All right, we have one last post here at The Bits for this week... and it’s a bit of a bummer. But let me start at the beginning...

Early last week, I started to receive word from retail and industry sources that Disney had made an internal decision to suspend the 4K Ultra HD release of live action catalog titles from both their own vaults and those of their newly acquired 20th Century Fox label.

In essence, my sources said, beyond new release theatrical titles, animated fare from Disney and Pixar, or Star Wars and Marvel-related projects, there were no plans at the studio going forward to release titles on physical 4K Ultra HD—future releases would be 4K Digital only.

The rumor began to leak elsewhere online last weekend, so readers understandably started asking me about it.

But that’s a fairly significant piece of news, so I wanted to take my time in trying to get to the bottom of it before commenting. And that’s exactly what I’ve spent much of this past week doing. [Read on here...]

This is just another quick update to let you know that Zavvi has just revealed an exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook edition of Zack Snyder’s 300.

It’s now available for pre-order here.

Zavvi has a number of these 4K Steelbook exclusives (you can see some currently available titles here) and they tend to sell out fast.

Occasionally, the same day they go on sale.

So we recommend that you act quickly if you want this one... [Read on here...]

All right, 300 and the Resident Evil 4K releases are now official with details, so we’ll get to those in a moment...

First, Tim has turned in his thoughts on Dwight H. Little’s Bloodstone (1988), now on Blu-ray from our friends at Arrow Video.

And Dennis has given a Something Weird/Kino Classics title a look on Blu-ray too, a double feature of Sam Newell’s She Should’a Said No! and W. Merle Connell’s The Devil’s Sleep, each released originally back in 1949.

They’re all a hoot, so do give them a look.

Now then, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has issued its press release, making Zack Snyder’s 300 official for 4K Ultra HD on 10/6. [Read on here...]

This is just a quick update to let you know that Zavvi has just dropped an exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook edition of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

It’s now available for pre-order here.

Zavvi has a number of these 4K Steelbook exclusives (you can see some currently available titles here) and they tend to sell out very quickly.

As in sometimes the same day they go on sale.

So we recommend that you act quickly if you want this one... [Read on here...]

All right, this is a quick early morning update here at The Bits to let you all know that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is officially releasing Zack Snyder’s 300 on physical 4K Ultra HD on October 6 (SRP $27.99). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below.

Extras will include all of the features from the previous Blu-ray release, including audio commentary by Snyder, deleted scenes, webisodes, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes and more. It appears that high dynamic range on the 4K disc will be standard HDR10, with Dolby Atmos audio. The package will also include the film on Blu-ray, as well as a digital copy.

But that’s just the first of two big 4K surprises this morning... [Read on here...]

We’ve got another quick update for you today with some good release news.

But first a new Blu-ray review...

Tim has just turned in his thoughts on Sergio Martino’s early giallo film The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971), now available on Blu-ray from Severin Films. Do give it a look.

The big announcement news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just officially set The Flintstones: The Complete Series for Blu-ray release on 10/13 (SRP $84.99).

It will also be made available on Digital on 10/6 (SRP $74.99). [Read on here...]

As you can imagine, things are a little busy here at The Bits this week, and for good reason. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m continuing to dig pretty deep with studio and industry sources on a number of significant home video rumors that have been circulating over the past few days.

I covered the status of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition remaster yesterday, so let’s move on to another title.

Today I have an update for you on another of the rumors you’ve probably read about online: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s plans for The Middle Earth 4K Collection, the long-awaited release of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films on physical 4K Ultra HD.

Here’s the latest from our sources... [Read on here...]

All right, today’s news update is going to be a quick one. The reason is that I’m working to confirm a number of interesting rumors that I’ve heard in the last 24 hours, both on the interwebs and also from my own industry sources. I’m talking not one, but multiple interesting topics, including word of forthcoming releases and also more general stuff that’s going on in the home video industry right now. I’d actually hoped to be able to confirm one of them in time for this post, but I’m waiting on sources to get back to me. So I’ve decided to post a quick update now and come back with more as I hear it.

Before I continue with what news we have this afternoon, we do have a new disc review for you here at The Digital Bits today. Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Noel Black’s A Man, a Woman, and a Bank (1979) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. You can read that here.

Now then... Arrow Video has pushed back the street date for Pitch Black on 4K Ultra HD to 9/1 (from 8/18). Adjust your plans accordingly. [Read on here...]

It’s Friday again and we have another quick but fun post with some great catalog release news for you...

First up... the BIG news: Arrow Video has just announced its October slate of Blu-ray releases, and they’re set to include John Adams and Toby Poser’s The Deeper You Dig (2019), Fhiona-Louise’s Cold Light of Day (1989), Koji Shima’s Warning from Space (1956), and yes... Nick Castle’s The Last Starfighter (1984)!

The Last Starfighter will include a new audio commentary with Mike White of The Last Projection Booth podcast, archival audio commentary with director Nick Castle and production designer Ron Cobb, the Heroes of the Screen archival featurette, the Crossing the Frontier: The Making of The Last Starfighter archival 4-part documentary, image galleries, the theatrical and teaser trailers, reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Ferguson, and more extras yet to be announced. It’s also mastered from a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]

We have just a couple of items to report today, but there’s definitely some good catalog Blu-ray news. First though, another new Blu-ray review...

Dennis has turned in his thoughts on Leslie Norman’s The Night My Number Came Up (1955), a WWII-era drama from Ealing Studios that’s now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Do give it a look.

And while we’re on the subject of KL Studio Classics, the company has revealed its October slate of Blu-ray and DVD releases, which is set to include The Face at the Window (1939 – BD), Herbert Ross’s The Secret of My Success (1987 – BD), John Badham’s The Hard Way (1991 – BD), Richard T. Heffron’s Newman’s Law (1974 – BD and DVD), Lamont Johnson’s The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972 – BD and DVD), John Guillerman’s P.J. (1968 – BD and DVD), and Edward Dein’s Curse of the Undead (1959 – BD) all on 10/6, Ronald Neame’s The Chalk Garden (1964 – BD) and William Hale’s S.O.S. Titanic (1979 – BD and DVD) on 10/13, Bert I. Gordon’s Picture Mommy Dead (1966 – DVD and BD) and William Nigh’s The Ape (1940 – BD and DVD) on 10/20, and of course Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter (1973 – BD and DVD) and Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970 – BD and DVD) on 10/27. [Read on here...]