Home Media Magazine - February 24, 2008 - (Page 7) www.homemediamagazine.com MENU FROM THE EDITOR BY THOMAS K. ARNOLD, PUBLISHER www.homemediamagazine.com Industry Must Rally Post Format War PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Thomas K. Arnold EDITOR IN CHIEF Stephanie Prange EDITORIAL Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelique Flores Senior Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Gruenwedel Senior Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Tribbey Assistant Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Latchem Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy Gil, Kyra Kudick Contributors. . . . . . . . . John Gaudiosi, Anne Sherber, Fred Topel, Ralph Tribbey, Holly J. Wagner Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruby Cardenas S ART Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melbert Sebayan Graphic Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Park RESEARCH Market Research Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Burner ADVERTISING 800/338-6700, FAX 714/338-6712 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . John Boezinger 714/338-6704 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Savant 714/368-1020 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kurt Wohlman 714/338-6749 Business Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joni Wu Group Administrative Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Guerena For reprints, call 800-290-5460, ext. 100 or HomeMediaMagazine@reprintbuyer. com For direct-mail lists, call Ilene Schwartz, Kroll Direct, 216/371-1667 FAX 216/371-1669 ilene@krolldirect.com o now the great format war is over, with HD DVD devel- launched an expensive mall tour to educate the masses about the oper Toshiba throwing in the towel and conceding defeat benefits of Blu-ray — and in the consumer electronics realm. to Sony’s Blu-ray Disc — a story we broke here in Home Still, it’s not going to be easy, or cheap. As they say in the music Media Magazine on Feb. 14. industry, it’s not the singer, it’s the song — and in this case the tune But the funny thing is that what could have been a St. Val- isn’t radically different. Unlike the transition from VHS to DVD, entine’s Day massacre for Toshiba stock instead turned into a there is no dramatic physical change — movies still come on a fiverallying point, with analysts praising the Japanese consumer inch disc — nor are the visual differences nearly as pronounced. electronics manufacturer for swiftly killing off On top of that, the potential audience for DVD its doomed next-generation format in the wake AS THEY SAY IN THE MUSIC was everyone who owned a TV set, whereas in of overwhelming retailer rejection. INDUSTRY, IT’S NOT THE this case the potential audience is limited to Both Toshiba and Sony saw their stock price SINGER, IT’S THE SONG those households that have HDTVs. jump as word leaked about the imminent — AND IN THIS CASE THE But with only one format now in the market, surrender, with Toshiba shares gaining 5.7% TUNE ISN’T RADICALLY a clear, concise message can at last be formulatto 829 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and DIFFERENT. ed. Instead of fighting each other, we can focus Sony’s stock price rising 1% to 4,900 yen. all our energy on fighting the chief obstacle to The discrepancy between the gains is telling: Toshiba is no widespread Blu-ray Disc acceptance: consumer indifference. longer going to pour good money after bad and will reportedly It won’t happen overnight, but it’s a fight that ultimately can be won shift its focus back to more profitable core businesses such as — at least, that’s what we all hope. The stakes, after all, are extraordisemiconductors and industrial electronics. narily high: Sony and its allies aren’t just betting their own futures, Sony, meanwhile, may have won the format war against HD DVD, but also the future of home entertainment and packaged media. but the real fight is only beginning: getting consumers to transition Godspeed. from standard DVD to Blu-ray Disc. Sure, the company has a lot of allies, both in Hollywood — studios such as Disney, which last year Thomas K. Arnold’s e-mail address is tarnold@questex.com MARKETING Marketing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristina Kronenberg 714/338-6743 Marketing Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaitlyn DeWaard IN THIS ISSUE FEB. 24-MARCH 1, 2008 / VOL. 30 / NO. 8 News …………………………… CALENDAR DIGITAL MEDIA Online Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Rosado PRODUCTION Production Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie Ling Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justin-Nicholas Toyama 714/338-6765 Assistant Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brady Gallardo 8 9 >> HIGH- DEF Genius Products looks to entertainment avenues beyond DVD; DVR use leads TV watchers beyond prime time; Disney DVD content gets theatrical play. News ………………………… I CDSA FORUM The 38th Annual Content Delivery and Storage Forum will gather content holders, replicators, packagers, equipment suppliers and service providers to discuss high-definition discs. March 6-8 La Quinta Resort & Club, La Quinta, Calif. OFFICES 714/338-6700, 800/371-6897, FAX 714/338-6710 homemediamagazine@questex.com 201 East Sandpointe Ave., Suite 500 Santa Ana, CA 92707-8716 News …………………………… Analysts dissect the demise of HD DVD; Testronic Labs unveils a high-definition test room for filmmakers. Chris Tribbey, Senior Reporter 818-788-8616, FAX 818-530-2486 16130 Ventura Blvd. #570 Encino, CA 91436 Cast and crew behind The Last Emperor join Criterion and Image Entertainment for a regal screening; retailer Movies Unlimited celebrates 30 years. >> EL ECTRONIC D EL IV ERY info: www.contentdeliveryandstorage.org/conf/forum2008/ News ………………………… I LATINO DVD 5 Home Media Magazine, in cooperation with DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, The Hollywood Reporter and the Entertainment Merchants Association, presents the fifth annual Latino DVD Conference. The event will feature a day full of informational sessions and panel discussions on the growing Latino home entertainment market. This year’s theme is Tuning in to Latino DVD, with an emphasis on music. In addition Latino DVD 5 will include the Fourth Annual Latino DVD Awards. April 8 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Los Angeles info: www.homemediaconferences.com CREDIT Credit/Collections Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Wright Sr. CIRCULATION For subscriptions, please go online to www.homemediamagazine.com For current single copy, back issues or CD-ROM, call 866/344-1315 or 847/763-9594 for outside the U.S. Audience Development Manager. . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Joy Obaña Research says consumers are still unenthused about VOD; a study says habitual Web video viewers watch exponentially more than light users. BUSINESS QUESTEX MEDIA GROUP INC. President & CEO: Kerry C. Gumas; Executive Vice President & CFO: Tom Caridi; Executive Vice President: Robert S. Ingraham; Executive Vice President: Tony D’Avino; Executive Vice President, Corporate Development: Claudia Flowers; Vice President & General Manager: Don Rosenberg; Vice President, Digital Media: Seth Nichols; Vice President, Human Resources: Diane Evans © 2008 Questex Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including by photocopy, recording or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by Questex Media Group, Inc. for libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923 phone: 978-750-8400 fax 978-750-4470; call for copying beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. For those not registered with the CCC, send permission request in writing to questexpermissions@reprintbuyer.com or call 800-494-9051 ext. 100. The Last Emperor screening attendees Reviews ………………………… 24 Printed in the U.S.A. Does 101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition offer special treats for Disney fans? Does Wristcutters: A Love Story The packaged-media industry in Europe faces manage to charm, despite its grim premise? such issues as economic slowdown and piracy, but industry players are bullish on Blu-ray. Pipeline ………………………… Director Richard Kelly, of Donnie Darko fame, takes Commentary …………………… us into the warped but all-too-familiar world of Senior editor Erik Gruenwedel details his journey Southland Tales, due March 18 from Sony Pictures. to acquire a copy of Dexter: The First Season on DVD. Research ……………………… Lionsgate’s Why Did I Get Married?, Tyler Perry’s tale TV DVD ………………………… of nuptial woes, topped the sales chart, while Oscar From Austen to Austin: BBC Video presents a new nominee Gone Baby Gone from Disney took rentals. version of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility, while the WWE celebrates the career of Stone Cold Steve Top 20 DVD Sellers ……………………… 34 Austin. Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts ……… 35 News …………………………… 12 32 34 I PEVE DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT 2008 Established in 1992, the annual PEVE conference caters to the international home entertainment business. Industry players from more than 20 countries attend the conference, which this year will tackle such issues as digital home entertainment. April 17-18 Maison Internationale, Paris info: www.peve.screendigest.com Documentary ………………… 22 Just Announced ……………… 36 Oscar nominations lead to sales jumps for some Fox pops out Juno; Paramount slices off Sweeney titles, while hardly registering for others; see a list Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Fox faces off of upcoming titles. http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.contentdeliveryandstorage.org/conf/forum2008/ http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.homemediaconferences.com http://www.peve.screendigest.com
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