We've already Windexed our spectacles and hit refresh a time or two, and yes, The Matrix is finally -- finally! -- headed to Blu-ray. We've wondered when we'd see this go down for what seems like eons, but thanks to new data (including box art) over at DVD Active, Warner Home Video will finally loose The Ultimate Matrix Collection on BD on October 14th. The $129.95 (MSRP, we imagine) set will include seven discs, though we're not certain what extras will surround the films themselves just yet. Start saving those pennies, you know you'll want this one.

[Thanks, Alex]

For what it's worth, Buffalo just announced the world's fastest Blu-ray recorder capable of burning through your data at an 8x clip. The only problem is that BDA-approved media maxes out at 6x, assuming you can even find it. Available in Japan starting next month, the external USB 2.0 and eSATA BR-816SU2 and internal SATA BR-816FBS models hit that 8x recording speed on single-layer BD-R media only -- 2x for dual-layer BD-R, BD-RE, and LTH BD-R. CDs and DVDs are supported too naturally, with a max 16x burn to DVD±R or 48x/24x for CD-R/RW. Each drive comes bundled with Cyberlink's PowerDVD 7 suite and are priced at ¥46,700 (about $435) for the external drive or ¥41,000 (about $380) for the internal optical spinner.

[Via BIOS and CDRinf]

We're not saying it can't be done, but you should have some considerable trouble managing to run out of room for your expertly-shot, highly-narrative vacation antics with Hitachi's new DZ-BD10H camcorder, which records 1080p HD video to Blu-ray discs or to its built-in 30GB hard drive. There's even an SD slot, which we aren't positive you can record video to, but it's a fair guess. Other specs include a 2.7-inch LCD and a 10x optical zoom. Price should be around $1,500 when it hits Japan on August 9, but no solid word on a US berth just yet.

Even we would agree that digital downloads aren't apt to siphon away a significant amount of physical media market share in the immediate future, but a recent survey conducted by CinemaNow (read: your skeptic hat should now be firmly in place) suggests that the vast majority of Americans feel otherwise. As a matter of fact, 87% of those surveyed agreed that "renting DVDs at the video store or through mail service will become a thing of the past," and 94% of those same folks reportedly felt that movie downloads were just "better for the environment." Not like the average joe / jane understands how much energy is consumed by warehouses full of drives, gigantic air-conditioned server rooms and legions of PCs sucking down content, but yeah, these results are totally representative of the truth.

[Image courtesy of Street Knowledge]

One of the many reasons our killer Captain EO home theater setup hasn't become a reality yet is because even with more than a few kinds of 3D HDTV equipment on shelves, there's no standard that guarantees that next Hannah Montana Blu-ray disc will be able to take advantage of it. The SMPTE hopes to change all of that, establishing a task force (has anyone asked the 3D@Home Consortium how they feel about it?) with the mandate of creating a standard for 3D "content distributed via broadcast, cable, satellite, packaged media and the Internet and played-out on televisions, computer screens and other tethered displays". The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers are the fine people behind nearly every way you currently experience AV at home, so after the inaugural meeting August 19 and six months to create a report (EE Times notes actually setting a standard could take 18-30 months, so don't move the furniture yet), really all that's left is to explain our Michael Jackson infatuation.

[Via EE Times]

With royalty fees just around the bend for Blu-ray recorders in Japan, it seems as if locals are snapping up units left and right before the taxation is enacted. For the first time in a single month, shipments of recorders and players based on Blu-ray Disc broke the six-figure mark in June 2008 with 122,000 units. That's coming from data reported by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), which shows a notable increase from the 82,000 units shipped in May. Analysts are expecting the numbers to rise further in the coming months, as the Beijing Olympics draw near and many Japanese citizens spend their mid-year bonus on high-def wares. Still, it's not like folks in Japan are getting any stellar deals; the cheapest BD deck there is Sharp's BD-AV1, which still demands around ¥44,800 ($420). Just imagine those sales figures if there were a few reasonably priced players to choose from.

[Image courtesy of DayLife]

Okay, so there are a few titles out there on Blu-ray, DVD and / or CD that simply shine. Those are undoubtedly the ones you bring out when looking to wow onlookers who are checking out your setup for the first time. But wouldn't you like to know which titles industry professionals use to seal deals and land clients? Thanks to a feature over at CE Pro, now you can. Bigwigs from SpeakerCraft, Richard Gray's Power Company and the Imaging Science Foundation were questioned about their favorite source material, and just to name a few, Cars, Casino Royale, The Fifth Element (the remastered version, obviously), Vertical Limit and Contact (DVD) made the cut. Hit up the read link for the full list.

We'd give you two guesses on how we feel about this trend, but you only need one. BenQ has just followed Pioneer's lead and dropped the price of its BR1000 Blu-ray optical drive a full 33% in Taiwan. Post-discount, the BD-ROM unit now sits at around NT$3,650 (or $120 to you Americans). SonyNEC Optiarc projected that we'd see these internal drives selling for under $100 before 2009, and it looks like its prophecy will indeed come true. Now, as soon as the standalone players start heading in the same direction, we'll be all smiles.

Blu-ray 669

Blu-ray

• 21 (Sony)
• The BBC High-Definition Natural History Collection (BBC)
• Daft Punk's Electroma (Vice Records)
• Earth: The Biography (BBC)
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Sony)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony)
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (City Lights)
• The Mummy Returns (Universal)
• The Mummy (1999) (Universal)
• The Perfect Storm (Warner)
• The Scorpion King (Universal)
• Urban Legend (Sony)

Wow, are we bad at making predictions of what the Nielsen VideoScan charts -- courtesy of Home Media Magazine -- are going to do. We thought we were going to see another ho-hum week like the last few, and then Batman went and made us fall out of our chair by single handily giving Blu-ray the best week it's ever had in the four months we've been tracking the market share. Another first this week is something that Hollywood expects to see more often -- but is too early to call a trend -- is the fact that while DVD sales are down for the week, Blu-ray is up. Now we realize right up front that a big part of the reason for this is because Batman Begins has been out on DVD for, forever, and was just released for Blu-ray this week. But you can take a look at Batman: Gotham Knight and see that head to head, the new release netted the same result as the overall share at 12 percent. This can only be a good sign for Blu-ray in regards to the future of packaged media, but again we'll remind everyone that 7 of the top 20 titles on DVD are not available on Blu-ray. Looking forward, most of the new releases should be available on Blu in the coming months, so we'd be very surprised if Blu-ray couldn't keep up this pace going into the holiday season where it really looks like it'll have the opportunity to take off.

While many film lovers across the universe are still itching to watch something in 4K, studio execs are already eying the next best thing -- or are they? The 1954 A Star is Born will soon be undergoing a 6K restoration makeover prior to its release on Blu-ray, and while this may sound impressive to those not in the know, industry experts have varying opinions on the worthiness of such an undertaking. According to Lowry Digital Images' Chief Technical Officer John Lowry, the 6K transfer "is just an attempt at marketing position," noting that "everything on film is captured at 4K." Listening to The Film Preserve's Robert Harris could make you believe otherwise, as he asserts that while there is only a "slight" advantage to preserving the film in 6K, it's still important to "get every last drop you can." (Not surprising considering his occupation.) Nevertheless, we'd recommend hitting up the read link for a few interesting viewpoints on 6K, and get on down to a 4K theater before it becomes "so last year."

Enjoying the small clip of IMAX The Dark Knight footage featured on the recent Batman Begins Blu-ray release? Even before the next flick hits theaters, director Christopher Nolan has already revealed plans to convert all the scenes shot for IMAX screens for use on the Blu-ray copy, whenever it hits shelves. Some cropping will be done to make everything fit but we'll still enjoy the extra detail in 1080p.

For those out there totally stoked about paying $400 for a Blu-ray player that's just "BD-Live-ready," have we got a surprise for you! Our brethren over at Engadget Classic got a chance to swing by Sony's demonstration today in New York City and take a peek at the firm's recently released (as in, shipping) Blu-ray deck alongside a few other audio related products. Whatcha waiting for? Get over there and check it all out!

Wow, Toys 'R Us was only a day off. Sure enough, Sony's BDP-S350 -- which was first introduced / spotted in February -- has gone on sale at Sony Style retail outlets, the Sony Style website and other fine retailers near you. If you're looking for a quick refresher, this Profile 2.0-compliant deck supports BonusView (picture-in-picture), but curiously enough, Sony mentions that "a firmware update enabling BD-Live is planned [for] later this year." You'll also find full 1080p output, 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio support and a promise to suck down 21% less power in playback compared to the BDP-S300. All yours for $400 (give or take a few pennies).

Well, would you look at that. Just months after we heard whispers that the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) would be granting a handful or two of China-based manufacturers with Blu-ray licenses comes a slew of brochure shots proving that said scenario has apparently gone down. Or either Desay, Hotwell, Hualu and VTREK have taken it upon themselves to conjure up BD decks and show 'em off at the SinoCES show floor without permission (but we're banking on the former). As expected, none of these look particularly awe-inspiring, but for those hoping to see vanilla players dip under the $200 (or lower) price point, this could be very, very good news. Hit the read link for more details on each.