From today's The Digital Bits: "Finally, we've got a couple title updates for you. First, we've learned that Network doesn't currently have the U.K. release rights to Gerry Andersons' UFO and Thunderbirds so they can't release Blu-ray versions there. A&E does have the U.S. rights to both series and is considering releasing them on BD. However it's very early in the process so there's nothing concrete to report yet."

(my comment: ITV most likely has the UK release rights to UFO and Thunderbirds, and it doesn't appear that "The Digital Bits" checked with them)

Geneon Universal have posted a trailer on YouTube for their upcoming Japanese UFO Blu-ray Box.  View this in 720p for the best quality.

Following up on yesterday's news, here is the manufacturers web page for the upcoming Japanese UFO (and Thunderbirds) Blu-ray discs!  I think this confirms that this is in the original 4:3 aspect ratio and also includes the original English mono audio (along with a 5.1 English track and a mono Japanese track).

The good news?  UFO will be released in high definition on Blu-ray disc in Japan on December 5, 2012!  The bad news?  These are very expensive... around 325 US dollars!  Here is the listing on the Japanese Amazon.com.  As for the aspect ratio, the description seems to indicate that it is 4:3 (the original aspect ratio), which would mean that this is not the same cropped transfer that was used for the American TV broadcasts from 2006.

The fan film "UFO: 2099" (Part 1) that was recently shown at the Alpha: 2012 convention is now on YouTube!

Issue 14 of Andersonic is now available, and this issue includes an article about the unfilmed UFO script "The Patriot", plus a review of the UFO episode MINDBENDER!

The Ed Straker Herald is out with a new edition - the "Girlie" edition, which features serial updates, short stories, articles, and artwork!

In Portland Oregon USA, the Hollywood Theatre is going to be showing an episode of UFO and Space:1999 on Thursday August 23!

Here is a very rare (and expensive) item on eBay -- a pair of UFO pajamas!

The folks who created the spoof video UFO:1999 are now working on another installment, to be shown at the upcoming Space:1999 convention in California. Here is a promo video for the new installment.

The new UFO Blu-ray disc from Germany is (as suspected) a standard definition release, with the following details:

• 9 episodes on a single Blu-ray disc
• Standard definition PAL: 576x720 resolution, 25 fps, 4:3 aspect ratio
• Not region-restricted, but you'd need a player that can play PAL
• About the same quality previously released on DVD
• MPEG-2 video encoding, each episode around 2gb, total disc contents 18gb
• Most episodes contain 2 audio tracks - English and German (192kbps mono)
• Some episodes only have English audio (with German subtitles)
• No deleted scenes, special features, or commentary tracks
• The packaging incorrectly says "Widescreen" and "16:9"

EagleTransporter.com's "The Captain's Store" has released a new model kit of the Alien craft from UFO!

The good news? In Germany, UFO has been announced for release on Blu-ray disc! The bad news? WIth nine episodes crammed onto a single disc, this is most likely not in high definition.

Great news for lovers of Straker's car! A replica is now being made using molds of the original car (which has been rotting away in someone's backyard for many years). More details and photos can be seen here.

It appears that last week's rumor might be false -- TheDIgitalBits.com has contacted A&E, and were told that A&E is still working on their previously planned Space:1999 Blu-ray release... so perhaps there is also hope for a UFO Blu-ray from A&E at some point...

Rumor has it that A&E has discontinued all of their Gerry Anderson titles on DVD & Blu-ray in the USA, due to poor sales.

Actor Philip Madoc, who appeared in the UFO episodes A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES and DESTRUCTION, has passed away at the age of 77.

In Miscellaneous Collectibles, added scans of the UK UFO Viewmaster booklet!

The most recent episode of the TV series "Fringe" (episode title: "Novation") featured a UFO TV series lunchbox! Here's a clip on YouTube.

The Wikipedia spoof site "Uncyclopedia" now has a humorous entry for Gerry Anderson's UFO!

Filming started yesterday on the British science-fiction film "UFO"... oh wait, this is not the remake of the "UFO" television series, but something completely different!

The website for the UFO film has been updated with a note from the producers, stating that the release date has been delayed until the Summer of 2013, and also a movie poster has been added to the "Gallery" section.

Some sad news - Keith Wilson (UFO assistant art director, costume, and set designer) has just recently passed away.

The Italian Section of SHADO website has been updated with the possiblity of an Italian UFO event in October, a possible precursor to the UFO spacecraft in a 1960's episode of THE AVENGERS, ISOSHADO T-Shirts, UFO being released on DVD in Portugal, a modified Product Enterprise Gay Ellis model, and a computer-generated Straker's car!

Issue 12 of the Gerry Anderson fanzine ANDERSONIC is now available at www.andersonic.co.uk. This includes two items of interest to UFO fans - an interview with UFO focus puller Robin McDonald, plus four writers give their views on the UFO episode DESTRUCTION!

The Ed Straker Herald has just posted an Ed Bishop biography.

The SHADO Library & Archive has several new additions, including 18 pages of interviews with Ed Bishop, a memorial to Ed Bishop, and a 2002 article on UFO from the magazine TV Zone!

The Ed Straker Herald has been updated with new articles (including a Mike Billington biography) , stories, photos, and more!

The Ed Straker Herald has been updated with new articles, stories, and photos!

The Ed Straker Herald has been updated with new articles, stories, and photos!

On March 19 - 20 at the UK National Space Centre in Leicester, Gerry Anderson will be a guest at the BritSciFi event!

The Ed Straker Herald has been updated with new articles, stories, and photos!

For those of you on Facebook who haven't added UFO to your list of favorite TV shows, I've created a page to "Like" that has a brief description of the show and some photos!

The Ed Straker Herald is a brand new monthly online UFO fanzine and discussion forum!

Issue 11 of the Gerry Anderson fanzine ANDERSONIC is now available at www.andersonic.co.uk. This includes 3 articles of interest to UFO fans - an interview with visual effects director Shaun Whittacker-Cook, an episode review of the UFO episode FLIGHT PATH, and a look at the similarities between the approaches of SHADO and the CIA towards UFOs.

In BOOKS, I've added the complete text of the two UFO novelizations originally published in 1971!

In case anyone is curious what the ISOSHADO 2011 membership bonus item is, it is 2011 UFO calendar (in Italian) with photos from the first 13 episodes of UFO! Here is an example from 2 months of the calendar.

If you would like to be a member of the Italian Section of SHADO (ISOSHADO), membership for 2011 is now open!

On YouTube, there is a new fan-made spoof video, UFO:1999 - Massage from Moonbase Alpha, a spoof of the fan-made Space:1999 video "Message from Moonbase Alpha". And if you haven't seen them, the same YouTube user has previously posted other such videos (UFO:1999 - Breakified, UFO:1999 - SID's Return).

In Italy, the December 2010 issue of "UFO Magazine" features an article about the UFO TV series in honor of its 40th anniversary! The article is 20 pages and includes color photos. Here is a picture of the magazine cover.