As well as the U.S,, the iPhone 4 is currently available in France, Germany, Japan, and the UK for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model.

The phone has sold over 3 millions units since its June 24 release. And, although the phone has received rave reviews for improvements in video recording (HD 720p at 30 fps), slimmer design, Netflix support, and cameras on both sides allowing “Facetime” with parties on the other end, the iPhone 4 has not been without complaints from customers about wireless  reception.

Apple’s Steve Jobs announced they will offer free bumper cases to improve reception and issue refunds for customers who already bought the cases.

The Universal Studios title will be released as a Blu-ray Hi-Def Combo Pack – which includes a hi-def Blu-ray Disc, DVD (standard-def), and digital copy of the film — great for loading on your laptop or portable media player.

The Blu-ray Disc will include both the theatrical and director’s cut of the film, filmmaker commentaries, behind-the-scenes interviews and deleted scenes (we love those!).

An interactive “Director’s Notebook” is also offered exclusively on the Blu-ray Disc, taking you from production design through special effects, giving you an insiders look at the directing style of Ridley Scott.

Robin Hood is presented in 2:40:1 widescreen aspect ratio on a single-sided BD-50. Audio formats include DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DVS DD 2.0. Total run time is 2 Hours 21 Minutes.

Click here for full Blu-ray specs and extras included on the disc.

We’ll get the package art posted as soon as it becomes available.

“The Book of Eli,” “Bounty Hunter,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “Green Zone” are a few of the BD titles currently available at Redbox kiosks, although the number of Blu-ray titles and selection will vary by location.

Redbox kiosks hold 200 titles, with multiple copies totaling 630 discs per kiosk. Movies can be selected onsite, online at redbox.com, or by using the iPhone application.

Redbox recently struck deals with Universal Studios Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, allowing Redbox to put new releases in kiosks 28 days after DVD/Blu-ray release.

A Digital Entertainment Group study says there have been 19.4 million Blu-ray Disc players sold so far. In the first half of this year sales increased 103%.

I love the looks of this new camera from Panasonic. It’s a consumer level camcorder that records in full HD 1080p but when a 3D conversion lens is used records left and right eye images simultaneously at 960 x 1080 pixels each. The HDC-SDT750 uses Panasonic’s pro broadcast technology developed through Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory and makes 3D image creation affordable.

Other hot spots include time lapse recording (so you can record a flower blooming or a building being constructed), 5.1-channel audio recording that actually uses five microphones, 7.59 million effective motion image pixels (2.53 megapixels x 3) from the camera’s 3MOS chip, and a large-diameter (46mm) F1.5 Leica Dicomar lens (which stops down to 3.2 when using the 3D conversion lens).

In normal HD mode the SDT750 can shoot 1,080/60p (Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080, 60 progressive recording) with no loss of detail and no flickering, making this a nice prosumer HD camcorder as well.

The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 will be available October 2010 with an MSRP of $1,399.95.

Want more info? Read the full press release from Panasonic.

All Charter Internet Ultra60 customers have free access to EPIX online content through December 31.

“We’ve had a great time following the GGW camera crews all over the country, on the search for the Hottest Girl in America,” said Mark Cuban, chairman and co-founder of HDNet. “Now, we’re anxious to see who wins the crown!”

Joe Francis (CEO of Girls Gone Wild) said, “We’ve had great fun with this show and can’t wait for next Thursday’s announcement. Crowning the Hottest Girl in America is important for us, because she will represent the Girls Gone Wild brand around the world for the next year.”

HDNet was launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin. HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom and Verizon FiOS.

TV legal drama Damages will be moving exclusively to DirecTV. The Sony Pictures/FX production will air 20 new episodes during 2011 and 2012 on DirecTV’s 101 network. DirecTV also gained distribution rights for seasons 1 through 3. Damages stars Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, with episodes also including William Hurt, Lily Tomlin, Martin Short and Ted Danson. Damages broadcasts in 1080i HD and Dolby Digital 5.1.

MU-TH-UR Mode is a new interactive mode that provides special features and an index of content on all six discs, which in this case includes over 60 hours of special features and over 12,000 images.

The Blu-ray Disc set includes 2 versions of each film and over four hours of previously unreleased exclusive material such as Sigourney Weaver’s original screentests for Alien, unseen deleted scenes, thousands of still photographs from the Fox archives, and the previously unseen original cut of “Wreckage and Rage: The Making of ALIEN3.”

Amazon is currently offering the Alien Anthology for $42 off the MSRP of $139.99. Customers who pre-order also get $4 credit towards other purchases. Amazon also guarantees you will receive the lowest price listed before it ships.

Click here for full disc specs and features available in the Alien Anthology.

Stallone releases this week include Rambo (Extended Cut) (2008), Rambo: The Complete Collector’s Set (containing all Rambo films from 1982-2008) and Lock Up (1989).

And, for you Broadway goers there is the release of Victor Victoria (1995 Broadway Production), a videotaped musical performance based on the 1982 film which stars Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, Rachel York, Michael Nouri and directed by Blake Edwards.

One more disc worth mentioning. If you are any kind of Mickey Rourke fan you may have seen Johnny Handsome (1989) which is a great Rourke film and also stars a few unknowns by the names of Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, and the one and only Morgan Freeman.

Here’s a list of some of the more mentionable Blu-ray titles this week. Check out all the Blu-ray releases for July 27, 2010.

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”

“Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)”

“Rambo (Extended Cut)”

“Batman: Under the Red Hood”

“Batman: Under the Red Hood (Amazon Exclusive Limited Edition with Litho Cel)”

“Repo Men (Unrated)”

“Ip Man (Collector’s Edition)”

“G.I. Joe: The Movie (Special Edition)”

“Stargate Universe – SGU: Season 1.5″

“Fanboys”

“Rambo: The Complete Collector’s Set”

“Lock Up”

“Battlestar Galactica: Season Three”

On October 19th, Apocalypse Now will premiere for the first time in high-definition on Blu-ray Disc in two deluxe editions: a 2-Film Set and 3-disc Full Disclosure Edition. Coppola supervised the new high-definition transfers.

The 2-Film Set will include both Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux and will also include over nine hours of special features. The Full Disclosure Edition will include the seminal making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness, a 48-page collectible booklet and storyboard, photo and marketing archives.

The Conversation (1974) and Tetro (2009) will also be released by Lionsgate under the agreement.

“With their expertise in the home entertainment marketplace, we consider Lionsgate to be the perfect partner to distribute some of my most enduring films,” said Francis Ford Coppola.

“We are thrilled to be in business with Francis Ford Coppola, one of the greatest filmmakers of our time,” said Lionsgate President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Steve Beeks.

Meanwhile, shareholder Carl Icahn “blasts” Lionsgate for debt-equity swap which reduced the owner’s stake in the company. Read more on this story at Home Media Magazine.

“We’ve heard from customers that they can’t get enough HD and multicultural programming, so we’re excited to exponentially increase our offering of those networks and give even more value to our customers as part of our digital upgrade,” said Curt Henninger, Senior VP of Comcast’s California Region.

Starting July 29, the new programming will be available in the following cities: Fresno, Clovis, Coalinga, Del Rey, Dinuba, Dos Palos, Exeter, Farmersville, Firebaugh, Fowler, Friant, Hanford, Huron, Kerman, Kingsburg, Lemoore, Madera, Mendota, Parlier, Pinedale, Porterville, Reedley, Riverdale, San Joaquin, Sanger, Selma, Tulare and Visalia. 

On Friday, July 30th, the new programming will be available in: Merced, Atwater, Crows Landing, Grayson, Gustine, Los Banos, Santa Nella and Winton.

Comcast is also launching 14 international premium networks and three standard definition channels that include Ovation TV, The Africa Channel, and Retirement Living.

The new HD channels will include:  BET HD, Biography Channel HD, Bravo HD, Cartoon Network HD, CBS Sports HD, CMT HD, CNBC HD, CNN Headline News HD, Comedy Central HD, Disney XD HD, E! HD, Encore HD, ESPN News HD, ESPNU HD, Fox News Channel HD, Fuse HD, FX-West HD, G4 HD, Hallmark Channel HD, Hallmark Movie Channel HD, HBO Comedy HD, HBO Latino HD, HBO Zone HD, HSN HD, IFC HD, Lifetime HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD, MGM HD, MSNBC HD, MTV HD,  NBA League Pass Team HD, NBA TV HD, NHL Network HD, Nickelodeon HD, Outdoor Channel HD, Planet Green HD, QVC HD, Showtime Too HD, Speed HD, Spike HD, Starz Comedy HD, Starz Edge HD, Starz Kids and Family HD, Style HD, TCM Turner Classic Movies HD, Tennis Channel HD, Thriller MAX HD, ActionMAX HD, Travel Channel HD, truTV HD, TV One HD, VH1 HD, WE HD, The Weather Channel HD, and two NHL/MLB League Pass HD networks.

Two more 3D channels have been added (in addition to ESPN 3D). 1 DIRECTV Cinema 3D and n3D are, of course, high-definition channels but require a 3D setup including capable receiver, 3D TV and 3D glasses.

DIRECTV Cinema HD channels are pay-per-view channels that are normally $5.99 per high-definition title. Movies are available day-and-date with DVD releases and start every 30-minutes.

DirecTV also has a few part-time HD channels which include: ESPN 3D, FS Cincinnati HD, and FS Ohio HD.

Below is a list of 14 additional high-definition channels now available on DirecTV.

Encore East HD
Hallmark Channel HD
HBO2 East HD
HBO Zone HD
Lifetime HD
n3D
Showtime Beyond HD
Showtime Next HD
Showtime Women HD
Starz Cinema HD
CSN Bay Area HD
CSN California HD
FS Florida HD
1 DIRECTV Cinema 3D

Here is a full list of HD channels on DirecTV.

You can probably blame the companies involved: DirecTV, Dish Network, and Rainbow Media (who owns AMC) for failing to come to a financial agreement to run the network in high-definition. One would think if there is an agreement already in place for the standard-definition feed that an addition of the HD feed would just be a step away. But this is not the case.

DirecTV has recently added other HD networks as well as three 3D channels to their lineup, but AMC HD is not one of them. Dish Network recently launched a new satellite to enable even more HD channels, but also has not come to an agreement with Rainbow Media. Dish was recently forced to drop several Disney HD channels, with Disney saying there never was an agreement in place to distribute the high-def feeds.

The fourth season of Mad Men will premiere July 25 at 10PM | 9C.

Things will remain the same for the Wii system, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who did not announce any planned app for the console. “At this point the Wii’s forecast will still remain a disk based model,” Reed said.

While Netflix shares dropped July 22 after the earnings report was released, the company ended the second quarter of 2010 with approximately 15,001,000 total subscribers, representing 42 percent year-over-year growth from 10,599,000 total subscribers at the end of the second quarter of 2009.

The new 2010 screenshot looks much cooler (in color temperature) than the original Blu-ray, but the sharpness and level of detail are far greater. Gone is the digital noise reduction (DNR) that was attempting to hide film grain but really just made the film look like mush.

After news of the remastered Blu-ray got out Paramount was apparently flooded with calls from Gladiator fans in the U.S. who want the newly remastered 4k transfer as well. And, Paramount has responded by promising to issue replacement Blu-ray Discs in exchange for the original discs. Although Paramount believes the first issue was of the highest quality, they have listened to film and video purists who didn’t like all the edge enhancing. Paramount had this to say:

“We are implementing a limited exchange program. This program is only for those consumers that may have preferential issues with some of the technical DVNR (digital video noise reduction) and EE (edge enhancement) choices made in the original source transfer, and so would prefer to exchange it for one that addresses those preferences in a different manner.”

The studio added, “While the version that we originally distributed was of the highest quality, some enthusiasts may prefer to view it without the Edge Enhancement and DVNR implemented as standard process in bringing the film to hi-def. This new master resolves those issues.”

A hotline has been setup to contact Paramount Home Entertainment about exchanging the disc. Try calling 323-956-3010.

Thanks DigitalBits for being on top of this!

“Fans of the series are going to be thrilled to know that in NBA 2K11 Michael Jordan is much, much more than just a cover athlete,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We’re excited to start talking about the ways that Michael will be used in the game and there’s still a lot more to come.”

As Michael Jordan, you be able to score 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers as he did in March of 1990. You’ll also be able to defeat the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1997 finals, even while suffering from the flu. And, you’ll be able to play Jordan’s last game as a Bull on June 14, 1998.

The Jordan Challenge mode will allow gamers to play as the Chicago Bulls from several different years, including ‘85-’86, ’89-’90, ’90-’91, ’94-’95, ’95-’96, ’96-’97, and ’97-’98.

Supported media formats in the PX-B120U include DVD+ /- R, DVD +/-RW, DVD +/- R DL, DVD-RAM and CD-R.

In addition to BD playback on a PC, Plextor will soon release a device called PlexMedia which will enable Blu-ray playback on HDTVs. “The PX-B120U is great for on-the-go viewing and can also serve as the Blu-ray player at home,” said Christine Hsing, Marketing Manager at Plextor.

The Plextor PX-B120U (now available in the U.S.) comes with a sticker price of $99.99.

Plextor produces other electronics such as solid state drives, Blu-ray Disc writers, home network storage solutions, and DVD drives.

Via Home Media Magazine, Newell says he added layers upon layers into the theatrical release the film, rather than cutting footage out, because that is how a Jerry Bruckheimer film (the film’s producer) would be made.

However, Newell responded to the lack of deleted and extra footage saying, “we always add things that are fun and interesting for you guys to look at.”

Bruckheimer has had a recent run of film “duds” including a weak theatrical opening for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and other recent films “G-Force” and “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” But even though an LA Times blog says “the knives are out for the veteran producer,” “Prince of Persia” has made $325.7 million worldwide ($90M U.S.) on a $200M budget.

Does a lack of deleted scenes and extra footage influence whether you would buy a disc release or not?

Originally priced at $124.99, The Godfather – The Coppola Restoration Giftset on Blu-ray Disc has been reduced 64-percent down to $44.99. The 4-disc set contains deleted scenes, documentaries and featurettes, behind the scenes footage, commentaries and story boards.

Blu-ray Discs are presented in 1080p at 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Restoration experts worked frame-by-frame for over a year to bring the best quality from the original film materials. Audio is formatted in 24-bit TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. Total run time of the disc collection is 550 minutes.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the films star Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Marlon Brando, and Robert De Niro, James Caan, Robert Duvall — all delivering superb performances. The Godfather films won multiple Oscars and are regarded as some of the greatest films of all time.

The first two restored Godfather films on Blu-ray Disc have also been cut in price. The Godfather (Coppola Restoration) is now available for $15.99 (Reg. $29.99) and The Godfather Part II (Coppola Restoration) is now priced at $16.99 (Reg. $29.99). Why the second film is a buck more is a mystery but nevertheless a steal for one of the most celebrated films of all time.

Check out our Blu-ray Spotlight The Godfather – The Coppola Restoration Giftset now available for $44.99.