Statistics from The British Video Association suggest that sales of the Blu-ray disc format have increased 506% over the previous year, and now account for 1.2% of the total dic market - that’s around one million discs. Despite general economic pessimism, the home entertainment industry is experiencing growth, probably because it’s generally cheaper to watch movies at home than go out.
The BVA said:
The availability of DVD, Blu-ray and legal downloading means viewers now have more options when deciding how to consume their home entertainment. This increased supply of choice is one factor attributed to the growing demand
Sky will drop the price of its Sky HD box next month as part of a rebranding exercise designed to more closely tie its high definition PVR product to the long-standing Sky+ name.
Sky HD, for which boxes currently cost between £199 and £249 with a Sky HD subscription, will be known as Sky+ HD from July 1. At the same time, the cost of a new box will be dropped to £150, the same as that charged for a standard definition Sky+, when taken with the £10 per month “HD mix”, the new name for the Sky HD subscription package.
Sky+ HD boxes will continue to cost £399 each when purchased without subscribing to the HD mix. Pricing for a standard definition Sky+ box will also be altered, with a new box costing £150 for new and existing customers except where it is taken with multiroom or broadband services, where the price of a customer’s first Sky+ box will drop to £75.
Sky+ standard definition boxes purchased without a Sky subscription will continue to cost £199. Sky has made a concerted effort to push the Sky+ brand in a major outdoor, television and online campaign featuring a variety of celebrities, including Sir Michael Parkinson, explaining how they use its personal video recorder functionality.
Now fully on board with Blu-ray, Paramount Pictures has launched its own “Blu-ray Support and Information” web site, featuring information about the format, the latest news from manufacturers, and currently available and forthcoming movie releases from the studio.
Additionally, there seems to be space for some sort of support, though at present Paramount recommends users contact their equipment manufacturer.
It doesn’t feel like a complete site yet, but it at least shows a level of commitment to the high definition disc format from Paramount.
Freesat has warned of a shortage of high definition set-top boxes available for sale “due to very high demand”. In a message on its website, the new satellite service said: “Due to very high demand there is a shortage of Freesat HD boxes in the shops at the moment. We are working with Freesat retailers and manufacturers to increase supplies as soon as possible. “In the meantime some Freesat retailers will allow you to reserve HD boxes for collection when stock comes in. The Freesat website will continue to give you updates.”
At long last, freesat has gone live across Britain, promising a wide variety of programming from the main terrestrial broadcasters, plus a selection of high definition content from the BBC and ITV. The satellite signals used by freesat will also be receivable in Ireland.
freesat was officially launched at a press event in London yesterday. freesat will offer a range of programmes via free-to-view satellite. The service is subscription-free, requiring just a one-off payment for equipment, plus optional installation. freesat is transmitted from the Astra and Eurobird satellites, meaning that 98% of the population should be able to receive a signal. From today, freesat carries around 80 channels, including a range of digital radio and TV stations (see end of article for full list). It is hoped that this number will rise to 200 or more by the end of the year. All of the free-to-air channels from the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 are available immediately. Five has a contract with Sky, so it’s not known when their channels will arrive on freesat.
High Definition
BBC HD is available immediately. ITV HD are rumoured to launch exclusively on freesat within the next few weeks. Details of ITV’s high definition programming will be available soon.
EPG
freesat uses an Electronic Programme Guide which is supposed to be much easier to use that other systems. It initially comes with ten genres of programming to make it easier to find specific channels.
According to analysts, Sony could face a problem in manufacturing enough Blu-ray discs to meet future demand. Global demand for discs is expected to grow threefold this year, to at least 43 million units. However, Sony’s extended production line capacity may only push out 38 million units by October. This, in turn, will lead to continued premium prices for Blu-ray media, with just 60 to 70 per cent of demand being met.
Sky’s latest advertisement for high definition pieces together existing footage from films, documentaries, and dramas, to expose the reality of watching TV in HD.
Still frames from the likes of Blood Diamond, Déjà Vu and the documentary Hunter Hunted are used, including scenes of tigers fighting in the snow, and Leonardo DiCaprio ducking out of danger in Blood Diamond.
They were created by “Brothers and Sisters” using After Effects technology.
Sony has announced that it will release a firmware upgrade — version 2.20 — for the PlayStation 3 which will make it fully Profile 2.0-compliant.
New features of note with the update will include support for Internet interactive functionality, better handling of DivX content, a Resume Play option to start playing a Blu-ray Disc or DVD from the same point it was stopped, and greater integration with the PSP which allows the PSP to be used as a remote control for the PS3.
Whatever you think of the PS3 having a Blu-ray player, and being used in statistics to try and prove how popular the format is, it seems pretty clear that Sony has produced a high definition player that puts many standalone units to shame, in terms of current and future functionality.
Japan’s Toshiba is likely to book a 100 billion yen ($986 million) loss in its high-definition DVD business and post a full-year operating profit of around 250 billion yen, the Nikkei business daily said today. Shares of Toshiba opened down 2.3 per cent at 717 yen on the report.
Toshiba’s decision to pull the plug on HD DVDs will entail production line changes and other charges that would double the 50 billion yen loss the electronics group had previously expected this business year on next-generation DVDs, the Nikkei said. When Toshiba announced its withdrawal from HD DVDs last month, it had HD DVD agreements with several studios including NBC Universal’s Universal Pictures, Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that it’s to scale up the production and marketing of Blu-ray titles this year, with the release of over one hundred titles.
Exact details aren’t available yet, though a few selected titles arriving include ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, and upcoming theatrical releases ‘Hancock’ with Will Smith, and ‘Don’t Mess With the Zohan’ with Adam Sandler.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s President, David Bishop, said that they would be pushing the Blu-ray format as the best possible high definition experience, compared to satellite and cable services.
Marketing efforts will include larger displays at stores like Best Buy and Blockbuster, celebrity endorsements, and Q&A’s with well-known directors.
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Sony has announced that it will release a firmware upgrade — version 2.20 — for the PlayStation 3 which will make it fully Profile 2.0-compliant.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that it’s to scale up the production and marketing of Blu-ray titles this year, with the release of over one hundred titles.
