What a way to follow-up my state of the home video industry report circa CES 2020 yesterday!

The news is breaking this morning that Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures are going to be merging their physical media distribution operations. The combined venture will distribute Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD discs in North America over the next decade, beginning in early 2021.

The merger will first have to be approved by the United States Justice Department.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment president Eddie Cunningham will lead the new venture. [Read on here...]

All right, I’ve got a quick update for you today and then I’m going to work to get the Empire Strikes Back comparison gallery up as promised.

First, some new reviews...

Tim has posted his in-depth thoughts on Shout! Factory’s new 28-film Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection – 80th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition box set. And it’s apparently—per Tim—pretty damn terrific. It deserves a look.

We’ve also got Dennis’ take on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, which I reviewed a few days ago in 4K. It’s definitely a film that’s worth your time, whichever format you view it on.

Also here at The Bits today, we’ve posted the weekly update of our Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD cover art and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, whenever you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking through our links, it’s a boon to our work here at the site and we certainly appreciate it. [Read on here...]

Before we begin today, a quick note: Our own Tim Salmons has just posted his in-depth review of Warner’s new Batman Beyond: The Complete Series Blu-ray box set. And it sounds like the set is quite good, very much in keeping with their recent Batman: The Animated Series BD set. So here’s the review and we hope you enjoy!

All right, I’ve now had a good solid day to play with Disney+ and I have to say that I’ve been very impressed, in principle, with what I’m seeing and experiencing. I’ll have some more comments later this week on how I think streaming services (and specifically Disney+) will impact the home video market. But I certainly do like what I’m seeing. (Note that I’m viewing via the Disney+ app on the Roku Ultra 4K, running through the Oppo UDP-203 to two different display devices—a flat panel and a projector).

One of the best aspects of Disney+ are the surprises: The chance to see deep catalog Disney live action and animated films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Sword and the Stone, and The Black Cauldron in native 4K with HDR is absolutely tremendous. And the more of this kind of experience Disney+ (and other streaming services) can give us, the better. [Read on here...]

Some of you may have seen it when I posted last night, but I’ve finally gotten my review of Network’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Norwegian Blu-ray Edition box set posted.

The key is, Network was only able to send me the first two discs for review early. They’re sending the rest of the set as it becomes available, but I suspect I’ll end up having final product in my hands before the rest of the review check discs arrive. The set is now available in the UK and the US release streets on 11/12 from Amazon. (US orders from Network are now being shipped, so it’s just a matter of when they arrive.) The point is that I reviewed the two discs I have now—essentially Season One of the show. The restoration image quality is impressive, as are the new extras. Just know that I’ll update the review when the entire series is in my hands.

Meanwhile this afternoon, Dennis has turned in new Blu-ray reviews of Andrea Berloff’s The Kitchen from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Michael Gordon’s Woman in Hiding from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. So do enjoy those. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a bunch of new disc reviews for you to enjoy today, including...

My in-depth thoughts on Lionsgate’s new Apocalypse Now Final Cut: 40th Anniversary Edition on 4K Ultra HD, which could end up being the best 4K of the year. It’s definitely one of the most comprehensive catalog special editions in recent years, and is not to be missed.

Also today, we have new Blu-ray reviews from Tim and Dennis, including...

The President’s Lady (Twilight Time), Missing Link (20th Century Fox), Poms (Universal), and Drive-In Delirium: Dead by Dawn and Drive-In Delirium: With a Vengeance (Umbrella Entertainment).

All are worth a look so do check them out and enjoy. [Read on here...]

All right, it’s official.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has just announced that they’ll release The Wizard of Oz on 4K Ultra HD on 10/29, in honor of the film’s 80th anniversary.

The original Technicolor camera negative has been scanned in 8K and graded for high dynamic range in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision (the disc will include both).

Per the studio’s press release, “The process was supervised by MPI colorist Janet Wilson, who has overseen ever remaster of The Wizard of Oz for the past 20 years.” SRP for the release is $41.99. The package will include both the 4K and a Blu-ray.

You can see the cover artwork at left and below. [Read on here...]

We’ve got just a quick update for you here at The Bits today, but it’s a good one...

First, Disney has just officially announced the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Toy Story 4 on 10/8, with the Digital release expected a week earlier on 10/1.

The 4K disc (and digital release) will include Dolby Atmos audio, while the Blu-ray will feature 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Expect the physical to offer HDR10 high dynamic range, while the digital 4K has Dolby Vision. Extras will include audio commentary with director Josh Cooley and his team, 4 featurettes (Toy Stories, Woody & Buzz, Bo Rebooted, and Let’s Ride with Ally Maki), a collection of mini-docs on the film’s characters called Toy Box, 6 deleted scenes with optional commentary (including Scamming Playtime, Bo Knows Hippos, Desperate Toys, Knock-Offs, Recruit Duke, and She’s the One) and more. [Read on here...]

Okay, we’ve got some big news for you today...

First though, we’ve posted a few new disc reviews in the last couple of days, including my own takes on Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 4K from Warner Bros, Air Force One in 4K from Sony Pictures, and Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series on regular Blu-ray from Warner. Tim has also posted his thoughts on Shout! Factory’s new The Harder They Come: Collector’s Edition. All are work a look, so do check them out at the links provided.

Now then, let’s get to that news. First, this is not yet officially announced (even though we revealed it on social media a couple days ago), but retail links from various online sources confirm what we’ve been saying for a while now here at The Bits, namely that Warner will release The Wizard of Oz on 4K Ultra HD in October in honor of the film’s 80th anniversary. [Read on here...]

We’ve got a little bit of news for you today, as well as some new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD reviews...

First, I’ve just posted a review of Jon Favreau’s original Iron Man in 4K Ultra HD, from Marvel (distributed by Paramount and now Disney). For you guys, I bit the bullet and picked up a copy myself. The new Atmos mix is pretty great, but the 4K image quality is a bit disappointing. Click here for the details. The title streets today.

And Tim has just posted his thoughts on Gordon Hessler’s Scream and Scream Again from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Riccardo Freda’s Double Face from Arrow Video, both on regular Blu-ray. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve got more interesting news for you today...

But first, Tim Salmons has posted some new Blu-ray reviews here at the site (yesterday and this afternoon), including his own thoughts on Weird Science from Arrow Video and Quartermass and the Pit from Scream Factory, as well as Dennis’ take on Michael Radford’s 1984 from the Criterion Collection.

We’ve also updated the Release Dates & Artwork section with all the latest Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K cover artwork and Amazon.com pre-order links. As always, anytime you order literally anything from Amazon after clicking through one of our links, you’re helping to support our work here at The Bits and we really do appreciate it.

And tomorrow morning, be sure to watch for a new History, Legacy and Showmanship column from Michael Coate here at The Bits, this one honoring the recent 30th anniversary of the James Bond film License to Kill. [Read on here...]