Home Media Magazine - January 20-26, 2008 - (Page 1) JANUARY 20–26, 2008 >> HIGH-D EF H IG H-DE F MAR KET S HAR E Blu-ray and HD DVD Sales Comparison as of 1/13/08 Week Ended 1/13 15% 26% 85% 74% 63% 37% Year-to-Date I Blu-ray I HD DVD Since Inception Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data BRINGING DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT TO YOU >> ELECTRONIC DELIVERY Apple Launches Its iTunes Rental Service INSIDE Toshiba slashes player prices by as much as half; supporting studios announce slate of titles for Q1 By Thomas K. Arnold he beleaguered HD DVD format may be down, but backers insist it’s far from out. More than a week after being dealt a potentially mortal blow by the defection of Warner Home Video to the Blu-ray Disc camp, HD DVD developer Toshiba Corp. announced its intent to step up marketing and slash player prices by as much as half. The move was followed by a slate of HD DVD product announcements for the first quarter, highlighted by such high-profile theatricals as American Gangster, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and The Kite Runner, from Paramount HD DVD Strikes Back INSIDE >> Prices Fall HDTV prices to drop 15% in 2008. >> HD Discs Discounted Amazon cuts prices for now. PAGE 10 Includes content from all six major studios By Chris Tribbey pple iTunes’ muchrumored online rental service launched last week, announced with fanfare in CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. Several dozen movies were available for rent at launch, and nearly 700 were available by press time. By the end of February, Apple aims to have more than 1,000 films available, firmly establishing itself as a competitor to other digital movie delivery operators. >> Netflix Opens Streams Subs get free Web access. A >> Sony Teams With DivX Sony titles open to the Web format. PAGE 11 The service includes films from all six major studios, as well as Lionsgate, New Line and MGM. Library titles go for $2.99 each, while new releases rent for $3.99, and are available 30 days after the DVD streets. Once the movie is downloaded, renters have 30 days to start watching the movie, and once the movie has been started, 24 hours before the rental is up. A customer can watch the rental multiple times during the rental period. See APPLE, Page 32 T Home Entertainment. Still, observers wonder if Toshiba, left with just two major studios supporting its vision of next-generation technology, isn’t merely engaging in a fire sale, blowing out its HD DVD machines and pitching them to consumers as a way to get their existing DVD libraries to look better. See HD DVD, Page 30 American Gangster Writers Strike May Spell Gain For DVDs and Video Games By Thomas K. Arnold he writers strike could be a boon for the DVD and video game industries, according to a survey from new media consultancy Interpret LLC. Because of the strike, TV viewership has suffered, particularly in the realm of dramas and sitcoms. The Interpret survey finds 27% of respondents are spending less time watching network series, and 12% are watching less cable and satellite series. Conversely, 43% of respondents say they’re spending more time watching DVD movies, It’s HD Business as Web Enthusiasts Abuzz Usual for Retailers After Warner’s Blu Move By Erik Gruenwedel RETAIL Less than 10 days after Warner Bros. said it will exclusively distribute highdefinition packaged media on Blu-ray Disc starting in May, many national retailers continue to sell hardware and software in both formats. In the ramp up to the Super Bowl Feb. 3 — reportedly one of the busiest HDTV selling periods of the year — consumer electronics retailers Circuit City Stores Inc., Best Buy Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp., See RETAILERS, Page 28 By Chris Tribbey he high-def format war is over, at least according to many people online. With the Consumer Electronic Show and Warner Bros.’ Blu-ray decision in the rear window, the rhetoric on technology and high-def Web sites has been surprisingly tame on some message boards and extremely hostile on others, according to those running the sites. Blu-ray Disc fans are still crowing over their victory, while HD DVD fans still hope See BLOGGERS, Page 32 T and 23% say they’re watching more TV DVDs. Another 26% say they’re spending more time playing video games. “The strike makes scripted programming more valuable than ever,” said Michael Dowling, CEO of Interpret. The survey, conducted online Jan. 11 and 12 among a representative sample of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49, also found that 94% of Americans are aware of the writers strike, and about one-third have already changed their media consumption habits as a result. T NEWS Chatter at the 2008 AVN Adult Entertaiment Expo concerned such issues as depressed DVD sales, piracy and adult’s first set-top box. PRODUCT Sony Pictures’ TV miniseries Comanche Moon concludes the “Lonesome Dove” saga on DVD. RESEARCH Lionsgate’s 3:10 to Yuma arrived right on time, easily taking the top spot on both the DVD sales and rental charts. Page 6 Page 13 Page 26
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