Rumor Has It...: HD DVD And DVD Combo Format Disc Review

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Title: Rumor Has It…: HD DVD And DVD Combo Format

Region: One For DVD Side Only

Media: HD DVD/DVD Hybrid

Genre: Drama Comedy

Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins, and Mena Suvari

Writer: T.M. Griffin

Director: Rob Reiner

Feature length: 97 minutes

Extras: Theatrical Trailer

HD DVD Languages: English and French (Dubbed In Quebec) Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound

HD DVD Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and English, French and Spanish Language Subtitles

DVD Languages: English and French Language (Dubbed In Quebec) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

DVD Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Elite Red HD Case

Chapter Stops: 25

HD DVD Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound

DVD Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2005/HD DVD/DVD Release: 2006

Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

The first new HD DVD title of a first time to video new release theatrical film is Warner Home Video’s “Rumor Has It…” which has been released separately on DVD in both anamorphic widescreen and pan and scan and on HD DVD as a combo format with the HD DVD version on one side and the DVD version on the other. This gives consumers that have already invested in the HD DVD format the chance to share the film with others who may still not have upgraded to HD DVD by giving them a DVD version to share and or watch in another room of one’s home where there may only be a standard definition DVD player. For those who are saving up for an HD DVD player, but interested in buying a title or more to have ready when they take the plunge, having an HD DVD and DVD combo disc is smart and I hope Warner Home Video as well as the other studios will take this option into consideration when releasing future first time day and date film titles to both formats. To view the HD DVD version one inserts the disc with the print side up and to view the DVD version one need only to insert the DVD into the player with the print side down. It’s that simple. An insert detailing this information can be found within the Red Elite HD Disc Case.

The premise of “Rumor Has It…” borrows from the idea that perhaps “The Graduate” was actually based loosely on a real event. For Jennifer Aniston’s character, who returns to Pasadena from New York with her fiancé (played by Mark Ruffalo) to attend her sister’s wedding, the possibility begins to take hold of her on a number of levels. While all of her younger sister’s have platinum blond hair, she has a more traditional shade of blond mixed in a bit with some dark hairs, not exactly dirty blond, but definitely not nearly as light as her sister’s hair. Her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine in a scene stealing role) does not make her concerns any better as she makes the acquaintance of a gentleman (Kevin Costner) who has an unorthodox shared family history with both her grandmother and late mother. Could he really be her father?

Directed by Rob Reiner, the film starts off well, but somehow loses its way and becomes a bit too predictable at times. The whole Pasadena line may be something one can only appreciate if they are from Pasadena, but I could not help but think what someone from another part of Los Angeles, say Watts for example, might say to the whole “Are you from LA?” questioning thing…I mean not everyone in Manhattan lives on the Upper East or West Side yet there are people born in Manhattan and who live all about the city in various areas of differing economic stature. Sometimes I think a drama comedy that obviously involves upwardly mobile people who can afford a fancy home in Pasadena or to rent an apartment on the Upper West or East Sides of Manhattan can be a little alienating since now I think most people live more modestly. There’s nothing wrong with escaping to a fantasy of American life, but in the end we need a character that can ground the viewer into this world and the bottom line is there is no one in this film that seems particularly relatable to anyone who makes below six figures a year after taxes and grew up in a household where that economic security was the norm.

Short of not having a separate HD DVD and DVD disc to compare side by side, I found watching the HD DVD version of “Rumor Has It…” to literally be an eye opening experience because after watching 97 minutes of a film in 1080i high definition, switching the disc to the other side and seeing the film upconverted from 480p to 1080i revealed just how better the picture resolution of HD DVD is over standard definition DVD. The detail and colors on the HD DVD side are simply clearer and more vibrant and I actually think this film is a good demo disc as well because it shows a viewer the improvements HD DVD has over standard definition DVD with a film that does not depend on special effects or fast paced action. So the cliché that effects films always look better on optical disc does not apply here because this is a dramatic comedy. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack also is fuller than the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack on the standard DVD side. Thus in my opinion “Rumor Has It…” on HD DVD is superior to the DVD version in terms of picture and sound quality and I urge anyone who buys or rents this disc to watch the HD DVD version and then flip the disc over and check out the DVD version to see the difference.

The HD DVD side also features a French Language (Dubbed In Quebec) Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles. The standard definition DVD side comparably has a French Language (Dubbed In Quebec) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack with English Closed Captions for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and English, French and Spanish Language Subtitles too. The trailer for “Rumor Has It…” (2:24) also is included on both sides in their respective native resolutions while the Warner Home Video HD DVD promo (2:00) remains exclusive to the HD DVD side and a montage of Superman movies and programs culminating in the teaser for “Superman Returns” (3:36) and DVD trailers for “Just Friends” (: 31) and “Friends: Seasons One Through 10” (1:01) are exclusive to the standard resolution DVD side.

The fully interactive menus on the HD DVD side work fine while the interactive menus on the DVD side are still frames and both are easy to navigate. “Rumor Has It…: HD DVD And DVD Combo Format” is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.

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