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

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by phansson

Hey Penton,

With the upturn of Blu Ray sales, are any of the studios considering releasing Blu Ray on an earlier schedule than SD DVD? Maybe giving Blu Ray a two week window before the release of the DVD would give it another boost.

Just wondering if that has been considered.

A Blu-ray would be a master for a DVD quality disc. Hence, the studios would simply be creating a window for mass commercial DVD bootlegging.

Gary

[BluDomain]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

... I felt really good about pre-ordering my just shipped copy of "The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor" for $16.95 from J&R, ......

That is for the DVD. Blu-ray is $27.99 at J&R.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by BluDomain

That is for the DVD. Blu-ray is $27.99 at J&R.

No, the Blu-ray WAS $16.95. Amazon.com even price-matched J&R.

Best pre-order price I've gotten since I pre-ordered "The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep" earlier this year for $16.95.

~Alan

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by phansson

Hey Penton,

With the upturn of Blu Ray sales, are any of the studios considering releasing Blu Ray on an earlier schedule than SD DVD? Maybe giving Blu Ray a two week window before the release of the DVD would give it another boost.

Just wondering if that has been considered.

In one of our discussions a few months back, I asked the President (Worldwide) of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (David B.) about that specific subject, i.e. how about let’s street a Blu-ray title a week or so prior to its availability on DVD.
David was amenable to exploring this possibility; however, input from the retailers was essentially contrary to this bold marketing move and so, the fuse essentially fizzled out.
Since that conversation, the issue has not been revisited to the best of my knowledge by anyone, internally.

I think that as there becomes more and more of an installed user base of Blu-ray players, the trepidation over trying this strategy will gradually subside and there will be further consideration of the idea. As to exactly when…..and with which particular title, I don’t know.

I suspect some studio will eventually do a test case just to see how well it turns out and when this precedent indeed occurs, you can count on the fact that the other majors will be intently following the outcome. As you can imagine, I’m all for it and I would like for SPHE to take the lead on this venture, if only to help contribute to another A #1 ranking for next year, like this current year’s accomplishment………………..
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/blu...ein-page3.html

I just hope that if/when this differential streeting of packaged home media is tried, it is done correctly, for instance, with a meaningful high profile title such as Quantum of Solace, etc. rather than a title that few people have heard about or much less care about, which would tend to skew the data.

Another potential trial title that comes to mind off the top of my head is The DaVinci Code but, I think that would be a poor choice for such an experimental marketing move, as given the nature of the principal photography, even with a perfect Blu-ray transfer, this particular movie is going to prove to be a challenging viewing experience for many home theater enthusiasts as well as the mainstream buying public and people that saw and remember the theatrical presentation, know that………hence possibly skewing the data of such a test with this title.

P.S.
Hey thanks for the historical list of the James Bond movies. I’ll tuck that away for a rainy post-surgical day. One of those early Bond movies brings back fond personal memories of a summertime of my youth……. namely, while scuba diving off Nassau by day, I was playing blackjack at night on Paradise Island and since they served free alcoholic beverages at the casino, it amazes me to this day, that after gambling our butts off and taking advantage of the complimentary drinks, we all actually found our way back over the bridge each night to our rooms at the Pilot House, I wonder if that little hotel still exits on Nassau.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Hey thanks for the historical list of the James Bond movies. I’ll tuck that away for a rainy post-surgical day. One of those early Bond movies brings back fond personal memories of a summertime of my youth……. namely, while scuba diving off Nassau by day, I was playing blackjack at night on Paradise Island and since they served free alcoholic beverages at the casino, it amazes me to this day, that after gambling our butts off and taking advantage of the complimentary drinks, we all actually found our way back over the bridge each night to our rooms at the Pilot House, I wonder if that little hotel still exits on Nassau.

Hope you weren't driving (paging Ted Kennedy)

Looking at the list I was surprised how few I saw theatrically (thank God for home video). For Your Eyes Only was my first, then both Octopu$$y and Never Say Never Again, then skip all the way to Licence To Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and now Quantum of Solace. I got them all on VHS, then LaserDisc (remember the mega expensive Connery collections, the CAV collectors editions (I missed the "banned" Criterion versions), then DVD and now have all available BDs. I regret not being able to catch Casino Royale but the BD was a good substitute (and yes, I double dipped for the SE).

The only thing I've spent more money on than Bond is Star Trek!

[phansson]

Thanks for the reply.

"Buy Quantum of Solace on Blu Ray March 10th and DVD March 24th."

I like the idea of "quantum of solace". High profile, probably a great transfer and sound track. That would be a great title for this experiment. IMHO it would showcase Blu Ray more than anyone could imagine.

Customer "I thought the new Bond was on DVD today."
BB guy "Its only available on Blu Ray".
customer "What is Blu Ray? How much are they?".
(sound of register going ka ching).

I could see Sony leading the pack with that kind of trial also. I agree that an older re release would not be as effective. I would love to see the look on the DVD consortiums face if something like that were to transpire. They would cry into their HUGE pillow.


As for the Bond list. That was an easy google. I haven't been to Paradise Island since I was 22. They had not done the remodel to make the hotel into the "atlantis" yet, but it was still extremely nice. I think that the building that Bond goes in for the surveillance video is actually a restaurant I had dinner at. Very nice, uniformed waiters standing at the table, the real deal. "grand marnier souffle" for desert. Still the best dinner I have had in my life.

[hollywoodguy]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I just hope that if/when this differential streeting of packaged home media is tried, it is done correctly, for instance, with a meaningful high profile title such as Quantum of Solace, etc. rather than a title that few people have heard about or much less care about, which would tend to skew the data.

In that case you better convince TCFHE, since I'm not sure even the Pres of SPHE has much say in the matter as far as that particular title is concerned.

[Jeff Kleist]

Heh, Sony rules the roost on Casino Royale and Quantum, since they paid for them. However their sublet of the franchise is over I believe, and MGM may acquire the 2 films one way or another

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by phansson

Thanks for the reply.

As for the Bond list. That was an easy google. I haven't been to Paradise Island since I was 22. They had not done the remodel to make the hotel into the "atlantis" yet, but it was still extremely nice. I think that the building that Bond goes in for the surveillance video is actually a restaurant I had dinner at. Very nice, uniformed waiters standing at the table, the real deal. "grand marnier souffle" for desert. Still the best dinner I have had in my life.

Dude, I think ‘my time’ is somewhat similar to yours as I was speaking about Paradise Island long before the "Atlantis" thing.

Just to give you an idea, if you were an island-hopper and footloose and fancy free like moi during my youngin days, I dove off Bora Bora (Society Islands) before Bloody Mary’s restaurant even broke ground.

[phansson]

For some reason, you all ways struck me as a "youngin".

[Bullseye]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Heh, Sony rules the roost on Casino Royale and Quantum, since they paid for them. However their sublet of the franchise is over I believe, and MGM may acquire the 2 films one way or another

it would seem strange for Sony to give it up.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by phansson

For some reason, you all ways struck me as a "youngin".

Honestly, between the cold rainy weather we’re now having in SoCal and the Blu-ray South Pacific news…………..
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...97#post1400997
I’ve found myself reminiscing of summertime, tropical Islands and their amenities for the past couple days.

As to ‘young’, I’ve always felt young at heart because I feel “we’re never going to survive unlesssssssss, we get a little crazy”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMl21vsMd6I&NR=1

^ I had the opportunity to attend the above in ’05 at the Kodak for ‘research’ purposes, the best VS show I think, of the past several years.
Brain Sturgeon, there’s your Heidi clip.

P.S.
Plus, I’m not that 'old'.
I dove Bora Bora, Tahiti, Rangiroa and other places in French Polynesia as a very young teen when my Dad took the family for a one year sailing thing to the South Pacific, as he thought that would be one of the best non-formal types of education my siblings and I would ever receive.
In retrospect, I think he was right.

[iceman]

Was that in 2005?! Time flies... Penton, since you are in that mood, let me counter with this one:
http://users.skynet.be/pdauwe/ursula_martinez.wmv

Should be an excellent show for the Oscars

[pro-bassoonist]

Pro-B

[Penton-Man]

Sheesh Ice,
Will you warn a guy with some sort of MPAA rating first.
You know, some of us watch and post on this forum from work!

I was expecting a magic show and then I end up seeing the very last refuge on earth for diehard red ants (symbolized by the red handkerchief ?) to hide in.

[wallendo]

Originally Posted by phansson

Thanks for the reply.

"Buy Quantum of Solace on Blu Ray March 10th and DVD March 24th."

I like the idea of "quantum of solace". High profile, probably a great transfer and sound track. That would be a great title for this experiment. IMHO it would showcase Blu Ray more than anyone could imagine.

Customer "I thought the new Bond was on DVD today."
BB guy "Its only available on Blu Ray".
customer "What is Blu Ray? How much are they?".
(sound of register going ka ching).

...

Unfortunately, I think a more likely sequence would be:

Customer: "I thought the new Bond was on DVD today."
BB guy: "Its only available on Blu Ray".
customer: "Well #%@# you, I'm going to Wal-Mart".

If I were head of a movie studio, I would be very hesitant to delay the DVD release and piss off 80-90% of my customers.

I suspect a more likely scenario is for studios to gradually eliminate special features on DVD's (making special features blu-ray exclusive) and eventually making all DVD's full screen (although with fewer and fewer 4:3 TV's being manufactured, the DVD's may be at a fixes 16:9 ratio, but no scope ratios)

[Jeff Kleist]

Customer: "I thought the new Bond was on DVD today."
BB guy: "Its only available on Blu Ray".
customer: "Well #%@# you, I'm going to Wal-Mart".

Same thing happened with DVD

"I see you have Matrix on CD(sic), where's the video?"
"It's rental priced only, the sale priced one will be out in 4-6 months"

In this case you're talking more like 2 weeks were it to happen

I suspect a more likely scenario is for studios to gradually eliminate special features on DVD's (making special features blu-ray exclusive) and eventually making all DVD's full screen (although with fewer and fewer 4:3 TV's being manufactured, the DVD's may be at a fixes 16:9 ratio, but no scope ratios)

You're going to see the elimination of the 2disc SEs over the next 18 months for the most part. Their sales are being consistantly eroded by Blu-ray, and their consumers have a big motivation to switch.

[Penton-Man]

http://www.pr-inside.com/the-dark-kn...er-r971427.htm

[BigFoot]

^ Nice.

[Kris Deering]

For all you 70mm fans in the LA area, just a heads up:

http://www.laemmle.com/