Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 - (Page 24)

NEWS DVD Big Competitor to HD Continued from page 1 www.homemediamagazine.com as in this year, likely will remain a niche product. DisplaySearch and The NPD Group point to cheap upconverting DVD players as one of the biggest obstacles to high-def’s success. “Upscaling DVD players currently present a competitive quandary for the hardware companies behind players for both formats,” said Paul Erickson, DisplaySearch’s director of DVD and high-def market research. “Currently, upscaling players capable of 1080i and 1080p resolution are commonly available for less than $100. The two most significant factors inhibiting adoption of next-generation formats are satisfaction with regular DVD and the cost of next-generation hardware and software. “The inexpensive upscaling player is thus the competitive manifestation of these concerns, and serves as an inexpensive complement to an HDTV purchase.” Erickson added that in October, upscaling players constituted more than three times the market share of the total DVD player market over high-def, 28% vs. 8%. “Upscaling players will soon become the de facto type of DVD player offered beyond the most budget $30 low-end models, and will continue to present problems for Blu-ray and HD DVD adoption as long as the price differential remains in the hundreds of dollars,” he said. “Both formats need to reduce their long-term price differential with upscaling DVD players to $100 or less to be validly positioned as a step up to high definition that consumers see as affordable.” average sales price of $210) led it to a 62% share of players sold during the week of Black Friday. However, Blu-ray player sales accounted for 52% of the revenue generated off high-def set tops during the week. In all, high-def set-tops accounted for roughly $16.2 million in revenue during the week of Black Friday. Toshiba made off with the highest high-def unit (62%) and revenue (47%) shares, with Sony (23% of units sold) and Samsung (12%) following behind. Best Buy was responsible for the majority of high-def player sales. DisplaySearch estimates that by the end of the year, there will be 461,000 Blu-ray players, 678,000 HD DVD players, 2.5 million PS3s and 270,000 Xbox 360 HD DVD add-ons in U.S. households. The research firm’s 2008 estimates peg set-top boxes in U.S. homes by the end of 2008 at 4.76 million. According to the report, Bluray players could hit as low as $200-$250 for Black Friday 2008, with HD DVD players far less than $100. Dual-format players, JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* Blockbuster Gets ‘Jackass’ Continued from page 1 Bam Margera, Chris Pontius and SteveO, among others, engaging in deathdefying stunts, humiliating practical jokes and assorted really bad ideas. The ad-supported 60-minute digital edition, co-released by MTV New Media and Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment, will be available at www. blockbuster.jackassworld.com, and beginning Jan. 1, 2008, for download-torent at Blockbuster-owned Movielink. com. Blockbuster acquired movie download service Movielink in August in an effort to establish a beachhead in the nascent digital distribution channel and compete against rival Netflix Inc.’s PC-based streaming service. The free Jackass 2.5 stream does not require a Blockbuster membership but does require downloading a free Microsoft Silverlight media player. The unrated direct-to-DVD title streets Dec. 26 for $29.99, with Blockbuster also holding exclusive packaged-media rental rights. Special DVD features, not available on the stream, include “The Making of Jackass 2.5,” “The Making of Jackass: The Game,” a photo gallery and 16 separate bonus segments featuring the Jackass cast. A Web site devoted to the franchise, JackassWorld.com, bows Feb. 9, 2008. Jackass: The Movie (2002) and Jackass Number Two (2006) generated almost $30 million in box office revenue. Edward Woo, media analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, downplayed the exclusive, characterizing it as a minor achievement for Blockbuster. “I think it is an interesting play but I don’t think anybody is factoring this to really move the [rental] needle [in Blockbuster’s favor],” Woo said. He said the reported $2 million Blockbuster paid Paramount for the Jackass 2.5 rights, excluding 70% of the adrevenue the Dallas-based rental giant will cough up, is certainly positive for Paramount. “If this was a smaller rental company or a bigger, blockbuster movie, yeah it would be huge,” Woo said. “But Jackass 2.5, not too exciting.” Online investment service The Motley Fool countered that the digital exclusive marked a coup for Blockbuster at Netflix’s expense. “The unspoken message will be clear: Netflix may have 90,000 DVDs available, but none of them will be Jackass 2.5,” wrote The Fool. Why Did I Get Married? STREET DATE 30 Days of Night BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) Love in the Time of Cholera TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Why Did I Get Married? 2/12/08 1/16/08 $55.2 Comedy DVD $29.95 Lionsgate. 2007. Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott. Adapted from Tyler Perry’s stage play of the same name is an intimate story about the challenges of maintaining a marriage in modern society. Includes three featurettes. 30 Days of Night 2/26/08 1/24/08 $39.6 Horror DVD $28.95, BD $38.96, UMD $24.94 Sony Pictures. 2007. Josh Hartnett, Ben Foster, Melissa George, Danny Huston. Based on a graphic novel by Steve Niles, a small group battles blood-thirsty vampires in a small Alaskan town frozen in darkness for 30 days. Includes eight featurettes, commentary and more. Love in the Time of Cholera 3/18/08 2/12/08 $4.5 Drama DVD $27.95 New Line. 2007. Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Hector Elizondo. Based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez about a man who waits more than 50 years to be with his true love. Feast of Love 2/5/08 1/9/08 $3.5 Drama DVD $29.98 MGM/Fox. 2007. Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, Selma Blair, Alexa Davalos, Jane Alexander. Based on the novel by Charles Baxter, love is abloom at a coffeehouse in a tight-knit Oregon town. Includes director commentary and several featurettes. Storm Warning 2/5/08 12/26 DTV Horror DVD $19.95 Genius/Weinstein. 2007. Robert Taylor, Mathew Wilkinson, Nadia Fares. A weekend boat trip goes horribly wrong when a storm leaves a couple stranded on a remote island with sadistic inhabitants. Killer Pad 2/5/08 1/9/08 DTV Horror DVD $26.98 Lionsgate. Eric Jungmann, Shane McRae, Andy Milonakis, Joseph Lawrence. From famed horror director Robert Englund comes a story of three friends who find a sweet deal on a mansion in the Hollywood Hills their dream house until they find out it is a portal to hell. It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown 2/19/08 1/15/08 Re-release Animated DVD $19.98 MovieBeam VOD Shuttered Continued from page 1 Warner. 2007. The deluxe edition of this seasonal TV special has been remastered and includes such bonus featurettes as “In Full Bloom: The Peanuts at Easter” and “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown.” Redacted 2/19/08 1/22/08 DTV Drama DVD $26.98 load proprietary $200 set-top boxes, which allowed users to watch movies on demand with no downloading or hard-disc storage required. The service was available in 31 major cities nationally and featured a regenerating stock of 100 movies (10 new titles per week) loaded for on-demand viewing at any given time. Rentals (for 24 hours) ranged in price from $1.99 to $4.99. Gallery envisioned MovieBeam as a catalyst to jump-start a non-existent digital distribution channel that would be marketed at the retail level and include online rentals. Analyst Michael Pachter said the decision to acquire MovieBeam was an honest attempt to play catch-up to Blockbuster Inc.’s Total Access and Netflix Inc.’s PC streaming service. “They just didn’t realize they were going bankrupt at the time,” Pachter said. Magnolia. 2007. Director Brian De Palma tells a fictional story about a small group of U.S. soldiers stationed at a checkpoint in Iraq from alternating viewpoints, including local Iraqi people and members of the media. The Final Inquiry 2/19/08 1/23/08 DTV Drama DVD $26.98 Fox. 2007. F. Murray Abraham, Dolph Lundgren, Max von Sydow. Three years after the death of Christ, a Roman general is sent to Jerusalem to investigate the possible resurrection of the crucified man. Includes a making-of featurette. Appleseed: Ex Machina 3/11/08 2/5/08 DTV Anime DVD $24.98, BD & HD DVD $34.99 Warner. 2007. Partners and lovers, Deunan and Briareos, are members of the elite forces who defend Olympus. The newest threat to Olympus also threatens their relationship. Includes commentary and featurettes. Also available in a limited edition two-DVD set for $34.98. * In order of box office, then prebook date Home Media Magazine December 16–22, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 Contents News Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007

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