Home Media Magazine - May 11-17, 2008 - (Page 10)

HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Pioneer, Panasonic Unveil New Blu-ray Players Features include picture-in-picture and Web-enabled interactivity By Erik Gruenwedel onsumer electronics manufacturers Panasonic and Pioneer Electronics last week announced pending launches of new third-generation Blu-ray Disc players with Bonus View (picturein-picture) and BD-Live (Web-enabled interactivity), among other features. Analysts view the arrival of 2.0 Blu-ray players at around $200 as prerequisites for wider consumer adoption of next-generation packaged media. Panasonic and Pioneer's players may deliver full functionality, but at steeper prices. Panasonic's DMP-BD50 player Ð available this spring Ð retails at $699.95, while the earlier DMPBD30 (sans full functionality) carried a suggested price of $499.95. Pioneer' s BDP-51FD and BDP05FD models Ð available this summer Ð carry suggested prices of $599 and $799, respectively. Earlier Blu-ray players, BDP-95FD and BDP-94HD, retailed for $999 each. Both players feature SD memory cards, 1080p resolution and 7.1 Channel surround sound. ªT he beauty of the Blu-ray player is that we can now see movies the way the filmmaker intended,º said Paul BRIEFS The Last Emperor C Pioneer' s BDP-51FD and BDP-05FD Sabo, national marketing manager entertainment group with Panasonic. The beauty of full functionality may be tempered by the robust prices that run contrary to what experts and studios believe will persuade consumers to adopt Blu-ray technology in greater numbers. Steve Wilson, principal analyst with ABI Research, said last month retailers may covet the improved Blu-ray players, but without lower prices, wider adoption will be stalled. ªA depressed economy in the United States could also lead HDTV and prospective HDTV owners to opt for upconverting standard DVD players as they delay buying higherticket CE items,º Wilson said in a research note. Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Robert Iger this week reiterated the need for $300 Blu-ray players in the market to help create greater consumer demand for the format. Indeed, even with the availability of cheaper Blu-ray players, Wilson said the Blu-ray market would require 12 to 18 months to kick into gear. I CRITERION COLLECTION IS FEELING BLU The Criterion Collection is preparing its ﬁrst slate of Blu-ray titles for release this October. The initial lineup includes Oscar-winner The Last Emperor, The Third Man (starring Orson Welles), Bottle Rocket, El Norte, The 400 Blows, Chungking Express, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Contempt, For All Mankind, The Wages of Fear and Walkabout. The Blu-ray edition of Walkabout will be a new edition with a new transfer and new supplements. Prices for the titles will match their standard-deﬁnition versions. Also, Criterion will release the theatrical version of The Last Emperor as a standalone DVD and Blu-ray at $39.95, alongside the upcoming Blu-ray boxed set and the previously released four-DVD set, which also included the longer TV version. ± John Latchem BDLIVE.COM AIDS DEVELOPERS By Chris Tribbey un Microsystems and Related Content Database Inc. have launched BDLive. com, which provides software and network services for the development of BD Live features for Blu-ray Discs. Creators of special features for Blu-ray also can receive a free developer disc via the site. The disc includes sample BD Live codes. S ª Sun's executive leadership believes deeply in the power and creativity of the developer community, and they invest significant time and resources in that developer community,º said Zane Vella, president of Related Content Database. ª BDLive. com and this developer disc are all about jump-starting the BD Live creative process and challenging the developer community to pioneer this exciting format.º I `ANI MALIA' P ORCHLIGHT'S FIRST BLU-RAY RELEASE PorchLight Home Entertainment has acquired the U.S. DVD distribution rights to ª Animalia,º based on the alphabet book by Graeme Base in which each letter of the alphabet is represented by an animal whose name starts with that letter. It will be the studio© s ﬁrst Blu-ray release. The title, Animalia: Welcome to the Kingdom, streets Sept. 23 (prebook Aug. 20) on DVD ($16.98) and Blu-ray Disc ($29.98). ª This further expands our commitment to the marketplace and the strength of our release schedule as PorchLight Home Entertainment continues its aggressive acquisition of strong, branded television programming for release on DVD and Blu-ray Disc,º said Gary Jones, president of PorchLight Home Entertainment. Produced by Animalia Productions, the series currently is airing on Animania HD and PBS in the United States, the BBC in the United Kingdom and CBC in Canada. ± Billy Gil TOP 20 HIGH-DEF BLU-R AY D ISC Week ended May 4, 2008 LABEL INDEX TITLE H I G H -D E F C O M I NG U P STREETING Butch Cassidy and the Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 5/13 Mrs. Doubtfire Blu-ray Fox Street Date: 5/13 Untraceable Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 5/13 Youth Without Youth Blu-ray Sony Pictures Street Date: 5/13 PREBOOKING Fool' s Gold Blu-ray Warner Pre: 5/13, Street: 6/17 Jumper Blu-ray Fox Pre: 5/14, Street: 6/10 Witless Protection Blu-ray Lionsgate Pre: 5/14, Street: 6/10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The Golden Compass 27 Dresses I Am Legend Juno Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Over America Blade Runner: Complete Collector' s Edition No Country for Old Men Planet Earth: The Complete Series 300 Casino Royale Pirates of the Caribbean: At World' s End The Orphanage Independence Day Superbad Enchanted Alvin and the Chipmunks The Fifth Element Predator Hitman New Line Fox Warner Fox Fox Topics Warner Disney/Miramax BBC Video Warner Sony Pictures Disney New Line Fox Sony Pictures Disney Fox Sony Pictures Fox Fox 100.00 31.67 20.72 14.46 13.49 11.97 11.31 11.03 10.38 9.87 9.77 8.39 6.87 6.83 6.55 6.24 6.11 6.00 5.77 5.42 ed for release this fall from Reprise/Warner Bros. Records. The 10-disc set will include digitally remastered musical recordings, commentaries, video footage, featurettes, photographs, letters, manuscripts and a biography, among other materials showcasing Young's storied career from 1963 to 1972. Young said the Blu-ray Disc, more than 15 years in the making, affords viewers the ability to see and hear his music in high-resolution and digital clarity, compared to previous technology. The set was more than 15 years in the making. ª I am glad we waited and got it right,º ± Erik Gruenwedel he said. I SURVEY: 40% UNPREPARED FOR DIGITAL TRANSITION Despite public service announcements on television and media coverage, 40% of respondents to a new online poll said they were not prepared for next February's transition from analog to digital TV by network broadcasters. The survey, conducted by Bridgevine.com, found that 6% of its 1,000 respondents were completely unaware of the transition. Bridgevine said the survey underscored the need for better consumer education on the issue. ± Erik Gruenwedel I SUN MICROSYSTEMS TO POWER NEIL YOUNG BD SET Sun Microsystems announced its Java software would be incorporated in the Neil Young Archive Blu-ray Disc set slat- Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 10 Home Media Magazine May 11± 17, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://BDLIVE.COM

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Home Media Magazine - May 11-17, 2008

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