Home Media Magazine - September 2-8, 2007 - (Page HD9) fourth quarter FORCE By Thomas K. Arnold he Hollywood studios are gearing up for high-definition discs’ first big fourth quarter. Last year was more of a dress rehearsal, since both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD were new to the market and the hardware supply was limited to two Toshiba HD DVD players and a single Blu-ray Disc machine from Samsung. This year, there are dozens of players on the market, and prices have dropped significantly. Toshiba’s entry-level HD DVD player can be had for $299, while Sony has a Blu-ray Disc player retailing for $499. Price cuts also have made Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console, with its built-in Blu-ray Disc drive, and Microsoft’s HD DVD Xbox 360 add-on a lot more affordable — meaning the fourth quarter promises to be a prime time for high-profile software releases. One of the most ambitious slates is coming from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, one of three majors that is exclusively in the Blu-ray Disc camp. Highlights include the summer theatrical blockbuster Spider-Man 3; Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the first Steven Spielberg movie to be released in any high-definition disc format; Bram Stoker’s Dracula; a director’s cut of Hostel, along with the sequel Hostel: Part II ; Surf’s Up; and Ray Harryhausen’s 20 Million Miles to Earth, the first classic monster film to hit high-def. “To help ensure the successful launch of the Blu-ray format, we have always taken the position that content was a critical component for the broad consumer adoption of Blu-ray,” said David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “Our diverse slate of upcoming Blu-ray releases runs the gamut from new releases to catalog titles, and exemplifies our commitment to this strategy. “This, together with the blockbuster hits from the other studios, will make the fourth quarter the biggest Continued on page 10 » T Spider-Man 3 September 2007 HOLLYWOOD goes HIGH-DEF 9
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