'Ben-Hur,' 'Star Wars' Top Winners List for 'Home Media' Awards
30 Apr, 2012 By: John Latchem
Two catalog releases dominated the second annual Home Media Magazine Awards, which honor the best DVDs and Blu-ray Discs of 2011.
Warner Home Video’s Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector’s Edition captured the top prize of Title of the Year, as well as awards for Best Catalog Title and Best Restoration. For the Blu-ray release of the 1959 film, Warner conducted an 8K scan of the original 65mm negative.
Warner collected a total of six awards, including TV DVD of the Year and Best Complete-Series TV DVD Set for Smallville: The Complete Series, and Best Animation Title on Disc for Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Vol. One.
Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set, distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, won five awards, including Blu-ray Disc of the Year, Best Extras, Best Boxed Set, Best Catalog Collection and Best Title Upgrade. The Blu-ray edition marks the first collection of all six episodes of the franchise in one set and is loaded with featurettes, deleted scenes and archive materials.
Fox won a sixth award for Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings as Best Direct-to-Video Prequel.
Winners were chosen by a panel of judges in conjunction with an online consumer vote for eligible titles submitted for consideration by studios and distributors.
Paramount Home Media Distribution collected five awards, including CBS Home Entertainment’s Hawaii Five-O: The First Season winning Fan-Favorite Title on Disc. The remake of the classic detective drama collected the most votes in the online consumer poll. Paramount also won Best Documentary Movie for Waiting for ‘Superman,’ Best Blu-ray Disc Movie for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Best Reality TV Show on Disc for MTV's Jersey Shore: Season Four, and Best Packaging for The Ten Commandments: Limited Edition.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment tallied three awards, taking Best 3D Disc for Tron: Legacy, Best Kidvid Disc for Winnie the Pooh and Best Direct-to-Video Sequel for Spooky Buddies.
2012 ‘Home Media Magazine’ Award Winners (Best Discs of 2011)
Title of the Year
Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Warner Home Video
TV DVD of the Year
Smallville: The Complete Series
Warner Home Video
Blu-ray Disc of the Year
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Lucasfilm
Best Theatrical Title on Disc
Bridesmaids
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Best Direct-to-Video
Chillerama
Image Entertainment
Best Direct-to-Video Prequel
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Best Direct-to-Video Sequel
Spooky Buddies
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Best Catalog Title on Disc
Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Warner Home Video
Best Catalog Collection
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Lucasfilm
Best Indie Catalog Title
The Prowler
VCI Entertainment
Best Boxed Set
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Lucasfilm
Best Complete-Series TV DVD Set
Smallville: The Complete Series
Warner Home Video
Best Current Series TV DVD
(Episodes Aired 2010-11)
The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season — Special Edition
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Best 1940s/1950s TV on Disc
The Honeymooners: Lost Episodes 1951-1957
MPI Home Video
Best 1960s/1970s TV on Disc
It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series
Entertainment One
Best 1980s/1990s TV on Disc
Jem and the Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series
Shout! Factory
Best Miniseries or TV Movie on Disc
Downton Abbey
PBS Distribution
Best International TV DVD
Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series
BBC Home Entertainment
Best Kidvid Disc
Winnie the Pooh
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Best Animation Title on Disc
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Vol. One
Warner Home Video
Best Documentary Movie on Disc
Waiting for ‘Superman’
Paramount Home Media Distribution
Best Documentary Special on Disc
Human Planet
BBC Home Entertainment
Best Documentary Series on Disc
Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman
Gaiam
Discovery Channel
Best Reality TV Show on Disc
Jersey Shore: Season Four
Paramount Home Media Distribution
MTV
Best Blu-ray Disc Movie
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Paramount Home Media Distribution
Best TV on Blu-ray
True Blood: The Complete Third Season
HBO Home Entertainment
Best 3D Disc
Tron: Legacy
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Best Restoration
Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Warner Home Video
Best Title Upgrade
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Lucasfilm
Best Extras
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Lucasfilm
Best Packaging
The Ten Commandments: Limited Edition
Paramount Home Media Distribution
JohnsByrne
Best Box Art
Mad Men: Season Four (Blu-ray)
Lionsgate
Best Sports DVD/Blu-ray
Yankeeography: Pinstripe Legends
A&E Networks Home Entertainment
Best Fitness Disc
Jillian Michaels: Ripped in 30
Empowered Media
Gaiam
Best Music DVD/Blu-ray
Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D
Image Entertainment
Best Foreign Film on Disc
Of Gods and Men
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Best Asian Cinema on Disc
Shaolin
Well Go USA
Best Indie Film on Disc
13 Assassins
Magnolia Home Entertainment
Fan-Favorite Title on Disc
Hawaii Five-O: The First Season (2010-11)
Paramount Home Media Distribution
CBS Home Entertainment
Judges’ Award
Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection
Vivendi Entertainment
RHI Entertainment