HD DVDs Released This Week

Highlights of this week's HD DVD releases include The Bourne Ultimatum and Harry Potter films. Do note that the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix HD DVD/DVD Combo disc should be priced at $35.99 SRP (HD DVD/DVD Combo releases from Warner are no longer $39.99 SRP).

Regarding the various HD DVD releases of Order of the Phoenix...

• If you prefer to have the main feature playable on both your HD DVD and DVD players, then this North American HD DVD/DVD Combo release is likely to be the right choice.
  
  
• But if you must have the most complete high-def experience for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, then the 2-disc HD DVD set released in the United Kingdom and Japan definitely won't disappoint. Refer to this blog entry for the reasons.
  
  
• Both the North American and European/Japanese HD DVD release of Order of the Phoenix contain all the HD DVD-exclusive bonus content and features like In-Movie Experience! and web-enabled features. However, only the European/Japanese HD DVD release of Order of the Phoenix contains and presents all the video documentaries and featurettes, including the A&E documentary, in high-definition.

Lastly, if you intend to get the Freedom Vol. 3 HD DVD, do ensure that the firmware on your HD DVD player is updated to the latest version so that the web-enabled features work without hiccups. Bandai Visual has earlier announced that downloadable bonus contents for Freedom Vol. 3 HD DVD - FREEDOM 2 digest (1080i/LPCM 2.0) & TV Commercial for FREEDOM 3 DVD (Japanese Edition) (480i/Dolby Digital 2.0) - will both be available starting December 11.