. No]

Um, I don’t like it. It lacks the certain something they added to the last edition.


They resemble the old, old dvd set from 2002. I don’t know I think it’s a step backwards

Why would theyt bother releasing the dvds again? they are still everywhere. Hell someplace had them individual dvds on sale for under $5 each last week. The entire collections (1-4) $19 each last Christmas.

d**n! those things are expensive! $700 msrp for 20 bond moives! Under $600 if you buy the sets! No, I don’t think so. You can always beet msrp with sales but no matter rwhat those are pricy

Since I started buying bond moives almost 10 years we’ve gone through 5 formats and countless other that never quite made it. If I wait a few more years there’ll be another format claiming to be better. Just another way for the studios to try and pick my pocket .
Very happy with my DVDs versions , lok damned good. I‘ll buy a new format if we finally get a direct copy of the film. No adjusting or whatever they do Like with 35mm film to dvd. Once there is a home format with theater cut of the movie I’ll never have to buy another edition, just they way I see it.
A new dvd release doesn’t make sense with the latest release still on store shelves between $25-35 each for 5 Bond movies. It’s not like it was last time where the dvd was not available for 4 years. Maybe they’re adding SC, PB, GL, TD commentaries

[stockslivevan]

A new dvd release doesn’t make sense with the latest release still on store shelves between $25-35 each for 5 Bond movies.

It's not a new DVD release, the UE DVDs are the final editions made for that format. These new releases are for the Blu-Ray format, which is a format designed meet the standards of HDTVs.

In the future when I have an HDTV, I'm most likely only going to buy certain Bond films since I really have no desire to own all the films. They would be all the Connerys, Daltons, Craigs, OHMSS and GE. That's it. It's a good thing that Blu-Ray is DVD compatible, that way you wouldn't have to buy all your favorite films all over again like during the VHS to DVD transition.

And of course, the Blu-Ray covers look like s**t.

[Kristatos]

And of course, the Blu-Ray covers look like s**t.

Agreed, though Jane Seymour does look very nice on the LALD cover.

[Dr. No]

And of course, the Blu-Ray covers look like s**t.

Agreed, though Jane Seymour does look very nice on the LALD cover.

The pictures of the people are fine. Roger, Pierce, Sean and their girls look good. Its the rest of teh package that is garbage. Recycling is big but why recycle the 2002 box art. The last release was cool, I’d gone with that.

[Mazer Rackham]

It's a good thing that Blu-Ray is DVD compatible, that way you wouldn't have to buy all your favorite films all over again like during the VHS to DVD transition.

And of course, the Blu-Ray covers look like s**t.

For now Blu-ray players will play back DVD. It is not part of the standard. It is conceivable that in a few years if blu-ray takes off and is on the way to replace DVD they might drop DVD support. Not very likely in my opinion DVD is too big to screw around with.

stocks if you pick up a blu-ray player this year wait until "BlackFriday" and the lead up to the holidays. There are a bunch of sales being lined up now for a big push this 4th quarter. The 4Q players should finally be on the finished profile as well, most of the player for sale now are not very good. If you can wait until next year you will probably find plenty of good players at good prices.

[stockslivevan]

stocks if you pick up a blu-ray player this year wait until "BlackFriday" and the lead up to the holidays. There are a bunch of sales being lined up now for a big push this 4th quarter. The 4Q players should finally be on the finished profile as well, most of the player for sale now are not very good. If you can wait until next year you will probably find plenty of good players at good prices.

Thanks for the tip, but I've already got a PlayStation 3 so I'm good. I'm not going to really go on a spending spree for Blu-Ray titles since I don't have an HDTV of my own to see them in all their glory. The only titles I'll buy now are films I've never owned on any previous format. For example I pre-ordered L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, which will be my frist Blu-Ray title and I never owned it on any other format. When I do get an HDTV in the future I'll only upgrade from DVD on films that I find notable and worth the money. For example I won't upgrade for a film like BEETLEJUICE or BILL & TED, but I would for a film like REAR WINDOW and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

[Mazer Rackham]

Thanks for the tip, but I've already got a PlayStation 3 so I'm good. I'm not going to really go on a spending spree for Blu-Ray titles since I don't have an HDTV of my own to see them in all their glory. The only titles I'll buy now are films I've never owned on any previous format. For example I pre-ordered L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, which will be my frist Blu-Ray title and I never owned it on any other format. When I do get an HDTV in the future I'll only upgrade from DVD on films that I find notable and worth the money. For example I won't upgrade for a film like BEETLEJUICE or BILL & TED, but I would for a film like REAR WINDOW and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

PS3 is the best Blu-ray player out at the moment. It will be the only player to get the necessary updates to keep current with profile changes.
As a blu-ray player I'm not that impressed with it, I'm looking forward to selling the player I have now and buying a new 2.0 player.
2001: A Space Odyssey, looks and sounds magnificent in HD. You are in for a real treat. You'll not see better out side of the theater until the 4k standard comes to homes in the next 5 years (or less).

It's a shame but most of the HD movies released since 2006 are the equivalent of Bill & Ted Adventures. Probably becasue the most prevalent Blu-ray player doubles as a game machine.
For every Batman Begins released we get 10 Ultraviolets and Resident Evils

Oh, this may be of interest to you they are releasing CR Blu-ray in October ($38.95). It'll be a 2 disc edition this time, filling in the extras left out the first time around. They'll also include a ticket for QOS, which will be a first for any Bond movie and also shows some Sony's real concerns over QOS's opening in the US.

[stockslivevan]

2001: A Space Odyssey, looks and sounds magnificent in HD. You are in for a real treat. You'll not see better out side of the theater until the 4k standard comes to homes in the next 5 years (or less).

That's certainly something to look forward to.

It's a shame but most of the HD movies released since 2006 are the equivalent of Bill & Ted Adventures. Probably becasue the most prevalent Blu-ray player doubles as a game machine.
For every Batman Begins released we get 10 Ultraviolets and Resident Evils

Seems no different than when VHS and DVD first started off. They trying to get the market going so they promote recent films. The good ones will most likely come around by the time HD picks up in the next five years (or less).

Oh, this may be of interest to you they are releasing CR Blu-ray in October ($38.95). It'll be a 2 disc edition this time, filling in the extras left out the first time around. They'll also include a ticket for QOS, which will be a first for any Bond movie and also shows some Sony's real concerns over QOS's opening in the US.

Oh? I assumed all of those goods were only going on that stupid three disc DVD strategy. Now THAT's what I call an upgrade from the DVD format.