Home Media Magazine - July 13-19, 2008 - (Page 8)

HIGH-DEF Report: Pioneer to Sell Blu-ray Disc Recorders in Japan By Erik Gruenwedel day after unveiling a gargantuan 16-layer, read-only optical disc capable of holding 25GB per layer, or 400GB total, Pioneer Corp. reportedly is set to sell Blu-ray Disc recorders in Japan beginning next March. A Pioneer spokesperson told The Associated Press the consumer electronics manufacturer had www.homemediamagazine.com A PIONEER DEVELOPS partnered with Sharp Electronics to develop the recorders, aimed at Japan’s projected increased demand for next-generation packaged media. Global distribution plans were not disclosed. Sony Co., Panasonic Corp., and Sharp control 98% market share for Blu-ray in Japan, according to business daily The Nikkei. EMA: SONY PS3 DRIVING BLU-RAY MOVIE SALES By Erik Gruenwedel S Report: Europe HD Penetration ‘Patchy’ By Erik Gruenwedel ith high-definition content and channels in the United States increasing steadily (especially on cable), in Europe, HD content and channels remain largely hit and miss, according to a new report by Screen Digest. Penetration of HDTV in Western Europe has reached 20%, compared to 36% in North America. European penetration should reach from 75% to 100% by 2012. The Dublin, Ire.-based research firm said a lack of free-to-air HD platforms, local HD channels and indifference from pay-TV operators contributed to sluggish consumer adoption of HD. The report said that only Sweden, France and the United Kingdom have made available free-to-air HD channels and content. The majority of HD availability in Europe over the next five years will be via subscription-based TV through satellite and some cable. “Paradoxically, [HD] has been used heavily as a marketing tool, but has not been followed through with the deliv- 400GB Storage Disc By Chris Tribbey ioneer Corp. said it has successfully developed what amounts to a juiced-up Bluray Disc. The 16-layer, read-only disc is capable of holding 25GB per layer, or 400 GB total, and is compatible with current Blu-ray technology, Pioneer reported. “Since the optical specifications of the objective lens … are the same as those for the existing BD discs, it is possible to maintain compatibility between the new 16-layer optical disc and the BD discs,” the company said. Sony Corp. had said previously that Blu-ray could go up to eight or 10 layers because multiple layers weaken signals. However, Pioneer W P said it had solved problems with reading all the data burned on so many layers. “This development has bolstered Pioneer’s confidence in the feasibility of a large-capacity optical disc, which is expected to become necessary in the near future,” the company reported. The Tokyo-based company will present the research details at the International Symposium on Optical Memory and Optical Data Storage event July 13 in Hawaii. Because the disc can hold so much content, the company said it should “contribute to the conservation of resources.” Pioneer also said the technology can be transferred to recordable discs in the future. ery of HD channels,” said the report. It cited the Premiere network in Germany that offers just two HD channels compared to News Corp.’s BskyB satellite network, which features 17 HD channels and reportedly added 500,000 new subscribers in less than two years due to HD. There are about two to 15 HD channels in individual European countries compared to more than 100 HD channels in the United States. “There is a clear connection between the depth of the HD offerings and the take up of HD by subscribers,” the report said. It also said that Blu-ray would help drive consumer awareness and quality expectations. Screen Digest said there were 1.2 million HD-enabled households in Europe in 2007 (less than 1% of households), with subscriber-based TV accounting for 80% of the homes. Globally, the report said HDTV households would grow from 87 million in 2007 (9% of TV households), to nearly 500 million (45%) by 2012. ony’s PlayStation 3 video game console continues to be the primary catalyst for sales of Bluray Disc movies, according to the Entertainment Merchants Association’s (EMA) 2008 annual report. The PS3, which features a Blu-ray format disc drive, is expected to drive the high-def packaged media market through 2009. Thereafter, standalone Blu-ray players will proliferate throughout the market in greater numbers, according to the report. Citing third-party data, the EMA said 87% of PS3 owners regularly watch Blu-ray movies on their systems. Global penetration of the PS3 topped 11 million units in the second half of 2007, including 3 million in North America. There will be 29.4 million Blu-rayequipped homes worldwide by the end of the year. Adams Media Research projects that number to reach 62 million by 2010 and 100 million by 2012. Strategic Analytics says by 2012 annual global sales of Blu-ray-equipped devices will reach 57.4 million units, spearheaded by Europe with 26.4 million units, the United States with 22.6 million and Japan with 8.4 million. Software sales of Blu-ray movies will top $9.5 billion by 2012, with 53.7% of consumer spending targeting high-def movies compared to 46.3% on standard DVD. TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended July 6, 2008 LABEL INDEX TOP 20 HIGH-DEF B D M A R K E T S HA R E Percentage of Sales Per Title vs. DVD Week ended July 6, 2008 LABEL PERCENT TITLE TITLE B LU-R AY D I S C C O M I NG U P STREETING College Road Trip Disney Street Date: 7/15 Dragon Ball Z: The History of Tr Funimation Street Date: 7/15 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Warner Street Date: 7/15 Shutter Fox Street Date: 7/15 Step Up 2 The Streets Touchstone/Disney Street Date: 7/15 The Bank Job Lionsgate Street Date: 7/15 21 Sony Pictures Street Date: 7/22 The Scorpion King Universal Pictures Street Date: 7/22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Vantage Point 10,000 B.C. National Treasure: Book of Secrets The Spiderwick Chronicles Jumper Drillbit Taylor Gangs of New York Meet the Browns Cloverfield The Bucket List Rambo Planet Earth: The Complete Series Fool’s Gold I Am Legend 300 Hellboy There Will Be Blood Mad Men: Season One Batman: The Movie Casino Royale Sony Pictures Warner Disney Paramount Fox Paramount Disney/Miramax Lionsgate Paramount Warner Lionsgate BBC Video Warner Warner Warner Sony Pictures Paramount Lionsgate Fox Sony Pictures 100.00 59.97 31.26 22.01 18.81 15.52 14.93 14.14 14.08 12.91 12.82 11.55 11.47 11.45 10.66 10.30 9.53 9.35 9.29 8.47 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Batman: The Movie Gangs of New York Cloverfield There Will Be Blood Planet Earth: The Complete Series Casino Royale 300 I Am Legend Hellboy Rambo National Treasure: Book of Secrets Jumper Mad Men: Season One 10,000 B.C. Vantage Point Fool’s Gold The Bucket List The Spiderwick Chronicles Drillbit Taylor Meet the Browns Fox Disney/Miramax Paramount Paramount BBC Video Sony Pictures Warner Warner Sony Pictures Lionsgate Disney Fox Lionsgate Warner Sony Pictures Warner Warner Paramount Paramount Lionsgate 57.00% 50.21% 34.67% 34.44% 32.08% 27.49% 27.04% 17.39% 17.34% 16.85% 15.14% 12.50% 11.31% 10.43% 9.08% 5.80% 5.44% 4.90% 4.34% 1.28% Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 8 Home Media Magazine July 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - July 13-19, 2008 Contents News News High-Def News Electronic Delivery News TV DVD Cine Mercado Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Christian Entertainment Review - July 2008

Home Media Magazine - July 13-19, 2008

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