Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - (Page 6) HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com CEA, FCC Oppose Delay of Digital TV Transition By Chris Tribbey he heads of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have both warned against delaying the Feb. 17 digital TV transition, even if millions of American homes are still unprepared for the analog switch-off. President-elect Barack Obama asked lawmakers Jan. 8 to consider delaying the transition, saying funding for subsidizing Americans’ purchase of digital converter boxes was inadequate, and that the government is not prepared for the problems consumers may encounter. The nonprofit Consumers Union has also urged Congress to delay the switch. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the $40 converter box coupon program, announced Jan. 5 that it had spent all of the $1.34 billion it was allocated by Congress, raising concerns that the Feb. 17 date might come too TOP 10 HIGH-DEF BLU-RAY DISC RENTALS Week ended January 11, 2009 STREET DATE LABEL RANK TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pineapple Express Righteous Kill Eagle Eye Bangkok Dangerous Babylon A.D. The Dark Knight Wanted Death Race Traitor Hancock Sony Pictures Anchor Bay Para./DreamWorks Lionsgate Fox Warner Universal Universal Anchor Bay Sony Pictures 1/6/09 1/6/09 12/27/08 1/6/09 1/6/09 12/9/08 12/2/08 12/21/08 12/19/08 11/25/08 T soon. However, Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO, wrote to Obama’s presidential transition team Jan. 12 that delaying the analog shutoff would cause more confusion among consumers, anger retailers selling the converter boxes and engender “skepticism” among Americans, since the government has been advertising the date for more than a year. “A delay will require significant unbudgeted expenditures from the public and private sectors,” Shapiro wrote. “Resources would have to be found for a new national public education campaign centered on the new date. … Broadcasters would be forced to extend leases on their analog towers.” Instead, Shapiro suggested that Congress relax the rules on the coupon program, including doing away with the 90-day expiration date. He noted only 19 million of nearly 34 million coupons have been redeemed. Kevin Martin, chair of the FCC, echoed those thoughts in an interview with The Associated Press, saying Congress should remove the 90day expiration rule and provide additional funding to the NTIA. “I’m concerned … a delay has actually the potential to confuse consumers. All of our messaging has been about Feb. 17 — not just our’s — the industry’s.” The Nielsen Co. has reported that it believes just fewer than 7% of all homes nationwide are currently unready for the digital transition and would be left with no TV signal on Feb. 17. Source: Blockbuster Inc. TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-RAY DISC SELLERS Week ended January 11, 2009 LABEL INDEX* TITLE Amex Digital to Release BD Player By Chris Tribbey mex Digital has thrown its hat into the Blu-ray Disc player arena, announcing it will soon release its BD-P1 with an SRP A of $239. The player will handle all high-def audio codecs, and will come with one HDMI port. For more information visit www.amexdigital.com. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pineapple Express The Dark Knight Righteous Kill Babylon A.D. Eagle Eye Bangkok Dangerous Wall-E Transformers Iron Man Death Race Wanted Planet Earth: The Complete Series The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 300 Madagascar Top Gun The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Serenity Mamma Mia! Resident Evil: Degeneration *Units sold compared to No. 1 title Sony Pictures 100.00 Warner 34.49 Anchor Bay 33.41 Fox 32.26 Para./DreamWorks 28.53 Lionsgate 20.62 Disney 17.53 Para./DreamWorks 14.23 Paramount 11.90 Universal 9.50 Universal 9.20 BBC Video 7.62 Disney 7.52 Warner 7.35 Para./DreamWorks 7.15 Paramount 6.95 Universal 6.63 Universal 6.27 Universal 6.21 Sony Pictures 5.88 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Sony Releases Oscar-Lauded Films on Blu-ray Disc B LU- R AY D I S C C O M I NG U P STREETING Amusement Warner Street Date: 1/20 The Express Universal Street Date: 1/20 Igor Fox/MGM Street Date: 1/20 King Kong (2005) Universal Street Date: 1/20 Max Payne Fox Street Date: 1/20 Repo! The Genetic Opera Lionsgate Street Date: 1/20 Saw V Lionsgate Street Date: 1/20 TOP 20 HIGH-DEF B D TI TL E S HA R E Percentage of Sales Per Title vs DVD Week ended January 11, 2009 LABEL PERCENT TITLE By Kyra Kudick ony Pictures Feb. 17 releases four Oscar-winning films on Blu-ray Disc to coincide with the Feb. 22 telecast of the 2009 Academy Awards show. Capote/In Cold Blood will be available as a twodisc double feature at $54.95, a two-disc special edition of Gandhi will be $39.96, and Kramer vs. Kramer will be $28.95. Philip Seymour Hoffman won the 2005 Best Actor Oscar for his role as famed author Truman Capote in Capote. The two-disc set includes the 1967 film interpretation of Capote’s novel In Cold Blood. Bonus features include a documentary about Ca- S pote, a two-part making-of featurette and two audio commentaries. Gandhi took home eight Academy Awards in 1982, including best picture and best actor for Ben Kingsley, who starred in the title role as Mahatma Gandhi. Bonus features include picture-in-picture graphics tracks, vintage newsreel shorts, 11 featurettes and more. Both Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep won Oscars in 1979 for their performances as Ted and Joanna Kramer, respectively, in Kramer vs. Kramer. The film won an additional three Oscars that year, including best picture. The Blu-ray includes a comprehensive making-of featurette. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The Last Emperor Face/Off Wyatt Earp Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut Hulk The Sum of All Fears The Ultimate Matrix Collection IMAX: Blue Planet Step Into Liquid Galapagos The Road Warrior Black Mask Baraka Bullitt Basic Instinct The Usual Suspects Sleepy Hollow The Third Man The Hunt for Red October Body Heat Image Paramount Warner Warner Universal Paramount Warner Warner Lionsgate BBC Video Warner Lionsgate MPI Warner Lionsgate Fox/MGM Paramount Image Paramount Warner 93.12% 91.91% 91.83% 90.63% 90.36% 89.86% 89.17% 86.25% 85.78% 85.49% 84.38% 83.79% 83.36% 80.43% 80.06% 78.81% 77.38% 77.13% 75.66% 74.53% Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 6 Home Media Magazine January 19–25, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.amexdigital.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Contents News News News News Commentary Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 24)
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