Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - (Page 12) HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com ‘WSJ’: Toshiba Eyes Upconverting DVD Players, Digital Downloads By Erik Gruenwedel oshiba Corp. is moving ahead with plans to market upconverting DVD players that rival Blu-ray. Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida told The Wall Street Journal that Warner’s decision to support Blu-ray meant HD DVD would reach no more than 20% to 30% market share. “One has to take calculated risks in business, but it’s also important to switch gears immediately if you think your decision was wrong,” Nishida told the paper. He said HD DVD was one of 45 strategic objectives for Toshiba, and the loss would let the CE manufacturer focus elsewhere, including upconverting DVD players, BRIEFS I DEG PROMOTES BLU-RAY DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group is throwing all its weight into Blu-ray Disc, launching a Blu-ray campaign March 6 aimed at consumers, stores and the media. The DEG aims to be the No. 1 source for Blu-ray information, with plans for consumer education materials for Blu-ray hardware and software, and wants to be the go-to organization for the media and data on Blu-ray. – Chris Tribbey I CEA: PETITION THREATENS DIGITAL TV SWITCH Gary Shapiro, of the Consumer Electronics Association, expressed concern that a petition from the Community Broadcasters Association could hurt the February 2009 switch from analog to digital broadcasts. The petition seeks to block the government’s $40 coupon program for analog-to-digital converter boxes for the public. Shapiro asked the Federal Communications Commission to deny the petition. – Chris Tribbey T downloads and wireless technology. Nishida said Toshiba plans to ramp up production of DVD players that improve the picture to HD quality and cost significantly less than BD players. “Next-generation DVD players are in a much weaker position than when standard DVD players were first introduced,” he said. Toshiba plans to expand efforts in wireless transmissions of video content from the PC to the television. “There was once a debate about whether the living room would be dominated by televisions or computers,” Nishida said. “Clearly, televisions are dominant, but computers can now be connected to them.” I DAFT PUNK MAKES BLU-RAY Acclaimed band Daft Punk is directing an experimental film called Electroma, mastered specially for Blu-ray Disc. Vice Records will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc July 22. Both versions will be packaged in a metal SteelBook case with imprinted cover images and include a 40-page book of movie stills. – Billy Gil I SURVEY: HD TO SOAR IN U.K. Entertainment Media Research’s (EMR) survey found 24% of respondents in the United Kingdom said they would watch HD packaged media, compared to 7% who plan to watch VOD online. EMR’s Steve Evans said the survey, conducted prior to HD DVD’s demise, also found consumers reluctant to buy during a format war. – Erik Gruenwedel HD VMD Gears Up to Take on Blu-ray By Chris Tribbey ow that HD DVD is dead, Blu-ray has other obstacles to overcome, such as consumer satisfaction with DVD, digital downloads and the upcoming threat of … HD VMD? It may seem like a longshot, but New Medium Enterprises is convinced it’s got a chance. “The way is now clear for VMD to be embraced by the industry,” said NME CEO Geoff Russell. “Our technology is robust and our format is clearly equal to the quality required to deliver a true HD experience for the consumer at a price they are prepared to afford.” Touting its cheaper production N costs, cheaper hardware costs (less than $200 right now) and the disc’s ability to carry 30GB of high-def content, NME believes all it needs to catch Blu-ray is studio support. “NME has developed the VMD technology independently and is poised to come to market in several territories in the next quarter,” said NME chairman Michael Solomon. “All indications are that VMD can fill the void left by HD DVD for a hungry production industry and rapidly growing HD-screen-enabled consumer market.” Andy Parsons of Pioneer Electronics and the Blu-ray Disc Association said Blu-ray stands alone in the high-def world. “It would be very hard to imagine yet another HD format achieving success at this stage,” Parsons said. “I don’t see this format as a significant threat to Blu-ray.” Near-universal studio support, the backing of almost every major hardware manufacturer and a six-year head start in the development of Blu-ray is too much for HD VMD to overcome, Parsons said. And then there are the Blu-ray specifications. “An enormous effort … has gone into the development of what’s now known as the Blu-ray Disc format,” he said. “The most challenging aspect had far more to do with how content would be stored on the discs rather than the physical discs themselves.” BEST BUY TO DEFRAY DIRECTV COSTS By Erik Gruenwedel est Buy Co. through June 24 will pay $30 per month, for up to a year, toward a customer’s DirecTV HD access, in an effort to expand HDTV awareness among satellite consumers. The satellite provider offers programming in more than 90 HD channels, with HDenabled plans from $49.98 per month. The 12-month stipend, which appears as a credit on the customer’s monthly statement, is limited to consumers who purchase any HDTV priced higher than $999. Satellite consumers who purchase an HDTV at less than that amount receive six months worth of credit, and three months credit when just purchasing DirectTV. Chris Homeister, VP of merchandising for home entertainment services, said the initiative underscored Best Buy’s desire to link consumers to HD programming. “By offering to help pay a customer’s DirecTV bill, we’re making a statement about the importance of connecting a television to the right source for HD programming,” Homeister said. TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H IG H -D EF SELLER S Week ended March 2, 2008 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH- DE F S E L L E RS Aggregate by Title Week ended March 2, 2008 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE Appleseed: Ex Machina H I G H -D E F CO M I NG U P STREETING Appleseed: Ex Blu-ray Warner Street Date: 3/11 August Rush Blu-ray Warner Street Date: 3/11 Dan in Real Life Blu-ray Disney Street Date: 3/11 Dogma Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 3/11 Hitman Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 3/11 No Country for Old Men Blu-ray Disney/Miramax Street Date: 3/11 Sleuth Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street: 3/11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 30 Days of Night Beowulf American Gangster Michael Clayton Justice League: The New Frontier Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Planet Earth: The Complete Series Ratatouille Gone Baby Gone Over California Blu-ray HD DVD HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Sony Pictures Paramount Universal Warner Warner Disney BBC Video Disney Disney/Miramax Topics 100.00 82.52 40.74 33.39 29.60 26.34 26.15 23.86 22.00 19.71 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 30 Days of Night Beowulf American Gangster Michael Clayton Justice League: The New Frontier Planet Earth: The Complete Series Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Ratatouille Gone Baby Gone Over California Blu-ray HD DVD HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray BD; HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Sony Pictures Paramount Universal Warner Warner BBC Video Disney Disney Disney/Miramax Topics 100.00 82.52 40.74 33.39 29.60 29.32 26.34 23.86 22.00 19.71 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended March 2, 2008 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended March 2, 2008 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 30 Days of Night Michael Clayton Justice League: The New Frontier Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Planet Earth: The Complete Series Sony Pictures Warner Warner Disney BBC Video 100.00 33.39 29.60 26.34 26.15 1 2 3 4 5 Beowulf American Gangster Transformers The Assassination of Jesse James … The Complete Matrix Trilogy Paramount 100.00 Universal 49.37 Para./DreamWorks 11.42 Warner 6.45 Warner 6.08 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Home Media Magazine March 9–15, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 Contents News Commentary News TV DVD Cine Mercado Reviews Pipeline Top 20 DVD Sellers Research Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Commentary (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Commentary (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - News (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Cine Mercado (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Cine Mercado (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Cine Mercado (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Cine Mercado (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Reviews (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Research (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Research (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Research (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Research (Page 33) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 34) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 35) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 36) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 37) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 38) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 39) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 40) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - March 9-15, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4) http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.