Godfather Rules High Def Awards 2008

2008 High-Def Award Winners:

• Best of Show: The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Collection
• Best Theatrical Blu-ray: Iron Man
• Best Catalog Blu-ray: The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Collection
• Best Animated Blu-ray: Ratatouille
• Best Picture Quality: Ratatouille
• Best Audio Quality: Transformers
• Best Bonus Feature: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, "Enter the Maelstrom"
• Best Overall Extras: Heroes: Season 2
• Best Use of BD Live: Men in Black
• Best Collection/Multidisc Set: Harry Potter: Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set
• Best Nontheatrical Blu-ray: Stargate: Continuum
• Best Nonfiction Blu-ray: Step Into Liquid
• Judges' Special Citation — Best Demonstration Disc: I, Robot

LOS ANGELES — Despite joining the Blu-ray Disc camp just after the end of the format war this year, Paramount Home Entertainment scored huge wins at the second High-Def Disc Awards.

The studio’s new The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Collection Blu-ray boxed set won for best of show and best catalog title. The Marvel Studios production Iron Man won for best theatrical Blu-ray title, and DreamWorks’ Transformers Blu-ray won for best audio quality. It’s the second straight audio win for Transformers; the title won last year with its HD DVD version.

The High-Def Disc Awards luncheon was part of HD-3, a one-day conference held Nov. 11 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. HD-3 was produced by Home Media Magazine in cooperation with The Hollywood Reporter.

A panel of critics determined the winners from submissions of Blu-ray Disc titles released between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Ratatouille also took home two awards, for best picture quality and best animated title.

Because of Blu-ray’s high storage capacity and potential for extensive extras, three awards were devoted to bonus materials. Best overall extras went to Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Heroes: Season 2 Blu-ray boxed set. Best single bonus feature went to the “Enter the Maelstrom” visual effects breakdown on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. A new category, best use of BD Live, was won by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Men in Black.

To highlight the synergy of Blu-ray Disc players with home entertainment systems, judges bestowed a special award to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s I, Robot, calling it an ideal disc to demonstrate the capabilities of an HDTV.