Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - (Page 10) HIGH-DEF BRIEFS I HD ON DEMAND IN SD Cox Communications is now offering its San Diego digital subscribers access to high-definition movies on demand. Customers can access more than 20 high-def movies, with more to come in the future, by tuning to Channel 1. – Billy Gil www.homemediamagazine.com Blu-ray’s Copy-Protection Advantage Studios say it was a big part of decision to go Blu By Erik Gruenwedel he recent release of a licensing program for BD+, the coveted second line of defense against piracy for Blu-ray Disc behind digital rights management software Advanced Access Content System (AACS), left studios and analysts abuzz. The license, which is the result of a 2006 joint venture between Panasonic, Sony Corp. and 20th Century Fox Film Corp., is available at www.bdplusllc.com. The program includes specifications and agreements for Blu-ray player/chip manufacturers, code developers and content providers. “The adoption of BD+ as part of the Blu-ray Disc specification, and an enhancement over and above AACS, was a key factor in our decision to publish on the format,” said Mike Dunn, worldwide president of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “This added layer of content protection gives Blu-ray yet another distinct competitive advantage.” In fact, Fox had halted releases of catalog titles in Bluray until BD+ became available, according to Richard Doherty, media analyst with The Envisioneering Group. Doherty said BD+ gives studios increased assurance that consumers can adapt to managed copy guidelines that will eventually allow them to see movies on portable media players and other platforms. He said BD+ offers four times the safeguards on top of AACS against piracy. All Blu-ray movies and players are independently equipped with BD+. Microsoft and Amazon to Bow Indie HD DVDs By Chris Tribbey mazon and Microsoft will bring 1,000 indie films out on HD DVD via the CustomFlix DVD on Demand program. Amazon and Microsoft will underwrite the authoring and setup costs. “Amazon’s participation in this project will be a major benefit to independent filmmakers wanting to break into the high-definition market segment,” said Amir Majidimehr, corporate VP for Microsoft’s consumer media technology group. The 1,000 HD DVD Indies Project will use CustomFlix to distribute the discs. Sundance Channel’s original series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” is the first title announced under the program. Sundance also said it will look at possible high-definition features as well. “With retail shelf space at a premium, our model eliminates the risk of carrying inventory and immediately expands the number of great HD DVD titles available to consumers,” said Dana LoPiccolo-Giles, cofounder and managing director of CustomFlix. Filmmakers can submit projects for consideration at www.customflix.com/hddvdindies. I LCD GAINING THE LEAD? Demand for flat-panel LCD TVs above 37 inches is expected to trump plasma, according to Sharp Electronics. The Financial Times of London reported that Hirotsugu Terada of Sharp said sales of big LCD units will top 1.1 million units in Japan from October 2007 to March 2008, versus 478,000 plasma units. –Erik Gruenwedel T I TOSHIBA BOWS HD DVD NETWORK FIRMWARE Toshiba Corp. has made available firmware update discs for its HD DVD players. Using the Ethernet port on the player to connect to the Internet and firmware update, users can download bonus material from the studio’s server and upload content. –Erik Gruenwedel I TOSHIBA CLAIMS 70% HD PLAYER MARKET SHARE Toshiba says market demand for HDTVs has resulted in Toshiba capturing 70% share of overall set-top player sales, at the end of May. –Erik Gruenwedel By comparison, HD DVD movies and players only feature AACS protection. Doherty cited Sony theoretically releasing Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray and allowing consumers to download the film to an iPod or streaming a copy on a home network. Should a breach occur in digital or physical form, Doherty said BD+ would let Sony circumvent the damage more quickly compared to AACS because the hacked movie could only be played on a particular Sony player. “If you see an apartment in a rough part of L.A. and the door has six locks on it, you’re not breaking into that apartment,” Doherty said. “Having those extra locks, even if you are not sure [they all work], is part of the magic of BD+ — keeping it confusing for pirates.” BD+, unlike AACS, which suffered a partial hack last year, won’t likely be breached for 10 years, Doherty said, and if so, the damage would affect one film and one player. That’s music to Steve Beeks, Lionsgate COO and president. “The ability to protect intellectual property is the most important issue facing our industry, and the level of copyright protection Blu-ray offers is one of the major reasons we supported BD from the onset,” Beeks said. Separately, Verance Corp., a San Diego-based copyright protection software manufacturer, unveiled audio watermark technology earmarked for both Blu-ray and HD DVD. The software will be bundled as part of updated AACS license agreements, according to Verance. A TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S YTD through June 24, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S Aggregate by Title YTD through June 24, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX Billy Madison H I G H-D E F TH I S WE E K STREETING THIS WEEK Billy Madison HD DVD Universal Street Date: 7/10 Dante’s Peak HD DVD Universal Street Date: 7/10 The War HD DVD Universal Street Date: 7/10 The Wedding Date HD DVD Universal Street Date: 7/10 PREBOOK COMING UP Vacancy Sony Pictures Blades of Glory Paramount Notting Hill Universal Perfect Stranger Sony Pictures Blu-ray Pre: 7/12, Street: 8/14 HD DVD & BD Pre: 7/17, Street: 8/28 HD DVD Pre: 7/17, Street: 8/28 Blu-ray Pre: 7/19, Street 8/21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Casino Royale Blu-ray The Departed Blu-ray Planet Earth: The Complete Series HD DVD Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Blu-ray The Departed HD DVD/DVD Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Blu-ray The Prestige Blu-ray Apocalypto Blu-ray Night at the Museum Blu-ray Ghost Rider Blu-ray Sony Pictures 100.00 Warner 69.67 BBC Video 44.56 BV/Disney 44.54 Warner 42.42 BV/Disney 38.85 BV/Touchstone 38.82 BV/Touchstone 36.58 Fox 34.88 Sony Pictures 34.33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The Departed BD, HD DVD/DVD Casino Royale Blu-ray Planet Earth: The Complete Series BD, HD DVD Happy Feet BD, HD DVD/DVD Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Blu-ray Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Blu-ray The Prestige Blu-ray Apocalypto Blu-ray Superman Returns BD, HD DVD/DVD Night at the Museum Blu-ray Warner 100.00 Sony Pictures 89.21 BBC Video 68.24 Warner 42.57 BV/Disney 39.74 BV/Disney 34.66 BV/Touchstone 34.63 BV/Touchstone 32.63 Warner 32.52 Fox 31.11 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF B LU-R AY D I S C YTD through June 24, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF H D DVD YTD through June 24, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Casino Royale The Departed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the … The Prestige Sony Pictures 100.000 Warner 69.67 BV/Disney 44.54 BV/Disney 38.85 BV/Touchstone 38.82 1 2 3 4 5 Planet Earth: The Complete Series The Departed Batman Begins Smokin’ Aces Happy Feet BBC Video Warner Warner Universal Warner 100.00 95.20 64.70 47.53 40.37 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 10 Home Media Magazine July 8–14, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.bdplusllc.com http://www.bdplusllc.com http://www.customflix.com/hddvdindies http://www.customflix.com/hddvdindies Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 Contents News News/Merchandising News News Commentary TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Just Announced Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Contents (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News/Merchandising (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News/Merchandising (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Commentary (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - TV DVD (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Reviews (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Pipeline (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Pipeline (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Pipeline (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - July 8-14, 2007 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 28) http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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