Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - (Page 28) NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com story that highlighted that fact, saying he was discussing Blu-ray with a friend last month. She was under the impression that a format war was still going on. “Consumer education is critically important, still, for our growth as an industry,” Kornblau said. “It’s a very exciting time for us as a studio, and for all of us as an industry. We’re spending a lot of time and money to see what consumers want.” Universal had backed HD DVD before the war ended in February, and Kornblau said his company learned much working with Toshiba that’s helping the studio with Blu-ray. “It’s going to be an interesting fourth quarter,” he said. “If [household] penetration explodes the way we hope, you might see a lot of these titles we’re considering for Bluray released a lot quicker than expected.” Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, said everything is going according to his studio’s Blu-ray plan, namely the end of the format war, retailers rallying behind Blu-ray with shelf space and sales education. “You’re going to see a landslide of great content now in the fourth quarter,” he said. “It’s now about penetration, proving that Blu-ray is the complete DVD replacement.” Comcast Bows Fancast Blu-ray Backers Tout Disc Store, Pricing Details By Erik Gruenwedel able operator Comcast Communications has turned on the light to its Fancast Store, a PC-based movie and TV-show download and streaming site mirrored after Apple’s iTunes. Originally announced at CES in January with 100 titles, the Fancast Store “beta” site now claims more than 3,100 movies and TV shows, with prices ranging from $3.99 for 24hour rental streams to $1.99 and $9.99 for electronic sellthrough of episodic programming and movies, respectively. The site expects to expand content selections to 10,000 titles by the end of the year, according to spokesperson Kate Noel. Rentals are valid for 30 days unviewed and can be watched only on the original PC from which they are downloaded. Electronic sellthrough titles can be viewed on up to three separate computers. Movies and TV programming can be managed via a downloadable Fancast digital media manager. Movies include What Happens in Vegas (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), 21 (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), The Bank Job (Lionsgate), Street Kings (Fox), Vantage Point (Sony), Drillbit Taylor (Paramount Home Entertainment), Step Up 2 The Streets (Paramount), Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (Warner Home Video), Charlie Bartlett (MGM), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount), and The Other Boleyn Girl (Sony Pictures), among others. TV programming includes season three of “Bones,” season six of “24,” season three of “How I Met Your Mother,” season one of “The X-Files,” season five of “One Tree Hill,” season three of “Prison Break,” season six of “Family Guy,” season three of “American Dad,” season two of “The Riches” and season three of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” among others. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video also contribute programming, in addition to TV fare from A&E, E! Entertainment, Fuel TV, Fox Sports, FX, G4, History Channel, Speed Channel, Style and The CW, among others. Amazon VOD Links to TV Continued from page 1 and to the television. Users can now instantly stream content on a PC or Mac computer, portable media player via a Web browser or on a Sony Bravia HDTV equipped with a Bravia Internet link device. Amazon VOD offers rentals from $3 to $4 and electronic sellthrough of movies from $10 to $15. TV episodes cost $1.99 each, with season passes also available. Bravia customers can visit amazon. com/videoondemand/bravia and link their HDTV to their Amazon account. After a purchase is made, the title can be watched immediately. A backup version is automatically sent to the user’s online account and is accessible from the Internet video link user interface or on Amazon. Amazon VOD is currently offering key episodes from select NBC prime time TV shows last season, including “Secrets and Lies” from “30 Rock,” “Four Months Later …” from “Heroes,” and the pilot of “Lipstick Jungle.” Roy Price, director of Amazon VOD, said the ability to watch content instantly without downloading first was among the most requested features by Unbox users. “We’re continuing to create new, convenient ways for our customers to watch digital movies and TV shows,” Price said. Continued from page 1 of studio executives. that the paperless office would completely “The two can coexist,” said David Bishop, obliterate the need for paper,” said Andy Par- president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainsons, SVP of advanced product development ment, about physical and digital media. He at Pioneer Electronics and chair of the Blu-ray added that with studios including digital Disc Association promotion committee in the copies of movies with Blu-ray, they’re givUnited States. “It seemed like a ing consumers everything they very reasonable, logical prediction could possibly want. decades ago that turned out to be “[Digital copy] enables us to have completely wrong.” movie or TV content more broadly At a luncheon during the CEDIA distributed,” he said. “In terms of Expo Sept. 4, Parsons, several heads ease of use, it’s still skewed toward of major studio home entertainphysical media.” ment divisions and leading Blu-ray Fawcett Steve Feldstein, SVP of corporate experts ran through the numbers, and marketing communications aiming to prove the detractors are off base. for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, So far about 15 million Blu-ray Discs have said his studio is considering this fourth quarbeen sold, according to Home Media Magazine ter the “first fourth quarter” for Blu-ray. market research. Thus far in 2008, 8.8 million “There are no obstacles, no mixed mesBlu-ray Discs have been sold, compared to sages for consumers,” he said. “It’s all Blu.” 5.6 million in all of 2007. With Adams Media Chris Fawcett, VP of home video for Sony Research noting that about 60% of all software Electronics, added, “I’ve said time and time sales occur in the fourth quarter, optimism is again, movie fans won when the industry high among studio executives that 2008 will end unified behind Blu-ray. The thing we have well for Blu-ray. to keep in mind is that the consumers “We always use content sales as a great aren’t as close to this as we are.” barometer for how we’re doing,” Parsons Craig Kornblau, president of Universal said. “It’s a very pure number. It’s some- Studios Home Entertainment, relayed a thing real we can look at, and there’s no spinning it.” On the hardware side, Global Media Intelligence (GMI) shows that for Blu-ray standalone players, Blu-ray is behind DVD compared to the first few years of the DVD format, in terms of household penetration, with 6.5 million players sold in the United States and 5.5 million in Europe. But those figures don’t include sales of the PlayStation 3. “We honestly don’t know what those PS3 users are doing with their players, but obviously some are watching Blu-rays,” Parsons said. GMI predicts that by 2011, all forms of (L-R): Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Gordon Ho, show creator and executive electronically delivered video will still only producer Shonda Rhimes, star Kate Walsh and WDSHE’s Lori MacPherson celebrated the account for roughly 5% of theatrical and DVD launch of Private Practice: The Complete First Season — Extended Edition at a gala home video revenue. party Sept. 2 at the Tropicana Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Calif. The DVD will The numbers don’t lie, Parsons said, and be available Sept. 16. Photo by: Alex Berliner©Berliner Studio/BEImages the numbers are putting smiles on the faces ‘Private’ Party L A T E FL A SH ES I TERMINATION LUCRATIVE TO GALLERY CFO Thomas Johnson, the CFO of Movie Gallery since 2004 who relinquished duties last month to Lucinda Baier, has gotten paid a severance.Gallery in a regulatory filing disclosed it paid Johnson a lump sum of $751,062.62, which represented 18 months severance pay of $487,500.00 and $263,562.62 to cover all applicable taxes related to the severance pay. — Erik Gruenwedel I ‘24’ MOVIE GETS NAME CHANGE The “24” TV movie due to air Nov. 23 and come out on DVD Nov. 25 from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is now known as 24: Redemption. The previous title was 24: Exile. The $26.98 DVD will include an extended cut of the episode, a sneak peek at the seventh season, featurettes and a commentary. — John Latchem I MOORE DISTRIBUTES NEWEST DOC FREE ONLINE Political filmmaker Michael Moore is offering his latest documentary, Slacker Uprising, at no charge online. Moore said he decided to make the offer as a gift to his fans, according to distributor Brave New Films. The film will be available Sept. 23 at www.slackeruprising. com, the same day it streets on DVD (with extras) at $9.95. — Erik Gruenwedel HOME MEDIA MAGAZINE (ISSN 1934-9882) is published weekly 51 times per year (weekly except for one week at the end of December) by Questex Media Group, Inc., 306 West Michigan Street, Suite 200, Duluth, MN 55802. Subscription rates: $49.99 for one year in the United States and Possessions; $79.99 for one year in Canada and Mexico; all other countries $99.99 for one year (by surface mail). Add $75 annually for air-expedited service. Single copies (prepaid only): $6.99 in the United States, $8.99 in Canada and Mexico, $13.99 all other countries. Back issues, if available: $9.99 in the U.S.; $15.99 in Canada and Mexico; $26.99 for all other countries. Include $6.50 per order plus $2 per additional copy for U.S. postage and handling. Periodicals postage paid at Duluth MN 55806 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to HOME MEDIA MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 1270, Skokie, IL 60076-8270. Canadian G.S.T. number: 840033278RT0001, Publications Mail Agreement Number 40017597. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright, 2008 Questex Media Group, Inc. All r http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.slackeruprising.com http://www.slackeruprising.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 News Tweens Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 7, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Tweens (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Tweens (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - September 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.