TVSquad

One of the best parts of this job is the advance copies we get of television DVD sets. In short: Holy frak! The final set of Battlestar Galactica episodes is awesome.

Minor spoilers follow...

There are those who liked the ending and those that didn't. I didn't like the lack of explanation of Kara's return from the dead and found the finale generally anti-climactic. But the series set a high standard and, overall, it's a minor complaint. In most ways, the series is perfect and far better than most of us deserve.

I'll give them this: the people who make the show know their audience ... that audience being nerds. Nerds like information. Hence, the DVD set is full of extras and special features. These include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and extended versions of episodes, including the three-part finale, "Daybreak." And every episode (let me repeat that:: every episode) has podcast commentary by Ronald Moore.

To celebrate the release of the second season of the original Star Trek on Blu-ray, Paramount will be handing out free Tribbles at the San Diego Comic Con. Not only that, but they are asking people to upload digital photos of them and their Tribbles in unusual circumstances.

This might not be the best of ideas. All it takes is one wise-ass uploading a Tribble while in a compromising situation involving leather, chains and whipped cream to ruin it for everyone else.

Do you hear that? That's the sound of "Taps" being played for HDTV players and recorders. Toshiba has announced that, "it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders." Yes, it's true. Just like Beta was phased out in favor of VHS, HDTV has lost in its head to head battle with Blu-ray. As of March 2008, the manufacture of the hardware will cease, and production of HD DVD disk drives for PCs and games as well. The only exception, said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation are laptops. "[Toshiba] continues to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives."

Greetings, people reading this right now. Here's another collection of news and notes from the world of animation:

First of all, I'm still trying to figure out if the Aqua Teen movie is really going to debut on Adult Swim April 1, close to two weeks before its theatrical debut on April 13. I first noticed it on the schedule, and then started seeing it promoted during the Adult Swim block. If this is indeed a gag of some sort, they're playing it perfectly straight. I guess we shall all know soon enough. It's not as if creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis haven't messed with their viewer's heads before: they were hyping an Aqua Teen movie before they even knew if it was going to be made.

Man, I am so not a technophile. All of this high definition DVD talk just puts me to sleep. On the other hand, I have to stay somewhat aware of new developments so I'm not found crying in my apartment several years from now trying to play a Blu-Ray disc on my standard DVD player.

Right now Blu-Ray and HD DVD are in a race to see which high definition format comes out the victor. Some studios have been releasing content on both forms, while others have stuck to only one or the other. Recently, Warner Bros. said it would introduce the Total HD Disc. This new disc will hold both the HD DVD and Blu-Ray format.

Is it possible that in our desire to forge ahead into the future we'll become so sick of trying to keep up with new ways of viewing the same old stuff that we'll actually just throw everything aside and start listening to transistor radio and attending operas? I'm hanging on to my old Victrola just in case.