IMAX is such a wonderful way to watch movies! IMAX does for movie theaters what HDTV does for TV. I recently had the opporunity to watch the latest Harry Potter movie in IMAX 3D format. This wasn’t 3D with the cheap red and blue glasses, it was with the polarized kind. When I got home, I looked into adding a Potter movie to my HD collection, and I was surprised to see that Warner Bros. had NOTHING! The Amazon page for these wasn’t for pre-ordering, it was of the “email me when this thing becomes available” variety. (Go see for yourself:link)

The Harry Potter books hold a special place in my household because we’ve been reading them to and with our boys over the years, and we even waited in line for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last Friday. As I write this, I’m only a third of the way into the book, and thank goodness comments aren’t enabled at the site or else I’m sure someone would post a spoiler.

During the past week, Warner Bros. decided to take advantage of the Harry Potter mania and announced a 5-disc HD DVD set consisting of all the Harry Potter movies made so far, including the recent Order of the Phoenix. No date was announced, but applying some common sense, I’m sure the set will be out by November, just in time for Christmas. I’m sure it’ll be a huge hit because it’s going to be the only truly family-friendly HD disc set. (The Matrix Trilogy set was fun and all that, but it’s R-rated, and try explaining the story to your non-Ph.D mother — what? Your mom doesn’t have a Ph.D either?)

I’ll definitely keep you updated as more information becomes available. Now, if you’ll excuse me… I need to get back to my Deathly Hallows book before people at work and elsewhere on the internet spoil the ending for me.

UPDATE: It turns out that Harry Potter has already been available on HD in his native country of Great Britain: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is available at Amazon’s British site. HD DVD discs are “region-free” meaning that you don’t have to worry that a disc made or sold in Japan or Europe won’t play in the USA. I’ve never ordered a disc from overseas, but it looks like if you’re a die-hard fan, then you can get a head start on the Harry Potter in HD collection afterall.

Part 2 of my update is that I did finish the book a couple of days after originally writing this post, and I can’t wait to see what the Deathly Hallows movie will be like. I’m also going to be interested to see how certain characters are portrayed in the Half-Blood Prince movie.

UPDATE: Warner Home Video has set a Dec. 11, 2007 release date for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on HD DVD. More information to be posted as it becomes available.