Blu-ray Disc News: October 2007

Lots of New Blu-ray Disc Players Hitting Stores Now

Well, as we go into the 4th quarter a lot of new Blu-ray players are hitting the streets in time for the holidays.

Some of the players in stores now are:

Sony BDP-S500 ($699) -- profile 1.0 -- a higher end sibling of the S300 with advanced bitstream audio output
Sony BDP-S2000ES ($1299) -- profile 1.0 -- same specs as the S500 only with separate audio and video circuitry for the maximum in quality and a more substantial ES chasis
Sony HES-V1000 ($3499) -- profile 1.0 -- the ultimate toy for the man/woman who has everything -- a 200-disc Home Media Server, that plays and records onto Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CDs -- also has a large hard drive for recording/playback of various media types
Pioneer Elite BDP-95HD ($999) -- profile 1.0 -- a minor refresh of Pioneer's BDP-94HD player, now with support for bitstream audio output

Some of the players due soon:

Panasonic DMP-BD30 (rumored at $499) -- rumored profile 1.1 -- though its due out very soon, not much is known about the upcoming Panasonic player -- it looks like it may be the first profile 1.1 player to hit the market, however -- if so, this will be the standalone player to beat this season
Sony PS3 40GB ($399) -- should be upgradeable to profile 1.1 -- Due on November 2, Sony's new scaled-back PS3 model may lack PS2 game compatibility, but the Blu-ray Disc playback is still second-to-none
Sharp Aquos BD-HP20S (lexpected at $499) -- profile 1.0 -- Sharp may be late out of the gate with their first Blu-ray Disc player, but if the price comes in below expected it could be a serious competitor
LG BH200 (expected at $999) -- profile 1.1 -- LG reaffirms their "neutral" stance with their second Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD combo player -- this model, however, features profile 1.1 compatibility as well as full HDi compatibility on HD DVD discs
Samsung Duo BD-UP5000 ($1049) -- profile 1.1 -- Samsung will be challenging LG's dual format player with one of their own this Christmas -- given Samsung's experience in making Blu-ray players, this could turn out to be quite a player for those on the fence in the "format war"
Denon DVD-3808DCI and DVD-2500BTCI ($1999 and unknown) -- profile 1.1 -- Though various reports indicate these may not make it onto store shelves in time for Christmas, Denon still says that they should be out in the nick of time -- both players are 1.1 compliant, with the 3808 model beinf a full featured player, and the 2500 model being a "transport" that lacks the ability to decode advanced audio formats, but can still pass them through its HDMI connection to a compatible receiver

For those interested in any of these players, more information on these and all other U.S. players can be found here.

News: Blu-ray Goes on Offense

Home Media Magazine has an excellent article just published about the BDA's two day "Blu-ray Festival" going on in Hollywood as I write this.

So many great quotes in this article, I think it would be best to quote the article directly, letting the participants speak for themselves. The most startling statement, oddly, came from Dan Silverberg, VP of HD media for Warner Home Video:

That may not be for long, Silverberg said [referring to Warner supporting both formats]. “One thing that may be changing is our strategy,” he said. “When both formats launched and hardware prices were high, we made a decision to support both formats and let the consumer decide. But now that hardware pricing is affordable for both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it appears consumers no longer want to decide — so the notion of staying in two formats for the duration is something we are re-evaluating now that we are in the fourth quarter.”

Silverberg noted that Warner has the top-selling Blu-ray title of all time with 300 and is consistently No. 1 or No. 2 in both Blu-ray sales market share and in number of Blu-ray titles in the market.

“We can definitely talk Blu-ray,” he said. “We are committed to the format.”

That should definitely put a wrench in the HD DVD camp's claims that Warner will be going HD DVD exclusive in the near future. If anything, it certainly sounds like the opposite may well be the case.

And, of course, what would a BDA junket be without poking a little fun at Paramount's misfortunes:

There also were indications that the Blu-ray camp is done playing nice. At the entrance to the opening breakfast, at the Hollywood and Highland complex, was a huge blowup of a Deadline Hollywood article by renegade online columnist Nikki Finke. The article raised questions about Paramount Home Entertainment’s claim that it sold 190,000 copies of Transformers on HD DVD in a single week.

Later in the day, on the 20th Century Fox lot, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment president Mike Dunn blasted Paramount for its defection, accusing the studio of “taking the bait,” referring to a reported $50 million payout to drop its support of Blu-ray Disc and release titles exclusively in HD DVD.

But lets not forget who the real enemy is here:

Dunn also intimated that the format war is being perpetuated by Microsoft in the hopes of confusing consumers so much they don’t support either format and ultimately buy their entertainment online. He didn’t name the computer giant by name, but blasted “the orchestrated campaigns of confusion and anti-consumerism fueled by an 800-pound gorilla that would prefer to force us all into the practice of paying tolls for the right to exchange information and enjoy entertainment.”

I guess I really don't have much to say. The participant's said everything about as well as it can be said. IT's starting to look like a very Blu holiday season.

Source

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: Nielson VideoScan Comparison for Week Ending 10/21/07

Every week Home Media Magazine reports the latest Nielson VideoScan numbers for the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD battle. They include three figures: Weekly, Year-to-date, and Since Inception. Weekly numbers examine discs sold at retail over the course of just the current week, the YTD numbers look at sales from the first week ending in 2007 to the present, and the since inception numbers show the relative performance of Blu-ray and HD DVD discs since the formats' respective births.

Nielson VideoScan Data for Week Ending 10/21/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Weekly sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 51% to 49%, 100:96.1, or 1.04:1

YTD sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 65% to 35%, 100:53.8, or 1.86:1

Since Inception sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 61% to 39%, 100:63.9, or 1.56:1

Taken out of context, this looks like it was a terrible week for Blu-ray. It is definitely the lowest percentage sales win of the year. But, "Transformers," HD DVDs biggest exclusive title of the year was released on 10/16, and HD DVD was expecting a major victory for the week. As it turns out, they didn't even win the week. Blu-ray, with no big new releases, managed to outsell HD DVD with a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on select catalog Disney titles at a variety of retailers. Pretty exciting numbers, as this was HD DVDs big shot at getting at least one sales victory this year. And for those who saw the claim by Paramount that 190,000 "Transformers" discs had been sold in the first week, Nielson places the figure at 115,000 discs sold... still below the record held by "300" on Blu-ray.

Nielson VideoScan Top 10 for Week Ending 10/21/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Again, while "Transformers" was definitely the big title for the week, all the other titles in the Top 10 were Blu-ray titles. With some solid titles out the following week on both formats, and the huge release of "SpiderMan 3" as Blu-ray exclusive on 10/30, HD DVDs chances to eek out a victory this year are rapidly coming to a close.

NPD Group Releases September, 2007 U.S. Console Sales Numbers

NPD has released their console sales numbers for the U.S., for September, 2007. The next-gen console sales for the month were:

XBox 360: 528,000

PS3: 119,000

Wii: 501,000

The XBox 360 did HUGE business in September, with the release of "Halo 3" pushing the systems out the door at an unprecedented rate. For the first time since the release of the Wii, Microsoft's system managed to come out on top, while sales of Sony's PS3 stagnated. Sony really needs to get some AAA-rated titles out the door, and fast. The recent price drop on the 80GB PS3 to $499, and the upcoming release of the 40GB PS3 for only $399 should go a long way toward making the system more financially feasible for many gamers in the coming months, but without titles, even a great price can only do so much.

As you can see from the chart above, the PS3 is now running about 30% below the trend line of the XBox 360 in the U.S. (Microsoft's home territory), so the new price cut in the U.S. was definitely needed. The Wii, of course, blows away both other systems using this measurement, a testament to the low price, lower power model adopted by Nintendo. Those who thought the Wii would just be a gimmick are being forced to take a second look at the little-system-that-could.

Obviously, the XBox 360 has been out considerably longer than the other consoles, so in the interests of fairness, here is a chart that shows the total sales of the consoles over their lifetimes.

Microsoft still has a significant lead over both other systems in the U.S. market, although the Wii has apparently taken the lead in worldwide numbers. Sony will finally pass 2 million units sold in the U.S. next month, but that's still a long way off from where they should be. That said, the worldwide figures for the PS3 are over 5 or 6 million now (depending on your source), so they definitely aren't dead in the water... just treading water in the U.S.

October's numbers aren't likely to show a major improvement for the PS3 but the Christmas shopping season, price cuts, and new games should sell a lot of systems in November and December.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: Nielson VideoScan Comparison for Week Ending 10/7 and 10/14/07

Nielson VideoScan Data for Week Ending 10/7/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Weekly sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 68% to 32%, 100:47.1, or 2.13:1

YTD sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 66% to 34%, 100:51.5, or 1.94:1

Since Inception sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 61% to 39%, 100:63.9, or 1.56:1

A nice week for Blu-ray... nothing too amazing, but a decent way to start off the all-important fourth quarter. Given that Fantastic Four: ROSS ran away with the sales this week, it's not really too surprising.

Nielson VideoScan Data for Week Ending 10/14/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Weekly sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 71% to 29%, 100:40.8, or 2.45:1

YTD sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 66% to 34%, 100:51.5, or 1.94:1

Since Inception sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 61% to 39%, 100:63.9, or 1.56:1

A very nice week for Blu-ray. Surf's Up and 28 Weeks Later, along with returning champ Fantastic 4: ROSS, gave Blu-ray a decisive victory against new HD DVD titles like Evan Almighty. Of course, next week's data will be the most interesting of the year, with Transformers out as an HD DVD exclusive. It almost surely would have been HD DVDs first week of triumph this year, except Disney pushed out a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale at retailers nationwide. So what will win--the biggest HD DVD exclusive release EVER, or cheap Disney catalog titles on Blu-ray?

Nielson VideoScan Top 10 for Week Ending 10/7/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

With help from Paramount, HD DVD managed to claim 4 spots in the Top 10, with three of them being format exclusive releases. While it didn't help their overall sales ratio much, it definitely looks better than most weeks for HD DVD releases.

Nielson VideoScan Top 10 for Week Ending 10/14/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Ah, now that looks better. Blu-ray gets back on top with 8 of the Top 10 high-def titles being Blu-ray titles. Whew... now I can sleep better at night. It will be interesting to see the chard for next week. Transformers should be the number 1 title, but it still is looking like Blu-ray will take 7-9 of the titles.

Blu-ray: Title Releases for October

This month marks the beginning of the fourth quarter, and lots of big movie titles will be hitting store shelves in the coming months. The list for the rest of this month includes:

October 9

Twilight Zone: The Movie	Warner
Surf's Up	Sony
Reign Over Me	Sony
From Hell	Fox
The Fly (1986)	Fox
Edward Scissorhands	Fox
28 Days Later	Fox
28 Weeks Later	Fox
Robocop	Fox
Nature's Journey	Koch

October 16

The Reaping	Warner
The Invisible	Disney
Masters of Horror - Season 1, Volume 1	Starz
Masters of Horror - Season 1, Volume 2	Starz
Hollow Man (Director's Cut)	Sony
AC/DC 'Live at Donington'	Sony BMG
Return to House on Haunted Hill	Warner

October 23

Meet the Robinsons	Disney
Scary Movie	Dimension
2001: A Space Odyssey	Warner
A Clockwork Orange	Warner
Eyes Wide Shut	Warner
Full Metal Jacket (Deluxe Edition)	Warner
The Shining	Warner
Sopranos - Season 6: Part II	Warner
Hostel (Director's Cut)	Sony
Hostel II (Director's Cut)	Sony
The Company (mini-series)	Sony
King of New York	Lionsgate
Hills Have Eyes 2 (Unrated)	Fox
Home of the Brave	Fox
Mr. Brooks	Fox

October 30

Spider-Man Trilogy	Sony
Spider-Man 3	Sony
Polar Express	Warner
License to Wed	Warner
David Gilmour: Live at Royal Albert Hall	Sony
HDScape: Blu-ray Sampler Disc	DVD Inter.
HDScape: Exotic Saltwater Aquarium	DVD Inter.
HDScape: Serenity - Southern Seas	DVD Inter.
HDScape: Fireplace - Visions of Tranquility	DVD Inter.
HDScape: Visions of the Sea - Explorations	DVD Inter.
HDScape: Antarctica Dreaming	DVD Inter.
HDScape: HD Window - Hawaii	DVD Inter.
HDScape: HD Window - The Great Southwest	DVD Inter.
Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics	DVD Inter.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: Nielson VideoScan Comparison for Weeks Ending 9/23 and 9/30/07

Nielson VideoScan Data for Week Ending 9/23/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Weekly sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 63% to 37%, 100:58.7, or 1.70:1

YTD sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 66% to 34%, 100:51.5, or 1.94:1

Since Inception sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 61% to 39%, 100:63.9, or 1.56:1

A pretty good week for Blu-ray overall... though nothing too special. Also, I'm running behind on my blog, so I have the next week's data to post also.

Nielson VideoScan Data for Week Ending 9/30/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Weekly sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 54% to 46%, 100:85.2, or 1.17:1

YTD sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 66% to 34%, 100:51.5, or 1.94:1

Since Inception sales: Blu-ray leads HD DVD 61% to 39%, 100:63.9, or 1.56:1

Well, it was definitely a disappointing week for Blu-ray. Knocked Up was the runaway hit of the week, and as a Universal title it was, of course, HD DVD exclusive. The fact that Blu-ray still came out ahead is actually fairly impressive, though it is apparent that the week Transformers comes out, Blu-ray should lose the first week it has all year.

Nielson VideoScan Top 10 for Week Ending 9/23/07

Source: Nielson VideoScan via http://www.homemediamagazine.com/

Interesting week. Not a single HD DVD exclusive made the Top 10 -- though the more interesting fact is that Warner pretty much owns the list (they released Planet Earth for the BBC, also). Thus, 8 of the top 10 titles were distributed by one studio: Warner.