Bandai’s ‘Freedom’ First U.S. Twin Disc

By Geoff Duncan March 21, 2007

The first triple-layer HD DVD/DVD Twin disc is slated to hit the North American market on June 26…and its not a blockbuster title from a major Hollywood studio. Bandai Visual has announced that its popular anime title Freedom will hit North American and Japanese retailers on June 26 (PDF) making it the first HD DVD/DVD Twin disc to reach consumers. Although a few titles have been released with HD DVD data on one side and standard DVD on the other, the Twin disc format offer three layers on the same side of the disc, and any of those layers can hold either HD DVD or standard DVD content.

The Twin disc will be the first time Freedom has been available to North American audiences; the action-filled, sci-fi story focuses on a youth whose actions threaten the security and peace of Eden, a city on the surface of the moon which happens to be the last human settlement. Freedom has also been used in a series of ads promoting Nissin ramen noodles…so you know it has to be quick and salty.

Bandai says it has been woking with Microsoft and Memory-Tech Corporation to optimize the VC-1 compression coden for Japanese anime so Freedom’s visuals are sharp and clear, and will be among the first titles to incorporate HDi technology, which Bandai hopes to leverage to provide new ways to enjoy the title as well as offer value-added products.

Expect Freedom to be available June 26 for a suggested price of $39.99; it’ll be in Japanese with English subtitles.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

First non-Samsung Tizen OS TVs are here, but not in the U.S.

samsung s95b oled tv review qn65s95b tizen interface

Samsung today announced that it's going to license its implementation of Tizen OS — which was itself born from the Linux Foundation in 2012 — to a number of television manufacturers starting this year. That's hardly an aberration, of course. Roku and Amazon Fire TV each license their operating systems to various manufacturers (and Amazon just started making its own branded TVs in the Omni series), and LG's webOS has gotten into the game, too. You also can find Google TV on a number of sets.

But don't look for the Tizen OS on any familiar TVs in the United States anytime soon. The first brands to get Tizen are Akai, Bauhn, and Linsar — all found in Australia — and are available now. Other TVs from the likes of RCA, Vispera, and Axen will hit Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom later this year.

Deals

How to watch The Kardashians for free (legally) in the U.S.

The Kardashian family poses for a photo.

Keen to see what the Kardashians are up to next? Right now, you can sign up to a free one-month trial of Hulu to catch up on the latest series of The Kardashians without paying a dime. Entirely legal, if you've been thinking about trying out Hulu for a while, this is the ideal time to get started.

The Kardashians is a brand-new series that promises you an all-access pass into the life of the famous family. Viewers are able to see the truth behind the headlines as they follow the lives of Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie.

Audio / Video

HBO Max, TNT and TBS get U.S. Soccer matches starting in 2023

U.S. Soccer and Turner Sports.

WarnerMedia today announced that Turner Sports has come to an eight-year agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation that will bring more than 20 matches to TNT, TBS and HBO Max. The deal covers both the Men's and Women's National Team (the latter of which has won the World Cup four times since 1991, including the last two).

Half of the games will be seen on TBS or TNT, which are available on pretty much every cable, satellite and streaming service. Those matches also will be streamed on HBO Max. The other half of the slate will be exclusively on HBO Max.