Cita:Warner Home Video has sent retailers and select members of the press a photo booklet and sneak peek DVD that reveals further details about the forthcoming release of the Ben-Hur: Ultimate Collector's Edition box set, its pack-in collectibles and its bountiful supplemental package. The 2-disc Blu-ray edition is set to arrive this fall in limited quantities and numbered for exclusivity, although an exact release date has yet to be announced.

As first reported in March, the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray release of Ben-Hur will feature a newly minted frame-by-frame restoration created from the original 65mm camera negative at a resolution of 6K; effectively achieving six times the resolution of the previous DVD release. The results, at least as teased in the following before/after comparison photographs, are promising:

Cita:The first book, "Charlton Heston: The Ben-Hur Diaries" is the most intriguing. An exclusive look into the Oscar-winning actor's experience while making the award-winning film, this high-quality reproduction of Charlton Heston's personal and insightful diary documents events that occurred from January 1958 through April 1960; from a time before production of the film begain all the way through Heston's Oscar win. The book includes personal photos from the Heston family and some of Heston's own sketches.

Cita:The second exclusive book is a more traditional pack-in that features rare photographs, production art and reproductions from the original theatrical press book.