Home Media Magazine - October 21-27, 2007 - (Page 10)

HIGH-DEF B R IE F S I NAB CAMPAIGNS FOR DIGITAL BROADCAST The National Association of Broadcasters is spearheading a nearly $700 million awareness campaign regarding the Feb. 17, 2009, switchover from analog TV broadcasts to digital. The NAB’s awareness campaign will include TV spots, news tickers during some programming, 30-minute educational programs, a 100-day countdown, press in magazines and newspapers, a 600-location road show, a speakers bureau and Web ads. In addition to every network, 95 broadcasting companies representing 939 TV stations are participating. – Chris Tribbey www.homemediamagazine.com Retailers and Disney Offering Blu-ray Promo Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines By Erik Gruenwedel R E TA I L Best Buy Co. Inc. and Barnes & Noble are among retailers offering consumers a free Disney Blu-ray Disc movie with the purchase of another Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Blu-ray title. The promotion — independent of the Blu-ray player deal that includes five free titles — was included in Best Buy’s weekly Sunday circular. The offer involves these $29.99 titles: Invincible, Chicken Little, Wild Hogs, Eight I DIGITAL PLAYGROUND HAS ADULT DUAL-LAYER HD DVD Digital Playground Oct. 23 will release Island Fever 4, which is its first dual-layer 30GB HD DVD and the first to offer all extras in high-definition. The $59.95 sequel, created by the director of successful adult title Pirates, features more than five hours of content in 1080p resolution, 5.1 digital surround sound and includes interactive menus. Seventeen adult titles are available in HD DVD, compared to three in Blu-ray. A recent adult industry poll found that 59% of producers were shooting content in HD. – Erik Gruenwedel Getting More Blu By Chris Tribbey arner Home Video is calling it a “titlewave,” and it’s good news for Blu-ray. Blu-ray Disc viewers don’t have access to 20 Warner titles that are available on HD DVD. But with the announcement of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on Blu-ray Dec. 4, there’s hope. Warner promises “more high-def releases soon,” and the Blu-ray of T3 will include an In-Movie Experience, Warner’s first picture-in-picture (PIP) Blu-ray. The title also includes commentaries, making-of featurettes and an introduction from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Warner Below, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Lookout, Pearl Harbor, Apocalypto, Déjà Vu, The Guardian, The Prestige and Enemy of the State. Best Buy spokesperson Brian Lucas said the promo was not intended to indicate bias toward a particular format. “We are just looking for ways to generate excitement around nextgeneration packaged media however we can,” he said. BEST BUY JETTISONS ANALOG TVS By Chris Tribbey Top consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has pulled all remaining analog TVs off its shelves and will sell only digital TVs from now on. The move comes in anticipation of the Feb. 17, 2009, nationwide switchover from analog to digital for all TV content providers. Best Buy stores were ordered to stop selling analog TVs at the beginning of the month, the company said. It’s the first major electronics retailer to announce digital-only TV sales. “We are committed to helping people understand the digital television transition, and exiting the analog video business is one way we can help avoid confusion,” stated Mike Vitelli, SVP of electronics for Best Buy. “Customers can now be sure that any television they purchase at Best Buy will be fully compliant with the digital television transition.” Best Buy also announced it will offer digital-to-analog converter boxes for sale starting in early 2008. Starting Jan. 1, consumers can request two coupons per household worth $40 each from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, good toward the purchase of converter boxes. W Daniel Silverberg, VP of HD media development for Warner, said the T3 Blu-ray isn’t Blu-ray profile 1.1, the programming required for BD players introduced after Oct. 31. Profile 1.1 requires the addition of a second video decoder, allowing for PIP features, and expansion of memory to 256MB. “We remain hopeful that Blu-ray hardware manufacturers get Profile 1.1 and BD Live [2.0] players into the marketplace soon and the user base grows in order for us to deliver the same interactive and connected content on all high-def discs regardless of format,” Silverberg said. TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH- DE F S ELL ERS Week ended October 14, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX HIGH-DEF SELLERS Aggregate by Title Week ended October 14, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX The Company HIGH-DEF TH I S W E EK STREETING THIS WEEK The Company Blu-ray Sony Street Date: 10/23 Inside Man HD DVD Universal Street Date: 10/23 King of New York Blu-ray Lionsgate Street Date: 10/23 The Shining BD & HD DVD Warner Street Date: 10/23 The Sopranos … S6, 2 BD & HD DVD HBO Video Street Date: 10/23 PREBOOKING THIS WEEK Live Free or Die Hard Blu-ray Fox Pre: 10/24, Street: 11/20 I Know Who Killed Me Blu-ray Sony Pre: 10/25, Street: 11/27 Paprika Blu-ray Sony Pre: 10/27, Street: 11/27 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fantastic Four: Rise of the … Surf’s Up 28 Weeks Later Evan Almighty 300 Knocked Up Reign Over Me 28 Days Later Casino Royale Troy: Director’s Cut Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Fox Sony Pictures Fox Universal Warner Universal Sony Pictures Fox Sony Pictures Warner 100.00 66.99 63.66 45.62 37.58 27.03 24.10 23.13 21.96 19.64 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fantastic Four: Rise of the … Surf’s Up 28 Weeks Later 300 Evan Almighty Knocked Up Troy: Director’s Cut Reign Over Me 28 Days Later Casino Royale Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray BD; HD DVD/DVD HD DVD/DVD HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray; HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Fox 100.00 Sony Pictures 66.99 Fox 63.66 Warner 56.46 Universal 45.62 Universal 27.03 Warner 26.98 Sony Pictures 24.10 Fox 23.13 Sony Pictures 21.96 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-RAY DISC Week ended October 14, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended October14, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Surf’s Up 28 Weeks Later 300 Reign Over Me Fox Sony Pictures Fox Warner Sony Pictures 100.00 66.99 63.66 37.58 24.10 1 2 3 4 5 Evan Almighty Knocked Up 300 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Top Gun Universal Universal Warner BBC Video Paramount 100.00 59.26 41.39 31.20 23.17 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 10 Home Media Magazine October 21–27, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Contents News TV DVD Going Green Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - October 21-27, 2007

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