CBS Home Entertainment has lowered the cloaking device on one of the worst kept secrets in home entertainment by announcing Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) will begin a multiple-year deployment on Blu-ray Disc in 2012. When all is said and done, all 178 episodes of Star Trek: TNG will be available on Blu-ray.
The first Star Trek: TNG Blu-ray release is coming on January 31, 2012. It’s a four-episode sampler called ‘The Next Level’ which will include the show’s pilot ‘Encounter at Farpoint’ in its entirety, along with ‘Sins of the Father’ from season 3 and ‘The Inner Light’ from season 5. This set carries an SRP of $21.99, and you can check out a cover art and trailer for it below.
Sometime later in 2012, most likely around the holidays, CBS Home Entertainment will release Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1 on Blu-ray. Pricing and an exact release date for this set are not likely to be available until next spring at the earliest.
Every episode of Star Trek: TNG has been remastered for Blu-ray from the original film negatives, with every episode being edited together so they appear exactly as they did when originally broadcast between 1987 and 1994.
Visual effects, however, will come from the original negatives. They will be recompositioned so in theory they should look the same, only clearer. Audio across the board will be 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Amazon.com hasn’t started taking pre-orders for Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level yet, but I’ll share that information when it’s available.
Source: StarTrek.com
