Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - (Page 8) HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Ascent Media Group Forms BD Live Platform By Erik Gruenwedel scent Media Group has formed a BD Live task force designed to offer back-end software technology to help studios more cost-effectively produce, host and deliver BD Live functionality on BD releases. Following the improved audio and video qualities of Blu-ray, consumer interactivity with content creators through the Internet (BD Live) is considered the next step toward enticing wider consumer adoption of the high-def format. Partners include Akamai Technologies, Blink Digital, and Hamburg, Germany-based Sofatronic, whose Kaleidoscope authoring and editing tools were used for the German Blu-ray release of Iron Man. The platform aims to provide Blu-ray content creators with increased menu functionality, a more secure retailing interface, Flash media, plugged-in networks, improved bonus content download times and improved fixed disc pricing. “BD Live is designed to help studios build social communities around entertainment content and get more for their investment through a platform for merchandising brands, promoting future sales and creating direct relationships with consumers,” said Akamai’s Tim Na- BRIEFS I DREAMER PARTNERS WITH TECHNICOLOR FOR BD LIVE Technicolor has agreed to use Dreamer’s Biddle Blu-ray Disc BD Live technology, which allows for direct-to-TV broadcasting via both players and discs. “Through Technicolor, content owners and distributors can now establish online and disc-based services of unlimited size, while still offering a superior consumer experience and maintaining full control over the presentation and distribution of their content,” said Dreamer CEO and president Dr. Won Baek. Any BD Live-enabled, broadband-connected player that uses the Biddle platform can handle online content services without wait times or downloads, Dreamer said, generating opportunities for e-commerce, social networking and advertising. – Chris Tribbey I HDMI WINS SPECIAL EMMY The HDMI Licensing group, which is responsible for the High-Definition Multimedia Interface used on consumer electronics, received a Technology & Engineering Emmy at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas “It’s been six short years since the HDMI specification was launched, and in that time, over 850 companies have licensed the technology and over 620 million HDMI-enabled products have shipped,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson, Toshiba, Intel, Japan Aviation Electronics and Molex Incorporated received the award. – Chris Tribbey poleon, chief strategist, digital media. Napoleon said studios typically create a substantial infrastructure for the release of both catalog and new DVD and Blu-ray titles. He said the Ascent platform allows them to greatly reduce by 30% to 50% the costs associated with the digital distribution of the content online. The platform achieves in part by incorporating bandwidth, software and production costs into one fee versus a studio’s current system of combining outsourced and in-house costs. “From a distribution side, [online] is much less expensive than Netflix mailing out a title,” Napoleon said. He said if a studio wanted to release content from a particular genre such as horror, the platform could easily develop and attach a number of interactive features to different titles specific to horror fans and consumers. Interactive features include chat (recently incorporated in dialogues with director Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight’s BD release), interactive polls, downloading additional bonus clips, e-commerce and multiplayer video games. “We are at the very beginning of a lot of business models that are going to emerge from BD Live,” Napoleon said. The technology was showcased during the 2009 International CES show in Las Vegas. I TARGET LOWERS ITS BD PLAYER PRICES Target Stores is offering the least-expensive Blu-ray Disc player at retail, the Olevia BD-100 player for $189.99, based on ad circulars. The profile 1.1 BD-100 includes Bonus View (picture-in-picture), but is not Internet-connected. – Erik Gruenwedel I VIZIO BD PLAYER HDTV company Vizio will release a $200 Blu-ray Disc player in April. The company also will add a $200 soundbar speaker and a $350 sub-woofer into the market at the same time. – Chris Tribbey Vizio Asks FCC to Lower Digital TV Patent Fees Pioneer Wins ‘Sound & Vision’ Awards By John Latchem he Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO111FD 50-inch plasma HDTV won Sound & Vision Magazine’s editor’s choice award for 2008 video product of the year. Sound & Vision called it “the best all-around TV that money can buy.” Also honored in the video categories were the Sony XEL-1 11-inch T OLED TV, Samsung’s LN55A950 55-inch LCD HDTV, the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U 50-inch plasma TV, Panasonic’s DMP-BD55 Blu-ray Disc player, the Sony Bravia KDL-55XBR8 55-inch LCD HDTV and Sony’s VPL-VW70 SXRD front projector. The awards honor remarkable innovation, superior performance, exceptional value, and unsurpassed quality in audio and video products that set a new standard for the industry. The ceremony was held during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Also at CES, Pioneer announced three new Blu-ray Disc players, the BDP-120, BDP-320 and BDP-23FD. By Chris Tribbey DTV company Vizio is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FTC) to lower patent fees for digital TVs, claiming they are excessive, unregulated and costing consumers more than $1 billion and counting. “Patent holders bundle allegedly essential technology with worthless patents, jack up the rates and stick consumers with the bill,” said Amos H Snead, spokesman for the Coalition to Terminate Financial Abuses of the Television Transmission (CUT FATT). “The FCC created this system, and it’s time for the FCC to fix it by establishing basic rules that make pricing fair and transparent.” Since July 2007, the FCC has required that new U.S. TVs have a digital tuner. Patent holders for the tuners, Vizio says, charge up to $30 per TV. Europe and Japan charge $1 or less. TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended January 4, 2009 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 January 4, 2009 LABEL PERCENT TITLE TITLE B LU-R AY D I S C C O M I NG U P STREETING Appaloosa Warner Street Date: 1/13 Mirrors Fox Street Date: 1/13 My Best Friend’s Girl Lionsgate Street Date: 1/13 Swing Vote Disney Street Date: 1/13 Without a Paddle: Nature’s Paramount Street Date: 1/13 PREBOOKING Body of Lies Warner Quarantine Sony Pictures Pre: 1/13, Street: 2/17 Pre: 1/15, Street: 2/17 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The Dark Knight Eagle Eye Wanted Wall-E Death Race The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Resident Evil: Degeneration Iron Man Mamma Mia! The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Hancock Serenity Burn After Reading The Incredible Hulk Planet Earth: The Complete Series Hellboy II: The Golden Army Band of Brothers Tropic Thunder Journey to the Center of the Earth Step Brothers Warner 100.00 Para./DreamWorks 98.39 Universal 35.86 Disney 32.49 Universal 24.83 Universal 24.62 Sony Pictures 23.53 Paramount 19.89 Universal 16.97 Disney 15.20 Sony Pictures 14.19 Universal 13.63 Universal 13.29 Universal 12.93 BBC Video 12.10 Universal 12.08 Warner 11.69 Para./DreamWorks 10.34 Warner 9.84 Sony Pictures 9.08 1 2 3 4(tie) 4(tie) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The Ultimate Matrix Collection Black Mask Imax: Blue Planet Galapagos The Third Man Total Recall Baraka Step Into Liquid Basic Instinct Chungking Express The Usual Suspects Wyatt Earp Event Horizon Stargate Close Encounters of the Third Kind Days of Thunder The Road Warrior Twister Terminator 2: Judgment Day Gattaca Warner Lionsgate Warner BBC Video Image Lionsgate MPI Lionsgate Lionsgate Image Fox/MGM Warner Paramount Lionsgate Sony Pictures Paramount Warner Warner Lionsgate Sony Pictures 92.70% 89.87% 87.00% 85.53% 85.53% 84.42% 84.31% 82.93% 80.89% 80.11% 79.61% 79.58% 78.10% 76.66% 76.46% 75.91% 74.35% 73.57% 73.56% 70.77% *Units sold compared to No. 1 title Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Home Media Magazine January 12–18, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 Contents News Cine Mercado Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Cine Mercado (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Cine Mercado (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - January 11, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 26)
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