Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 - (Page 6)

HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Study: Mainstream HDTV Buyers Opt for HD DVD By Erik Gruenwedel RESEARCH A new study says 43% of shoppers looking to buy a high-def player are leaning toward HD DVD, compared to 27% for Blu-ray. The remaining 30% are undecided. Dallas-based research firm The Diffusion Group (TDG) based the results on separate surveys of 1,500 and 2,000 U.S. adult Internet users conducted in October and November. The study claims price — not technology — is the determining factor for these post-early adopters. The report found that 33% of nonHDTV households are interested in purchasing an HDTV in the next six months and, unlike current HDTV owners, tend to be younger, single, more ethnically diverse and have lower annual household incomes. “The next wave of buyers is comprised of early mass-market consumers, a much larger segment with a focus on practical consideration such as price,” said Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst with TDG. Greeson said the format that can best address the needs of the mainstream consumers will emerge victorious in the format war. Andy Parsons, SVP, industrial solutions business group, Pioneer Electronics, and marketing direc- BRIEFS I AMAZON OFFERS $270 SAMSUNG BLU-RAY PLAYER Amazon.com has upped the ante in the high-def set-top box price war. The ﬁrst sub-$300 Blu-ray Disc player is available now through the online retailer. Samsung’s BD-P1400, which had an original retail price of $500, is being sold for $270 — $130 less than the next-cheapest Blu-ray player, the PlayStation 3. The Samsung player does not support Proﬁle 1.1 discs, meaning features such as picture-in-picture will not work. Rival HD DVD’s cheapest offering has been the HD-A2 from Toshiba, which has been found for less than $100 at several retailers. – Chris Tribbey tor of the Blu-ray Disc Association, said any format attempting to attract mainstream consumers without offering content from most of the major studios won’t be successful. “If you are going to throw [the term] mass market around, you can’t do that and ignore brands like Disney and [20th Century] Fox,” Parsons said. Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are Blu-ray exclusive. Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment release content only on HD DVD. Warner Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment release content in both formats. Parsons said sales of HD DVD content didn’t mirror the surge in sales of Toshiba’s HD-A2 last month when several national retailers of- fered the player for $99. “It still comes down to content availability and content pricing,” Parsons said. “You can’t have cheap players without cheap content.” Andy Tarczon, founding partner of TDG, said the studies were independent, and TDG didn’t attempt to take sides. He said the fact that 30% of respondents were undecided represented a swing vote in the format war. “We’re not declaring a winner,” Tarczon said. “We’re saying the battle is not over.” I PLASMA TVS, BLU-RAY PLAYERS GET BUNDLED Panasonic plasma TVs and Blu-ray Disc players are being bundled together at Best Buy this holiday season. Consumers can save $500 when they buy the Panasonic DMP-BD30K and either the 42-inch or 50-inch Panasonic ﬂat-panel plasma HDTV. A Panasonic representative told the Dow Jones news service that Circuit City and other U.S. retailers also will offer the deal. Masayuki Kozuka, a GM in charge of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.’s storage device strategy, said the company wants to double its Blu-ray market share in the United States, where Sony PlayStation 3 dominates. He also added that two new Panasonic Blu-ray players will be introduced in January. – Chris Tribbey Eagle Rock Ups HD Music Videos By Erik Gruenwedel usic DVD distributor Eagle Rock Entertainment is bullish on high-definition packaged media. The New York-based company in 2008 plans to release upwards of six titles on both HD DVD and Bluray Disc and eyes high-def packaged music as a savior of sorts for album rock, according to Mike Carden, EVP and president of North American operations. For the holidays, Eagle Rock M bowed Queen: Rock Montreal & Live Aid on HD DVD and Blu-ray for $24.98 each. Filmed at Queen’s 1981 tour stop in Montreal, the two-disc set features 26 songs from digitally remastered footage. Eagle Rock just finished remastering ZZ Top in HD, which will be released next year in HD DVD. Carden said the music industry has been transformed back to the age of the single. He said music DVD is not targeted toward consumers of hit songs. “They are not the same fans that are buying hits,” he said. “It is the fans who want to see artists performing. The hit buyers are downloading more than they are buying in stores.” Carden sees the federally mandated switch to digital TV in 2009 as a catalyst for sales of HD packaged media, including music. “When that happens, we will be there with music content,” he said. “[High-def music videos] will be a nice, steady business.” TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H IG H -D EF SELLER S Week ended December 9, 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 9, 2007 FORMAT LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE The Simpsons Movie H I G H -D E F CO M I NG U P STREETING The Simpsons Movie Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 12/18 Stardust HD DVD Paramount Street Date: 12/18 Underdog Blu-ray Disney Street Date: 12/18 Rush Hour 3 Blu-ray New Line Street Date: 12/23 Eastern Promises HD DVD Universal Street Date: 12/26 The Heartbreak Kid HD DVD Paramount/DreamWorks Street Date: 12/26 The Kingdom HD DVD Universal Street Date: 12/26 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Superbad Planet Earth: The Complete Series Spider-Man 3 Transformers Live Free or Die Hard Planet Earth: The Complete Series Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Ratatouille 300 Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Disney 100.00 Sony Pictures 37.46 BBC Video 12.38 Sony Pictures 10.51 Para./DreamWorks 7.49 Fox 7.40 BBC Video 6.77 Disney 6.70 Disney 6.69 Warner 5.36 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Superbad Planet Earth: The Complete Series Spider-Man 3 300 Transformers Live Free or Die Hard Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead … Ratatouille Ocean’s Thirteen Blu-ray Disney 100.00 Blu-ray Sony Pictures 37.46 BD; HD DVD BBC Video 19.15 Blu-ray Sony Pictures 10.51 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 7.50 HD DVD Para./DreamWorks 7.49 Blu-ray Fox 7.40 Blu-ray Disney 6.70 Blu-ray Disney 6.69 BD; HD DVD/DVD Warner 5.59 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended December 9, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF HD DVD Week ended December 9, 2007 LABEL INDEX TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Superbad Spider-Man 3 Live Free or Die Hard Planet Earth: The Complete Series Disney Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Fox BBC Video 100.00 37.46 10.51 7.40 6.77 1 2 3 4 5 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Transformers Shrek the Third The Bourne Supremacy 300 BBC Video 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 60.52 Para./DreamWorks 35.99 Universal 18.77 Warner 17.33 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 6 Home Media Magazine December 16–22, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com

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Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007

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