Hollywood and electronics manufacturers are still holding out hope that the new high-definition DVDs, with better picture quality and more capacity, will rejuvenate the slowing $24 billion home DVD market.
With more consumers buying pricey high-definition TVs, there is more reason than ever to provide a DVD that takes advantage with a higher quality picture.
But a war between Sony Corp.’s Blu-ray format DVDs and Toshiba Corp.’s high-def DVDs is proving to be a wrench in the works. For Hollywood veterans, the dispute brings back memories of the Betamax vs. VHS format battle.
In January, South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. unveiled a player supporting both formats, and Time Warner Inc. announced plans to unveil a disc that holds films in both formats. Some industry experts suggested then that the hybrid products might bring d & #233;tente to the format war, but it isn’t turning out that way.
“To me, it makes no sense,” Steven Hirsch, co-CEO of adult entertainment Vivid Entertainment Group, said at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. “Now there will be three discs, adding yet another cost to producers. These two sides should get together to prolong the life of DVDs, since sales are stagnating.”
The Blu-ray format got a big boost with the release of Sony’s Playstation 3, which uses that format. The issue is far from settled, however, and an upcoming release from Vivid will provide one of the clearest indicators yet as to which way consumers might be leaning.
Vivid, which generates about $100 million in sales annually, will release its first hi-def adult title, “Debbie Does Dallas Again” a remake of the 1978 porn classic on both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats on April 18.
The adult industry has long been considered a driver of new technology and a barometer for mainstream entertainment’s next steps. The film will be sold in a three-disc set including the original “Debbie Does Dallas.” The list price is $39.95 on both formats.
Documentary Drawn
Reality TV stalwart Bunim-Murray Productions has launched a documentary division. BMP Films will debut its first film, “Autism: The Musical,” at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival beginning April 29.
Bunim Murray is hoping it can have the same sort of success in the documentary realm as in reality. The company is behind the longest-running reality series, “The Real World, which is in its 18 th season on MTV. They also had hits with “Road Rules” and “The Simple Life.”
The company also recently launched M Theory Entertainment, a spin-off entity focusing on new media initiatives and mobile content.
Vested Interest
Speaking of documentaries, a new sort will bow on L.A. screens next month.
Centocor Inc., a unit of Johnson & Johnson, is getting into the filmmaking business with the debut of “Innerstate,” an hourlong documentary about three patients struggling with Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.
The film isn’t all Centocor produced. The division also makes Remicade, a drug designed to treat the diseases highlighted in the movie. Neither Remicade nor Centocor are mentioned in the film, but courtesy of the company, admission to the film is free. The company has worked with local Crohn’s, colitis and arthritis foundations to send screening invitations and make members aware of the film (and the drug). Still, is a product-backed documentary really a documentary, or a glorified ad?
“There’s certainly been skepticism out there about the backing,” said Brian Kenney, a Centocor spokesman. “But the the bottom line is that there is no mention of the product and this piece highlights the struggles patients go through in living with these diseases.”
None of the subjects or doctors appearing in the film were compensated by Johnson & Johnson. The film was shot in high definition over the course of last year, and Kenney said the company went through a screening process with about 40 patients to end up with the three selected for the film.
The film is taking a 14-city tour, and will debut in Los Angeles on April 21.
Pasadena to Bejing
Chinese entertainment venture AOB Media Inc. made its stateside debut with the launch of its U.S. operation in Pasadena this month.
The privately owned entertainment company is backed by Minsheng Banking Corp., China’s largest privately owned bank.
AOB specializes in producing, repurposing and repackaging international film, television and music content for unexploited markets. Its primary efforts are focused on mainland China.
AOB Media has signed contracts with BJ BAMC Mobile Media to be the exclusive content provider and marketing agent for Metrol Channel in China, making AOB Media the first American company to sign such an agreement with a Chinese mobile network. Metrol Channel has more than 5 million daily viewers.
NPR Appeals Royalty Ruling
National Public Radio filed a formal appeal with the U.S. Copyright Office last week protesting a recently approved hike in streaming Internet music royalty rates. The increase, many Webcasters claim, will force them out of business.
NPR, for its part, claims the rate hike will make it cost prohibitive for public radio stations to continue their commitment to online music and providing exposure for emerging and non-mainstream artists. In its appeal, NPR called the rate hike “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion and/or unsupported by sufficient evidence.”
Sporkin said NPR plans to follow the Copyright Office appeal with litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, although no date was been set for filing the legal appeal.
Staff reporter Anne Riley-Katz can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 225 or at [email protected].
