Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - (Page 36) NEWS Cookie Jar Content Headed to iTunes By Erik Gruenwedel ookie Jar Entertainment (formerly DIC Entertainment) has made available several of its children’s programs on the iTunes Store, including “Horseland,” “Cake,” “Trollz,” “Inspector Gadget,” “The www.homemediamagazine.com Circuit City Reports a Painful Q2 Continued from page 8 Littles” and “Madeline.” The programs are available for $1.99 per episode and distributed via iTunes through a partnership with Vivendi Entertainment, which distributes Cookie Jar DVDs. 3-D Biz Expo Continued from page 1 feet and at least a foot between each other — to see the 3-D image. While an outstanding 3-D picture shows up at optimal viewing points, moving one’s head an inch results in split images. “It’s only a small thing to wear the glasses, but [autostereoscopic] is likely the future,” said Nick Norton, senior manager of brand marketing for Mitsubishi Electronics’ Laservue line of HDTVs. For Mitsubishi’s future HDTVs, 3-D readiness will be built in, he said, but for now his company is doing only 3-D glasses technology. “If the content becomes available, if more big movies are moved from 2-D to 3-D, the demand for the technology will go up,” he said. Studios are still struggling with 3-D content, technically and strategically, attendees agreed. “We’re close to convincing people 3-D is a real improvement at home,” said Brian Schwartz, marketing coordinator for projector company Da-Lite. “But it’s hard to push 3-D into the home market because there’s such a lack of content.” It may be a matter of trial and error, said Dominic Paris, producer and screenwriter for the 3-D animated film Fly Me to The Moon. “The technology of 3-D is new,” he said. “The studios are going through that right now because there aren’t a lot of people who understand it.” Calling the 13 3-D movies slated for release thus far in 2009 “a bloodbath,” he added that the studios will be pressured to find better ways of doing 3-D on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. “It’s the chicken-and-the-egg problem,” said Felicion Farcutiu, an audio and visual technician for Sensio, which specializes in 2-D to 3-D conversions. “TV manufacturers say there isn’t enough content to do 3-D, and [content owners] say there aren’t enough 3-D TVs. He added his company has signed deals with a major studio to turn 2-D films into 3-D for Blu-ray Disc, for release before Christmas. 3-D versions of Beowulf from Paramount and The Polar Express from Warner were playing at Sensio’s booth. “Now that the war with HD DVD is over, 3-D is the next step,” Farcutiu said. “Blu-ray is the only way to do the compression for 3-D.” The company reported available cash and cash equivalents of $92.5 million, compared to $424.4 million a year ago. Circuit City is expecting an $80 million tax refund in the third quarter. But even that faces unexpected and disappointing administrative issues, Besanko said, that complicate the refund process. The CFO said Circuit City’s liquidity going forward depended significantly on its vendors, which he described as supportive. “We maintain very good relationships with them,” Besanko said. “Everybody wants to see a healthy Circuit City in the marketplace.” CEO Marcum said it remained prudent to focus on improving the company’s performance in order to operate as a standalone business rather than finding third-party acquisition offers. This led some analysts to ponder whether few, if any, outside offers for the chain existed, and whether it even mattered. “The risks of bankruptcy are very real, in our opinion,” said David Schick, analyst with Stifel Nicolaus, in a research note. Netflix Boosts Its Digital Content Continued from page 1 Netflix subscribers Oct. 17 will have access to a sneak peek of the first episode of “Crash,” Starz Play’s original content series based on the eponymous Oscar-winning feature film. The rental service last month inked similar digital content agreements with CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. “Our deal reflects the creative ways we are working with content partners to expand the profile and the number of choices our subscribers can watch instantly over the Internet, in addition to the 100,000 titles we offer on DVD through the mail,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. In addition to fees, Starz views the deal as a complementary way to expand its distribution pie of licensed content, according to spokesperson Eric Becker. “We have these broad, robust … exclusive rights, and it’s a way to get a return on the substantial investment on the rights we’ve made with the studios,” Becker said. Earlier this year Starz inked a similar license deal with Verizon, including its nascent FiOS broadband TV service. CLASSIFIED SHOWCASE BUSINESS SERVICES USED TAPES & DVDS As Netflix continues to upgrade its digital content without charging DVD subscribers a premium to access it, questions emerge how Netflix can continue to absorb the costs. Michael Pachter, analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, believes the license fees aren’t significant. “Maybe they look at this as a marketing gimmick,” Pachter said. Independent media analyst Rob Enderle said each additional content partner elevates Netflix’s streaming service. “Starz gets a unique window for movies that gives it a slight time advantage over other online content providers,” Enderle said. “Every little bit helps.” Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey said content acquisition costs, which he declined to reveal, are factored into the budget of the streaming service. “This is part of our strategy to evolve to the TV when consumers are ready,” Swasey said. “It will be a long time before it is a fully digital world. But, at the same time, we are investing in creating a digital realm, and this part of it.” B RIEFS I CODEBLACK, YOUTUBE LAUNCH AN URBAN CHANNEL Codeblack Interactive, the digital division of Codeblack Enterprises LLC, distributor of urban theatrical and DVD content, has partnered with YouTube to disseminate original short-form content. The first slated original content at www.youtube. com/codeblacktv will feature an unnamed series from Yamara Taylor, head writer of “The Boondocks.” The ad-supported channel also features Codeblack’s extensive library of urban fare, including comedies with Steve Harvey and Eddie Griffin, and feature films starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Gabrielle Union, Mo’Nique and others. — Erik Gruenwedel CO M P U T E R S O F T WA R E REDUCING YOUR INVENTORY? We Buy VHS, and also DVD & Video Games xtreme deo E 733-7370 (203) Vi #### CASH PAID FOR #### and adult content delivered through a proprietary set-top box, said it has compiled a library of 65 titles in HDX, including Smart People, The Bank Job, Street Kings, 21, Baby Mama, Made of Honor, Cleaner and Vantage Point, among others. Rental prices for HDX titles range from $3.99 to $5.99, compared to standard-definition fare from $2.99 to $4.99. A spokesperson said HDX does not rival Blu-ray but is superior to other Web-based HD formats delivered in 780p resolution. Now through Dec. 31, Best Buy will give a $200 movie credit to purchasers of a $299 Vudu system. — Erik Gruenwedel DAMAGED - DVDS/VIDEO GAMES STORE INVENTORIES/OVERSTOCKS CALL TODAY! (267) 342-8200 PA C K A G I N G I TMZ GETS MYSPACE HUB MySpace has given TMZ its own dedicated entertainment hub (www.myspacetv.com/tmztv), expanding on the TMZ clips previously available on the site. News, photos, customizable pages and more gossip will now be included. TMZ.com’s own Web site registered 10.5 million unique visitors in August, according to Media Metrix, with 375 million page views. — Chris Tribbey I VUDU BOWS HIGH-DEF MOVIES CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MAKES DOLLARS AND SENSE! FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Kurt Wohlman (714) 338-6749 kwohlman@questex.com www.homemediamagazine.com Broadband movie set-top box company Vudu launched HDX, a proprietary high-definition video format that allows viewing of Web-based content in 1080p resolution. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Vudu, which boasts a library of more than 10,000 studio movies, TV shows Home Media Magazine October 5–11, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.corporate.com http://www.rapidrental.com http://www.youtube.com/codeblacktv http://www.youtube.com/codeblacktv http://www.myspacetv.com/tmztv http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 Contents News TV DVD Gay/Lesbian Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - News (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Gay/Lesbian (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Gay/Lesbian (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Gay/Lesbian (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Gay/Lesbian (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Reviews (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 33) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 34) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 35) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 36) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 37) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 38) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 39) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 40) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - October 5 - 11, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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