Gear News

The latest news on all things 4k Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Gear.
Got A Spare Grand? Hot Toys Reissues 1989 Batman 1/6 Figure and Batmobile

Ever wanted to own a little Michael Keaton? After going out of print a few years ago, Hot Toys is now reissuing two of their most popular 1/6 scale figures based on Tim Burtan’s iconic 1989 film. Maybe a new Jack Nicolson Joker is on the horizon?

If collecting your favorite movies in the highest quality format wasn’t enough for you to express your love for your favorite movies, the action figure market is a whole other game - and can be quite expensive and addicting! Now with 2023’s The Flash trailer revealing the long-awaited return of Michael Keaton as Batman, Hot Toys is reissuing two of their most popular 1/6 scale figures - Keaton’s 1989 Batman and Batmobile. Not stopping at a simple re-issue, it looks like fans can expect something new in the box as well!

Deluxe Edition Batman

Expected ship date April 2024-September 2024 

While scoring this excellent figure may be a boon for those who initially missed out several years ago, this new Deluxe Edition will feature a new display base depicting the church gargoyle from the film’s climax. If that wasn’t cool enough, the gargoyle is apparently removable allowing you to give Batman a dramatic perch to spot any crime in your home theater room!

 

If the description of the figure is accurate, it looks like collectors can expect a new head with separate rolling eyes. For many collectors (myself included), the previous edition of this head was a pain and the eye mechanism could jam or break leaving your figure looking cross-eyed and rather stupid. On top of the base figure, you get some extra hands, batarangs, ninja stars, grappling hooks, remote, and other items to spice up your display.

 

This figure is currently up for pre-order at Sideshow Toys and rolls for a pretty hefty $345 before shipping and taxes.

Collector’s Edition Batman 

Expected ship date April 2024-September 2024

Now if you’re not interested in a fancy display base, a more basic version of the figure is also up for pre-order and will only run you a modest $279 before shipping and taxes. With that, you get pretty much everything the Deluxe Edition figure has to offer, minus the fancy display base. 

But what’s the point of owning a Batman figure without his car?

1989 Batmobile

Expected ship date April 2024-September 2024

Talk about a grail accessory for any number of collectors! For many fans, the Batmobile design peaked in 1989 and has never been improved upon. This classic piece of machinery in 1/6 scale form was expensive and hard to come by when it was first issued. While it’ll be easier to pick up now with a new pre-order, it’s not going to be cheap. Sideshow has it pegged at $715 before taxes and shipping! 

But, this is a hell of an accessory item. Designed to fit your 1/6 1989 Batman figure, it is massive stretching roughly 40 inches long (about the size of my three-year-old!), almost 16 inches wide, and ten inches high at the wings. But this isn’t just a fancy model to look at. The wheels turn, it has hidden front machine guns, side disc launchers, complete with light-up LED dash display, headlights, tail lights, and jet engine! 



Of course, these are high-tier collector’s items and cost a pretty penny, but Sideshow does offer financing and a rewards program for members to help you build your collection. Happy collecting!

First Look: Optoma's New Cinema X P2 Short Throw Projector

Optoma has just announced and unveiled the first look for the brand new Cinema X P2 Short Throw Projector which should be available soon. Retail is $4999.99, but will most likely sell at online retailers for $3299.99. There are quite a few upgrades from the recent Cinema X P1 that are detailed below.

Via the press release:

Optoma, the number-one selling home theater projector brand in retail and the leading brand worldwide in 4K UHD projection technology, launched today its next-generation true 4K UHD cinema experience with the CinemaX P2. Featuring 3,000 lumens of brightness, premium laser technology, and an ultra-short-throw lens, the CinemaX P2 delivers breathtaking images and stunning picture quality from only inches away from the screen. 

Leveraging customer feedback on its award-winning CinemaX P1, Optoma engineered the CinemaX P2 to deliver 25% more contrast and vibrant color performance than its top-selling predecessor, an integrated Enhanced Gaming Mode, and a state-of-the-art digital exhibit feature – all encompassed in a sleek, white, space-saving design.

Optoma’s CinemaX P2 brings the cinematic experience home with a wide color gamut and six-segment RGBRGB color wheel for accurate color reproduction to deliver rich, detailed, and true-to-life pictures for movies, TV and games the way directors envisioned. With a built-in premium 40W Dolby Digital 2.0 soundbar, as well as an impressive ultra-short-throw glass lens that casts up to 120-inch images from only inches away, this smart true 4K UHD laser projector is an ideal option for any home entertainment activity: home theater, sports, photo sharing, gaming, distance learning and even work-from-home (WFH). 

The CinemaX P2 features smart tech integration features throughout. Kids and parents alike can turn the CinemaX P2 into a productivity tool for distance learning and WFH with the Tap Cast app and screen mirroring. The built-in SmartFit app ensures hassle-free image alignment through users’ smartphones, and the powerhouse projector also delivers seamless integration into smart homes with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT support via Smart+ technology. 

Users can also bring incredible creative expression to their homes by turning the CinemaX P2 into an art-exhibiting masterpiece, that’s brought to life with curated artworks from renowned digital artists, by FRAMED – a digital art showcasing platform. 

Optoma CinemaX P2 Smart 4K UHD Laser Features: 

  • ●  Resolution: 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160)
  • ●  Lumens: 3,000 ANSI lumens
  • ●  Contrast: 2,000,000:1 with 3 Dynamic Black Dimming Modes
  • ●  Color: REC.709, DCI-P3 wide color gamut
  • ●  HDR10 compatible
  • ●  Color Wheel: 6 Segment RGBRGB
  • ●  Integrated 4K Media Player and popular video streaming apps available from Optoma
    Marketplace
  • ●  Smart+ Technology: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT integration 
The High-Def Digest Forums Are No More - They Have Ceased To Be

"E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-FORUMS!!"

Due to a slew of factors - namely costs to make the forums compliant with new privacy regulations on top of dwindling activity - the High-Def Digest forums are no more. While we hate to see them go, this enables our little website to maintain a measure of profitability so we can pay our writers and website admin team whilst providing you fine folks with new disc reviews, news updates (as best we can), and the occasional funny bit of fan reflection. Currently, the "Forums" button is in our navigation headers and footers but that too will soon be disappearing. 

What to do if you want to commentate? There's the good news. Each disc review and news post has a Disqus comment section where you're able to freely comment (so long as it's civil) and share your opinion about said film. Truthfully the HDD Forums accounted for a very small fraction of our daily traffic activity while we saw an impressive amount of activity in the Disqus section. 

If you have any questions you can comment below! And certainly reach out to us here: https://www.highdefdigest.com/forms/feedback

Thanks again for being awesome readers and great online friends, Best - 
The High-Def Digest Team

An Experiment In Music - The High Definition Music Card

 On January 15, 2020, MediaInVision / Surround Records International is releasing what they call 'Prototype 2020' - a new media experience that they are hoping will replace CD Audio discs. Where this goes in the future will depend a lot upon consumer adoption rates. MediaInVision's own product info is as follows:

"Have you heard about the new format that will replace the music CD and revolutionize the music industry as you know it? Let us introduce to you the new High Definition Music Card. If you love music, then you have a lot of sources to choose from today. But, if you REALLY love music, you re probably not satisfied with the sound quality of what you are listening to. You re frustration is comparable to a viewer watching a movie in IMAX and 3-D at the local theater, and then seeing the same recording on their Smartphone... wow, what a difference. See, the High Definition Music Card is based on an advanced technology that places each sound in a unique 3-D location in space. Well, now you can get that 3-D type of experience in music by using The High Definition Music Card. Developed by Alexander Goldberg Jero, winner of prestigious Surround Music Awards, The High Definition Music Card is a new USB format device for delivering music content that features the latest advances in surround sound reproduction that compares with no other format in the world. In addition to recording music, the High Definition Music Card can also include Hi-def photos, bios, release information, support software, and additional links for a complete 360 degree sensual experience. The High Definition Music Card is versatile and can be used in blu-ray players, laptops, home theater systems, stereos, headphones, and more. Whether you are a music distributor, artist, or just want the best sound quality, you need the High Definition Music Card. Alexander Golberg Jero, the brilliant mind behind many jaw-dropping compositions and the innovator of this extraordinary new product, reports the first steps of High Definition Music Card development. This card utilizes the USB technology that we use everyday as well as his in-depth knowledge of surround sound technology to transform how people listen to music wherever they are. The past 6 months have been busy for the development of this project. As a result of the support of Amazon, the High Definition Music Card had working prototypes up on their website. This allowed for the testing of this technology on the consumer market to help improve the product before bringing it to market. There was also a marketing campaign that was launched to create awareness for this product, informing them of the important features of this product. Because of these efforts, connections were established with key content providers including major record labels for the future releases of some of the top music artists. Due to these developments, shares of MediaInVision PLC were made available with a significant amount of interest established for the future investors. Future steps in place include creating a graphic user interface for Blu-ray players and further increasing the marketing efforts.

Plays on all USB capable playback devices including:
Blu-ray Players
DVD players
PC and Mac Computers (software included)
Car Audio (with USB port)

Prototype 2020 Release Featuring:
1. 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 24bit 96khz Surround Mixes, 5.1 and Stereo Configuration Compatible
2. Stereo FLAC 24bit 192khz Resolution
3. Educational Videos
4. Inspirational Images
5. Playback Software for Surround Sound Files for Mac and PC.
6. Support Links and Services
7. Public Folder
Copyright © Surround Records International Patent No.US59723547B1"

Final Thoughts:

I believe that in the end street price will have a lot to do with adoption, and realistically the best approach to keep the unit cost as low as possible is to separate the two components of this product. The product as it appears to be is a memory device merged with a USB controller/adapter. Perhaps we will see a future release of the two components sold individually, so that one would only have to buy the controller once, and then buy the titles they want ala carte. As far as the future of physical media, the gap in the cost of a memory type device versus an optical disc could be a lot closer or eliminated completely. When you can buy a 64GB USB flash drive for less than $5, imagine what mass production, removal of the USB controller itself and possibly eliminating the ability to rewrite the storage chip (ie: a ROM) could give us. Because everything old is new again (ahem, vinyl) we might be viewing movies someday from sleek memory sticks, which in prior decades we referred to them as cartridges. We could eventually see video players where the optical drive is replaced with only a couple of slots, USB, Traditional Memory Cards and future versions of these devices, what ever they would call them.

Want to see and purchase launch titles? Yup, we've provided links to those below.

Beethoven Symphony Nos. 5 & 6 (HD Media Card)

Order Beethoven Here!

Mahler: Symphony No.9 (HD Media Card) art

Order Mahler Here!

Mozart: Requiem (HD Media Card)

Order Mozart Here!

Stravinsky: 'The Rate of Spring' 'The Card Party' (HD Media Card)

Order Stravinsky Here!

Everything on Netflix with Dolby Vision, HDR, and/or Dolby Atmos
here's our handy list of Everything on Netflix currently available in Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos.
Editors' Choice Winners: Best Gear of 2019
Welcome to our Best Gear gift and buyer's guide where we recommend our Editors' Choice picks for the very best possible A/V gadgets n' gear you can currently buy.
Coming Soon to Streaming: THE WITCHER, THE AERONAUTS, and More
Geralt of Rivia is riding toward Netflix in December.
Everything Coming to Netflix in November 2019
Check out all the streaming titles coming to Netflix throughout November.
HBO Max Set to Launch in May 2020 for $14.99 per Month
Pricing and availability have been announced for the company's new digital video platform.
New Trailer for THE MANDALORIAN Promises an Action-Packed STAR WARS Western in Space
"Mandalorian, look outside. They're waiting for you."

Reviews

The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.