Home Media Magazine - November 25-December 1, 2007 - (Page 10)

HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Report: European HDTV Sales Strong By Chris Tribbey RESEARCH More TVs are being sold in Europe, but the TV business is more profitable in America, according to a study by DisplaySearch. In what could be a great fourthquarter sign for TV manufacturers, the report shows double-digit growth of year-over-year TV sales, mostly due to a strong European market and consumer adoption of high-def 1080p sets. According to DisplaySearch founder and president Ross Young, “Eu- BRIEFS I 51GB HD DVD APPROVED The DVD Forum, which oversees industry standards for DVD and HD DVD, approved the triple-layer, 51GB HD DVD. However, a Toshiba representative of the HD DVD Promotional Group said in October that the new disc may require a ﬁrmware update to play on existing players. – Chris Tribbey rope’s TV market surged in Q3 2007 on a year-over-year basis, up 25% in units and 29% in revenues, due to last year’s weak market resulting from poor World Cup sellthrough. “Although the Europe TV market is 11% larger on a unit basis, North America remained the largest market on a [dollar] basis with a 26% advantage over Europe resulting from higher HD and 1080p penetration and a larger average size,” he said. Total unit shipments rose 18% over the second quarter and 11% year over year to 50.6 million. Revenue was up 17% over the second quarter and 10% year over year, to $26.3 billion. LCD enjoyed a 40% market share and 66% revenue share, and is the only segment of TV to enjoy yearover-year revenue growth, while plasma saw a 21% year-over-year bump in units shipped, with 2.8 million. Samsung was No. 1 in units shipped for the fifth straight quarter, with a 14% market share and a 17.9% revenue share. The biggest numbers belong to 1080p sets, with a staggering 357% year-over-year jump in units shipped, to 3.4 million. Larger sizes continue to gain more attention at retail, with the average size of TVs shipped rising nearly two inches to 27.4 in the past year. Internationally, Europe enjoyed a 29% jump in units shipped year over year, and a 25% bump in revenue as well. In developing nations, units shipped increased 19% year over year. I ‘CONSUMER REPORTS’: BD, HD DVD PLAYERS EQUAL The December issue of Consumer Reports put HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc on even ground. Both the Toshiba HD-AX2 and Pioneer DBP-94HD earned 91% ratings for picture quality, the highest scores among six Blu-ray and three HD DVD players tested. The Blu-ray players averaged a score of 87%, while the HD DVD players averaged a score of 81%. – Chris Tribbey BLU-RAY ATTACKS HD DVD ON WEB By Chris Tribbey Beam Me Up Report: HD Slow to Catch On in Europe By Chris Tribbey RESEARCH Understanding & Solutions held its high-def conference “High Definition in Europe: Conveying the Message” in Barcelona earlier this month. The research firm shared several key points at the event: I Europeans have spent an estimated 75 billion euros on consumer electronics so far this year, and high-def product “will help revitalize [consumer electronics’] many product segments over the coming years.” I High-def home media video will account for 27% of the market in Europe by 2011, U&S forecasts. I High-def broadcast subscriptions are still in the early adopter phase in Europe. I Less than 4% of Sky Satellite TV subscribers and less than 5% of Virgin TV subscribers in Europe add highdef services. I In France, less than 2% of CanalSat TV subscribers go for the high-def channels, and in Italy, only 1.2% of Sky Italia subscribers do the same. T he Blu-ray camp has launched a viral advertising campaign for the format with two YouTube spots attacking competitor HD DVD. In “The Coaster,” a man watching Bluray Discs on his couch uses his HD DVD player as a coaster for his drink. In “The Junk Closet,” a consumer puts his HD DVD player in the closet on top of his laserdisc, Betamax and 8-track players. Additionally, Hollywoodinhidef.com’s Scott Hettrick was featured on The Learning Channel and Women’s Entertainment Network Nov. 16-18 on a “Designing Spaces” high-def holiday special featuring Blu-ray Disc. The five-minute special will be posted on www.hollywoodinhidef.com. I MACROVISION BUYS BD+ COPY PROTECTION Macrovision has agreed to purchase digital content protection technology from Cryptography Research Inc., including the self-protecting digital content (SPDC) technology used for security on Blu-ray BD+ discs. The deal, reportedly worth $45 million plus an unknown amount of Macrovision stock, should be ﬁnalized by the end of 2007. Only 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is using the BD+ technology, which aims to prevent copying of Bluray Disc content. – Chris Tribbey Pictured: Klingons showed up at New York’s Times Square and Union Square Virgin Megastores to buy Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS Home Entertainment’s Star Trek: The Original Series HD DVD/DVD combo boxed set, which streeted Nov. 20. A select number of fans received a free Toshiba HD DVD player and a “Star Trek” care package with the purchase. Consumers who buy a Toshiba HD DVD player and the boxed set can receive a limited-edition “Star Trek” phaser remote control via mail. The offer expires Feb. 29, 2008. Valued at $70, the universal remote works with any Toshiba HD DVD player and features lights and sounds like those on the show. – Chris Tribbey TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H IG H -D EF SELLER S YTD through November 11, 2007 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH- DE F S E L L E RS Aggregate by Title YTD through November 11, 2007 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE Anchorman: The Legend … H I G H -D E F CO M I NG U P STREETING Anchorman … HD DVD Paramount/DreamWorks Street Date: 11/27 I Know Who Killed Me Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 11/27 Old School HD DVD Paramount/DreamWorks Street Date: 11/27 The Omega Man BD & HD DVD Warner Street Date: 11/27 Paprika Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 11/27 Battlestar … Season 1 HD DVD Universal Street Date: 12/4 PREBOOKING Shoot ‘Em Up Blu-ray New Line Pre: 11/27, Street: 1/1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 300 Transformers 300 Casino Royale The Departed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Planet Earth: The Complete Series Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Planet Earth: The Complete Series Apocalypto Blu-ray HD DVD HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Warner 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 66.57 Warner 52.84 Sony Pictures 51.83 Warner 33.79 Disney 33.68 BBC Video 30.71 Disney 29.79 BBC Video 29.19 Disney/Touchstone 26.70 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 300 Transformers Planet Earth: The Complete Series The Departed Casino Royale Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s … Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse … Apocalypto Spider-Man 3 Ghost Rider BD; HD DVD/DVD HD DVD BD; HD DVD BD; HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Warner 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 43.56 BBC Video 39.19 Warner 35.58 Sony Pictures 33.91 Disney 22.03 Disney 19.49 Disney/Touchstone 17.47 Sony Pictures 16.36 Sony Pictures 14.25 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC YTD through November 11, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD YTD through November 11, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 300 Casino Royale The Departed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the … Warner Sony Pictures Warner Disney Disney 100.00 51.83 33.79 33.68 29.79 1 2 3 4 5 Transformers 300 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Batman Begins The Departed Para./DreamWorks Warner BBC Video Warner Warner 100.00 79.37 46.13 32.47 30.94 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 10 Home Media Magazine November 25–December 1, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.hollywoodinhidef.com

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

Home Media Magazine - November 25-December 1, 2007

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