Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - (Page 8) HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com ‘X-Files’ Marks Fox’s First BD Live Title By Thomas K. Arnold he Dec. 2 Blu-ray Disc release of The X-Files: I Want to Believe will make 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment the latest studio to harness BD Live technology. The studio’s point of entry to the Webenabled features is “The X-Files Dossier.” There, BD Live-connected viewers can create a specialagent avatar who can browse through Agent Dakota Whitney’s case files on clairvoyance and post notes and theories about her files online. Fans also can help Agent Drummy solve several forensic challenges, with new cases posted weekly to the studio’s BD Live Web portal for the first several weeks of release. “One of the most compelling elements of the ‘X-Files’ franchise is how the mythology inspires fans to create and share their own theories about the characters and storylines,” BRIEFS I BD PRODUCTION LINES LAUNCH Thomson’s Technicolor Services Division has launched four new Blu-ray Disc BD-50 and BD-25 lines at its plant in Piaseczno/Warsaw, Poland, in addition to a comprehensive Blu-ray mastering suite. These are Technicolor’s first European Blu-ray production lines. However, they’re big enough to make the company the second-largest Blu-ray manufacturer in Europe. – Chris Tribbey I SURVEY: CONSUMERS NOT REDEEMING CONVERTER BOX COUPONS Plenty of converter box coupons are out there, allowing anyone with a TV still getting programs over the air to prepare for the February 2009 digital TV transition. Yet according to a DisplaySearch consumer survey, hardly anyone is using them. “This could be attributed to a lack of urgency on the part of consumers given that the analog cutoff date is still almost five months away, or they may be waiting to see if large price declines materialize for digital TVs during the holiday season,” said Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch’s director of North America TV market research. “However, if a large number of consumers wait until the last minute, there could be problems satisfying the surge in demand for converter boxes all at once — ultimately leaving some in the dark.” A study of roughly 800 consumers found only 6% have redeemed the converter box coupons. Of the respondents, one-quarter had at least one TV receiving over-the-air programming, and 40% were receiving over-the-air programming exclusively. DisplaySearch estimates about 25 million U.S. TVs need the converter boxes. – Chris Tribbey T I MAGICPLAY PREPS 3-D BLU-RAY DISCS MagicPlay Entertainment is going 3-D BD. The Chinese-owned distributor will release 15 3-D ready Blu-ray Discs in TDVision’s stereoscopic (with glasses) format beginning later this year. Titles have not yet been announced. “We are meeting a historic window of opportunity for mass adoption of 3-D in the home,” said Manuel Gutierrez, CEO of TDVision Systems Inc. “This move will simplify the decision for consumers. One will only need to buy a single Blu-ray disc that works in 2-D as well as in 3-D and plays back on all 3-D ready televisions in the highest resolution possible including DLP, LCD and LaserVue televisions.” – Chris Tribbey said Mary Daily, EVP of North American marketing for 20th Century Fox. The extras on this release take full advantage of the BD Live technology and bring that interactive experience to a level never before possible.” Other extras on the Blu-ray Disc edition of I Want to Believe include an interactive timeline featuring more than 80 video clip segments from the franchise’s archives, and a picturein-picture commentary with director Chris Carter and co-writer Frank Spotnitz. Netflix CFO Says Blu-ray to Have Limited Impact in 2008 By Erik Gruenwedel etflix CFO Barry McCarthy said the online DVD rental pioneer doesn’t anticipate a big impact by Blu-ray on its business or home entertainment this year. Speaking at an investor conference in San Francisco, McCarthy said consumer adoption of the Blu-ray format thus far has been slow. Consumer electronics hardware sales typically occur during the holidays, he said, which might change the outlook. McCarthy said he expected Blu-ray N player prices to be at $399 this year, $299 next year and $199 thereafter. “It may grow after the holiday selling season, if sales are slow and prices are cut more aggressively,” he said. Netflix previously disclosed that only a low single-digit percentage of its subscribers rent Blu-ray Discs. Ongoing retail pricing pressure has driven prices for Blu-ray movies down, he said, which should spike consumer interest. The CFO said Netflix will continue to primarily ship discs over the next 10 years due to studio economics predicated on the consumption of DVD. McCarthy said about 15% of Netflix’s subscribers were affected by last month’s distribution glitch that shuttered outbound shipments for 72 hours. He said the negative impact was offset somewhat by the Beijing Summer Olympics. “Consumers were busy consuming content on their TV set, rather than from us,” McCarthy said. When compared to Amazon’s Un- box video-on-demand service with 40,000 titles, McCarthy said the value of Netflix’s unlimited streaming subscription model with 12,000 titles trumped the broader selection of content in an a la carte world. McCarthy said recent partnerships with CE software and hardware manufacturers, including Microsoft Xbox Live, represent growth opportunities for streaming. The CFO said streaming remained an extension — not replacement — of the DVD-by-mail service. He said higher streaming usage would result in lower gross margins and necessitate figuring out a price that “helps consumers and helps us make money.” “DVD plus streaming is always better than streaming a la carte or pay-per-view,” he said. The CFO said the biggest threat in the future would be if cable pay-perview adopted a subscription model. McCarthy said Netflix has been careful not to disclose traction for its streaming service, to keep other companies from knowing how well it is doing. TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended September 14, 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 September 14, 2008 LABEL PERCENT TITLE TITLE B LU-R AY D I S C C O M I NG U P STREETING Deception Fox L.A. Confidential Warner Leatherheads Universal Madagascar Paramount/DreamWorks Sex and the City: Warner Shrek the Third Paramount/DreamWorks Street Date: 9/23 Street Date: 9/23 Street Date: 9/23 Street Date: 9/23 The Movie Street Date: 9/23 Street Date: 9/23 PREBOOKING Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl Warner Pre: 9/23, Street: 10/28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The Forbidden Kingdom Transformers Smallville: The Complete Seventh Season Baby Mama Kill Bill: Volume 1 Kill Bill: Volume 2 The Nightmare Before Christmas 300 Batman Begins How the West Was Won The Fall Troy: Director’s Cut Heroes: Season 2 Pan’s Labyrinth Cool Hand Luke Planet Earth: The Complete Series Shoot ‘Em Up A Clockwork Orange Top Gun Eraser Lionsgate 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 80.77 Warner 22.46 Universal 21.88 Disney/Miramax 18.18 Disney/Miramax 16.17 Disney 15.98 Warner 15.19 Warner 13.30 Warner 10.98 Sony Pictures 10.80 Warner 8.96 Universal 8.74 New Line 7.36 Warner 6.77 BBC Video 6.70 Warner 6.61 Warner 6.61 Paramount 6.48 Warner 6.03 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 Eraser Kill Bill: Volume 1 Kill Bill: Volume 2 Pan’s Labyrinth Shoot ‘Em Up A Clockwork Orange Transformers 300 Troy: Director’s Cut Top Gun How the West Was Won Cool Hand Luke Planet Earth: The Complete Series The Fall Batman Begins The Nightmare Before Christmas The Forbidden Kingdom Heroes: Season 2 Smallville: The Complete Seventh Season Baby Mama Warner 68.62% Disney/Miramax 65.79% Disney/Miramax 61.72% Warner 61.36% Warner 59.46% Warner 56.76% Para./DreamWorks53.23% Warner 50.63% Warner 48.30% Paramount 34.80% Warner 34.76% Warner 34.44% BBC Video 33.56% Sony Pictures 28.62% Warner 20.10% Disney 17.10% Lionsgate 11.66% Universal 7.07% Warner 6.83% Universal 2.51% Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Home Media Magazine September 21–27, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 Contents News High-Def News Electronic Delivery News Women in Home Entertainment Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Women in Home Entertainment (Page 33) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Reviews (Page 34) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Reviews (Page 35) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Reviews (Page 36) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Reviews (Page 37) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 38) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 39) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 40) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 41) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 42) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 43) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 44) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - September 21, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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