Bandai Visual will release Freedom Vol. 1, its first HD DVD title, simultaneously in the U.S. and Japan on June 26. The collection of episodes from the bestselling series will be available as a two-disc set containing both HD and standard DVD Editions, and will also be available online in Japan at www.dot-anime.com, an anime portal operated by Anime Channel Co. Ltd. Geneon Ent., Bandai Visual’s North American distributor, will handle the title in the U.S.
Freedom is a science-fiction series set on the moon’s surface and focuses on a youth whose actions threaten to shake the freedom and peace of the city of Eden, the last human settlement. Two volumes of the six-part series have been released so far in Japan and have seen more than 100,000 units shipped to date. The title has not yet been released in North America.
The Freedom HD release is the product to come out of a collaborative project of Bandai Visual, Memory-Tech Corp. and Microsoft to fine-tune the VC1 video codec specification to improve the visual quality of anime. After the title debuts, Bandai Visual will start releasing other HD DVD and Blu-ray titles in Japan, with plans to distribute overseas under its international label, Honneamise.
The twin disc release will also support interactive functions through an HDi network and will retail for $39.99. Further information will be available at www.bandaivisual.us/freedom and t www.myspace.com/honneamise.
Leave a Reply