Casino Royale Helps Blu-ray Disc Sales

By Digital Trends Staff Updated October 25, 2009

Data recently compiled by Nielsen VideoScan and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment suggests the mid-March release of Casino Royale on Blu-ray Disc marked the best single format opening thus far on any next generation disc title to date. This includes releases on HD-DVD.

The latest James Bond film, released March 13 on to Blu-ray Disc, sold over 28,000 units, which was enough to have it debut in fifth places amongst total sales of next generation disc titles. For the week it released, it easily trumped the number two title, Departed, which sold just over 3,000 units.

With the nudge from Casino Royale, total Blu-ray Disc sales for the week of March 18 climbed nearly 75% from the previous week of reported data. Sales of HD-DVD discs, meanwhile, fell nearly 15%. The total in year to date sales for Blu-ray Disc vs. HD-DVD is 549,730 versus 249,451 units, representing a 7:3 ratio.

Digital Trends Staff

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

Audio / Video

Disney+ might kill Blu-rays forever with streaming bonus features

Loki in Thor Ragnorok

We still have a month to go before Disney+ launches in North America, but the streaming service has already debuted in the Netherlands. That sneak peek has yielded some details about what we might see when Disney+ becomes available in the U.S., including one particularly intriguing element: Bonus features.

One thing that's frequently sacrificed in the transition from disc-based video to streaming has been the collections of deleted scenes, gag reels, filmmaker commentary, and other extra content packaged with DVDs and Blu-rays. Streaming audiences have been able to view the theatrical cuts of films, but outside of the occasional director's cut or extended editions of certain films, the extra content included on discs has generally been missing from the streaming marketplace.

Audio / Video

There’s a rare deal on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones today

Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in black.

The massively popular Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones rarely appear in headphone deals, so if you've had your eye on them for quite a while, you're in luck because they're currently $51 off on Walmart. From their original price of $400, you'll only have to pay $349, but only if you hurry because we don't expect stocks to last long. You're going to miss out on the offer if you take too long, so don't hesitate -- add the wireless headphones to your cart and check out as fast as you can.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
The best headphones that you can buy right now are the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, and it's not even close. At the heart is their outstanding wireless sound, supported by top-quality active noise cancellation that uses two processors and eight microphones to block all unwanted sound, as well as crystal-clear hands-free calling using four beamforming microphones and advanced audio signal processing. The wireless headphones also offer Bluetooth multipoint connection so that you can quickly switch between different devices, touch controls for functions like adjusting volume and calling your digital assistant, and Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention features to stop your music and let ambient sound in without having to take them off.

Audio / Video

Sony’s premium soundbars will finally get support for VRR, ALLM

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of top panel.

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Sony's premium home theater soundbars are set to receive a software update that will add support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode (ALLM), two HDMI 2.1 gaming features that have been absent since these products launched.

The soundbars in question are the Sony HT-A5000, HT-A7000, and the multi-wireless speaker HT-A9 system. All three are scheduled to receive the update this fall, but Sony has declined to share specific timing, saying only that there will be more information closer to the rollout date.