As early adopters like me slug through the viscously painful world of making HD disc players like Blu-ray and HD DVD work we are learning quickly that not all discs are created or should I say selected equally. While some titles truly shine like the God-awful film XXX on Blu-ray or The Last Samurai on HD DVD many other choice selections leave consumers longing for better picture quality.

Warner Bros. Entertainment has re-acquired the distribution rights to the 1982 Ridley Scott film Blade Runner. They are planning to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary with numerous re-releases.

While early HD-DVD adopters who have picked up their copies of discs such as “Goodfellas,” “The Last Samurai” and “The Phantom of the Opera” scour the globe for players that are harder to find than the Xbox 360 during Christmas of 2005, Sony’s Blu-ray format has hit its own speed bump.

I was recently invited to an impressive demonstration of Blu-ray technology on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. The reason for the event was to celebrate the announcement of the first 20 titles and players but the two hour demonstration outlined much more about the format and what is can do. Take it from me – the format can do plenty.

Sony Pictures has announced the first titles for the Blu-ray format will be available in stores May 23, 2006. These titles include: 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight’s Tale, The Last Waltz, Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX. The second offering titles will be available on June 13, 2006 and will include Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall, Robocop, Stealth, Species, SWAT and Terminator. Other titles to be released include Blackhawk Down, Bridge on the River Kwai and possibly others in the near future.