'T2' DVD Goes to 'Extreme'

[Gregg Lengling]

By Chris Marlowe

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Artisan Home Entertainment is bringing "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" to home audiences in a higher resolution than was ever possible before.

   

There will be two discs in the company's June 3 release of the "T2: Extreme DVD" package. One will be a traditional DVD; the other will be a DVD-ROM containing a digitally remastered version of the film in high definition and 5.1 surround sound, encoded using Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series technology. The computer giant said the DVD is nearly 3-1/2 times the resolution of standard DVD video.


Among the extra features on "T2: Extreme DVD" are 16 minutes of additional footage never seen in theaters, all new audio commentary with writer-director James Cameron (news) and co-writer William Wisher, an interactive mode with graphic commentary and behind-the-scenes footage, an all-new documentary on the role of "T2" in the evolution of digital effects and modern filmmaking and a special-effects studio where viewers can morph their own images into a T-1000 or a T-800 Terminator.


The DVD-ROM can only be played on a capable PC, though consumers with the necessary hardware and connections can also watch the high-resolution version of "T2" on an HDTV or plasma television. It's a step closer to the high-definition DVDs that are not yet possible. According to Artisan, there are 15 million home computers that are capable of playing DVD-ROMs.


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[StarvingForHDTV]

Originally posted by Gregg Lengling

There will be two discs in the company's June 3 release of the "T2: Extreme DVD" package. One will be a traditional DVD; the other will be a DVD-ROM containing a digitally remastered version of the film in high definition and 5.1 surround sound, encoded using Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series technology. The computer giant said the DVD is nearly 3-1/2 times the resolution of standard DVD video.

How did they fit a high definition version on a standard disc?  Maybe because of the encoding?  It sounds interesting, but I am cautious about the claims.  Any thoughts?

Starving