Home Media Magazine - April 13-19, 2008 - (Page 14) HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Fed: Coupon Demand High, Transition Challenges Big By Erik Gruenwedel ith about 10 months remaining before U.S. broadcasters switch from analog to digital over-the-air transmissions, federal officials said a significant number of affected households have applied for discount coupons for converter boxes that enable continued viewing on analog televisions. Broadcasters will switch from analog to digital transmissions Feb. 17, 2009. The government is offering eligible households two $40 coupons toward the purchase of a digital Director Ready for HD Some of the film’s comic set piecBy Fred Topel es include a pig roast and a musical irector Nick Stoller made sure Forgetting Sarah Mar- of Dracula performed by puppets. “That sunset shot where they’re shall would be ready for high-definition disc, even though carrying the pig was weirdly pretty,” a format winner was far from clear Stoller said. “Then I think the puppet musical, while not stunning. during production. Universal Studios’ Forgetting Sar- You’ll be able to see all the weird, individual puppets that we ah Marshall, which opens in HIGH-DEF theaters April 18, is a romantic PREVIEW had built and bought.” The director hopes to incomedy set in Hawaii, which lends itself to a high-def presenta- clude deleted scenes on the Blu-ray and DVD releases. tion. “There’s a whole horseback riding “I kind of accidentally made a pretty film,” Stoller said. “[Cinema- sequence with Kristen [Bell] and tographer] Russ [T. Alsobrook] did Russell [Brand] that’s super funny an insane job. The light in Hawaii that we just couldn’t find a place in the story to put it,” Stoller said. is just gorgeous.” D W converter box. Boxes range in price from $60 to $80. As of April 7 nearly 9.9 million coupons had been requested by 5.2 million households, of which 48% said they depend entirely on overthe-air broadcasts. About 60% of requests have come from the Internet, 38% by phone and 1.6% through the mail, according to the government. Since April 4 consumers had redeemed 280,128 coupons. “With 10 million coupons requested, the TV Converter Box Coupon Program is running strong,” said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutier- rez, in a statement. “While we are pleased with this high level of participation and the program so far, challenges remain, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is working hard to ensure a smooth transition.” Principle concerns include Spanish-language households, nursing homes, senior citizens and the handicapped. Information is available at 888/ DTV-2009 and www.dtv2009.gov. HD Makes ‘21’ Actress Shine By Fred Topel olumbia Pictures’s 21, based on the true story of M.I.T. students whose blackjack system made them rich, will eventually enjoy a Blu-ray release. Director Robert Luketic reveled at how some of his scenes DISC and actress Kate BosPREVIEW worth look in HD. “There’s such a clarity in her skin, it almost looks otherworldy,” he said. That is good news for actors, many of whom have lamented the clarity of high-definition. “Digital photography has had some criticism for the way it makes BRIEF I AMAZON OFFERS CREDIT FOR HD DVD PLAYER BUYERS Amazon.com is giving anyone who purchased an HD DVD player before Feb. 23 a $50 credit for Amazon purchases. Amazon.com account holders last week received an e-mail that stated, “We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players.” HD DVD buyers have until April 9, 2009, to get their credit, which can’t be used for downloadable content, gift certificates, e-books, shipping and handling, or wireless service plans available on – Chris Tribbey Amazon.com. VERIZON UPS HD VOD By Erik Gruenwedel H oping to stimulate interest in its nascent fiber optic FiOS TV service, Verizon Communications said it plans to offer 1,000 high-definition video-on-demand (VOD) movies and television content by the end of the year. The telecommunications company bowed VOD for FiOS TV last year in Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. It is now also available in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Texas. More than 75% of the VOD content is free and includes, in addition to movies, fare from NFL Network, HDTV, TLC, USA Network, Showtime, Starz, The Movie Channel, Encore, Sundance Channel, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. “Our subscribers love VOD because it frees them to enjoy a wide variety of entertainment on their own schedules,” said Shawn Strickland, VP of video solutions with Verizon. Subscription-based FiOS TV is available from $37.99 per month. C women look because it can be too truthful, but that’s all the skill of the cinematographer and the lighting,” he said. “I really believe it’s the lenses. I really believe using cinema-quality lenses is much more forgiving.” Luketic used Panavision’s Genesis See 21, Page 38 TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H IG H -D EF SELLER S Week ended April 6, 2008 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH- DE F S E L L E RS Aggregate by Title Week ended April 6, 2008 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem H I G H -D E F C O M I NG U P STREETING Aliens vs. Predator Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 4/15 Commando Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 4/15 Juno Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 4/15 Mariah Carey Blu-ray Image Street Date: 4/15 A Passage to India Blu-ray Sony Street Date: 4/15 Predator Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 4/15 One Missed Call Blu-ray Warner Street Date: 4/22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Alvin and the Chipmunks I Am Legend No Country for Old Men Enchanted Hitman Unbreakable Planet Earth: The Complete Series Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 300 Over America Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Fox Warner Disney/Miramax Disney Fox Disney BBC Video Disney Warner Topics 100.00 92.97 32.98 21.90 13.42 12.23 12.21 11.73 11.30 10.01 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Alvin and the Chipmunks I Am Legend No Country for Old Men Enchanted 300 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Hitman Unbreakable Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Blu-ray Fox Blu-ray Warner Blu-ray Disney/Miramax Blu-ray Disney BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner BD; HD DVD BBC Video Blu-ray Fox Blu-ray Disney Blu-ray Disney BD; HD DVD Warner 100.00 93.91 32.98 21.90 15.44 14.66 13.42 12.23 11.73 10.24 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended April 6, 2008 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended April 6, 2008 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Alvin and the Chipmunks I Am Legend No Country for Old Men Enchanted Hitman Fox Warner Disney/Miramax Disney Fox 100.00 92.97 32.98 21.90 13.42 1 2 3 4 5 The Bourne Ultimatum Transformers The Bourne Supremacy American Gangster The Kingdom Universal 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 92.51 Universal 83.14 Universal 73.29 Universal 69.49 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 14 Home Media Magazine April 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.dtv2009.gov http://Amazon.com http://Amazon.com http://Amazon.com http://Amazon.com
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