Vudu to Offer HD Movies Same Day as DVD Release
The films are delivered online to Vudu's $399 set-top.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 11, 2007) -- Vudu, the VOD set-top service, is planning to offer new video releases in High-Definition the same day they are released on DVD.
That's according to an article by The Associated Press.
Traditionally, the studios wait between 30 and 45 days after the DVD release before making a new film available on Video on Demand or Pay-Per-View. This is to give video retailers an opportunity to maximize profits.
However, Vudu today will begin a test of 'same day' releases with The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon, which also makes its DVD and HD DVD debut today.
The Associated Press reports that it will be the first of many 'same day' high-def movies offered by Vudu.
Vudu sells a $399 VUDU set-top that enables users to download movies over a high-speed Internet connection.
The VUDU box, which first went on sale last month, offers 5,000 standard-definition films, which can be rented for around $3.99.
Some films, including the HD edition of the new Bourne film, can be purchased, meaning it can be stored permanently on the set-top. Vudu customers can buy the high-def Bourne Ultimatum for $24.99.
AP writes that Universal Pictures, which released the latest Bourne film, is one of the studios participating in the 'same day' Vudu test.
The wire service reports that some studio executives are concerned that the ongoing high-def disc format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD is slowing sales in that new category. Consequently, they are anxious to test a new digital delivery system, such as Vudu.
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News & Commentary
LG Unveils 'Next Gen' Dual-Format HDTV Player
The set-top can play both Blu-ray and HD DVDs.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 10, 2007) -- LG Electronics today launched its next-generation dual-format HDTV DVD player.
Priced at $999, the "LG Super Blu Player" (model BH200) can play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The company says it's now available at leading consumer electronics retailers.
The LG BH200 follows the company's first dual-format player (BH100) which was launched last January. LG says the dual-format player is targeted to consumers who are unsure about which high-def disc format to choose.
Blu-ray and HD DVD are rival formats for the new high-def disc audience.
"LG introduced the BH200 to focus on consumer needs by ending the confusion caused by the current format war," Allan Jason, LG's vice president of consumer electronics marketing, said in a statement. "This second generation, dual-format player allows consumers to enjoy their favorite movies, features and extras, regardless of format, on the best-in-class high-definition media player."
LG notes that the dual-format player offers access to between 50 and 70 percent more movie titles than a single-format player. (Some movies are available only on Blu-ray while others are released only on HD DVD.)
The company adds that the BH200 is equipped to handle Blu-ray's new "BD Profile 1.1" discs, which will include interactive features such as picture-in-picture in 2008.
In addition, it will provide access to Internet-connection interactive features from current HD DVDs such as shopping.
Commentary:
At $999, LG''s attempt to be the peacemaker in the high-def DVD still falls far short.
Really, why buy the dual player at that price when you can now buy both an entry-level HD DVD player (under $200) and Blu-ray player (Samsung's Blu-ray now under $300) for less than $500 combined? It just doesn't make sense.
While consumers are concerned about picking the wrong format, they are not so concerned that they will spend nearly $1,000. For goodness sakes, at that price, they could buy a 42-inch Plasma HDTV at some stores.
By most accounts, the first LG dual-format player has accounted for less than three percent of overall high-def player sales. At $999, that percentage will not be going up.
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HD DVD Scores Big On Black Friday
DisplaySearch says HD DVD standalones captured 62 percent of overall sales.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 10, 2007) -- HD DVD players accounted for 62 percent of all standalone high-def player sales during Thanksgiving week, which included Black Friday.
That's according to the research firm DisplaySearch, as reported by Video Business.
The research company said Blu-ray captured only about 37 percent of overall standalone player sales during the week. (The remaining one percent were dual-format players.)
The Thanksgiving week was highlighted by a move by some retailers to sell Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD player for under $200. The decision apparently paid off in larger volume sales for the format.
However, since the cheapest standalone Blu-ray player retails for $499, DisplaySearch said Blu-ray hardware edged HD DVD in revenue, 52-47 percent.
Also, the sales numbers do not include the PlayStation 3 gaming console, which has a Blu-ray player inside; DisplaySearch says roughly 160,000 PS3 were sold during the week.
Despite the big week for HD DVD standalone players, neither format is threatening the dominance of the standard-definition DVD player. During Thanksgiving week, 57,000 standalone high-def DVD players were sold, compared to 600,000 standard-def DVD players.
Paul Erickson, director of DVD and HD DVD market research at DisplaySearch, credited HD DVD’s lower price with the increase in unit sales, according to Video Business.
DisplaySearch estimates that HD DVD unit sales jumped 454 percent during Thanksgiving week, compared to the previous week.
Blu-ray standalone unit sales rose 189 percent for the week.
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Comcast Adding HD Channels
Some local systems are expanding their lineups.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 9, 2007) -- Comcast this month is quietly adding several High-Definition TV channels in select markets, according to reports from TVPredictions.com readers.
The new channels include some that Comcast has already announced in other cities such as CNN HD, Food Network HD and Universal HD.
However, readers in Minnesota report that Comcast has informed them in on-screen messages that nine HD channels will be added later this month, including Discovery Channel HD, The Learning Channel HD, Animal Planet HD, Sci-Fi Channel HD and USA Network HD.
A reader in Salt Lake City, Utah tells TVPredictions.com that Comcast has informed subscribers there that this week it will add TLC HD, CW HD, Animal Planet HD, Discovery Channel HD, USA Network HD and The History Channel HD.
Comcast now has between 20-30 high-def channels in most markets, but is expected to expand that to around 35 channels in some areas before year's end.
The cable operator, like other cable systems, is trying to catch up with satcaster DIRECTV which says it now has more than 80 national HD channels.
Unlike a satellite service, cable systems often rollout new channels a few markets at a time due to local bandwidth constraints and other issues.
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HDNet Settles DIRECTV Lawsuit
The satcaster will keep one HDNet channel in its regular HD tier.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 7, 2007) -- HDNet has settled a lawsuit against DIRECTV that will keep one of its channels in the satcaster's basic HD programming package.
That's according to an article by Multichannel News.
HDNet sued DIRECTV last month to stop the satcaster from moving both HDNet and HDNet Movies to a new "HD Extra Pack" package that would cost subscribers $4.99 a month in addition to their regular $9.99 monthly "HD access fee."
The high-def network, co-founded by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, charged that fewer people would pay the additional $4.99. Consequently, the viewership for both HDNet and HDNet Movies would shrink considerably.
However, Cuban tells Multichannel News that the settlement will require DIRECTV to keep HDNet in the $9.99 basic HD package. HDNet Movies, however, will be moved to the $4.99 HD Extra Pack.
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Business Week: Blu-ray Is Winning
The publication says it could get Warner endorsement.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 7, 2007) -- Blu-ray has emerged as the clear front runner in the high-def DVD format war against HD DVD.
That's according to an analysis published today by Business Week magazine.
The publication, which has considerable influence in the financial world, writes that Blu-ray still holds the greatest support among Hollywood studios. Four major studios now back Blu-ray exclusively while only two support HD DVD exclusively.
Consequently, Business Week says, the Sony-backed Blu-ray disc has outsold HD DVD by roughly 2-1 for the past year.
Additionally, the publication reports that Sony may be close to landing an exclusive endorsement from Warner Bros., which until now has released films in both formats.
"The rumor is that Warner is coming aboard soon," Michael Burns, vice-chairman of Blu-ray supporter Lionsgate, tells Business Week. "That will make it awfully tough for HD DVD to stay in this game."
Business Week added that "either side could (win the Warner endorsement)...but the Sony group has suddenly emerged as the front runner."
"Persuading it (Warner) to sign an exclusive deal would give the Sony crowd about 70% of DVD market share. That could prompt the other studios to abandon HD DVD," the publication writes.
Business Week notes that if Warner were to join HD DVD, the format war would be stalemated.
"That could create mass consumer confusion and potentially strangle a new technology that the studios hope will give a lift to flagging DVD sales. That's exactly why Warner has long pushed for a single format," it said.
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Will DIRECTV's new high-def lineup take customers away from cable. Or, will cable be able to fight back with its own HD expansion?
See Swanni's prediction at:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannithree120607.htm
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Blu-ray's 300 Wins 'Best High-Def DVD' Award
Home Media Magazine issues first annual awards for high-def discs.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 6, 2007) -- Warner's 300 is available in HD DVD and Blu-ray, but the latter version captured the top honors in the first ever High-Def Disc Awards.
The Blu-ray 300 was named the High-Def Title of the year by Home Media Magazine, which sponsored the High-Def Disc Awards. (300 was based loosely on the ancient battle between the Persians and Spartans.)
The victory will undoubtedly give Blu-ray boosters reason to crow. But the HD DVD edition of 300 won the award for 'Best Bonus Feature' for its bluescreen picture-in-picture.
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Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, has been making predictions about TV technology issues for several years with an incredible rate of success.
For instance, Swanni was the first to say Voom's satellite TV service would fail; that Apple TV would be a bust; and that Interactive TV programs would never reach a mass audience in the United States.
"I'm not always right, but I will put my record up against anyone," Swanni says.
And now, Swanni is kicking off his forecasts for High-Definition TV in the coming year.
The video commentary below includes Swanni's second prediction -- what will happen in the Blu-ray/HD DVD high-def disc format war?
Will Blu-ray win? HD DVD? Neither?
To see Swanni's Prediction #2 for 2008, click below:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/swannitwo120507.htm
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Michael Bay: Microsoft Wants Blu-ray & HD DVD to Fail
The Transformers director says it's a big conspiracy.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 5, 2007) -- Transformers director Michael Bay says Microsoft wants both Blu-ray and HD DVD high-def disc formats to fail.
Microsoft is actively supporting HD DVD over Blu-ray, but Bay says that's just a front.
"What you don't understand is corporate politics," the director wrote yesterday at his personal web site. "Microsoft wants both formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads."
Bay charges the software titan with propping up HD DVD so both formats will cancel each other out. For instance, he accuses Microsoft of paying $100 million to Paramount to get the studio to endorse HD DVD exclusively.
"That is the dirty secret no one is talking about," he wrote. "That is why Microsoft is handing out $100 million dollar checks to studios to just embrace the HD DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu Ray. They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."
For several months, rumors have persisted that Microsoft's has an ulterior motive in supporting HD DVD, namely to boost digital downloads. The company is now offering high-def downloads via its XBox 360 video game system.
Bay says that if the disc format war leads to a stalemate, fewer people will buy high-def DVD players and more will download high-def content from companies like Microsoft.
However, Microsoft has consistently denied the charge, saying it believes that HD DVD is the better format because of its interactive capability and other features.
Of course, Bay has been a loose cannon on the Blu-ray/HD DVD war. Earlier this year, he blasted Paramount for supporting HD DVD exclusively, saying Transformers should be available in both formats. The next day, he retracted his statement, saying that HD DVD "rocks."
However, shortly after that, he again criticized Paramount's decision, saying that Blu-ray is the better format.
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Analysts: Blu-ray & HD DVD Will Both Survive
Research companies dispute the single format theory.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 5, 2007) -- Despite calls for a single format, two research companies yesterday said both Blu-ray and HD DVD high-def discs will be around for years to come.
That's according to an article by Video Business.
At an industry conference in Los Angeles, Screen Media Digest and Adams Media Research also said that both formats will sell roughly the same number of discs over the next several years.
Blu-ray, which is backed exclusively by four major Hollywood studios, has outsold HD DVD by a 2-1 margin to date. (HD DVD has the exclusive backing of two major studios.)
"Both formats will be established and co-exist for the foreseeable future,” said Screen Digest's Helen Davis Jayalath, according to Video Business. “By 2012, U.S. high-def software will be evenly split between the two formats, where Blu-ray represents 55 percent of the market and HD DVD represents 45 percent."
Adams Media Research said Blu-ray and HD DVD disc revenues will both be around $5 billion by 2012, compared to $10 billion for standard DVDs.
The companies said that the standard-def DVD is the biggest obstacle facing the high-def disc industry. Turned off the format war, many consumers may instead buy 'upconverting' DVD players that will improve the image on standard-def DVDs.
The research companies said the format war will diminish the potential of revenue from high-def disc sales, Video Business reported.
“Sales of both formats have been below analyst expectations,” said Jayalath. “You would think that (large demand) for high-def TVs would help adoption more.”
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DIRECTV to Add MSG HD, FSN NY HD
The new channels are expected to be launched tomorrow.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 4, 2007) -- DIRECTV on Wednesday will add MSG HD and FSN NY HD to its High-Definition regional sports lineup, according to well-placed industry sources.
The channels, which carry pro sports from the New York area, have been in high demand from New York-based viewers since DIRECTV kicked off its HD expansion last September.
The satcaster says it now has more than 85 national HD channels, an increase from nine in September.
MSG HD, which is owned by Cablevision, has broadcast rights to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
The network also airs news and information programs such as The Boomer Esiason Show, starring the former NFL quarterback.
The high-def edition of MSG is a simulcast of the standard-def channel.
FSN New York HD, also owned by Cablevision, has the broadcast rights to the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils and will occasionally air games from MSG when that network has scheduling conflicts. The channel is also a simulcast of the standard-def network.
Most professional sports events broadcast by the two channels can only be seen in local areas.
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Group: 2.7 Million Blu-ray Players Sold
The high-def format's backers counter claims by their rival.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 4, 2007) -- The Blu-ray Disc Association says 2.7 million Blu-ray players were sold through November 24.
That's according to an article in Video Business.
The Blu-ray group, which represents studios and hardware makers, is counting sales of both standalone Blu-ray players and the Sony Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside.
While the group did not break out the sales figures, the PS3 is estimated to represent the vast majority of overall Blu-ray player sales. Video Business reports there had been two million PlayStation 3 units sold through October.
The Blu-ray backers appear to be counting a recent claim by HD DVD's promotional group that 750,000 HD DVD players have been sold. The HD DVD group counted sales of both standalone players and the HD DVD player which can be attached to Microsoft's XBox 360.
Unlike Blu-ray, standalone HD DVD players represent the majority of overall HD DVD player sales. Retailers recently cut the price of the entry-level HD DVD player to under $200 -- roughly $200 less than what a Blu-ray player goes for.
Blu-ray, backed by Sony, and HD DVD, headed by Toshiba, are rival formats competing for the new high-def disc audience.
Blu-ray disc sales have also led HD DVD by a 2-1 margin during the year. The Blu-ray promotional group said four million Blu-ray discs were sold through November, compared to 2.5 million for HD DVD.
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Satellite Exec: 63 New HD Channels in 2008
More programmers are looking to launch high-def broadcasts.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 2, 2007) -- Bryan McGuirk, president of satellite distributor SES Americom, says there will be 63 new HD channel launches in the next nine months.
McGuirk should know. SES Americom operates the commercial satellites which transmit HD and SD programming to Earth.
The satellite executive tells Multichannel News that SES now delivers 64 different high-def feeds. But McGuirk says his company knows of at least 63 more channels planned in the coming months.
He did not reveal the names of the new channels.
However, he said DIRECTV's recent high-def expansion has accelerated programmers' interest in launching high-def versions of their channels.
The satcaster recently increased its national HD lineup from nine to more than 80 channels. Additionally, McGuirk noted the rise in high-def set sales over the last year.
“We’re going through another wave of adoption with the DIRECTV launches and all the new HDs,” McGuirk said.
Becky Powhatan, The Weather Channel’s executive vice president of distribution, echoed McGuirk's comments. TWC recently launched a high-def channel, although studio segments are not scheduled for HD until early next year..
“We thought we’d launch an upconverted HD simulcast in 2009 and do native HD in 2010,” she told Multichannel News. “But we changed plans. I think the pace of HDTV sales surprised everyone.”
The list of new HD channels cited by McGuirk will undoubtedly include high-def simulcasts of existing basic cable networks. Several prominent cable networks, such as E!, have yet to launch HD feeds. But it also could include dedicated HD channels from new start-up companies.
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High-Def DVD Player Sales Rising?
Toshiba's new low price is getting consumers' attention.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (December 2, 2007) -- High-def DVD player sales are rising, but retailers say consumers are most likely to get excited about HD DVD's lower price.
That's according to an article by Video Business, which reports that both Blu-ray and HD DVD players have sold well early in the holiday season.
But the decision by Wal-Mart and Best Buy to sell Toshiba's HD-A2 for $99 during a pre-Black Friday sale triggered new consumer interest in the category.
“If nothing else, Wal-Mart making the Toshiba player $99 got a lot of airplay, and people are asking what is HD DVD?,” Bjorn's COO, Doug Bravin, told Video Business. “They started to make it mainstream.”
After the special $99 sale, many retailers set the price of the entry-level Toshiba player under $200, which is roughly $200 off the lowest price Blu-ray player.
Still, Bravin said Bjorn's did equal business with Blu-ray and HD DVD players. But Rick Souder, Crutchfield's executive VP of merchandise, said Toshiba's lower price made the difference. (Crutchfield set the price at $129).
“The Wal-Mart thing and other indicators show that people aren’t hung up on the format as much as they are about price,” said Souder. “We sold out of every (Toshiba HD-A2) that we had at $129. People are willing to make that level of investment, but they didn’t seem willing to spend $399 and $499.”
The HD DVD North American Promotional Group said last week that 750,000 HD DVD players (including XBox 360 adapters) have been sold to date. But that includes a big boost in the early days of the holiday season.
Bjorn's, says Video Business, reports that high-def DVD player represented 15 percent of its DVD business last year. But this year that number jumped to 50 percent.
"People are becoming aware of next-generation and high-def content as it relates to HD DVD and Blu-ray,” Matt Duda, director of merchandising at Ultimate Electronics, told Video Business. “You can credit Wal-Mart for raising that awareness certainly. And more people are seeing advertising on TV for HD DVD and Blu-ray. New releases now say they are also available in HD DVD and Blu-ray, and that gets people asking questions about them.”
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Commentary
FCC's Cable Cap On Subscribers: Bad For HDTV
FCC Chief Kevin Martin wants to restrict the number of subscribers held by a cable operator.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 30, 2007) -- Continuing his anti-cable crusade, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is now proposing to limit how many customers any one cable operator can have.
According to news reports, Martin is circulating a plan that would restrict a cable operator's national market share to 30 percent.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, now has a 27 percent market share with more than 26 million subscribers nationwide.
In recent months, Martin has also tried to force cable operators to adopt 'a la carte' programming plans, digital must-carry requirements and a host of other regulatory handcuffs.
His latest effort to impose more rules on cable TV was shot down this week when he couldn't muster support among his fellow commissioners. (For reasons never quite explained, Martin has not tried to impose similar restrictions on satellite TV operators, telcos or local TV stations. Cable seems to be in the FCC chief's crosshairs.)
But despite the defeat, Martin is now continuing his crusade with the market cap proposal.
The FCC chief notes that Congress passed a 1992 law that called for a national cap on a cable operator's subscriber total. The FCC later set that cap at 30 percent, but a federal appeals court rejected it in 2001.
Now Martin wants to reinstate it.
However, he seems to ignore that the 1992 law was passed before DIRECTV and EchoStar launched (mid-1990s) and before Verizon and AT&T started offering TV service (two years ago). Times have changed; the marketplace now serves to limit a cable operator's market share.
I suspect Martin knows this full well, but why give up a chance to take a shot at his favorite bull's eye.
Restricting a cable operator's subscriber total would stifle its incentive to expand services. For instance, why would Comcast invest more money in High-Definition TV programming if it knew that it would only be allowed to add a limited number of new customers.
Sure, Comcast wants to make current customers happier, but a company's desire to grow is what drives innovation and investment.
Oddly, Martin seems to understand this when pushing a proposal to ease ownership rules on newspapers and broadcast companies. He wants to allow companies such as News Corp. to own more local TV stations, which would give it more customers.
But cable? No, to Martin, it's bad for cable companies to have more customers.
Fortunately, most of Washington (and elsewhere) is on to Martin and his obsession to punish the cable industry. Consequently, I suspect this latest proposal will be defeated, along with his other anti-cable measures.
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Blu-ray Wallops HD DVD In Disc Sales
The Sony-backed format crushes its rival despite low-cost HD DVD players.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 29, 2007) -- Despite the introduction of low-cost HD DVD players, Blu-ray disc sales walloped rival HD DVD during Thanksgiving week.
That's according to an article by Home Media Magazine.
The publication reports that Blu-ray sales accounted for 72.6 percent of all high-def discs sold during Thanksgiving week, compared to 27.4 for HD DVD. (The figures are based on data from Nielsen VideoScan.)
Blu-ray, which is led by Sony, has enjoyed a 2-1 sales advantage over HD DVD for months. However, retailers recently began selling Toshiba HD DVD players for under $200 -- roughly $200 less than the lowest-priced Blu-ray player.
On Black Friday (Nov. 23), some stores were even selling the Toshiba HD-A2 for just $98.
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Comcast to Charge Extra $2.95 For TiVo HD DVR
The recording service is now being tested in New England.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 28, 2007) -- TiVo said today that Comcast will charge subscribers an extra $2.95 a month to use its HD DVR service.
The cable operator now requires subscribers to pay around $15-17 a month for high-def DVR service (including the set-top), meaning they may have to pay $20 a month if they add TiVo.
Comcast is now testing TiVo's DVR service in the New England area and is expected to expand the service there shortly. If all goes all, the cable operator will then roll out the service nationally in select cities.
Comcast agreed two years ago to license TiVo's DVR software and offer it to its subscribers. The agreement was TiVo's first licensing deal with a major cable operator, but software glitches have slowed the roll out.
In releasing the company's third quarter statement today, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said the company plans to "aggressively market" the Comcast service.
“We are very excited by the emphasis that Comcast has placed on this product within its organization and their plans to aggressively market it at a $2.95 up-charge as well as through packaged bundles and win-back offers,” Rogers said. “Further, we are pleased with Comcast’s plans to promote and market the value of the TiVo experience, which will leverage many of their marketing assets including cross-channel TV.”
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Wal-Mart has started selling Venturer Electronics' new HD DVD player for $199.98 online and at selected stores.
For months, the HDTV industry has buzzed about a low-cost HD DVD player from China that could give HD DVD a major advantage against Blu-ray in the high-def disc format war.
HD DVD boosters predicted that the player would be available at Wal-Mart, which would drive interest among the masses.
Venturer is based in Ontario, Canada, but has a manufacturing partner in China.
Ironically, though, the launch of the Venturer player is somewhat anti-climatic with entry-level Toshiba players now available at some stores for under $200.
The Venturer SHD7000 features 1080i output with a HDMI connection and an Ethernet port for downloads of special features.
The lowest-priced Blu-ray player is now Sony's BDP-S300 at $499 suggested retail, although Wal-Mart is now selling it for $348.
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Blu-ray Sales Blasting HD DVD In Europe
The format passes the one million mark for disc sales.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 27, 2007) -- Blu-ray discs are out selling its rival HD DVD in Europe by more than 2-1.
That's according to an article by Reuters.
The wire service reports that Blu-ray disc sales have passed the one million mark in Europe, representing 73 percent of all high-def discs sold there.
The Blu-ray Disc Association said that if Blu-ray gaming discs were included in the total that the number would jump to more than 21 million sold.
The Sony Play Station 3 has a Blu-ray player inside.
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HD DVD Player Sales Pass 750,000
Group cites price promotion as reason for increase.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 27, 2007) -- More than 750,000 HD DVD high-def disc players have now been sold, according to the North American HD DVD Promotional Group.
The group said the number includes standalone HD DVD players from Toshiba and the XBox 360 HD DVD player attachment.
HD DVD and Blu-ray are rival formats competing for the new high-def disc audience. While HD DVD's 750,000 mark is impressive, it still falls far short of Blu-ray's overall home penetration total.
Standalone HD DVD players are outselling standalone Blu-ray players, but Sony's Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, has sold millions of units.
The exact number of standalone Blu-ray players sold to date is unknown.
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Wall Street Analyst Praises DIRECTV's HD Lineup
The analyst says it's a major reason why he's upgrading the company's stock.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 26, 2007) -- Who has the best High-Definition programming lineup: DIRECTV or EchoStar?
Bernstein Research's Craig Moffett apparently believes the answer is clear. The influential Wall Street analyst today upgraded his stock rating on DIRECTV from Underperform to Market Perform -- and the satcaster's recently expanded high-def lineup is a key reason.
“DIRECTV’s strong HDTV offering positions the company for solid growth, and this faster growth is unmistakably value accretive,” Moffett said today in a note to investors.
DIRECTV, the nation's largest satellite TV service, recently expanded its national HD lineup from nine to more than 80 channels.
While some analysts have soured on cable and satellite stocks due largely to increasing competition in the category, Moffett says DIRECTV is well positioned to boost subscribers and increase revenues.
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TiVo to Offer Cable Adapter For HD
The device will allow the DVR to operate with Switched Digital Video systems.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 26, 2007) -- TiVo says it will soon offer an external adapter that will allow its HD DVR to operate with a new cable TV technology called Switched Digital Video (SDV).
That's according to an article by TWICE Magazine.
The adapter is considered crucial to TiVo's hopes of generating more subscribers because several cable operators are planning to use SDV in the coming months.
SDV will allow the cable services to offer more High-Definition channels because it saves bandwidth by only delivering a channel to the home when the viewer actually watches it.
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Sony CEO Is For Blu-ray -- After He's Against It
The company CEO reverses earlier comments suggesting victory may be out of reach.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 25, 2007) -- Sony CEO Howard Stringer now says Blu-ray will defeat HD DVD in the high-def disc format war.
That's according to an article by The Hollywood Reporter.
Earlier this month, Stringer said in a speech in New York that the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD had become a "stalemate."
Saying it's a "difficult fight," Stringer even openly speculated what Sony would do if HD DVD prevailed. (Basically, stop including Blu-ray players in Play Station game consoles.)
The comments ignited a storm of controversy at blogs and Internet message boards with some posters saying that Stringer seemed to be throwing in the towel.
Combined with the dropping price of HD DVD players (now starting under $200 compared to $399 for the lowest Blu-ray player), Stringer's remarks left some Blu-ray supporters feeling demoralized, although Blu-ray disc sales continue to outpace HD DVD.
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VUDU: Bourne 3 In HD For $24.99
New set-top will also include the first two Bourne movies for free.
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (November 21, 2007) -- VUDU, which last week said it's adding HDTV movies to its Video on Demand service, has revealed its first high-def title for purchase: The Bourne Ultimatum.
The company said VUDU customers will be able to purchase the action film starring Matt Damon beginning December 11. The price will be $24.99.
In addition, for a limited time starting November 23, new VUDU set-tops will include permanent copies of The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, the first two films in the Bourne trilogy.
The company sells a $399 VUDU set-top that enables users to download movies over a high-speed Internet connection.
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