Last Jackson Rehearsal Captured in HD

As luck would have it both for Michael Jackson fans and HD enthusiasts, several music Web sites are reporting that the entertainer's final rehearsal (as it turned out) prior to his planned 50-city world tour was recorded in HD in a multi-camera setting.

The informal event, which appears to have been a full-blown dress rehearsal, presumably could be released in Blu-ray as Jackson's final album, according to numerous reports from Hollywood. (Although no technical details have been forthcoming, any Blu-ray source material, of course, would have to have been captured in 1080p.)

Recording the entire elaborate rehearsal in the first place (which some speculated could have been done in order to secure additional concert footage for later mixing) was supposedly produced as part of a pre-arranged deal with Jackson and his tour's concert promotion company, AEG Live. The last rehearsal lasted for several hours, off and on, according to various sources who said they were in attendance.

A plan to produce audio CD, standard DVD and Blu-ray versions of the "This Is It" tour likely had been in the works for several months. Jackson, 50, died of cardiac arrest on June 25 in Los Angeles.