Lionsgate the premier independent filmed entertainment producer and distributor, today announced the company's first 10 releases on the next-generation, high-definition Blu-ray Disc format. Scheduled to start hitting retail in spring, the first 10 titles include recent theatrical releases Lord of War, The Punisher, The Devil's Rejects and Saw along with catalog hits Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Reservoir Dogs, Total Recall, "Dune" and "Rambo: First Blood". In addition, one of the first 10 Blu-ray releases will be the upcoming feature film See No Evil, a horror-thriller starring WWE superstar Kane, which will be released theatrically in May and will mark the company's first day-and-date release with DVD. The announcement was made by Lionsgate President Steve Beeks.
As studios usher in the age of high-definition DVD, Lionsgate continues to be at the forefront and the Company plans to follow this announcement with another wave of titles for Blu-ray shortly. Lionsgate will continue to make available new releases and popular catalog titles from its prolific and prestigious library on the format throughout 2006.
"The high-definition DVD revolution has arrived and, through Blu-ray, consumers will be able to experience our library of movies with sound and picture quality beyond anything they could have ever imagined," said Beeks. "However, the advantages extend far beyond that. Blu-ray's storage capacity enables us to provide consumers an unimaginable array of features -- including enhanced menu navigation, increased value-added and new interactive capabilities -- that will make the movie-watching experience at home unparalleled."
Lionsgate announced its support for Blu-ray because of many factors including the format's copy protection measures and the ability of DVD replicators to manufacture the discs in a mass production environment for an acceptable cost, among other factors. Additionally, the studio expects to benefit from the anticipated impact on high definition package media from the upcoming launch of Sony's PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and the prospect of having its catalog of titles available for the system.
About Blu-ray
Blu-ray provides five times larger capacity than today's DVDs, with unprecedented storage capacity of 25 GB (single-layer) and 50 GB (dual-layer). Blu-ray Disc players will be fully backward compatible with current CD/DVD formats, delivering entertainment content in full high-definition (HD) quality, under a secure environment made possible through the most advanced copyright protection technology.
Blu-ray Disc was created to match the accelerating growth in digital consumer electronics and computer technology. The platform supports the convergence of film, music, gaming, and other computer entertainment in a single standard. Sony Computer Entertainment's adoption of Blu-ray DiscROM technology in the next-generation Playstation 3 system was announced at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Blu-ray is supported by more than 140 leading hardware and software manufacturers, including the leading innovators in the CE and IT industries.