Home Media Magazine - December 9, 2007 - (Page 12) HIGH-DEF HD DVDS DRAW VIEWS ONLINE By Angelique Flores everal HD DVD titles have seen significant usage of their Web-connected features, according to the HD DVD Promotional Group. Paramount Home Entertainment’s Transformers had more than 80,000 unique online users, with 31% returning to download new content as it became available. Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Heroes: Season One, Knocked Up and Evan Almighty had an average of 30% of each HD DVD’s purchasers going online to download content and connect with fans. Web-enabled features on the Transformers HD DVD include downloadable Sector 7 Transmission videos; a Transformers Profiler with stills and bios; an Intelligence mode, which is a special data dashboard that gives stats on the Autobots and Decepticons; a GPS locator; factoids; and Menubots, which let fans customize their menus to various themes, from Bumblebee to Megatron. The Heroes: Season One HD DVD features a download center with exclusive content, trailers and show updates; a Genetic Abilities Test, where fans can test themselves and post their “hero profile” to the “Heroes” community site on NBC. com, which will then trigger a unique access code to view exclusive content. Ken Graffeo, EVP of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, said studios had only begun to “scratch the surface” of Internet interoperability. www.homemediamagazine.com S Blu-ray Studios Upping Networked Fare By Erik Gruenwedel onnectivity between packaged media and the Internet takes another step forward in 2008 when Lionsgate bows Bluray Disc-networked editions of War (Jan. 1) and Saw IV (Jan. 22). The mini-major joins Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in scheduling Blu-ray networked titles next year. Blu-ray’s Web-enabled feature, BD-Live, is similar to what rival HD DVD offered this year on two Warner Home Video titles, Blood Diamond and 300. Via Internet-con- BRIEFS I LCD BUYS GROWING The NPD Group’s latest research report shows year-over-year Black Friday consumer technology spending was up only 6% from 2006, or $2.2 billion from $2.1 billion. Of that, LCD TVs saw some of the biggest growth. LCD TVs were third on the top five list, in terms of revenue growth for technology sold on Black Friday, up 79% over last year, and averaging $642 per unit. Sizes 30 inches and higher far outsold smaller-sized TVs. Saw IV nected players, consumers can access additional information, content and e-commerce options. The Blu-ray edition of War features “Yakuza Fighter,” a networked game exclusive to the disc. Viewers can play against others online, go for high scores or just play against the computer. Miguel Casillas, SVP, DVD production with Lionsgate, told attendees at least week’s High-Def 2.0 conference in Los Angeles that the upcoming Bluray release of the second season of Weeds will let users track and bookmark episodes. “This scratches the surface of what is possible,” Casillas said. Disney is contemplating BD Live editions of Finding Nemo, National Treasure 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, according to Lori MacPherson, GM, North America at WDSHE. Fox is considering hot new Blu-ray features for Hitman and Juno, said Simon Swart, EVP and GM, North America for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “People can start to see what the format can do,” he said. I BLU-RAY BACKERS CLAIM 2.7M PLAYERS SHIPPED A week after the HD DVD Promotional Group announced Black Friday sales had pushed its hardware market penetration to 750,000 units, the Blu-ray Disc Association fired back, announcing more than 2.7 million Blu-ray players are in households. Those numbers include the PlayStation 3, as the HD DVD numbers also included the Xbox 360 HD DVD addon drive. ‘Bourne’ Bears New HD DVD Features By Chris Tribbey niversal is rolling out some new features with the Dec. 11 HD DVD/DVD combo release of The Bourne Ultimatum. “HD DVD allows us to provide the type of immersive, next-generation entertainment that Bourne fans anticipate and high-def consumers have come to expect,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. First up is a cross-promotional effort U between Universal and Volkswagon. A “VW-Get More Info” extra highlights the car company’s VW Touareg, which goes through hell during one action sequence in the movie. The feature highlights the car, and also includes six webisodes that can be downloaded, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the action sequence. A “Be Bourne Spy Game” challenges viewers with a spy aptitude test. Gamers are shown different clips from the movie and are asked to cite details from those clips. When the points have been tallied, players can connect to the HD DVD download center and compare their scores to those of other players. The HD DVD also features a new “U-Control” feature, the HD DVD option that offers more info on people, places and things during the movie. This time, it’s “The Blackbriar Files,” an inside look at the players, intel and fight moves surrounding the CIA’s covert operation. I LCD OEMS GROW A new DisplaySearch study shows that of the 20.1 million LCD TV units shipped during the third quarter of 2007, 23% were made by external original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In fact, according to the LCD TV Value Chain Report (www.displaysearch.com), companies such as Hewlett Packard, Polaroid, Vizio and ViewSonic outsourced 100% of their LCD TV manufacturing. Companies such as Philips outsourced 60%. – Chris Tribbey TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H IG H -D EF SELLER S Week ended December 2, 2007 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS HI GH- DE F S E L L E RS Aggregate by Title Week ended December 2, 2007 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE Legend of Zorro H I G H -D E F CO M I NG U P STREETING Girls Gone Wild BD & HD DVD Mantra Films Street Date: 12/11 Harry Potter Gift Set BD & HD DVD Warner Street Date: 12/11 High School Musical 2 Blu-ray Disney Street Date: 12/11 Legend of Zorro Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 12/11 Lost: Third Season Blu-ray Disney Street Date: 12/11 Rent Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 12/11 The Bourne Trilogy HD DVD Universal Street Date: 12/13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Live Free or Die Hard Planet Earth: The Complete Series Spider-Man 3 Transformers Ratatouille Planet Earth: The Complete Series 300 Shrek the Third Ocean’s Thirteen Hairspray Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Fox 100.00 BBC Video 97.66 Sony Pictures 65.45 Para./DreamWorks 57.22 Disney 56.67 BBC Video 54.08 Warner 42.70 Para./DreamWorks 40.50 Warner 28.86 New Line 24.56 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Live Free or Die Hard Spider-Man 3 300 Transformers Ratatouille Ocean’s Thirteen Shrek the Third The Polar Express The Departed BD; HD DVD BBC Video 100.00 Blu-ray Fox 65.90 Blu-ray Sony Pictures 43.13 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 39.25 HD DVD Para./DreamWorks 37.71 Blu-ray Disney 37.35 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 30.40 HD DVD Para./DreamWorks 26.69 BD; HD DVD Warner 19.63 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 17.92 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended December 2, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended December 2, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Live Free or Die Hard Spider-Man 3 Ratatouille Planet Earth: The Complete Series 300 Fox Sony Pictures Disney BBC Video Warner 100.00 65.45 56.67 54.08 42.70 1 2 3 4 5 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Transformers Shrek the Third Top Gun Star Trek: The Original Series — Season One BBC Video 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 58.59 Para./DreamWorks 41.47 Paramount 19.60 Paramount 18.79 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Home Media Magazine December 9–15, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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