20th Century Fox to release its first Dolby Vision UHD Blu-ray

20th Century Fox to release its first Dolby Vision UHD Blu-ray

22 May 2019 | Rasmus Larsen |

20th Century Fox, a founding member of the HDR10+ alliance, will release Alita Battle Angel as its first UHD Blu-ray in Dolby Vision after having opposed Dolby's format for its first 100 4K releases.

Mandated by Disney or Cameron?

Fox has released over 100 movies in 4K, most with HDR. Alita Battle Angel will be the first home entertainment title in Dolby Vision HDR format. Not only that: the disc will also include the mandatory HDR10 base format as well as HDR10+.

It marks a shift and means that all major Hollywood studios have now released movies in Dolby Vision for home entertainment use. It is also notable because Disney took ownership of 21st Century Fox, including film studio 20th Century Fox, just two months ago.

It is hard to say with confidence if the two events are related because Disney has so far remained mum on the matter. It is still unclear exactly how Disney is planning to consume Fox but we know that Disney immediately ousted Fox's chief technology officer, Fox's president of product strategy, and the leader of Fox Innovation Lab, Danny Kaye, who was a spokesperson for the HDR10+ alliance.

Or perhaps it was mandated by James Cameron who together with Jon Landau and Robert Rodriguez created Alita Battle Angel. Cameron has previously said that Avatar and Titanic are being remastered in Dolby Vision. Both titles are distributed by 20th Century Fox.

The inclusion of HDR10+ is probably considered a mitigating factor in all of this. By having both premium HDR formats on the disc, the inclusion of Dolby Vision will not affect owners of HDR10+ capable TVs.

Whatever the case may be, Dolby Vision is building momentum while the HDR10+ alliance seems to be coming apart at the seams. Another founding member of the alliance, Panasonic, announced earlier this year that almost its full line-up of 2019 TVs will be Dolby Vision capable, in addition to having support for HDR10+. Philips, an early backer of HDR10+, has also embraced Dolby Vision. Only Samsung is sticking to HDR10+ exclusively.

As for Alita Battle Angel, the release will also include Dolby Atmos audio. It will be available on UHD Blu-ray on July 23, 2019, and for streaming two weeks earlier on July 9. It is available for pre-order on amazon.com.

Alita: Battle Angel - UHD Blu-ray specs

Screen Format: 16:9 (2.39:1) HDR Formats for 4K UHD: Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 Audio for 4K UHD: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 2.0, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1 Subtitles for 4K UHD: English SDH, Spanish, French Audio for Blu-ray 3D: English DTS-HD-MA 7.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1 Subtitles for Blu-ray 3D: English SDH, Spanish, French Total Run Time: Approximately 122 minutes U.S. Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language
Special features - Alita’s World – get a deeper look into the world of Alita: Battle Angel with these dynamic motion comics. -- The Fall – a look back at the terrible war that almost destroyed two planets and set the stage for the cyborg warrior Alita’s return 300 years later. -- Iron City – Hugo gives a guided tour of the Iron City he knows, showing off its dark corners and broken-down neighborhoods. -- What it Means to be a Cyborg – hunter-warrior Zapan tracks his mark across Iron City while musing about what it means to be a cyborg. -- Rules of the Game – A high-octane “crash course” in Motorball, introducing the rules, game-play, and the top-ranked players and their arsenal of weapons. - From Manga to Screen – a behind-the-scenes look into the origins of Yukito Kishiro’s beloved manga, “Gunnm,” and the long road to bring it to life on the big screen. - Evolution of Alita – how Alita was brought to life, from the casting of Rosa Salazar, to performance capture, and final VFX by WETA Digital. - Motorball – go inside Iron City’s favorite pastime, from the origins and evolution of the sport, to rules on how the game is played. - James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez and cast Q&A moderated by Jon Landau. - Robert Rodriguez’s 10 Minute Cooking School: Chocolate – a cooking lesson on how to make delicious chocolate like that seen in the movie. 2005 Art Compilation (2019) – James Cameron’s original compilation of concept art for the then-titled “Battle Angel: Alita,” presented with new voiceover and music. - Scene Deconstruction – view three different stages of the production – the original live-action performance capture, the animation stage, and the final Weta VFX from four different scenes -- I Don’t Even Know My Own Name -- Just an Insignificant Girl -- I’m a Warrior Aren’t I? -- Kansas Bar