TV on DVD Buzz

This is a show I haven’t watched but would love to get into so maybe I’ll rent the DVDs and get started. Season 4 is out next Tuesday. Check out this weird but intriguing clip:

Sex. Seduction. Liposuction. Find them all in the fearless Nip/Tuck, the award-winning series that’s the scalpel’s edge of entertainment…and the spark for debate about what cosmetic surgery can or cannot bring to a patient’s life. Get Nip/Tuck Season 4 on SD and Hi-Def, September 4th.

Blockbuster has struck an exclusive deal with NBC to offer a preview DVD of their new fall lineup. The DVD will be available through Blockbuster Online and in stores and will feature the most anticipated new NBC fall shows. The DVD will include full episodes of:

• Chuck, Computer geek by day. Government operative at night.
• Journeyman, They say you can’t live in the past, but Dan Vassar does that and more.
• Life, Life was his sentence. Life was what he got back.

And you’ll get to see a 10 minute preview of the highly anticipated new Bionic Woman.

The DVD is only available through October 21, so put it in your Queue now!

TV on DVD, Blockbuster, NBC Fall Preview, Journeyman, Chuck, Life, Bionic Woman

I had heard these were on the way!  Samsung, previously a Blu-ray supporter,  has unveiled the first DVD player (the BD-UP5000) to support both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs. Maybe this is the best answer to the whole issue. No word yet on how much this will cost.

TV on DVD, Samsung, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, BD-UP5000

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Third Season, The Dirty Laundry Edition releases next Tuesday, September 4. It includes all 23 one-hour episodes on six-discs. Special features include: 

BONUS FEATURES:
• “Here Comes the Bride”  
A behind-the-scenes look at the season three finale
• “Amas de Casa Desesperadas”
Meet the lovely Latinas of Wisteria Lane
• “Cherry Picked”
Creator Marc Cherry’s favorite scenes
• Deleted Scenes
• Bloopers/Outtakes
• Spanish Audio Track

This show came on strong in the first season, but got a little off track in season 2. I quit watching after the disappointment of season 2, but as I understand it, season 3 saw the show get back to the humor and great stories that we saw when it was brand new. I’ll be renting this one to catch up for season 4. Let’s hope it’s a good one! 

TV on DVD, Desperate Housewives, Season 3

In light of Paramount & DreamWorks announcement, the Washington Post’s Rob Pegoraro published a good article last week with his opinion on the whole issue. Here’s Rob’s take on the debate:

Here’s what I know:

* Blu-Ray discs can store more data, but until I can record TV programs on a Blu-Ray recorder, it’s a meaningless attribute to me as a customer. Not a single electronics manufacturer seems to have noticed that people like to record TV shows, not just watch them live since only players have reached U.S. stores, even though recorder models have been available in Japan for years. In the meantime, both formats have enough room to accommodate a movie and plenty of interactive hoo-ha (deleted scenes, director’s commentary, making-of features and so on).

* HD DVD’s single most appealing feature is its hybrid-disc option, in which a single disc can contain both a DVD and a high-def version of the movie, meaning you don’t have to buy one copy of the movie for viewing at home and another to watch on your computer. But it’s been half-ignored in practice, with studios either failing to support it at all or reserving it for new releases.

* HD DVD media is supposed to be cheaper to manufacture, but that cost advantage has yet to show up in retail prices.

* Blu-Ray has the more restrictive copying restrictions, but HD DVD’s copy controls are nothing to applaud either. Computing experts cringe at what it will take to incorporate them into new computers. (Of course, these digital locks have already been cracked.)

* Blu-Ray is an extraordinarily lame product name (even if it’s no “Xohm”).

The only safe move continues to be DVD. Get an “upconverting” player and connect it to an HDTV with high-def video cables, and you’ll have a risk-free solution with video quality that falls short of what’s capable, but which should also be good enough for most people.

If enough customers do this, the entire format war might end in the most fitting manner possible: a nothing-nothing tie, with lots of injuries on both teams.

I tend to agree with Rob. Right now, there is too much at stake to invest in one format over the other. I’m waiting this one out. If you’d like to read more, you can find the entire article here.

TV on DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray

According to an article in the Edmonton Journal, it can be. The article suggests watching DVDs is healthier than going out to the movies because you can choose healther snacks while enjoying your favorite TV show or movie in the comfort of your own living room. At the movies, we are inundated with greasy, buttery, high-calorie goodies, but at home you can snack on carrot sticks or low-fat popcorn.

“Healthy snacking in appropriate portion sizes promotes a healthy body weight,” Wilkinson says. “It makes you feel great, provides energy for daily activities and sports, and can help to improve your health while possibly reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases, depending upon the snacks.”

But that doesn’t mean that going to a theatre and having buttery popcorn a few times a year is going to hurt anyone. When it becomes a regular, frequent thing, though, that’s when Wilkinson says people need to monitor what they eat. If they feel the urge to snack and can do so in a nutritive manner, then they are better off watching movies at home.

And when it comes to limiting the amount we eat at home, Wilkinson has a simple suggestion.

“It can be easy to eat a whole bag of chips without noticing, so it’s a good idea to only bring a small amount of whatever you are eating into the TV room with you,” Wilkinson recommends. “That will help to prevent overeating.”

So now you have a good excuse to pick up that favorite show on DVD…you’re doing it for your health!

TV on DVD, Healthy Snacks, Edmonton Journal, Dana Wilkinson

Beyond Belief: Season One

The Odd Couple: The Second Season

Beyond Belief, Dangermouse, Dark Shadows, Friday Night Lights, Heroes,  I Shouldn’t Be Alive, Legion of the Superheroes, Martin Lawrence’s First Amendment, Masters of Horror, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, The Odd Couple, The Outer Limits,  Rick & Steve, Samurai Jack, Savage Planet Box Set, Two’s Company, Tutenstein

Here’s a deleted scene from the series premiere of Heroes. The scene features Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg). This scene, along with many others, will be featured on the DVD which releases next Tuesday, August 28.

TV on DVD, Heroes, Season 1, Greg Grunburg, Matt Parkman, Fun Friday

The cast of Friday Night Lights at the NBC Upfronts in May

Yep, NBC is so sure you’ll love Friday Night Lights, which releases next Tuesday, August 28, that they are offering a money back guarantee. Here’s the info from http://www.fnlguarantee.com/:

Critics love it and you will too! Friday Night Lights has won critical praise and viewer devotion for its outstanding production values, insightful writing and compelling characters. According to Time Magazine, it was “The fall’s best new series” and in the opinion of Adam Buckman of the New York Post, it is “The best live-action show about contemporary life in America that is currently on the air.”

We’re so sure you’ll love Friday Night Lights on DVD, we’ll give you your money back for the DVD purchase price, if you aren’t completely hooked.

To qualify you must 1) purchase the DVD during the specified dates, 2) hate the show, 3) fill out the form (found at www.fnlguarantee.com), 3) send in your receipt. You can’t beat a deal like that!

And while we’re talking about Friday Night Lights, NBC is also having a House Party to celebrate the DVD Release of Season 1 and the premiere of Season 2.

Host a Friday Night Lights House Party and you’ll get the ultimate party package, including a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the opening episode of Season 2, weeks before it premieres on-air. If you’re selected as a House Party host, you will receive:

• A custom DVD with Producer’s Choice Episode from Season 1, greetings from the cast and an exclusive sneak peek of the first episode of Season 2

• A bonus DVD, with the first 4 episodes of Season 1 plus a sneak peak of the new NBC show, Bionic Woman

• Great collectibles for you and your guests, including rally towels, stadium seat cushions, stadium cups, megaphones, beverage koozies… even FNL microwave popcorn!

You can apply to be a House Party host at http://www.houseparty.com/fridaynightlights

TV on DVD, NBC, Friday Night Lights, Season 1 DVD, Money Back Guarantee, House Party

Season 9 of Seinfeld will release on November 6 and along with it a Complete Series set. Seinfeld, The Complete Series set will contain a new round-table discussion with stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards and creator Larry David, with Jerry Seinfeld as the moderator. Also included will be a 226-page Official Coffee Table Book, which was originally a gift to the cast and crew. It was recreated exclusively for the DVD release and is packed with photos and other materials about the show.

It’s no coincidence that the November 6 street date coincides with Jerry Seinfeld’s new animated feature, Bee Movie. 

Source

TV on DVD, Seinfeld, Complete Series, Bee Movie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards

With the new fall season fast approaching, TV on DVD releases are heating up. This week Ugly Betty led the pack but the next few weeks are full of TV favorites. Here’s a list of some of the major releases coming up:

August 28
Heroes
Friday Night Lights

September 4
30 Rock
Desperate Housewives
Nip/Tuck
The Office
Prison Break
Rules of Engagement (more…)

Just when I thought I could make a decision and go with Blu-ray in the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD race, Paramount and DreamWorks have thrown me a curve ball. They announced today that they will now exclusively support HD-DVD. Here’s the press release:

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and DreamWorks Animation SKG (NYSE: DWA), each announced today that they will exclusively support the next-generation HD DVD format on a worldwide basis. The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment.

(more…)

Here are the titles releasing this Tuesday, August 21:

• Dexter - Complete First Season
• Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: The Complete Second Season
• Girls Behaving Badly: Volume 2
• House: Season Three
• I Pity the Fool
• JAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Complete Fourth Season
• Life Begins: Series 1
• Man About the House: Complete Series 1 and 2
• South Park - The Complete Tenth Season
• ‘Til Death - The Complete First Season
• Ugly Betty - The Complete First Season

TV on DVD, Dexter, Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan, Girls Behaving Badly, House, I Pity the Fool, JAG,  Life Begins, Man About the House, South Park, ‘Til Death, Ugly Betty

Hey everyone! I’ve been away for a few days on a family emergency. I’ve updated about that on my other blog - we could use some thoughts and prayers. I apologize that I haven’t updated. I wanted to quickly pop in and give you a “Fun Friday” video.

Here is the opening title sequence from The Fugitive. Season 1 released this past Tuesday, so you can now own this classic 60’s show:

TV on DVD, The Fugitive, The Fugitive Season 1 DVD, You Tube, Fun Friday

Are you as confused as I about these new DVD formats? Which one should I pick? Which has better features? Will one of these go the way of the Sony BetaMax and leave me hanging?

I did a litte research on the two formats, and while I still don’t know which one to choose, I’m a little more informed. Here’s a table comparing the info I found:

(more…)