'Over California/Over America' -- pre-release buzz

[PeterB]

Newcomer Topics Entertainment has announced its first two high-def releases, exclusive to Blu-ray:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/overcalifornia.html
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/overamerica.html

Both are highlights culled from the award-winning PBS series, and will street February 12.

Specs include 1080i video (no audio yet), and no announced extras.

Retail is a nice price $19.95 a pop.

[rainman208]

I'll pass but the more Blu the better.

[ambientcafe]

I have the p&s VHS of 'Over America'....excellent visuals, score, and narration by Tom Skerritt.....a great portrait exemplifying the diversity of the landscape that is America....I always wished that this would eventually be released in widescreen sd-dvd, let alone HDM....seeing this on BD should be a sublime experience. Now if only PBS would consider giving one of its other releases -- namely, 'Over Canada', the same treatment.

[Merlins]

I posted about these titles in the begining of December on another forum:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=25780

Back then Greg James talked about releasing them on both formats but something might have come up that made change their minds.

Here is some more information from them:
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6480428.html

Another supplier, Topics Entertainment, was about to begin authoring titles in Blu-ray when the announcement was made that Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation would drop their Blu-ray support and release movies exclusively for HD DVD.

“Paramount threw us for a bit of a loop,” said Greg James, Topics president. “We were going to go with Blu-ray for sure, but now we haven’t made our final decision.”

The company is still committed to releasing titles on high-def this year, but now it’s giving HD DVD a second look for a slate including the PBS titles Over Washington, Over California and Over America, which were shot in high-definition in the mid-’90s.

The company is talking to both Blu-ray replicator Sony DADC and HD DVD proponent Microsoft to see which format can be brought to market more quickly. Topics had some concern that the titles might not be replicated in time if they chose Blu-ray, because fewer replicators work with that format.

At this point, Topics is most likely to go with whichever format camp offers the company the best deal.

“We want to see who can do it cheaper,” Topics DVD manager Lindsay Collins said.

Cost considerations continue to hold back other independents.

“We master in high-definition, but since we’re a smaller studio, we’re still trying to maximize our margins with standard DVD,” said Chris Donaldson, director of marketing for Liberation Entertainment.

[Dark Lord Greg]

anyone picked Over California up? I saw it at costco for $9.99, anyone know if its even worth that?

[RichGardner]

Originally Posted by Dark Lord Greg

anyone picked Over California up? I saw it at costco for $9.99, anyone know if its even worth that?

Me too, but I didn't grab it. Wierd that it has a slip case, but no insert in the case itself. My wife said, "Wow, as seen on Public Television, it must be good!" So, I put it back...
The only other titles the had on BD was Planet Earth.

[Dark Lord Greg]

Originally Posted by RichGardner

Me too, but I didn't grab it. Wierd that it has a slip case, but no insert in the case itself. My wife said, "Wow, as seen on Public Television, it must be good!" So, I put it back...
The only other titles the had on BD was Planet Earth.

lol, yea Costco really need to improve their Blu ray selection. I might just pick up Over California if it really sucks I can always return it since they offer 100% Customer Satisfaction

[RichGardner]

Yeah, me too. I'll grab it when she's not looking.