International HD DVD Launch Update...

[For the European Launch] Some informal sources have informed us that the European release of King Kong HD DVD may not feature the U-Control interactive home entertainment experience package that was confirmed for the North American release. Hence, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is likely to be the first HD DVD title released in Europe that will include the U-Control interactive experience package.

And yes, it has been confirmed that the European release of Tokyo Drift HD DVD will include U-Control.

On a side note, U-Control on the North American release of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift HD DVD has set the bar on what to expect from HD DVD in terms of interactivity.

So, what is "U-Control"? With U-Control, you view video commentary, behind-the-scenes clips, interactive trivia/fact tracks and play with various studio-customised movie-related interactivity all while you watch the movie. (The contents of the interactive experience package varies from title to title). These are reportedly a small portion of what to expect with regards to interactivity on HD DVD...

[For the Australian Launch] It seems that the Australian debut of Toshiba's HD-E1 (Mid-Dec, Aus$1,099) and HD-XE1 (Feb 2007, Aus$1,599) will not be a totally quiet one. Australian DVD websites are indicating that every HD DVD player sold will come bundled with a free copy of Apollo 13 HD DVD.

Universal Pictures Australia has also announced that Apollo 13, Doom, King Kong, Serenity, Jarhead, Van Helsing, Bourne Supremacy HD DVDs are all scheduled for release in December, to coincide with HD DVD's Australian launch.

Warner Home Video (Australia) has also planned the following titles for HD DVD's launch. All of them are due to arrive at retail on December 6.

• The Fugitive
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
• Lethal Weapon
• Lethal Weapon 2
• Superman Returns
• Unforgiven
• Under Siege
• V for Vendetta

If you reside in Australia and is interested in HD DVD launch/future releases, these few websites seem rather useful: DVDown Under and Michael D's Region 4 DVD Page. All of the information on HD DVD's Australian launch have been sourced from these 2 sites...