'Hunger Games' Sells Well, But Vid Disc Future's NSG
The home video release of "The Hunger Games" pulled out purchasers by the droves. Still the future forecasts home video are sending major players like Redbox and DTS scrambling.
'Hunger Games' Sells Well, But Vid Disc Future's NSG
Jonathan Takiff
With a lot of hooplah, the home video release of "The Hunger Games" pulled out passionate purchasers this weekend. And an upcoming theater promotion for the long overdue "Indiana Jones" Blu-ray box set is likely to create a buzz. Still, the future forecasts for home video movie viewing are sending major players like Redbox and DTS scrambling for higher ground.
Diehard devotees were out in droves for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of "The Hunger Games" on Saturday night at midnight. A number of party-throwing retailers reporting complete sellouts of inventory, said www.comicbook.com. But when Gizmo Guy checked the inventory at my South Philly Target store last night, the shelves were freshly restocked, including for the Target-exclusive 3 disc Blu-ray/DVD/Ultra-Violet copy Collectors Edition (about $25) with extra-extras about the making of the super-popular film and book series.
Lucas Films and Paramount are hoping to stir up similar excitement for the overdue high def boxing (and Sept. 18 home release) of "Indiana Jones-The Complete Adventures Blu ray." Three days earlier, AMC theaters will run an "Indiana Jones" marathon on 69 screens across the country. Locally, you can dress the part and hop the globe with the world's most adventurous archeologist in all-day affairs (starting at 10:30 a.m.) at AMC Cherry Hill 24, Neshaminy 24 and Plymouth Meeting 24. The $25 admission includes some commemorative items and a $5 kick back to your AMC Stubs account.
The drum beats of Hollywood studios are clearly designed to drown out the reports that hard goods video sales are off - DVD down, Blu-ray up but not enough - while instant streaming video rentals are way up. In separate investor calls last week, both video disc renter Redbox and multi-channel sound tech company DTS shared future strategies for growth and survival in a smaller (or non-) hardgoods world.
Coinstar is banking on brand recognition to jump start its’ Redbox Instant by Verizon business which will compete soon with Netflix, Vudu and Amazon video streaming operations, said CEO Paul Davis during a recent webcast. Also, Coinstar is looking to convert or add to its supermarket-placed videodisc rental kiosks with other vending machines hawking everything from coffee to used electronics. Most intriguing is the ECO ATM, a kiosk where consumers will recycle cellphones for cash or store value. You place the phone on a platform within the kiosk. The device is photographed from all sides and automatically identified. Then a robotic arm plugs a cable into it to check functionality and erase all data, if you wish.
DTS is well known as creator of high end audio coding (codecs) used on movie soundtracks and playback gear for theaters and home video discs. But a surprised DTS actually made more money last quarter from streaming media than it did from Blu-ray titles and gear, said CEO Jon Kirchner. He’s predicting “modest growth” for Blu-ray (and continued slide in DVD sales), with Blu-ray peaking in 2014-2015. For future survival, DTS aims to promote its enhanced audio tech – from both DTS and newly acquired SRS Sound Labs – to concerns that stream video and the makers of internet-connected playback boxes and televisions. DTS already has agreements in place with seven of the top 10 TV makers, including Samsung, LG and Sharp, said the executive.
Right now, if you want the best high definition picture and sound, Blu-ray MUST be your choice. Now, I understand that most people aren't as picky as I am about it, but I just watched Jaws on Blu this weekend, and it was glorious. I don't have anything against streaming, mind you, but right now the quality isn't up to par with Blu-ray.— jmc- What the writer doesnt mention is that sell thru home video is still a $10 billion dollar a year business and hardly chump change. Total sell thru market is still larger than streaming. The market is expected to remain flat this year with a decline in DVD and a rise in Bluray. The writer also doesnt mention at all that electronic sell thru is picking up and the new itunes cloud storage along with the Ultraviolet Download and Cloud ownership model is doing quite well. Not everyone wants to rent, millions choose to and continue to purchase their media of choice be it Download or Physical media. You mention DTS they did report that Bluray disc player sales are soft right now but you also mention Televisons being a big growth engine for DTS. Sorry but have you done a fact check? Television sales have been in decline over the past few years. Many of the television manufacturers are reporting losses. Best Buy even reported yesterday that television sales are Way way down. DTS wont be saved by TVs.— towergrove
