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The top news and charts for week ending September 7, 2007 .
Screen Digest: VOD to hit $1.3 billion by 2011 Toshiba, Sony each claim high-def leadership LG to release second-generation dual-format play in October |
"BLADES OF GLORY" leads Top DVD Renters Chart "BLADES OF GLORY" leads Top DVD Sellers Chart "BLADES OF GLORY" leads Top HD DVD Sellers Chart "300" leads Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart |
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Netflix Watch Now doubles streaming usage
SEPT. 4 | Netflix started the first week after Labor Day on a positive note. The online rentailer announced that usage of its Watch Now movie streaming service doubled in the six weeks that ended Aug. 22, and an analyst upgrade bolstered Netflix’s stock price, due to the faltering of bricks-and-mortar competitor Movie Gallery.
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Another delay, another default for Movie Gallery
SEPT. 4 | In the continuing saga of Movie Gallery delaying its day of reckoning as it runs up against various deadlines for rectifying its financial crisis, the company issued good news and bad news. The good news is Movie Gallery was able to make another forbearance agreement with a creditor. The bad news: It is in default on another credit facility.
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Amazon moves closer to music downloads
SEPT. 4 | Amazon’s expansion into music downloads could finally launch this month. Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Columbia Records today premiered Bruce Springsteen's music video "Radio Nowhere" at Amazon.com, which promoted the exclusive on its home page.
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Image signs to distribute a dozen from Revolver
SEPT. 7 | Image Entertainment has signed an exclusive DVD and digital output agreement with U.K.-based Revolver Entertainment LTD. Over the first year of the deal, Image will distribute 12 to 15 titles from Revolver and the company’s Los Angeles-based subsidiary Revolver Entertainment LLC.
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Sony Animation goes direct-to-DVD
SEPT. 7 | FROM VARIETY: Sony Pictures Animation is getting into the direct-to-DVD biz with a sequel to last year's "Open Season." Unit is starting production on "Open Season 2," with a 2009 release likely.
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Starz extends Vongo promotion with H-P, Compaq
SEPT. 6 | Starz Entertainment expanded its agreement to provide Vongo for Hewlett-Packard and Compaq laptops.
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DEG creates consumer high-def brochure
SEPT. 6 | The Digital Entertainment Group has created a new “Enhancing the High Definition Experience” brochure as part of the group’s ongoing effort to serve as a clearinghouse on high-definition and, ultimately, promote high-def home entertainment.
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Universal, Paramount strike Russian deal
SEPT. 6 | FROM VARIETY: LONDON—Universal Pictures International Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment have struck a distribution partnership in Russia.
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British newspaper offers readers Riddle DVD
SEPT. 6 | FROM VARIETY: A British indie feature is rewriting distribution rules by becoming the first to preem as a "covermount" DVD given away free with a newspaper.
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Pioneer sets third-generation Blu-ray player for October
SEPT. 6 | Continuing to court the high-end consumer, Pioneer will street its third-generation Blu-ray Disc player this October at expected $1,000 pricing.
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Paramount delivers media blitz for Transformers DVD, HD DVD
SEPT. 5 | After earning $306 million in theaters, Transformers will appear on DVD and HD DVD Oct. 16 backed by a media campaign that Paramount Home Entertainment says is one the biggest in the division’s history. The standard-definition version will bow in single-disc and two-disc sets.
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Warner prepares DVD premiere sequel to Lost Boys
SEPT. 4 | Warner Premiere has started production on the direct-to-DVD feature Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, a sequel to the cult 1987 vampire film starring former teen heartthrobs Corey Feldman and Corey Haim.
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Apple iTunes dispute sends NBC to Amazon
SEPT. 4 | Just days after breaking off its relationship with Apple, executives with NBC Universal announced that the studio's new fall lineup would be available on Amazon Unbox, the online retailer's digital video download service. Television shows including The Office (pictured), 30 Rock and Heroes will be available for download onto computers or through TiVo the day after their initial broadcast, NBC said.
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MPI sets international indie label slate
SEPT. 4 | MPI Media Group has finalized its first project slate from its new international indie label Doküment Films.
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Flicker Alley signs distribution agreement for Blackhawk films
SEPT. 4 | Classic cinema programming supplier Flicker Alley has made an exclusive distribution agreement with Film Preservation Associates for the production and release of home video titles from the Blackhawk Films Collection.
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Image hires three former First Look executives
SEPT. 4 | On the eve of its imminent purchase by BTP Acquisition Co, Image Entertainment has beefed up its roster with three new hires all hailing from various divisions at First Look Studios.
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HD DVD-based format on the move in China
SEPT. 7 | Chinese laboratory Optical Memory National Engineering Research Center (OMNERC) is moving ahead with the China High Definition DVD, which is a potential boon to the HD DVD camp.
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Sharp enters high-def market with $550 Blu-ray player
SEPT. 6 | CEDIA: DENVER—High-def hardware selection quickly expanded over the course of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn. Expo here this week, as Pioneer and LG Electronics unveiled third- and second-generation models, respectively, and Sharp entered the fold for the first time with a Blu-ray Disc player.
Full Story
Toshiba, Sony each claim high-def leadership
SEPT. 6 | CEDIA: DENVER—High-def rivals Toshiba and Sony used the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn. Expo here this week to tout new players as each side claimed market dominance. Toshiba is bundling for free both Warner Home Video’s 300 (pictured) and Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s The Bourne Identity on HD DVD into its new player boxes. Sony will try to expand Blu-ray’s sales with the addition of three new products.
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Notebook maker Acer joins HD DVD Promotional Group
SEPT. 6 | On the heels of joining the Blu-ray Disc Assn., notebook computer maker Acer has now also teamed with the HD DVD Promotional Group.
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DEG creates consumer high-def brochure
SEPT. 6 | The Digital Entertainment Group has created a new “Enhancing the High Definition Experience” brochure as part of the group’s ongoing effort to serve as a clearinghouse on high-definition and, ultimately, promote high-def home entertainment.
Full Story
Pioneer sets third-generation Blu-ray player for October
SEPT. 6 | Continuing to court the high-end consumer, Pioneer will street its third-generation Blu-ray Disc player this October at expected $1,000 pricing.
Full Story
Sony: Blu-ray set-top players out-selling HD DVD
SEPT. 5 | DENVER—Blu-ray Disc set-top players within the last 9 weeks have begun out-selling HD DVD set-top players on a unit basis, according to recent NPD Group research cited by Sony Electronics.
Full Story
LG to release second-generation dual-format play in October
SEPT. 5 | LG Electronics will launch a second-generation dual-format high-definition disc player, its first to fully play back advanced interactivity in both formats, in mid October.
Full Story
Paramount delivers media blitz for Transformers DVD, HD DVD
SEPT. 5 | After earning $306 million in theaters, Transformers will appear on DVD and HD DVD Oct. 16 backed by a media campaign that Paramount Home Entertainment says is one the biggest in the division’s history. The standard-definition version will bow in single-disc and two-disc sets.
Full Story
Tartan releases Oldboy to Blu-ray
SEPT. 4 | Tartan Video USA has jumped into the Blu-ray Disc camp, with its first release in the high-definition format, Oldboy, arriving on Nov. 6.
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Apple seeks TV price cut
SEPT. 7 | FROM VARIETY: Apple is mulling a plan to cut the price of TV show downloads in half -- an idea that's not going over too well in Hollywood. According to three people familiar with the proposal, Apple has told networks and studios that it would like to slash the cost of most TV episodes sold via iTunes from the current $1.99 to just 99¢ -- the same as what Apple charges for most music singles.
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Starz extends Vongo promotion with H-P, Compaq
SEPT. 6 | Starz Entertainment expanded its agreement to provide Vongo for Hewlett-Packard and Compaq laptops.
Full Story
Lulu v. Hulu: Web publisher sues NBC/Fox venture
SEPT. 6 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: Lulu, a privately held digital-media publishing firm, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Hulu – the yet-to-be-launched Internet-video joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp. – alleging trademark infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices and cyberpiracy.
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Movie download service Vudu launches
SEPT. 5 | Silicon Valley startup Vudu will start taking orders tomorrow for its proprietary set-top box, which will allow users to stream or download up to 5,000 movies onto their TV sets over a broadband Internet connection.
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Speculation churns on Apple announcement
SEPT. 4 | As Apple sets the stage for a public relations extravaganza in San Francisco tomorrow, speculation is running rife in cyberspace about what exactly the company plans to announce. The general consensus centers on the iPod.
Full Story
Apple iTunes dispute sends NBC to Amazon
SEPT. 4 | Just days after breaking off its relationship with Apple, executives with NBC Universal announced that the studio's new fall lineup would be available on Amazon Unbox, the online retailer's digital video download service. Television shows including The Office (pictured), 30 Rock and Heroes will be available for download onto computers or through TiVo the day after their initial broadcast, NBC said.
Full Story
Netflix Watch Now doubles streaming usage
SEPT. 4 | Netflix started the first week after Labor Day on a positive note. The online rentailer announced that usage of its Watch Now movie streaming service doubled in the six weeks that ended Aug. 22, and an analyst upgrade bolstered Netflix’s stock price, due to the faltering of bricks-and-mortar competitor Movie Gallery.
Full Story
Sony plans movie download service, new video Walkman
SEPT. 4 | Just days after announcing it was canceling its music download store, Connect, Sony said it will launch a new service that provides music and video downloads onto its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles as well as its Bravia HDTVs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Full Story
Sony Animation goes direct-to-DVD
SEPT. 7 | FROM VARIETY: Sony Pictures Animation is getting into the direct-to-DVD biz with a sequel to last year's "Open Season." Unit is starting production on "Open Season 2," with a 2009 release likely.
Full Story
Sharp enters high-def market with $550 Blu-ray player
SEPT. 6 | CEDIA: DENVER—High-def hardware selection quickly expanded over the course of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn. Expo here this week, as Pioneer and LG Electronics unveiled third- and second-generation models, respectively, and Sharp entered the fold for the first time with a Blu-ray Disc player.
Full Story
Toshiba, Sony each claim high-def leadership
SEPT. 6 | CEDIA: DENVER—High-def rivals Toshiba and Sony used the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Assn. Expo here this week to tout new players as each side claimed market dominance. Toshiba is bundling for free both Warner Home Video’s 300 (pictured) and Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s The Bourne Identity on HD DVD into its new player boxes. Sony will try to expand Blu-ray’s sales with the addition of three new products.
Full Story
Apple counters iPhone price cut with rebate for existing customers
SEPT. 6 | A day after announcing a $200 price cut for the iPhone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted an apologetic open letter to existing iPhone customers offering a $100 rebate of store credit.
Full Story
British newspaper offers readers Riddle DVD
SEPT. 6 | FROM VARIETY: A British indie feature is rewriting distribution rules by becoming the first to preem as a "covermount" DVD given away free with a newspaper.
Full Story
Pioneer sets third-generation Blu-ray player for October
SEPT. 6 | Continuing to court the high-end consumer, Pioneer will street its third-generation Blu-ray Disc player this October at expected $1,000 pricing.
Full Story
Sony: Blu-ray set-top players out-selling HD DVD
SEPT. 5 | DENVER—Blu-ray Disc set-top players within the last 9 weeks have begun out-selling HD DVD set-top players on a unit basis, according to recent NPD Group research cited by Sony Electronics.
Full Story
LG to release second-generation dual-format play in October
SEPT. 5 | LG Electronics will launch a second-generation dual-format high-definition disc player, its first to fully play back advanced interactivity in both formats, in mid October.
Full Story
Paramount delivers media blitz for Transformers DVD, HD DVD
SEPT. 5 | After earning $306 million in theaters, Transformers will appear on DVD and HD DVD Oct. 16 backed by a media campaign that Paramount Home Entertainment says is one the biggest in the division’s history. The standard-definition version will bow in single-disc and two-disc sets.
Full Story
Apple unveils iPod Touch
SEPT. 5 | Apple CEO Steve Jobs ended a week of speculation today by unveiling a new iPod Nano that features the same wireless technology, touch-screen and style as the popular iPhone.
Full Story
Speculation churns on Apple announcement
SEPT. 4 | As Apple sets the stage for a public relations extravaganza in San Francisco tomorrow, speculation is running rife in cyberspace about what exactly the company plans to announce. The general consensus centers on the iPod.
Full Story
| News | Market Data | Tipsheet Reviews | New Releases | Blogs | Events | Resources | Videogames |