Highlander: The Series - Ship Date, Detailed Tech Specs, New Extras, Cost for Season 2 and 3 on Blu-ray

In mid-December we broke the news that Davis-Panzer would be working on Blu-ray Disc releases of Highlander: The Series - Season 2 and Highlander: The Series - Season 3, with both expected to be available via direct sale on the same date in Spring 2010. Now the studio has alerted us that they have set a tentative ship date of Friday, April 30th for both high-def seasons. It's not completely set in stone yet, but they feel that it's solid enough for now to share with the show's fans.

In response to criticism (discussed here) about the Season 1 Blu-ray Disc set coming with a high-definition image at 720p HD levels, rather than the expected 1080p (or even 1080i) levels, the folks at Panzer Davis have asked us to point out the fact that on the details listed below, the video resolution is indeed being shown as 720p. However, they also told us that there is still "a very good chance it will be in 1080p" (direct quote there); it apparently will depend on what the tapes look like after they get them back from being processed. They are also upping the audio format on these releases to DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (the first season's BD release was only in 2.1). Additionally, they are spreading out from 4 discs (on the first season set) to 5 discs per package.

The list price per each season set will stay at $49.95 SRP, despite those changes. Additionally, they are taking pre-orders at a discount right now via their Legendary Heroes website: you can lock in your copies of the Season 2 Blu-ray and the Season 3 Blu-ray for $39.95 each (and at the time of this writing are discounted even further, to $35.96 each), with a notice posted that credit cards would not be charged until the order ships. Package art isn't ready yet, but stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here are Davis-Panzer's listings for each title, with studio descriptions, listings of new exclusive-to-Blu bonus material (presumably in addition to the extras from the previous DVD sets), the VERY detailed technical specs, and lists of episodes from each appropriate season:


Highlander: The Series - Season 2 on Blu-ray Disc

For Duncan MacLeod, season two is one filled with hope, heroics and heartache. Through it all the mystery of the "Highlander" unfolds and deepens as his incredible story leaps time and emotions to bring us further into the tortured world of the Immortals. In the end, there can be only one.

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features (subject to change):

• "Back for Seconds": A 30 minute documentary on the making of the show, focusing on the episodes and includes never before seen interviews with Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes, Stan Kirsch, Bill Panzer, and David Abramowitz.
• Photo Montage: An exciting behind-the-scenes look at the crew and actors in action from episodes of Season 2.
• Picture in picture commentaries by Adrian Paul for episodes "Return of Amanda" and "Revenge of the Sword"

Starring: Adrian Paul, Alexandra Vandernoot, Stan Kirsch, Amanda Wyss, Jim Byrnes
Directors: Paolo Barzman, Dennis Berry, Clay Boris, Peter Ellis, Bruno Gantillon
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 1078 Minutes

Technical Specs:
Video

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 720p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 displayed within 4:3 look
Original aspect ratio: 4:3/1:33

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (subject to change)
Subtitles: None
Disc: 5 50GB Blu-ray Discs
Regions: A/B/C (Americas, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, India, China, Mongolia, South & Central Asia)

Episodes:

1. The Watchers
2. Studies In Light
3. Turnabout
4. The Darkness
5. An Eye For An Eye
6. The Zone
7. The Return of Amanda
8. Revenge of the Sword
9. Run For Your Life
10. Epitaph For Tommy
11. The Fighter
12. Under Color of Authority
13. Bless The Child
14. Unholy Alliance, Part I
15. Unholy Alliance, Part II
16. The Vampire
17. The Warmonger
18. The Pharaoh's Daughter
19. Legacy
20. Prodigal Son
21. Counterfeit, Part I
22. Counterfeit, Part II

Highlander: The Series - Season 3 on Blu-ray Disc

The epic Highlander saga hits full stride in Season Three with a gripping collection of tales that introduce some of the legend's most vital characters and most vaunted weaponry. Through it all the mystery of the "Highlander" unfolds and deepens as his incredible story leaps time and emotions to bring us further into the tortured world of the Immortals. In the end, "There Can Be Only One."

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features (subject to change):

• "Third Time's a Charm": An insightful 30 minute documentary on the making of the show, focusing on the episodes, including interviews with the Production Team as well as Jim Byrnes, Elizabeth Gracen, Peter Wingfield, Stan Kirsch and Adrian Paul.
• Photo Montage: A great montage of the Highlander Production team for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of episodes from Season 3.
• Picture in picture commentaries by various cast and Production Team members from episodes "The Samurai," "The Cross of St. Antoine," "Shadows," "Blackmail," "Star-Crossed," "Methos," "Mortal Sings," and "Finale Part 2."

Starring: Adrian Paul, Alexandra Vandernoot, Stan Kirsch, Amanda Wyss, Jim Byrnes
Directors: Mario Azzopardi, Paolo Barzman, Dennis Berry, Charles Wilkinson
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 1078 Minutes

Technical Specs:
Video

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 720p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 displayed within 4:3 look
Original aspect ratio: 4:3/1:33

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (subject to change)
Subtitles: None
Disc: 5 50GB Blu-ray Discs
Regions: A/B/C (Americas, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, India, China, Mongolia, South & Central Asia)

Episodes:

1. The Samurai
2. Line of Fire
3. The Revolutionary
4. The Cross of St. Antoine
5. Rite of Passage
6. Courage
7. The Lamb
8. Obsession
9. Shadows
10. Blackmail
11. Vendetta
12. They Also Serve
13. Blind Faith
14. Song of the Executioner
15. Star-Crossed
16. Methos
17. Take Back the Night
18. Testimony
19. Moral Sins
20. Resonable Doubt
21. Finale, Part I
22. Finale, Part II