One of the most widely acclaimed movies of last year is coming to HD DVD, and it should represent the apex of what next-generation DVD can do for movie playback on home theater. It was recently announced that Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” would be the first European HD DVD to be THX certified and the only live action HD DVD disc in the world to receive such certification.

For the fantasy film that garnered Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Makeup, “Pan’s Labyrinth” should be absolutely stunning in 1080p and THX-certified audio (any of us familiar with that booming THX bump at the beginning of some movies and George Lucas’ cinematic vision know the significance). For now though, U.S. consumers will have to settle for purchasing the European import (HD DVD is non-region encoded so it should play back fine) and wait for the states to catch up.

Further discussion of this release and its implications to U.S. viewers can be found at the Home Theater Forum.

Does this mean more THX-certified goodness on next-gen DVD formats is far behind? Early adopters of the technology, whose prices appear to be coming down to levels that could lead to more widespread purchasing (among those who don’t care about the format war decision), should hope so.

Arlen Schweiger - Editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen writes about home technology installations and product news and reviews for electronichouse.com and Electronic House magazine.