New Harry Potter film gets HD DVD and Blu-ray release

What will the wizard bring to the format war?

12 November 2007 13:13 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix make its debut in high-definition on 12th November 2007 from Warner Home Video.

Boasting razor-sharp, crystal clear images and uncompressed, cinema quality surround sound, the HD DVD and Blu-ray editions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix claim to bring Hogwarts to life in a way never seen before.

As well as extra scenes and behind-the-scenes footage, all available to watch in high-definition, the HD DVD disc also comes with "In-Movie" technology.

This allows fans to watch the films’ cast share memorable moments and personal perspectives whilst the movie is running with its picture-in-picture feature.

In addition, the web-enabled features on the HD DVD disc offer interactivity by allowing Harry Potter fans to pick their favourite scenes, assemble the clips into a montage and create their own personalised trailers. They can then share their montages online, via the HD DVD players’ internet connection, with other owners of the HD DVD disc.

Fans can scan, select and download images, wallpapers and ringtones to send to their mobile phones, whilst the Live Community Screening feature enables viewers to create, organise and invite their friends into virtual screening parties.

The HD DVD disc certainly offers more features, so it will be interesting to see which of the two formats the movie sells better on ... We'll keep you informed.