"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

All pressings after 12 months of release will be region free. Once volume is up on Blus, you will probably see that R0 pressing soon after the deadline expires. You still have to protect the home video window

I believe that is the rule only if it is the same SKU. If they change the SKU they can reset the 12-month clock.

It's a loophole I think was introduced deliberately. But, I wish they had been more strict, basing it on the title: A 12-month window on new releases, that's it. Catalog must be region free.

Gary

[sj001]

Originally Posted by turboedguy

the only thing they make that doesnt freeze.

Hahaha nice one!

Penton, do you personally think anyone at any of the involved HD-DVD companies should be fired? Especially at Toshiba?

[DaViD Boulet]

I believe that is the rule only if it is the same SKU. If they change the SKU they can reset the 12-month clock.

It's a loophole I think was introduced deliberately. But, I wish they had been more strict, basing it on the title: A 12-month window on new releases, that's it. Catalog must be region free.

Are you saying that there's an actual "rule" by the BDA that discs pressed 12 months after a theatrical run must be region-free?

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

Are you saying that there's an actual "rule" by the BDA that discs pressed 12 months after a theatrical run must be region-free?

Any BD can be region locked. Even catalog titles (look at Fox). But, the BDA rule is the production run of the same SKU must become region free after 12 months.

I've always been a bit confused why they wouldn't be forced to change the SKU because its a different product (no RC) thus allowing them to re-introduce the RC. A sort of RC catch-22.

Gary

[Member-9711]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Universal and Paramount have a lot of movies with split international rights. doubtful. The trend is toward more region coding, not less

All pressings after 12 months of release will be region free. Once volume is up on Blus, you will probably see that R0 pressing soon after the deadline expires. You still have to protect the home video window

I seriously hope that at least the movies that are available on HD DVD will be region free when they arrive in Blu-Ray, I must be able to buy lots and lots of Universal movies when they arrive without having to worry about region coding!

I never really understood the 12 month rule about region encoding, I mean all FOX releases are region locked even though some titles are 20 years old. Why not only use region coding for new releases....

[WickyWoo]

will the studios really make such a change from their current practice? I notice that with DVDs of catalog titles, virtually all of them in my collection are R1 despite the fact that there was no "window" to worry about.

It's certainly been talked about, seriously, especially for theatricals. UK especially is starting to hurt because everyone's buying from the US. As the market grows, and with it economies of scale, it becomes more and more practical to press different discs.

Why would the studios act different with Blu? Don't get me wrong, I hope that they do! I'm just curious about what would motivate a different approach to when to/no to region-restrict a release.

They're not. The trend is toward region coding on DVD, while the trend has moved away from region coding in the early days of Blu, you may start seeing more new releases coded than are currently done

I never really understood the 12 month rule about region encoding, I mean all FOX releases are region locked even though some titles are 20 years old. Why not only use region coding for new releases....

Because every division of the company is in a different balance sheet, and has to produce their own results.

[Nooff]

Strangely though the UK and Australian divisions of Fox put out non region coded releases like:

The Hills Have Eyes (AU)
Eragon (UK)
Men of Honor (UK)
Alien Vs Predator (UK)
The Sentinel (UK)
Die Hard (UK)
Die Hard 2 (UK)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (AU)
Night at the Museum (UK)
Planet of the Apes (AU)

[mattym]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

It's certainly been talked about, seriously, especially for theatricals. UK especially is starting to hurt because everyone's buying from the US. As the market grows, and with it economies of scale, it becomes more and more practical to press different discs.



They're not. The trend is toward region coding on DVD, while the trend has moved away from region coding in the early days of Blu, you may start seeing more new releases coded than are currently done



Because every division of the company is in a different balance sheet, and has to produce their own results.

the problem for the UK is that we have to wait a while to get the film in theaters, sometimes its on DVD at the same as it hits theaters, if the releases where closer to the US release for the theater it wouldnt matter so much. i think BD adoption in the uk will be hurt by region coding more than perhaps would be expected. Whats the likelyhood of remote control based hacks for BD players?

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Nooff

Strangely though the UK and Australian divisions of Fox put out non region coded releases like:

Isn't undefeatable region coding illegal in Australia?

Gary

[spicynacho]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I don't care about Toshiba one way or another.
They've always got their refrigerators to sell.

I hear their plans to re-purpose their HD DVD player inventory involves attaching handles and bags to them so they can be used as vaccuum cleaners.

[Smackos]

Originally Posted by mattym

the problem for the UK is that we have to wait a while to get the film in theaters, sometimes its on DVD at the same as it hits theaters, if the releases where closer to the US release for the theater it wouldnt matter so much. i think BD adoption in the uk will be hurt by region coding more than perhaps would be expected. Whats the likelyhood of remote control based hacks for BD players?

Exactly.. as example the Blu-ray release of Disturbia came out in the US around end of July, August and we had to wait till December before it even hit the cinema here.. by which point Paramount had already had my money and in return I had a copy of the film sitting under my telly..I don't see the problem with it. I understand when a film has different distributers worldwide like Sweeney Todd but when it's one company for all major regions releasing why the fuss. Things like this only encourage illegal downloads etc and there's no excuses when the cinemas are mostly digital projection now, that old chest nut of having to use the same film and transporting them physically from US to abroad taking the time does'nt cut it now. It might be in the local retailers interest but not the distributer itself.

[johnno1986]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

Isn't undefeatable region coding illegal in Australia?

Gary

Regional restrictions (coding) in Australia can be seen as an anti-competitive practice and a breach of the trade practices act.

I hope this is what you meant Gary.

[WickyWoo]

the problem for the UK is that we have to wait a while to get the film in theaters, sometimes its on DVD at the same as it hits theaters, if the releases where closer to the US release for the theater it wouldnt matter so much. i think BD adoption in the uk will be hurt by region coding more than perhaps would be expected. Whats the likelyhood of remote control based hacks for BD players?

That's something to take up with your local distributors

If it's that important to you, the pound kicks ass against the dollar, pick up a US PS3

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by johnno1986

Regional restrictions (coding) in Australia can be seen as an anti-competitive practice and a breach of the trade practices act.

I hope this is what you meant Gary.

Yeah. I think the solution is either no RC (difficult in a global economy), or selling players that defeat it. Thus, no RC in practice.

Gary

[WickyWoo]

Australia is a land of damned if you do

There's no selection, so people import a lot

Australian divisions are hesitant to expand selection, because people import so much

it's a never ending cycle

[pythagoras]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

That's something to take up with your local distributors

If it's that important to you, the pound kicks ass against the dollar, pick up a US PS3

Are you saying that to get the film selections I currently have with blu-ray and hd dvd I need two blu-ray machines one region a and one region b????

Once hd dvd is well and trully buried Most people thought that the two box solution was dead, you seem to be saying once hd dvd is dead rc will be more wide spread and I will still need two boxes

Is that what you are saying?

Regards

John.

[mpsan]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Your real problem is having scrutinized too many of those *cards* plastered all over Tokyo phone booths back in the day.

Yup! I also have been to some areas where they have people to remove them in the early AM. One of the people I used to go there with had a collection from areas we had to visit!

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sj001

Hahaha nice one!

Penton, do you personally think anyone at any of the involved HD-DVD companies should be fired? Especially at Toshiba?

I don’t think that anyone should face unfair repercussions for their beliefs or professional actions related to their job description……only their use of unethical tactics in doing so.
In that regard, the only person that I believe should be fired, has already…...."retired".

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by ezcobar411

Does that mean that you don't think that they (Toshiba) spent the company's money well on this marketing lesson?

The only real "attach-rate" that I was remotely interested in was related to this one………….

[Penton-Man]

^
P.S.
Speaking hypothetically that is, if I were single.