New to Blu: February 16-22

The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film 3D kicks off one of the slimmest Blu-ray slates yet.

Only three titles are being released this week in HD, and none is a new movie.

The FIFA Blu-ray lands here nine months after the tournament was held – and four months after its Northern Hemisphere release.

EngadgetHD thought the event was “well captured … with colours that pop from the screen …

“The uniforms of the many different teams and outfits of their spectators pop visually and aren’t dimmed by 3D glasses a bit.

“We did notice a bit of ghosting early on … but it did seem to get better once things focused on the game.

“As most viewers experienced during the broadcasts, the long shots form high above the field don’t lend themselves well to 3D and minimise the impact of the effect, but since this is mostly focused on highlight clips there’s plenty of field-level shots at angles that allow you to appreciate the ‘beautiful game’ up close and personal.”

Daily Game.net agreed: “The FIFA World Cup in 3D is an absolute showcase, not just for the quality of the soccer, but for the impressive potential of 3D Blu-ray technology in general.

“If you’ve doubted the impact of 3D Blu-ray, this film will make you a believer within its first five minutes.”

The only other releases are back-catalogue titles: Taras Bulba (1962) and The Bed Sitting Room (1969).

The latter is a post-nuclear holocaust satire that The Digital Fix thought was a largely “fine” transfer, “keeping a healthy level of grain while providing a more than reasonable attention to colour and overall sharpness”.

AV Maniacs called the transfer “excellent … There’s a healthy coat of natural looking film grain present throughout but no real print damage even if there are some noticeable specks visible during the first few minutes of the movie.

“The colour reproduction is very strong and natural looking, without ever looking artificially pumped up or smeary.”