Home Media Magazine - October 28-November 3, 2007 - (Page 12)

HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Formats Increase Incentives By Erik Gruenwedel amsung Electronics, the ﬁrst CE manufacturer to market a Blu-ray Disc player, has cut $50 from the $549 price of the BD-P1400, which features 1080p resolution. The company also is offering eight free mailin Blu-ray titles with the now $499 BD-P1400 when purchased at Best Buy, Circuit City and other retailers. The BD movies include a choice of ﬁve titles from a selection of 18 from the Blu-ray Disc Association, two titles from a selection of eight Warner Home Video movies and Planet S Heroes: Season 1 Earth Vol. 1 from the Discovery Channel. Amazon.com offers the P1400 for $409 plus ﬁve free BD titles. The BD Association recently extended its offer of ﬁve free movies through Jan. 31, 2008. Separately, Microsoft and select retailers are offering Heroes: Season 1 on HD DVD with the purchase of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on player for $179.99. The purchase also includes a choice of ﬁve free HD DVD titles from a selection of 15 movies. The HD DVD movie offer is valid until Feb. 28, 2008. Method Man On HD DVD By Billy Gil MUSIC After Wu-Tang Clan rapper and solo artist Method Man has his ﬁrst live DVD released Oct. 30, MVD Visual will release Method Man: Live From the Sunset Strip Dec. 11 (prebook Nov. 6) on HD DVD. Both the $16.95 DVD and $19.95 HD DVD will include the tracks “Intro (Album 4:21),” “Method Man,” “Bring the Pain,” “Ice Cream,” “All I Need,” “Grid Iron Rap,” “How High,” “What the Blood Clot,” “Suspect Chin Music,” “Fall Out,” “Ya’meen,” “Is It Me,” “Problem,” “Say,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ ta F’ With,” “Triumph,” “Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Tribute to ODB),” “Brooklyn Zoo,” “Judgment Day” and “Da Rockwilder.” Both versions include an extended interview with Method Man and another with Brother J of Clan X, behind-the-scenes footage and a photo gallery. Method Man is just the latest musician to hit high-deﬁnition disc. According to The DVD Release Report, the music genre has 19 Blu-ray Discs and 22 HD DVDs (counting opera and stage, without which there are 20 music HD DVDs) in the market. NPD Study Has Mixed Results for HD Continued from page 1 replacement technology, mindful of how DVD not only reinvigorated the home video industry in the late 1990s, but also subsequently spurred consumer spending on packaged media to record heights. “This is great news for any of us in the packagedmedia business,” said Steve Feldstein, SVP of corporate and marketing communications for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, one of the leading studio supporters of the front-running Blu-ray Disc format. But the NPD study, based on a nationwide survey of HDTV owners, also found an overwhelming reluctance to buy either a Blu-ray Disc or an HD DVD machine. When asked “how likely are you to buy a high-definition player in the next six months,” nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 66%, said “not at all” or “not likely.” Another 23% answered “somewhat likely,” while just 11% said they were “extremely likely” to buy a player. The hesitation, the study revealed, stems from a variety of factors, most notably high player prices (cited as the major deterrent by 72% of respondents). Another 70% saw no immediate need to replace their DVD players, while 60% said they get their high-def movies from cable or satellite. And 54% said they will hold off buying a player until the format war is resolved. Still, NPD believes high-def discs will succeed. The new study projects that by the end of 2007, the number of standalone HD disc players sold will top the 1 million-unit mark, while software sales will hit 4.5 million units, accounting for 3.5% of the packaged-media business. By 2011, the study predicts, annual sales of HD discs will be at about 400 million units and account for about 40% of the packaged-media business. Russ Crupnick, VP and senior analyst with NPD Entertainment, said the high replacement rate among HDTV owners is a little misleading “because you’re looking at the very early adopters who may go in and replace all their ‘Matrix,’ ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Shrek’ DVDs.” “Once you get to the mainstream consumer, we’re not sure they’re going to be all that anxious to replace their libraries,” he added. Even so, Crupnick sees good times ahead for the high-definition disc business, although it might take a little longer than initially expected. For HD packaged media to succeed, he said, studios, CE manufacturers and retailers need to work together to inform consumers about the format’s benefits. “Overall, consumers are very happy and complacent with DVD,” he said. “So what is the messaging we can create that will make people take the plunge? That’s what’s missing now — there isn’t something equivalent to, ‘ah, ABS brakes, I’d better get a car that has that.’” To that end, Crupnick applauds big awareness campaigns such as the Walt Disney Co.’s national mall tour in support of the Blu-ray Disc format, which he calls “brilliant.” TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH -DEF SELL ERS Week ended October 21, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX HIGH-DEF SELLERS Aggregate by Title Week ended October 21, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX Face/Off H I G H- DE F CO M IN G U P STREETING Face/Off HD DVD Paramount Street Date: 10/30 HD Window: Hawaii BD & HD DVD DVD International Street Date: 10/30 The Polar Express Blu-ray Warner Street Date: 10/30 Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 10/30 Talk to Me HD DVD Universal Street Date: 10/30 Ratatouille Blu-ray Disney Street Date: 11/6 The Aviator BD & HD DVD Warner Street Date: 11/6 PREBOOKING Superbad Sony Pictures Blu-ray Pre: 11/1, Street: 12/4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Transformers Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver … Apocalypto Déjà Vu The Prestige Wild Hogs The Reaping 300 HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Para./DreamWorks 100.00 Disney 9.47 Disney 9.12 Fox 5.47 Dis./Touchstone 5.02 Dis./Touchstone 3.71 Dis./Touchstone 3.60 Dis./Touchstone 3.53 Warner 3.42 Warner 3.37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Transformers Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver … 300 The Reaping Apocalypto Déjà Vu The Prestige Wild Hogs HD DVD Para./DreamWorks100.00 Blu-ray Disney 9.47 Blu-ray Disney 9.12 Blu-ray Fox 5.47 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 5.43 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 5.29 Blu-ray Disney/Touchstone 5.02 Blu-ray Disney/Touchstone 3.71 Blu-ray Disney/Touchstone 3.60 Blu-ray Disney/Touchstone 3.54 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-RAY DISC Week ended October 21, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended October 21, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the … Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Apocalypto Déjà Vu Disney 100.00 Disney 96.29 Fox 57.72 Disney/Touchstone 53.04 Disney/Touchstone 39.13 1 2 3 4 5 Transformers Knocked Up 300 Evan Almighty The Reaping Para./DreamWorks 100.00 Universal 2.54 Warner 2.06 Universal 1.97 Warner 1.87 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 12 BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN Home Media Magazine October 28–November 3, 2007 hom102807_012.pgs 10.24.2007 21:40 ccoffey http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com

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Home Media Magazine - October 28, 2007 Contents News TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - October 28-November 3, 2007

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