Criterion Collection to Issue Blu-rays – The leading arthouse DVD label – known for its continuing series of important classic and contemporary films in meticulous transfers with lavish notes and essays – has decided following the Blu-ray format winning the hi-def DVD war, that they will begin issuing some films in Blu-ray beginning in October of this year. The new editions will sport Blu-ray’s super-definition picture and hi-res sound plus similar supplemental features and printed materials to the standard DVD series. Their pricing will also match the standard DVD editions. Among the titles lined up are: The Third Man, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Last Emperor, El Norte, The 400 Blows, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Walkabout & The Wages of Fear.
Pristine Classical Adds Audio Streaming Services – Two new audio subscription services have been added by PristineClassical.com. Pristine Audio Direct Access allows on-demand access to the label’s entire catalog of hundreds of historic classical, jazz and blues recordings 24/7. Remastered recordings on the Music & Arts label are also available, and a series of PADA Exclusives are available to subscribers to that option. The recordings range from the earliest acoustic 78s to hi-res recordings of the 1950s – all restored to the highest audio standards using Pristine’s own restoration process. The various subscriptions range from 1 Euro per month to 10 per month for the PADA Exclusives. Pristine streams the highest quality MP3 files and does not reduce the sound quality for their streaming services, as do most online webcasters. Once set up you can log into Pristine from anywhere in the world using an Internet-connected computer. There are even special subscriptions for playback of the streaming services in stores, restaurants or workplaces. For more information, Go Here.
