Sony and PlayStation Coachella 2011 Wrap Up (Videos and Pictures)

During Coachella 2011, attendees were treated to two different presences from Sony, one of which was a PlayStation Loft which housed the brand new Mortal Kombat, SOCOM 4 and Motorstorm Apocalypse, all in 3D. If that wasn’t your thing, you could also play Sport Champions, Killzone 3 and MLB: The Show 2011 with the PlayStation Move. And if that wasn’t enough (surely you are just being picky now), you could listen to  music via Qriocity, stream movies from Netflix and chill with some adorable Sackboys and Sackgirls by playing LittleBigPlanet 2.

Now lets say PlayStation just isn’t your thing, but new technology is. That’s where the Sony Loft comes into play. Smaller than the PlayStation destination, the Sony Loft housed Bravia televisions with Sony’s 3D Handycams, VAIO laptops and touchscreen desktops. But free WiFi and 3D wasn’t the only thing Sony had to offer. Coachella attendees could borrow a Sony Bloggie Touch for the day and return to the loft to upload their videos and pictures to Facebook and other social networking sites.

So why was Sony here with some of the latest technologies? It wasn’t to simply offer the only two air conditioned tents, though that didn’t hurt one bit. The crowd who attends Coachella is the demograph that Sony seeks.  They’re young, hip, iPhone-equipped and social networking aware. For the generation who attended, technology is not just a tool but a way of life that is interwoven into their everyday routine. But they don’t simply equal another sold product. Instead, when we use our products, we are proud of them and show them to others when we attend a party, head to Disneyland or are simply asked what we took our pictures on. We are an advertising machine and will be loyal to a brand. So when we use our tech, it’s not just in our own dark compound but instead at a social event where we share our experience and hopefully, the brand of product that we use. This social experience, if captured properly, can turn into a great advertising method for Sony, something that no commercial can replicate: a referral or recommendation from a friend.

In the end, for the techies, those looking to escape the sun, and anybody lucky enough to check out a Bloggie Touch to share their experience with online, courtesy of Sony, the experience provided by the electronic giant was a pleasant one. With a helpful staff on hand and both lofts and plenty of products on display to play with, Sony provided a rich experience to the attending crowd while displayed their products in a none intrusive and modern way.

After the jump, you will find videos and pictures from our time spent at Coachella. All videos and pictures were taken on the Sony Bloggie Touch.

Sony Loft Experience at Coachella 2011 Preview

During Coachella 2011, Sony fans had an opportunity to cool down at the Sony Bloggie Loft and borrow a Sony Bloggie Touch camera to record their day with and then later upload to Facebook and other social networking sites. Guests could also check out the Sony 3D Handycam (HDR-TD10) and even get a glimpse of the upcoming Bloggie 3D. We will be bringing you a full wrap up of Sony and PlayStations presence at Coachella 2011 but now, here is a video preview of the Sony Bloggie tent.

Coachella 2011 PlayStation Loft Trailer

Coachella is the Woodstock festival of the 21st century. This three day out door concert which began in 1999 is a festival where music fans can find oldies like Duran Duran, get their rap on with Kanye, explore a tranced feeling with Paul Van Dyk and rock out with Arcade Fire. With 75,000 attendees last year and an expected 100,000 this year, it’s no surprise to see a company like Sony be attracted to a venue where the exact demograph they hope to capture will be there in abundance. During our three day visit, we had a chance to visit the Sony and PlayStation loft and experience why Sony was there and what they had to offer to the crowds, besides a tent with air. The following which was all filmed on a Sony Bloggie Touch, is a small sample trailer for you to see what the PlayStation loft experience was. Over the next several days, we will be putting together a more comprehensive video of both the PlayStation and Sony loft, which were at different locations with different offerings.

We’re On Our Way to Coachella!

Hey everybody! Over the next three days, I and our resident writer Jenni (Domino) will be heading down to the Coachella music festival where we will be covering the event from the electronic perspective. For those who are not aware, both Sony and PlayStation will be holding down their respective tents where attendees can come and get their gadget fix as Sony puts it. During the event, Sony will will allow select guests to try out the Bloggie Touch by borrowing it for the day for free.

Swing by the Sony tent for your chance to borrow a Sony Bloggie MP4 camera for the day – for free! Take it out, record your favorite bands, get video of your friends, your music reviews and then come back and use an upload station to post your videos and photos to your favorite social sites.

The New Sony Retail Store (Video)

We had a chance to attend Sony’s VIP launch party for their new retail initiative. During that time, I recorded some videos, covering the event with a Sony Bloggie Touch. Here is a quick little trailer overview.

Live Blogging the PlayStation Teams “Live From Japan: PlayStation Meeting 2011” (Pictures and Specs)

Well, I can’t say that our site was magically able to afford a ticket to Tokyo and attend the PlayStation meet so instead, I’ll be going through all the news provided by Sony and other media sites and will be reporting them here. So check back now and especially in the following day and we gather all the bits of information that is likely to be the PlayStation Portable 2 (PSP2) or the PlayStation Phone.

10:10: Video montage of the PlayStation vision that was shown at the 2005 E3 is being shown. This is to show what their vision was then and where they are now, almost 6 years later.

“Let me start off by showing you video footage. It is the same clip we showed at E3 5 1/2 years ago, because we want to revisit the image of the future we revealed in 2005”

10:12 Kaz Hirai: “I believe a lot of what we envisioned back then has materialized for our users.”

10:13 Kaz is setting the audience up for the new device they are looking to introduce.

“Today, I’d like to speak about a whole new world that PlayStation is about to bring to reality”

Kaz believes that the PlayStation 3 “has won its place as the center of the living room” and that the next challenge for Sony will be to win what device is in peoples hand.

10:15 A whopping 80% of PS3’s are connected to the internet.

10:16 As of January 25th, there is over 69 million PSN accounts. This includes PS3, PSP and accounts created to access PlayStation content online like the PlayStation Blog.

“When we released PSP, cell phone providers were unable to deliver PlayStation quality content. After 6 years, these multi-function handheld devices are ready for PlayStation-like experiences”

10:20 Sony wants to deliver the PlayStation experience to a wider audiences, something that was not possible in 2005, especially with phone technology.

10:21 Sony has announced the PlayStation Suit. It is a cross endeavor platform.

“PS Suite will make PS content available on Android smartphones and tablets”

Hit the jump for our continuing live coverage and additional photos.

NGP: With Front/Rear Camera and Front/Back Touchscreen

MASSIVE, GINORMOUS Blu-ray Sale on Amazon

Yesterday, Amazon lowered the prices on over 300 Blu-ray titles. Actually, 337 to be exact.  Every one of these titles range from $5.49-$9.99 in price. What better time to fill up your blu-ray library than now? Check out all of the titles here. And hurry, because I don’t know how long this sale will go on for. I know I’m not waiting until payday to jump on this. Enjoy and share with us what movies you’re picking up.

Check out Our Entire Set of Sony Photos from CES 2011

During CES we had the wonderful opportunity to float around freely and really lose ourselves in technology heaven. Having been there for the first time both personally and professionally for this site, it was really something that’s hard to describe. Between the sheer amount of new products, old products, lights, music and sounds from different presentations, you would at times need just a few minutes to just refocus on what it is that you were trying to do. In our case, that meant covering Sony and offering you news and information on their current and up coming products. The following are some of the pictures that we captured along the way.

[Flickr]

Sony Ditches 3D Transmitter Bar on all 2011 Bravia Televisions

During CES, I had the pleasure to have some great conversations with different Sony engineers and get their takes on different products and features from Sonys many current and future offerings. In the mix of all the many different product launches and 27 new Bravia models from Sony, I both noticed something interesting and later confirmed something that seemed to have gotten missed by almost all other outlets. Sony has ditched the $50 3D transmitter bar on all of their 2011 3D TVs. With the current model of Bravia’s in the market, only the high end model, the LX900 offers 3D built in with no transmitter bar where the rest of the series like the HX and EX were dubbed 3D ready, meaning that you could buy a 3D transmitter bar and give it 3D. But with all 2011 Bravia models, 3D will be built in no transmitter bar needed. What’s even more amazing is when you take in the fact that 16 of Sony’s 2011 Bravia’s will be 3D, starting with models as small as 27-inches which will place them well under the $1,000 price and in the price range of many consumers.

Improvements to this year’s 3D models include panel drive enhancements that deliver quicker response time helping to reduce crosstalk, 5:5 pull down for a more realistic cinematic movie experience, built-in 3D emitters on all 3D models.
Expanding the 3D content users can view, the new BRAVIA 3D capable models can display 3D images taken with Sony’s new Cyber-shot cameras like the DSC-WX9 via USB input.

Sony to Buy IMAX? (Updated)

Rumors over the last week have been pointing to the buy out of IMAX theaters by Sony Corp. With the big launch 3D had during 2010 and 2011 promising to bring 3D to more devices, both professional and consumer, the move does make sense. Especially if you consider that IMAX plays a big roll when it comes to 3D movies, a venue that Sony’s movie division; Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures can take great advantage of. Still, it’s not like upcoming 3D movies from Sony like The Green Hornet, The Smurfs, Men In Black 3D and the Spider-man reboot wouldn’t have been shown in 3D without IMAX. But with a chain of 3D theaters under its belt, Sony can take advantage of the screens and offering and not only use its own 4k 3D projectors which are considered some of the best, but to also hold events to show off 3D to consumers like the upcoming Lakers game. With Sony using their own equipment in the mix, Sony can make sure that the 3D experience is at the highest quality and wow audiences the proper way, in order to have them buy in the 3D experience, something that currently consumers are mixed about. But alas, if you were looking for  CES announcement to confirm or deny it, you will be disappointed though the two companies will continue collaborate on the upcoming 3D channel.

Update:

Based on the rumor, IMAX stocks have hit a 52 week high of $32 per share though they are now trading back to their normal value of $27, due to the lack of any announcements between the two companies.

Check out our Photos from the CES 2011 Sony Press Conference

Head over to our Flickr Page to check out pictures from the CES 2011 Sony Press Conference. Expect a lot more details overviews of products, offerings and pictures from the Sony Booth to come as we attend our second day at CES.

We’re at CES 2011! Follow our Live Blog! (updated with pictures)

We’re finally here at CES 2011! Follow our blog for live updates as they happen! We are equipped to the throat with iPhones, iPads, Macbook Pros, and an array of cameras and a Sprint 4G card to help bring it all to you. Got questions? Post them here, or on our Facebook and Twitter page!

2 MacBook Pros, 2 iPads, 2 iPhone 4s, Flip HD, Sony HX5, Sprint 4G Card

5:12:

Finally got our 4G card to get proper signal!

5:13:

Sony is talking about their 3D Product Roadmap. Sony is showing a very futuristic headset with full 3D viewing. Imagine Geordi from Stark Trek: TNG

5:15:

There will be a Sony Portable Blu-ray player with 3D and 5.1 Surround sound.

5:17:

Sir Howard Stringer is back on stage.
Sony wants all of their TVs to be web connected.
Nearly 180 Million US users watch video online.
In 2011, more than 65 Million web-based TVs will be sold.

Sony President and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer

5:20

TV is redefined because of the Web.

Kaz Hirai will be on stage soon to talk about Qriocity.
3D and Web TVs will be successful, just like Color TV, Blu-ray and High Definition TVs were first met with criticism and now are successful standards.

5:24:

By 2013, Sony will be the number Consumer Electronics provider in the United States.

Hit the jump to follow our Live Feed

God of War: Game Director Meet Up in Los Angeles, God of War 4 in the Horizon? God of War Movie News

First, an apology for it taking forever to post this. I had a lovely little photo corruption issue and so it took sometime to retrieve these photos and unwreck my 17,000+ iPhoto library.

On September 1st, Sony decided to throw together a small panel and bring the 5 directors of the God of War series together for the first time. The meet included David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya, and Dana Jan for a roundtable-like discussion as well as audience questions and prizes.

After a long two-hour wait in line and some interviews with Playstation’s own Audrey Cleo, we finally got to go into the decked out theater and sit down for the upcoming panel. One look at the set and you could tell that for their own upcoming God of War documentary, Sony was not holding back, using top camera equipment as well as sparing no expense on a beautifully constructed set.

During the three hour event, one of the interesting myths that was busted is the story that Sony actually wanted a different director for each title. The pitch has always been that Sony wanted this, to give each story its own unique feel and taste. As David Jaffe went on to say “this made for a fantastic PR spin, but the truth was that it just never worked out”. Going on to say that each time a project was ready, each game director was busy with their own creation and projects so they couldn’t be brought onto the project. A great example of this is director Ru Weerasuriya who helmed God of War: Ghost of Sparta for the PSP. Sony and Ru were working closely together on this project but unlike God of War 1-3 which were made in house at Sony Santa Monica, Ghost of Sparta was actually made at Ready at Dawn Studios. After Ghost of Sparta was completed, Ru Weerasuriya went on to head the company, and because of that, he could not direct the upcoming GoW: Ghost of Sparta, thus Dana Jan took over the project.

Another talked-about subject was the reasoning for God of War 2 to be placed on the Playstation 2, versus a debut title for the Playstation 3. Cory Barlog, director of GoW 2, went on to explain that the reasoning was one that was debated for a while. Sony really wanted to have the game a launch title for the PS3 but there were a few obstacles. By the time God of War 2 came in, it was near the end of life for the Playstation 2. This made it hard to release a game for an upcoming system when the PS2 already had such a huge install base. From a business standpoint, all fans had to do was to purchase the game, not dedicate a new system just to experience the game. The other was a true technical standpoint. By then, everybody (developers) knew the innards of the PS2. They knew all the tricks and how to push the system to do what they wanted while the PS3 would have been a new language that they would have had to learn.

Another conversation that David Jaffe struck up and was quite passionate about was God of War at 7-11. This had to do with an audience question on how he felt about the face of Kratos, showing up at 7-11, during the God of War 3 launch. Jaffe felt about this subject as I did; from a creator’s standpoint, he loved the idea of seeing something he had created be seen everywhere and to have a 10 year old kid show up to a 7-11 and get excited because he saw his favorite game character there was something truly exciting. As Jaffe put it “when I was a kid, we would go to 7-11 and get excited when there was a new Boba Fett cup and I would collect them,” so why can’t a mega hit franchise like God of War get the same treatment? This I think is an inevitable path for video games and a sign of the maturing market place for them. To me, I view video games the same as movies, just one that I can control. The movie studios have figured out that a movie is a property and not just a single theatrical release. The video game industry needs to be in the same mindset if it wants to survive. As production costs rise on games, game studios need to look to else place to offer bring in income and merchandising is one of them. From a business perspective, this makes perfect sense and if handled properly, this is something that fans should embrace as well. Why not have access to their character beyond the video game. God dammit, if I wanted to have a Kratos stuffed toy and there is a demand for it, why not have it offered to me. I as a fan get what I want and the game studio is able to expand and continue to offer all things God of War.

You know what to do if you want to read more about God of War and news on God of War 4 and a God of War movie.

Halloween: Dead Rising 2 Swag Giveaway and Event

Prior to the launch of Capcom’s Dead Rising 2, we were invited to a party where not only did we get to hang out with Playstation’s own Amped from season 1 of The Tester, but we also got to get some early hands-on time with Dead Rising 2. Now with the game on store shelves, and Halloween just around the corner, we figured it was time to share the event and some swag with you.

When your city is being over run by zombies, what better place to turn than the Greene’s Hardware store where you can get hot deals on all forms of weapons, from gun holding teddy bears, to dual machine gun equipped wheel chairs?

That’s exactly what this Capcom party had in store for us. Not only were there plenty of props to run around and take pictures with, but there was Dead Rising 2 hooked up to 46″ Sony Bravias for our pleasure as well.

Of course when we weren’t taking pictures or playing Dead Rising 2, we were busy constructing our own ultimate apocalypse gun. The challenge was the following: you and 4 other people had 1 minute to design the ultimate zombie killing gun with the materials on hand. After that, you had to present it to the audience and they would choose the winner.

The winner of course not only got to keep their zombie killing weapon, but got a copy of Dead Rising 2 and some swag. Now, we don’t have copies of Dead Rising 2 to give away, but we do have plenty of swag. More on that in a minute. Other fun activities of the night included food, drinks, and a DJ who brought the beat down and let some break dancers take the stage and battle it out.

Now for all you Halloween and zombie lovers, send us your best zombie-related picture and the top 4 entries will win a Dead Rising 2 swag box. Either email us (Sonyrumors@bebicorp.com) or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook with a picture showing your zombie love and get creative! Winners will be contacted on October 31st!

Check out some more pictures after the jump.

My E3 Experience and Sony Highlights

E3 ended two weeks ago and I am very delayed on writing about my fantastic experience there. Well, through my work (mOcean) I was able to attend E3 on Wednesday for a good half day. Granted that’s not a ton of time, I still got a great look at some upcoming products and games and had an amazing time. Below I’ll talk about some of my Sony Highlights and games from that day.  Entering E3 I was in total awe. My eyes and mouth were wide open and I was on sensory overload. LCD screens, music, characters, displays, lights and colors filled the room.

Of course my first stop was the Sony exhibit. Here at SonyRumors we love writing about 3D. I was very impressed at the 3D gaming and played “Wipeout” and “Motorstorm” in 3D.  The movements in the smooth gameplay are very enhanced; everything just popped.  The only drawback so far is that 3D gaming darkens the image a lot like in most movie theaters.

Next I checked out “Killzone 3” but unfortunately did not get the chance to play with the line being over  an hour wait. That was one thing that bugged me, everyone playing games just hogged the screen forever. When I check out a game I play enough to get a good feel of how it will be but don’t need to sit and beat the entire demo. That was frustrating when I wanted to try out so much. The gameplay I observed was action packed and I can’t image how a FPS would look in 3D.

Continue on for more photos and captions from my amazing day!

Sony E3 Conference Highlights

E3 is here!  Today I got the chance to watch a lot of the Sony Press conference at E3 via IGN streaming.  They have and will continue to stream all E3 conferences and videos in HD, I recommend watching it if you don’t have a chance to attend E3.  As far as all of the content that was mentioned, I don’t even know where to begin.  Two full hours of video, Sony talk, previews and changes were mentioned and I’ll go over some of the highlights and big Sony news.

Kaz Hirai was the first speaker talking about 3D gaming and what Playstation is doing for the industry. He said, “What Playstation did for Blu-ray, we’re now going to do it for 3D.” A few 3D games launched today on the PSN like “Pain” and “Wipeout.” A feature game they mentioned was “Killzone 3.” This is a huge title coming out in 3D with a February 2011 release date. I saw about 3 minutes of the footage online, not in 3D of course (sad face) but the game footage was action packed and with the crowd’s great response I’m sure it looks fantastic. Hirai continued to say that Sony is the first in authentic 3D gaming with over 20 games being released in 3D by March 2011. Some of these titles include: “Shaun White Skateboarding,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Motorstorm: Apocolyse,” “Gran Turismo 5,” “Sly Cooper,” “NBA 2K11” and “Ghost Recon.” A clip of “Gran Turismo 5” was also shown in 3D.  Also remember that these games are being created in 3D, no conversion will be done with these amazing titles.  Sony believes that 2010 will be remembered as the year Sony brought 3D to the gaming industry.

Next up was the Playstation Move, which will be released September 19th. Pricing was revealed for the move at $49.99 with the Navigation Controller being an extra $29.99.  You can purchase a bundle which will include “Sports Champions” and the controllers for $99.99.  Additional games are set to be priced at $39.99.

Click the jump for the rest of the highlights!

Domino’s Blu Tuesday!

Back again for another look at this week’s blu-ray releases.  This week I’m very, very excited for  Shutter Island.  I’ll be the first to admit Leonardo DiCaprio is my favorite actor.  This is not in any way an “Oh he’s so cute” reason, (although he’s not bad on the eyes)  I  believe he is a brilliant actor and continues to blow me away in all of his performances.   Shutter Island is one of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year, and I can’t even get into how excited I am for Inception, it’s a slight obsession.  Ok enough of Leo and back to blu-ray releases.

Two other movie releases that appeal to my taste are From Paris with Love and The Illusionist.  I haven’t seen From Paris yet, but this is definitely a renter for me and I wanted to catch it in theaters.  The Illusionist came out around the same time as The Prestige, both films about magic and illusion with a romance sub-plot and both were great.  I will admit I loved The Prestige more, but the Illusionist was a very enjoyable film that will be on my blu-ray ‘to buy’ list.

Lastly, I must mention a blu-ray set that I forgot to include last week that will be added to my collection, Life.  For fans of the incredibly beautiful, Planet Earth,  Discovery channel did a similar 10 episode series on wild life around the world.  The few episodes I’ve seen, I watch with my jaw open.  It’s really amazing seeing what these animals do to survive and the beautiful shots that were captured.   I should note that there are two versions of Life, one has narration by David Attenborough, and the other is narration by Oprah Winfrey.  Numerous reviews say go with David’s version, it’s slightly more expensive but worth it from the more interesting commentary.

Domino’s Blu Tuesday!

For those of you that read this weekly, I must apologize for not having a Domino’s Blu Tuesday the past 2 weeks. I’m going to be straight up and say that there wasn’t any Blu-rays I was excited for or purchased in that time. But now I’m back! With three great releases this first of June, it’s a great day.

The first movie is one that has been advertised like crazy and I’m sure you all are aware: Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.  I’m still surprised at how fast this film came to us at home as it was released in theaters in mid March. I saw this movie in theaters in 3D but would of been happier in 2D, that’s why I’m excited for this blu-ray release.  I think it’ll look far better at home on Blu-ray than the pop-up book effect it had at times in the theater. Although it’s not a favorite movie of mine, I really enjoyed it and have always been a fan of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.

The next two movies are great action films that I feel are a must for a collection: Bad Boys and War of the Worlds. I don’t know why it took so long for Bad Boys to come out. This movie has been advertised for Blu-ray for about 3 years now with clips being shown in the ‘previews’ before you watch a blu movie at home. These are great comedy/action film from Michael Bay and I hope more Will Smith movies come out, especially Independence Day and Bad Boys 2.

Christopher Nolan is my favorite director and I will buy all of his films on Blu-ray. From my spending habits it seems I also feel this way about Steven Spielberg. He has created such amazing films, most of which are sci-fi action or epic World War II movies. I picked up War of the Worlds and can’t wait to watch it this week.

Sony Launching $70 Premium PSN At E3?

I bought my PS3 on launch date not only because I’m a huge fan of Sony, but because  it includes a Blu-ray player, great exclusive games, and bluetooth controllers. Still, a big selling point for me was also the free Playstation Network.  The PSN is the online hub for downloadable content, games and the ability to play multiplayer online (which I do a lot of).

There has been rumors for a while that Sony will start to charge for online play like Xbox does which is very disappointing. Although nothing is official, this rumor isn’t bad.

Word is on June 15th at E3, Sony will unveil their new premium features for the PSN which will cost approximately $70. The good news is that no one will be forced to upgrade (like we are with firmware) leaving online play and all the current features still free. YES. I’m sure happy about that. Right now it’s unknown what the premium features are but sources have mentioned two. A free PSN game per month and possible music streaming. If rumors are true we will find out officially from Sony  at E3.

I think this is a great move from Sony that will excite players and give them the option of a paid or non-paid PSN. Would you go premium?

Sony Launches E3 Website

E3 expo is something all gamers and electronic fans look forward to every year.  This year the expo is June 15-17th held in Los Angeles, CA.  Today, Sony launched their official E3 website giving us a peek at what to expect from them this year.  Below is the link to the site.

Playstation E3.

This site so far contains 9 tiles that show some of the featured games that will be at E3.  The site starts at the center tile which shows the PS3 Slim, PSP Go, PSP 300 and PS Move (no PS2 is shown, which is good for some but bad news for others).  From there you can navigate through the surrounding panels with your mouse or the PS3 controller buttons on the bottom left of the page.  Most of the new game spotlights are for the PS Move with Move Party, The Shoot and Sports Champions.  Other games included are Grand Turismo 5 (which we all have been waiting too long for), PSP ModNation Racers and PS3 Socom 4.

I like how there’s an arrow tab on each tile that includes more information on what you’re looking at.  Sony made a great, user friendly page for people attending E3 or ones that just want to see and read what will be there.  The site also has a show floor tile with Sony’s booth location and hours.  I miiight go to E3 this year through my company. I’m double crossing my fingers and toes since I’ve wanted to attend for years.  I hope Sony also includes Little Big Planet 2 at E3, with a winter 2010 release that is for sure on my Christmas list.

I’ve included a snapshot of the website’s center tile, click the jump for a shot of all 9.

Domino’s Blu Tuesday!

Blu Tuesday is when I write about what new Blu-ray releases I’m excited for every week. This week marks a big and exciting Blu-ray release: “Saving Private Ryan.”  This is the 4th film to be released in Paramount’s Sapphire Series, which are their award-winning films.  Included in this collection so far: “Gladiator,” “Braveheart” and “Forrest Gump.” “Saving Private Ryan” is one of the most realistic war movies I’ve seen. Although my closest experience with war is playing “Modern Warfare” and going to the shooting range, the movie is very moving and as close to war as I’ll get. Either way, how can these films in the series not be in everyones Blu-ray collection? I love what Paramount has done to set apart their award winning films being released on Blu-ray. I hope to see “Titanic” and “Almost Famous” included in this series soon and also more studios doing something similar.

Other releases this week on Domino’s radar are: “Nine” and “The Notebook.” There is quite a shift from the intense war films by Spielberg to girly romantic/musical films like these.  I plan to purchase “The Notebook” (they were out at Best Buy) but will rent “Nine,” just to see it again.

When I went to purchase “Saving Private Ryan” during my lunch break today, I also picked up another recently released Spielberg film on Blu: “Minority Report.” The technology in that film is already coming to life with Sony’s atracTable.  That thing is sexy.  I would love for my entire house to be touch screen. One day…one day.  That’s all the Blu releases I’m syked about for this week.  What Paramount films would you like to see in their Sapphire Series?