My Say on Blu-ray

Call Kurtis: Blu Ray Warranty

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:17:47 GMT

CALL KURTIS FINDS A BLU-RAY COMPANY THAT DOES THE RIGHT THING FOR A CUSTOMER!

Call Kurtis: Blu-Ray Warranty Woes

Reporting
Kurtis Ming

ROCKLIN, Calif. (CBS13) ?

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A Rocklin viewer is starved for her high-def movies. The Blu-ray player she bought less than a year ago stopped working. And when the manufacturer wouldn't honor its one-year warranty she called on Kurtis Ming.

The hole in Kimberley Hefner's entertainment center is where her Blu-ray player was until five months ago.

Her movies and music just haven't been the same since.

"Yeah, the sound just isn't quite there" she says while smiling and holding a small boom box.

In June, Kim shipped her Blu-ray disc player back to the manufacturer, Panasonic, for warranty repair.

She'd only had it six months when it stopped working, so movies would have to wait.

In a few weeks Panasonic replaced hers with a refurbished model, but it didn't work either.

Back it went to Panasonic.

Then Panasonic informed her she'd have to pay for parts this time.

"It was gonna cost $89. And I told them that was ridiculous."

They told her they didn't have the parts because it was so old.

"I said so old? I bought it in January"

Then they told her she'd misused it.

"And I said misused? I said it never worked."

But Panasonic insisted she pay for repairs.

"Eh, that's outrageous."

By now it's July, and her player still had five months of its original warranty left, and it applies to the replacement player too; she'd had enough of Panasonic.

"I said with the service I've gotten from you guys and everything, I said I will not buy another Panasonic product."

Now it's our turn.

We emailed Panasonic's corporate office giving them the details of Kimberley's case and supporting documentation.

That same day they replied, saying that they would "...be processing an exchange to a new model... we have also offered her support if she needs assistance setting up her new unit when it arrives."

That was a Friday, and on Monday: "It's more than I could have hoped for, even."

Panasonic delivered not a Blu-ray player, but an entirely new, upgraded home theater system.

Out comes the first staple from the box, then another.

"Ah, two down" she says, smiling wide.

"Whoa, look at this."

She's like a kid on Christmas morning.

"I'll definitely buy Panasonic next time."

It looks like Panasonic saved a customer.

They really went above and beyond, quickly, but only after we contacted them; that shouldn't have to happen.

Here is what California's consumer law says about warranties:

California Civil Code section 1793.1. (2).
"A buyer of this product in California has the right to have this product serviced or repaired during the warranty period. The warranty period will be extended for the number of whole days that the product has been out of the buyer's hands for warranty repairs. If a defect exists within the warranty period, the warranty will not expire until the defect has been fixed. The warranty period will also be extended if the warranty repairs have not been performed due to delays caused by circumstances beyond the control of the buyer, or if the warranty repairs did not remedy the defect and the buyer notifies the manufacturer or seller of the failure of the repairs within 60 days after they were completed. If, after a reasonable number of attempts, the defect has not been fixed, the buyer may return this product for a replacement or a refund subject, in either case, to deduction of a reasonable charge for usage. This time extension does not affect the protections or remedies the buyer has under other laws."

Sherlock

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:31:00 GMT

I recieved this Blu-ray in the mail this morning.. and wasn't terribly enthused...

...until I saw the trailer!! Wow!! This actually looks very cool!!

Sherlock Holmes stalks again in a thrilling contemporary version of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the go-to consulting detective in 21st century London, with Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Dr. John Watson, and Rupert Graves as the long suffering Inspector Lestrade. Fast-paced, funny, and surreally true to the hero's fantastic gifts for deduction.

Warner Home Video, in conjunction with BBC Video, has announced Sherlock: Season One for Blu-ray release on November 9, shortly after premiering on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery. This contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), stars BAFTA-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson.

Special features include:

Audio commentaries
Making-of featurette
Pilot episode

The Search for Santa Paws

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:27:14 GMT

In the tradition of Disney's classic holiday tales comes a heartwarming movie about the power of giving and the true meaning of Christmas. Discover how the legendary friendship of Santa Claus and Santa Paws began in the inspiring original film, The Search For Santa Paws.

When Santa and his new best friend, Paws, discover that the boys and girls of the world have lost the spirit of the season, they take a trip to New York City. But after Santa loses his memory, it's up to Paws, a faithful orphan named Quinn (America's Got Talent's Kaitlyn Maher), her new friend Will (The Game Plan's Madison Pettis) and a wonderful group of magical talking dogs to save St. Nick and show the world what Christmas is really all about.

Blu-ray BONUS FEATURES:

1.78:1/1080p HD
French & Spanish Tracks
Animated Pop-Up Book. Santa Paws reads our new holiday story to the Buddies
Music Video with DC Talent Singing a the new Santa Paws Song
Bloopers and Deleted Scenes

Mrs Miracle

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 01:28:44 GMT

James Van Der Beek (TV's "Dawson's Creek") and Doris Roberts (TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond") star in this heartwarming charmer about family, faith and forgiveness. Overwhelmed widower Seth Webster (Van Der Beek) is searching for a housekeeper to help him with his rambunctious six-year-old twin sons. Mrs. Merkle (Roberts)—whom the boys call "Mrs. Miracle"—mysteriously appears and quickly becomes an irreplaceable nanny, chef, friend... and matchmaker. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes this whimsical holiday story filled with good tidings and great joy.

Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek) is a widowed father trying to raise a pair of unruly boys. When the twins drive off yet another nanny, he hires a kindly and angelic woman named Mrs. Merkle (Doris Roberts) to take care of their household. Before long, the twins are behaving less like feral beasts and more like well-behaved little gentlemen. And though he's still mourning the loss of his wife, Seth also shows a glimmer of hope. A romantic and upbeat film, Mrs. Miracle doesn't offer any amazing revelations or plot twists. Viewers often know what will happen before the characters do. But it is a satisfying and warm made-for-TV movie. And while it would certainly have been interesting, no, the romance isn't between Seth and Mrs. Merkle. Rather, Mrs. Merkle helps facilitate a burgeoning relationship between Seth and Reba Maxwell (Erin Karpluk), a comely woman who has been deeply hurt by love in the past as well. Van Der Beek plays his part well, with his patented subdued mannerisms. While the actor doesn't look much different than he did when he played the titular character in Dawson's Creek, he easily plays the dad role with the kind of believability that parents will recognize and relate to.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Z94WC0/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0061083461&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XKCXA06YRGER2RBSMWD

Elf: Ultimate Collector's Edition

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:51:35 GMT

This holiday season, it is better to give than to receive! Stuff your stockings with the magical comedy Elf, available in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Home Video October 26, 2010. This delightfully heartwarming and hilarious holiday tale has been supersized just in time for gift giving and loaded with fun holiday goodies that will spread holiday cheer and smiles… because smiling is Buddy’s favorite! The Elf Ultimate Collector’s Edition arrives in a collectible holiday tin filled with an Elf CD soundtrack sampler, a festive holiday stocking, gift tags and a magnetic picture frame (perfect for showing off those smiles). This is one Ultimate Collector’s Edition that will jingle everyone’s bells this holiday season!

Special features include:

Deleted scenes
Fact track reveals history, facts and trivia about the movie
Beyond the Movie featurettes: "Deck the Halls," "Christmas in Tinseltown," "Santa Mania," "Kids on Christmas"
All Access Pass featurettes: "Tag along with Will Ferrell," "How they made the North Pole," "Film School for Kids," "That's Wrap," "Lights, Camera, Puffin!"
Fun and Games: Buddy's Adventure Game, Elf Karaoke, Read-Along, Elf Karaoke and more.

Ramona and Beezus

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:48:25 GMT

Imagination runs wild this holiday with RAMONA AND BEEZUS. Plus, it’s double the trouble and twice as nice on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD with more Selena and Joey fun! Based on the best-selling books by Beverly Cleary, RAMONA AND BEEZUS bounces on to Blu-ray Disc with limited edition “imagination journal” and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment November 9.

Teen sensation Selena Gomez (“Hannah Montana,” “Wizards of Waverly Place”) teams up with newcomer Joey King in this delightful coming-of-age comedy based on the best-selling books by Beverly Cleary. Ramona (King) is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus (Gomez), who's just trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that anything’s possible when you believe in yourself and rely on each other.

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack with Exclusive Journal (Catalog #2267328)

Disc 1:

Blu-ray Disc with Theatrical Version
Show & Tell Film School - Tips and tricks on how kids can make their own movie
Deleted Scenes (7)
Gag Reel
My Ramona with author Beverly Cleary
A Day in the Life of Joey King
Selena & Joey Audition Footage
Fox Movie Channel Presents: Life After Film School w/Director Elizabeth Allen

Disc 2:

DVD with Theatrical Version
Gag Reel
Deleted Scenes (5)
My Ramona with author Beverly Cleary
Show & Tell Film School - Tips and tricks on how kids can make their own movie

Disc 3:

Digital Copy

Peanuts Holiday Collection

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:44:24 GMT

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Blu-ray

Peanuts Collection / Blu-ray + DVD
Warner Bros. | 1966 | 25 min | Not rated | Sep 07, 2010

Will this Halloween be the one when the Great Pumpkin comes? Longtime believer Linus thinks so - and keeps watch all night in the pumpkin patch to welcome him. Charlie Brown gets into the spooky spirit too, dressing up as a ghost...

Animation / Family

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Blu-ray

Peanuts Collection / Blu-ray + DVD
Warner Bros. | 1973 | 25 min | Not rated | Sep 07, 2010

The fun begins when Peppermint Patty invites herself and her pals to Charlie Brown's house for a REALLY big turkey party. Good grief! All our hero can cook is cold cereal and maybe toast. Is Charlie Brown doomed? Not when Linus,...

Animation / Family

A Charlie Brown Christmas Blu-ray

Peanuts Collection / Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy
Warner Bros. | 1965 | 25 min | Rated G | Oct 06, 2009

Christmas lights may be twinkling red and green, but Charlie Brown has the Yuletide blues. To get in the holiday spirit, he takes Lucy's advice and directs the Christmas play. And what's a Christmas play without a Christmas...

Animation / Comedy / Family / Short

Scooby-Doo / Scooby-Doo 2

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:39:19 GMT

Laughs and scares aplenty are unleashed in these two popular live-action/computer-animation romps featuring Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Velma (Linda Cardellini) and that canine you-know-doo. The Mystery Inc. gang reunites in Scooby-Doo to find out what's behind the jinky-jittery goings-on at Spooky Island, the Spring Break hot spot run by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson). Scooby-Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed finds our heroes with their hands and paws full trying to find out why Coolsville is overrun with monsters the pals thought they'd defeated years earlier...but now the beastly beings are b-a-a-ack. Doo the fright thing, Scooby-Doo fans, and enjoy!

The Sound of Music

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:55:59 GMT

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment toasts the 45th anniversary of the five-time Academy Award®-winning The Sound Of Music with its highly anticipated Blu-ray Disc debut November 2. Starring Oscar® winner Julie Andrews in one of her most memorable roles, the film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical follows Maria, a spirited young woman who leaves a convent and becomes a governess to seven unruly children. Her charm and songs soon win the hearts of the children and their father but when Nazi Germany unites with Austria, Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family.

Meticulously Restored and Re-mastered , The Sound Of Music 45th Anniversary Edition is presented with new 7.1 audio and offers BD-LIVE: Live Lookup ™ Powered by IMDb®; Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration featuring a Sing-A-Long, behind-the-scenes images, trivia and a location quiz; A City of Song with a virtual map of filming locations and interactive tour of the movie’s locale of Salzburg, Austria; vintage programs including a hilarious send-up of The Sound of Music from Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews herself; an enchanting interview with the real Maria von Trapp on The Julie Andrews Hour; and, for the very first time in home entertainment format, a spectacular full-length documentary, Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of American Music, hosted by Mary Martin; and much more.

Perfect for at home or on the go, The Sound of Music is available in 3-Disc Blu-ray and DVD Combo Packs. For a limited time, The Sound of Music is also available in an individually numbered Limited Collector’s Set packaged in a keepsake box and featuring a 100-page “My Favorite Things” scrapbook, a 45th Anniversary Soundtrack, a reproduction of the original 1965 souvenir program, an exclusive hand-painted “My Favorite Things” music box and more.

A perfect holiday gift, the set is priced at $89.99 U.S./ $99.99 Canada. The Blu-ray/DVD combo packs are attractively priced at $34.99 U.S. / $37.99 Canada, allowing fans the best of both viewing and value added options.

The Sound of Music will also be made available day and date for digital download across several EST platforms. The Sound of Music is available on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com) as an iTunes Extras, which includes a sing-a-long version of the movie and more than 180 minutes of behind the scenes material.

Directed by Robert Wise and co-starring Christopher Plummer, the film garnered five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. A heartwarming story full of cherished songs such as “My Favorite Things,” “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” “Edelweiss” and the title song, the film graces six different Top 100 lists by the American Film Institute including Musicals, Songs and Movies.

The Sound Of Music 45th Anniversary Limited Edition Collection is just one aspect of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s yearlong campaign to honor the studio’s 75th birthday. This year the division will debut several select fan-favorites on Blu-ray for the first time ever including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Last of the Mohicans and the Alien Anthology.

A Christmas Carol

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:53:32 GMT

Ebenezer Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk and his cheery nephew. But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye- opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

From Walt Disney Pictures comes the magical retelling of Charles Dickens' beloved tale, Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the high-flying, heartwarming adventure for the whole family, starring Jim Carrey. When three ghosts take penny-pinching Scrooge on an eye-opening journey, he discovers the true meaning of Christmas -- but he must act on it before it's too late. Complete with spirited bonus features, this exhilarating and touching Disney classic is destined to be part of your holiday tradition, adding sparkle and heart to all your Christmases yet to come.

4 Discs – 3d Bluray, Bluray, DVD, Digital Copy

1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Capturing A Christmas Carol, On Set with Sammi, and Deleted scenes.

Blu-ray exclusives include: BonusView: Behind the Carol – the full motion capture experience and Countdown to Christmas Interactive Calendar anc certain deleted scenes.

The Blu-ray 3D disc will also have an exclusive called ‘Scrooge’s Wild Ride.’