Blu-ray Blues: Deadwood and The World at War

August 16, 2010 0 Comments

Art work for US Deadwood Blu-ray

Deadwood fans will want to unleash a torrent of profanity that would do Al Swearengen proud when they learn Paramount Pictures won’t be rounding up the complete series on Blu-ray in this neck of the woods.

The news is also bad for those anticipating seeing the 1973 milestone documentary series, The World at War, in HD: Roadshow Entertainment told ScreenScribe.tv it wouldn’t be distributing the nine disc set here or across the Tasman because of the cost.

However, the 11-disc DVD version will go on sale here next year.

The good news is the Blu-ray set coming out next month in the UK will spin on NZ Blu-ray players because both countries are Region B territories.

At this stage it’s not known if the pending US Blu-ray of Deadwood will be locked to Region A; if it is, you’ll need a region free-capable player, like one of Oppo’s, to view it, but chances are, given it’s an HBO release through Warner Bros, it should be region-free.

Normally WB would release HBO shows here, too, as it does with True Blood and Generation Kill. But in the case of Deadwood, Paramount has the Australasian distribution rights.

While Paramount NZ hasn’t ruled it out, “as far as we are aware, there are no plans in the immediate future to release Deadwood on Blu-ray,” a spokesperson said.

It’s yet another raw deal for local devotees of the David Milch mining town drama, which was released on DVD here without any of the US extras. Not only are they included in the Blu-ray package but, so, too, is an extra disc of new extras.