Home Media Magazine - March 16-22, 2009 - (Page 8) HIGH-DEF Panasonic DMP-BD80 Panasonic DMP-BD60 www.homemediamagazine.com SONY’S ‘DA VINCI CODE’ BLU-RAY PROMOTES ‘ANGELS & DEMONS’ By John Latchem S Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray Players Up Connectivity By Erik Gruenwedel ith the rise in connected U.S. households, Panasonic March 11 unveiled a new line of Web-enabled (BD Live) Blu-ray players that include links to Amazon’s video-on-demand movies and consume less energy to operate. Available in April, the DMP-BD60 retails for $299.95, the DMP-BD80 for $399.95 and the DMP-BD70V for $399.95. The BD60 consumes 16% less power in standby mode than last year’s model, the DMP-BD35. The three Blu-ray players feature 96kHz surround remaster, a function that enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources, and even improves the quality of the multichannel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. Significantly the line includes Panasonic’s branded Viera Cast that lets consumers access the Internet without the need of a set-top box or PC, and also includes direct links to YouTube, Google’s Picasa music streaming, Bloomberg and a weather channel. New Panasonic ony Pictures Home Entertainment will debut an extended cut of The Da Vinci Code exclusively on Bluray Disc April 28 at $38.96. The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut includes an additional 28 minutes of footage added back into the Ron Howarddirected film, plus all-new extras including a new interactive picture-in-picture “Unlocking the Code” function that lets viewers toggle between eight simultaneous viewing modes. The 2006 thriller, based on Dan Brown’s bestselling book about a modern search for the Holy Grail, earned $217.5 million at the domestic box office and grossed more than $758.2 million worldwide. The film stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellan, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany and Jean Reno. The disc also includes 17 featurettes, new commentary on select scenes with Howard, BD Live features including an in-movie chat, and access to a $10 e-coupon toward a ticket to the theatrical sequel Angels & Demons, which opens May 15. The disc also includes a five-minute scene from the new film with an introduction by Howard that is exclusive to the Blu-ray. W The players also feature SD memory card and USB slots, making it easy for the consumer to view and share both digital still images and HD video recorded with an HD camcorder in the AVCHD format. Additional Viera Link technology allows the consumer to operate audio/video components via an HDMI cable with one remote control. The BD70V also is the first Blu-ray-VHS combination player, allowing the user to play VHS, CD, DVD and 1080p high-definition BD movies. The inclusion of non-digital VHS is surprising, considering most titles are no longer released in the format and, with the exception of Hastings Entertainment and select Movie Gallery locations, few retailers still stock VHS. “Panasonic was the first company to produce a Blu-ray player with Bonus View and the first to incorporate BD Live functionality into a standalone player,” said Richard Simone, director, Panasonic. “Now we are the first to bring to market a dual VHSBlu ray player.” Digital TV Converter Box Coupons to Start Arriving By Chris Tribbey ore than 2 million households waiting for $40 coupons toward the purchase of a digital TV converter box will start getting them in the next two to three weeks, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced. “This is good news for the more than 2 million households on the waiting list, who soon will be able to enjoy the benefits of digital television broadcasting,” said acting NTIA Administrator Anna Gomez. “I encourage all consumers to redeem their coupons immediately so that they, M too, can enjoy clearer pictures and more programming choices from digital television.” While the complete digital TV transition — when all broadcasters shut off their analog signals — has been delayed to June 12, 641 stations have chosen to broadcast digitally ahead of time, leaving in the dark some Americans without cable, satellite or a newer TV. The NTIA ran out of funding for the coupons in January, and there are requests for more than four million coupons. The NTIA received more funding from Congress in February. TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended March 8, 2009 LABEL INDEX* TOP 20 HIGH-DEF B D TI TL E S HA R E Percentage of Sales Per Title vs DVD* Week ended March 8, 2009 LABEL PERCENT TITLE TITLE B LU- R AY D I S C CO M I NG U P STREETING The Princess Bride Fox/MGM Street Date: 3/17 Punisher 2: War Zone Lionsgate Street Date: 3/17 Quo Vadis Warner Street Date: 3/17 The Robe Fox Street Date: 3/17 Bolt Disney Street Date: 3/22 PREBOOKING Uninvited Paramount Notorious Fox Pre: 3/17, Street: 4/28 Pre: 3/25, Street: 4/21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Australia Beverly Hills Chihuahua The Dark Knight Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic Body of Lies Wonder Woman Transformers Iron Man Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Eagle Eye Planet Earth: The Complete Series Wall-E 300 Tropic Thunder This Christmas Zack and Miri Make a Porno Top Gun Invincible Changeling Pineapple Express *Units sold compared to No. 1 title Fox 100.00 Disney 48.76 Warner 26.95 Warner 24.76 Warner 21.56 Warner 19.12 Para./DW 17.98 Paramount 17.68 Para./DW 16.63 Para./DW 12.99 BBC Video 11.39 Disney 10.36 Warner 10.07 Para./DW 9.70 Sony Pictures 8.91 Genius/Weinstein 8.41 Paramount 8.39 Disney 8.31 Universal 7.77 Sony Pictures 7.18 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Iron Man Tropic Thunder Eagle Eye Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic Max Payne The Dark Knight Body of Lies Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the… Miracle at St. Anna Wall-E Zack and Miri Make a Porno Pineapple Express Wonder Woman Quarantine Step Brothers Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Australia Sex Drive Kung Fu Panda Vicky Cristina Barcelona *Concurrent DVD & Blu-ray releases only Paramount 39.91% Para./DW 33.81% Para./DW 31.85% Warner 29.00% Fox 22.17% Warner 21.95% Warner 20.51% Paramount 20.13% Disney/Touchstone 18.37% Disney 17.86% Genius/Weinstein 15.05% Sony Pictures 14.17% Warner 14.03% Sony Pictures 12.33% Sony Pictures 12.26% Para./DW 12.14% Fox 12.04% Universal 10.49% Para./DW 10.29% Genius/Weinstein 10.18% Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 8 Home Media Magazine March 16–22, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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