Home Media Magazine - Hollywood Goes High-Def - June 2008 - (Page 12)

from the blogosphere Looking Forward to a Blu Christmas By Bill Hunt ’ve been reading reports in the industry press lately about how Blu-ray Disc failed to get much of a bump when the high-def format war finally ended earlier this year. Retail data revealed little in the way of a sales spike for Blu-ray players in the month or two after Toshiba finally threw in the towel with HD DVD. So cynical observers quickly began claiming that Blu-ray would surely fizzle before it finally had a chance to catch on with consumers. What these reports left out, however, is that most stores didn’t have enough inventory of Blu-ray players on hand to meet demand. Starting in January, many retailers were NEWS ANALYSIS offering free or heavily discounted Blu-ray players to their customers with the purchase of a flat-panel HD display. In many cases stores simply ran out of stock, leaving backorders that took weeks to fulfill. At the same time, manufacturers such as Pioneer were selling out all the units they had available. So when the format war finally ended in February, there were simply not enough players to go around. Presumably, things will be far different going into the second half of 2008, as the industry prepares for what could be a big holiday season for Blu-ray. Despite a tightening economy, there are signs that bode well for the format. First, early indications are that the summer’s blockbuster theatrical slate will generate strong box office results, thanks to such titles as Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. All of those films are expected to arrive on Blu-ray in time for Christmas. Paramount, Universal and Criterion have indicated that they’ll have large slates of Blu-ray titles out before the end of the year, completing the line-up of Hollywood studio support for the format. What’s more, at least a couple of manufacturers expect to have players available in the $250 price range in the fourth quarter, with at least one hinting at a price as low as $225. Still, challenges remain. Retailers need to start educating their customers on the advantages of Blu-ray. Personally, I’d like to see retailers schedule and promote in-store Blu-ray events, say on Saturday mornings, where interested customers can learn more about the format and see demonstrations of its qualities I and features. Stores should have at least one salesperson on hand at all times who is knowledgeable and can answer questions about Blu-ray. It’s also important to make sure that the HD displays used for in-store demos are properly calibrated — I still see flat panels playing Blu-ray video with the sharpness, contrast or brightness out of whack. The studios and manufacturers should help by providing training materials to retailers, and promotional materials that can be handed out to consumers. How about offering easy-to-use calibration discs to help stores set up their displays properly? One of the biggest obstacles that I think the studios and retailers are overlooking right now is Blu-ray software pricing. There are lots of sales and two-for-one offers, but I’m still hearing from many enthusiasts that the movie discs are too expensive, especially given that some titles don’t contain all the extras that the previous DVD versions did. The $10 to $15 Blu-ray premium (over standard DVD) is still too high for many enthusiasts to even consider a Blu-ray movie as an impulse purchase. Finally, I think it’s important for all the Blu-ray player manufacturers to resolve the “multiple profile” mess (Bonus View vs. BD-Live) once and for all, before it starts to confuse consumers. I’m still not convinced that BD-Live is going to add much that’s interesting to the movie viewing experience on Blu-ray, but the fact is that studios such as Disney are going to be heavily promoting BD-Live features on their titles this holiday season. If customers bite on the $250 player, but then discover that their kids can’t play with all of the online features on the Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray (because the player isn’t BD-Live compatible), there could be problems, complaints and even returns. Still, for all the remaining issues and uncertainties, it seems to me that there’s every reason to believe Blu-ray will do well this Christmas. The key is preparation, and everyone — retailers, studios and manufacturers alike — needs to do their part. Bill Hunt is the editor of TheDigitalBits. com 12 HOLLYWOOD goes HIGH-DEF June 2008

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Home Media Magazine - Hollywood Goes High-Def - June 2008 Contents Retail Insider From the Blogosphere High-Def Data Tables Blu-Ray Disc Listings

Home Media Magazine - Hollywood Goes High-Def - June 2008

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