The Beatles on Tuesday confirmed plans to launch remastered CD versions of their catalog in time with their first digital-only video game release through the Rock Band series. The reworkings are claimed to be the best quality since the originals and each include a QuickTime video documentary about the making of their given albums. A separate collection will include the original mono mixes where they existed.

All of the redone albums should be available worldwide on September 9th (9/9/09), coming in sync with the matching game.

Apple Corps, the British group's self-created label, is quick to head off immediate speculation about the release and says that talks about bringing the Beatles to online stores "will continue" but declines to provide extra information.

However, the remaster has been considered one of the essential components to a release on iTunes and similar online shops, as Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison have all been pressing for a carefully managed release that includes ideal recordings and which addresses all the licensing issues.

Apple Corps, EMI and Sony are all involved in the rights to the music and its publication, making any online effort more complicated than for most artists. These issues and the now-ended dispute with Apple Inc. have led to repeated delays that have pushed a digital catalog release well past a suggested end-of-2008 target.