Home Media Magazine - October 7-13, 2007 - (Page 18) HIGH-DEF BRIEFS I PANASONIC TO BOW 1TBCAPACITY BD RECORDER Matsushita Electric Industrial Ltd., parent of Panasonic Electronics, said beginning next month it will sell recorders capable of storing more than 380 hours of high-definition programming. That’s about four times the capacity of previous HD recorders. The Japanese-based CE manufacturer unveiled three Blu-ray Disc recorders at the information technology confab CEATEC Japan 2007 Oct. 6 in Makuhari, Japan. The recorders range from $1,100 to $2,600. – Erik Gruenwedel www.homemediamagazine.com Best Buy, Toshiba Up Free HD DVD Titles By Erik Gruenwedel espite an internal report last week that found 90% of consumers are confused about high-definition, Best Buy and Toshiba Corp. have upped the ante on HD DVD. The Minneapolis-based consumer electronics retailer is offering nine free HD DVD movies with the purchase of a Toshiba HD-A30 1080p player ($400). Best Buy also is offering seven free HD DVD titles with the purchase of Toshiba’s HD-A2 1080i player ($300). Best Buy posted the updated offer in its weekly Sunday newspaper circular. The first five movies, as previously reported, are available by mail from a selection of 15 titles. The remaining titles, which exclude TV DVD and boxed set releases, are available at the point of purchase. Toshiba America Corp. spokesperson Jodi Sally said all third-generation HD DVD players included Warner Home Video’s 300 and Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s The Bourne Identity upon purchase, in addition to the five free titles. ‘CONSUMER REPORTS’ NAMES PANASONIC PLASMA BEST HDTV By Erik Gruenwedel anasonic Electronics’ new high-definition plasma television with 1080p resolution was deemed the “best flat screen ever tested” in a new report from Consumer Reports magazine. The 50-inch TH-50PZ700U unit, which retails for $2,900, rated excellent after the venerable consumer advocate publication found it offered superior detail, rich vibrant colors and “deep blacks that lent an almost three-dimensional look to images.” The findings, which included testing 150 TVs, are part of Consumer Reports’ annual electronics issue that hits newsstands this week. The report found that consumers received more screen size for their money when purchasing plasma, compared to liquid crystal display (LCD). Plasma offered better viewing angles while LCD didn’t ding the monthly electric bill as much as plasma. And LCD was deemed superior for live sports events and action movies. Separately, the report found that people purchasing consumer electronics products online, including HDTVs, found better prices than those who shopped at traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. Top online destinations included Crutchfield.com and Amazon.com. D She said the additional title offer also extends to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive. “It is common for the larger accounts [i.e. Best Buy] that also sell movies to enhance promotions by in- I SONY DADC 50GB BD PRODUCTION TOPS 10M Sony DADC, the Terre Haute, Ind.based disc replication unit of Sony Corp., said it had produced its 10 millionth extended-capacity dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray Disc. The disc featured Sony’s SpiderMan 3. – Erik Gruenwedel cluding additional titles,” Sally said. “As we learned from DVD’s introduction over 10 years ago, movie offers certainly drive sales of players.” Best Buy, in addition to other consumer electronics retailers, also offers five free Blu-ray movies, from a selection of 18 titles, with the purchase of a Blu-ray player. “It’s a good start to a [HD disc] collection,” said Best Buy spokesperson Brian Lucas. He said interest in high-definition packaged media remains constant despite the ongoing format war, which he said is stifling widespread consumer adoption. As far as which format consumers are leaning toward, Lucas said interest remains evenly split. “There are a lot of people who have decided to jump in; therefore, we want to keep a good selection of hardware and software,” Lucas said. “We wouldn’t devote insert space every week to formats nobody is interested in.” P I SONY TO BOW OLED TV Nearly a year after unveiling the prototype of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV at CES, Sony Corp. reportedly said it will sell the 11-inch, 3mm thick display in Japan for about $1,700. The Associated Press reported that the company will produce about 2,000 units a month, primarily for the Asian market. – Erik Gruenwedel FREE BLU-RAY MOVIE PROMOTION EXTENDED By Erik Gruenwedel he Blu-ray Disc Association’s offer of five free Blu-ray titles from a selection of 18 movies with the purchase of a player, including Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console, has been extended through the holidays. All qualifying players purchased from Oct. T 1 through Jan. 31, 2008, include mail-in selection from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wild Hogs, American Psycho, Chain Reaction, The Devil’s Rejects, Flight of the Phoenix, Full Metal Jacket, Hart’s War, The Last Waltz, Omen 666, The Patriot, The Prestige, Species, Stir of Echoes, Superman: The Movie, S.W.A.T., Swordfish and Ultraviolet. TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S Week ended September 30, 2007 28 Weeks Later TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S Aggregate by Title Week ended September 30, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX H I G H-D E F TH I S WE E K STREETING THIS WEEK 28 Weeks Later Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 10/9 Edward Scissorhands Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 10/9 Evan Almighty HD DVD Universal Street Date: 10/9 Reign Over Me Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 10/9 Serenity: Southern Seas HD DVD DVD International Street Date: 10/9 Surf’s Up Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 10/9 Twilight Zone: The Movie BD & HD DVD Warner Street Date: 10/9 PREBOOKING THIS WEEK Ocean’s Thirteen BD & HD DVD Warner Pre: 10/9, Street: 11/13 Pride & Prejudice HD DVD Universal Pre: 10/9, Street: 11/13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Knocked Up 300 Next Underworld Troy: Director’s Cut 300 We Are Marshall Planet Earth: The Complete Series Casino Royale The Condemned Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Universal Warner Paramount Sony Pictures Warner Warner Warner BBC Video Sony Pictures Lionsgate 100.00 25.47 18.26 18.16 17.36 14.64 12.15 10.50 8.61 8.03 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Knocked Up 300 Troy: Director’s Cut We Are Marshall Next Underworld Planet Earth: The Complete Series Smallville: The Complete Sixth Season Casino Royale The Condemned Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data HD DVD/DVD BD; HD DVD/DVD BD; HD DVD BD; HD DVD/DVD HD DVD Blu-ray BD; HD DVD BD; HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Universal 100.00 Warner 40.11 Warner 24.06 Warner 18.43 Paramount 18.26 Sony Pictures 18.16 BBC Video 17.99 Warner 11.18 Sony Pictures 8.61 Lionsgate 8.03 TOP 5 HIGH-DEF B LU-R AY D I S C Week ended September 30, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF H D DVD Week ended September 30, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 300 Underworld Troy: Director’s Cut We Are Marshall Planet Earth: The Complete Series Warner Sony Pictures Warner Warner BBC Video 100.00 71.31 68.17 47.71 41.21 1 2 3 4 5 Knocked Up Next 300 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Batman Begins Universal Paramount Warner BBC Video Warner 100.00 18.26 14.64 7.50 7.25 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 18 Home Media Magazine October 7–13, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Crutchfield.com http://Amazon.com
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