Home Media Magazine - April 27 - May 3, 2008 - (Page 8) NEWS By Chris Tribbey acrovision Corp. has been known for its DVD copy protection and digital rights management efforts, preventing the transfer of digital media. But things are changing. “We’ve long been a disablement www.homemediamagazine.com Macrovision Looks to Future of Content Delivery M company,” said Microvision chief evangelist Richard Bullwinkle. “We are moving very quickly toward becoming an enablement company.” A flurry of recent acquisitions shows Macrovision is moving away from limiting access to media, and instead moving to expand it. Mediabolic, a software provider focused on consumer electronics, and All Media Guide, an entertainment product database and metadata provider, both belong to Macrovision now. If things go as planned, by May the company will absorb Gemstar TV Guide, a company whose on-screen menu software is widely used. Paired with Macrovision’s upcoming “Imagine Mood TV,” an interface that lets consumers access digital content in one place, Macrovision is gearing up to be a leader in digitally connected living rooms. “THE MOST TERRIFYING FILM I’VE EVER SEEN.” – Peter Eisenman, ICON $ $27.95 SRP 1 95 9 MAP DVD JECT TO CHANGE ARTWORK SUB Eastern Promises • King Kong • The Ring Dark Water • Pulp Fiction • Reservoir Dogs The Village • Murder by Numbers STARRING: NAOMI WATTS TIM ROTH MICHAEL PITT Filmmaker MICHAEL HANEKE The Piano Teacher • Caché 112 MINS. • DUAL-LAYER FORMAT FULL-SCREEN/WIDESCREEN DVD: #1000026359 © 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. 8 Terror, Violence and Some Language funnygames-themovie.com ENGLISH It’s all about preparing for what’s next, Bullwinkle said. With more digital download options away from the computer, Bullwinkle said Macrovision is trying to get ahead of the curve. Macrovision recently commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a consumer poll on digital media downloading, asking more than 2,250 U.S. adults about what they download, what they’re willing to pay for downloadable media and on what devices they want their media. The results offered few surprises. Of the 1,000-plus consumers who admitted they download media from the Internet, 84% said music was their regular fare. Meanwhile 28% said they downloaded TV shows, followed by 15% for full-length films. “It’s kind of what you expect,” Bullwinkle said. “The media that is easily distributed in the currently available pipes is downloaded the most. It’s got the support structure in place.” Slow download speeds are keeping consumers from regularly buying movies through digital channels, but as those speeds pick up, and things are made easier for video, “then it will pick up,” he said. The survey results showed that nearly 80% of those downloading media are doing it to their computer, with 50% saying they download media to their MP3 players. Additionally 14% said they download media to their cell phone, while only 9% said they download media to their TV. Those habits will change, Bullwinkle predicts. “Once the consumer starts asking ‘I can get music any time I want, why not TV, why not movies?’ I think you’ll see more downloads [to the TV],” he said. The survey also asked how much people would be willing to pay for different entertainment. Respondents were willing to spend the most money on sporting events, with an average price of $8.50. Audio books came in at $6.13, while movies averaged at $4.66. TV episodes and songs were both less than $2. Bullwinkle said as more content becomes available, the amount people will be willing to pay will change. “If it was an a la carte world, when you can watch anything you want when you want to, I think they would pay more for TV and movies,” he said. “I think the idea of paying $70 for cable, for a bunch of channels I never watch, will one day be ludicrous to us, much in the same way paying $16 for a CD became ludicrous to us.” SDH [ 8 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://funnygames-themovie.com http://funnygames-themovie.com http://www.whvdirect.com
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.