Ask questions to Sony Pictures Entertainment insider "paidgeek"

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Ian_S

Do you have any Sony Music contacts??

Unfortunately no-one on this board does, but it would be great to get one on here.

It's a shame the recent DMB Piedmont Park was only DVD/CD, especially since it was shot September 2007 with HD cameras and recorded in 24-bit multi-track.

With the Dave and Tim release SonyBMG put out on Blu last year, you'd have thought a recent full band performance would have been a gimme!

[DaViD Boulet]

I can say this:

I'm now more eager than ever before to buy music titles on Blu-ray Disc. The HD picture is only half the reason why... these 24-bit (96 kHz on the Matthews Band) lossless audio tracks are astounding.

[db2]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

I can say this:

I'm now more eager than ever before to buy music titles on Blu-ray Disc. The HD picture is only half the reason why... these 24-bit (96 kHz on the Matthews Band) lossless audio tracks are astounding.

+1

I'm not sure how their selling but most Music titles are a must buy for me.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

I recommend that you check out the NDS sales data if you are curious. It is interesting to see that some of the titles that are most requested sell in low numbers. LOA is a prime example. EVERYONE requests that title, and it is critically acclaimed by critics and film makers alike, but when it actually is released, how many of you will immediately go out and buy it? The DVD sales numbers would indicate, maybe not so many....

It's possible the DVD sales have suffered because the interested market is actually waiting for the Blu-ray release. LOA is a killer app in some circles. It would actually drive some Blu-ray adoption.

It's definitely a tough call for you folks. It's a crown jewel, and it is completely understandable that you want to be very careful with it.

Gary

[horseflesh]

Paid, did you catch my other question?
(if you blinked you'd have missed it, LOL)

Is the upcoming European release of Almost Famous the Theatrical or Director's cut? There seems to be some confusion among retailers last time I checked.
It's one of my wife's favourite movies (we saw it the weekend we got married in New York) and I'd like to replace her DVD version.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

Suffice it to say that CE3K has not performed to our expectations even with all the promotion surrounding it.

I'm somewhat surprised by this given comments made by Maxpower1987 (see this post for quote I'm referring to). Is this because WB has lower expectations than Sony... or did Max throw out CE3K as an example without really meaning to use it as one?

~Alan

[Tok]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

I recommend that you check out the NDS sales data if you are curious. It is interesting to see that some of the titles that are most requested sell in low numbers. LOA is a prime example. EVERYONE requests that title, and it is critically acclaimed by critics and film makers alike, but when it actually is released, how many of you will immediately go out and buy it? The DVD sales numbers would indicate, maybe not so many....

When you start watching some classics and you appreciate what they can be in HD, then I think you might become a convert, but just as it takes some nudging to move fans from DVD to BD, it will take another nudge to make them have a new look at some of the best films ever made.

paidgeek,

Not to pick on Sony, but Sony charged a fairly high price for the CEotTK set. Warner's Blade Runner set included 5 versions of the film and streeted for $10 to $15 less.

I received the CEotTK set as a gift and have not had a chance to watch it yet.

I really like the BD format and I have no problem paying reasonable prices on HD content, but HD content should not carry more than a $5 premium over the equivalent SD content. If BD is truly going to become the next DVD, the prices have to be much more in line with DVD.

I know preparing these titles and marketing them is expensive, but Sony and the other studios need to start thinking with the mass market mentality.

BD has essentially beat HD DVD, but BD still needs to take down DVD and if it remains another high priced medium like LD for too long of a period there is a danger it may never be more than a niche product. I was a laserdisc owner towards its last hurrah, 1990 -1997, and I don't want to go back to high prices and niche status.

For example, the only titles I have purchased from FOX over the last year have been on BOGO offers and 50% sales. I just can't justify spending $35 at a retail store like BB on a title just because its HD and typically with minimal extras.

Again if BD is going to win prices not only need to come down on hardware, but software as well. If BD starts jacking things up just because HD DVD is out of the way then the BDA may just be shooting themselves in the foot.

Also a few members here have stated that you said dts Master Audio decoding is coming to the PS3 this year. Is that the case or were words inserted into your mouth or comments taken out of context?

I agree with you that lossless is lossless. Since the PS3 has TrueHD decoding and it is by far the most popular BD player and several legacy 1.0 players were updated to include TrueHD decoding, I would just rather all studios use TrueHD over dts MA since very few can enjoy it now. Do you know if dts offers incentives to content providers to use their encoders and codecs? If so, does Dolby do the same thing?

Again keep up the good work. My 3yo and I recently enjoyed Surf's Up. Great TrueHD track BTW. Also count me in as one who would buy a stellar BD version of LOA preferably with Robert Harris' input and guidance.

Thanks,
CraigW

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

It is interesting to see that some of the titles that are most requested sell in low numbers. LOA is a prime example. EVERYONE requests that title, and it is critically acclaimed by critics and film makers alike, but when it actually is released, how many of you will immediately go out and buy it? The DVD sales numbers would indicate, maybe not so many....

BLASPHEMER!

When you start watching some classics and you appreciate what they can be in HD, then I think you might become a convert, but just as it takes some nudging to move fans from DVD to BD, it will take another nudge to make them have a new look at some of the best films ever made.

Unfortunately this is probably true. I know I will do my part though.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Azumi

Perhaps it's a bit too early for that, but I think that there are entire generations who have never seen what a Howard Hawks, Frank Capra or Fred Zinneman movie *really looks like* -- other than the copies they've seen on TV or owned on DVD. Singling out the classics who benefitted from uncommon care (whether it's a collection or a seal of approval) could probably become a film buff's dream, just like the Criterion collection.

I'd like to echo this, though with a slightly different slant:
In these latter days of DVD, studios have introduced DVD collections based on actors name, e.g. The John Wayne Collection, The Katherine Hepburn Collection, etc.

I look forward to the BD versions of these collections, which also seems to often imply restoration and cleanup. I lament that we must wait for the market to support it.

Cheers!

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

I recommend that you check out the NDS sales data if you are curious. It is interesting to see that some of the titles that are most requested sell in low numbers. LOA is a prime example. EVERYONE requests that title, and it is critically acclaimed by critics and film makers alike, but when it actually is released, how many of you will immediately go out and buy it? The DVD sales numbers would indicate, maybe not so many....

And then there are oddballs like me. I've been slowly buying BD titles. I even pre-ordered Across the Universe. But I don't even own an HDTV, much less a BD player (yet).

[DaViD Boulet]

I buy any "classic" on BD the moment it's released if it's a title I know and love... which is 100% of the time if I have it already on DVD. In every case I have the DVD selling on Amazon the minute the street-date for BD is confirmed.

Own and love CE3K! And so does my friend who also bought a copy. Folks, be sure to do your part and actually BUY the classics that are available before getting preachy with Sony about what sales figures they should or shouldn't be satisfied with.

[cjamescook]

Paidgeek-

Is there any way to encourage BD releases of independent films?
Are there economies of scale to producing a BD at the same time the SD DVD is produced?

I am an avowed fan of space documentaries, such as The Wonder of It All and In the Shadow of the Moon. I fear that if the BD version is not released day and date with the DVD, it will never be released.

TIA,
-Jim
http://www.thewonderofitallfilm.com/
http://www.intheshadowofthemoon.com/

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

I can say this:

I'm now more eager than ever before to buy music titles on Blu-ray Disc. The HD picture is only half the reason why... these 24-bit (96 kHz on the Matthews Band) lossless audio tracks are astounding.

How do they stack up to SACD? I love my SACD collection (they sound fantastic), but am not all that intimate with the inner workings of the technology. Are SACDs lossless, like the BDs?

[DaViD Boulet]

SACD (DSD audio) is lossless.

I don't have an SACD player (or at least I don't have discs) to compare but I can say that the 96 kHz TrueHD on David Matthews is "unlike any PCM I've ever heard"... it's more like "there" and less like a "recording". Astonishing the way the speakers completly vanish on the 96 kHz 5.1 track.

[FourToedStatue]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

I recommend that you check out the NDS sales data if you are curious. It is interesting to see that some of the titles that are most requested sell in low numbers. LOA is a prime example. EVERYONE requests that title, and it is critically acclaimed by critics and film makers alike, but when it actually is released, how many of you will immediately go out and buy it? The DVD sales numbers would indicate, maybe not so many....

When you start watching some classics and you appreciate what they can be in HD, then I think you might become a convert, but just as it takes some nudging to move fans from DVD to BD, it will take another nudge to make them have a new look at some of the best films ever made.

Its a real bummer to hear a stellar release like Close Encounters underperforming. Even worse the thought that this could discourage similiar treatment for catalog releases from the studios.

[LFletcher]

Paid,
As a follow up to the Almost Famous question earlier, Cameron Crowe mentioned on his website that he believed that the UK version was the theatrical cut and that the Japanese version was the extended cut, can you confirm whether this is the case or are they both the same?

On a similar vein, it looks like Sony have the rights to quite a few titles in Japan which are already available in the US or which are HD-DVD exclusive. Assuming these all came through Culver City, do you have any information (video/audio) or even how they may compare to there US counterparts for any of the following which are either available now or will be within the next few months,

War (called Rogue Assassin in Japan)
Transporter 1 & 2
Saw Quadrilogy
Erin Brockovich
Trainspotting
Danny The Dog (Unleashed in the US)
Arthur & The Invisibles
Cinema Paradiso
Taxi 4
Taxi 3

Do you know if the last 3 had English subtitles on them?

Thanks

[richteer]

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

BLASPHEMER!

Wrong movie. Monty Python's Life of Brian was released a week or two ago. :-)

While I'm here, let me add my two thumbs up for the CEotTK Blu-ray set.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by bluseminole

How do they stack up to SACD? I love my SACD collection (they sound fantastic), but am not all that intimate with the inner workings of the technology. Are SACDs lossless, like the BDs?

You'll get arguments on the whole DSD vs PCM issue (revisit the SACD vs DVDA war), but multichannel 24/96--found on a number of DVDA's-- can sound absolutely stunning.

I was discussing this issue with another forum member here in recent months, and his impression on working with DSD vs 24/96 PCM on identical musical performances was that DSD sounded a shade more like the real thing. Either way, a great improvement over Red Book CD 2 channel 16/44 LPCM and a damn sight better than MP3 or AAC. It still completely bums me out that high resolution audio really doesn't exist outside of the Classical/Jazz genre, and even that is limited. Maybe BD can revive this-- one can only hope.

[blitz6speed]

Paidgeek

Have sony get together with Amazon and do a BOGO on SACDs! I want to get a few but would like to get a deal on them if possible, of course.

Also, SPHE licensed Blood+ and have a date for a DVD release. Why no BD? Source Material? Not Enough Interest? Please advise!

[Eternal_Sunshine]

Paid, will Sony Japan's release of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind be region coded? I really hope it's not...

Just watched Surf's Up btw, and loved every second of it! I especially liked the "documentary style", it really puts you into the story and feels very fresh and real, which is quite unique for an animated picture. First non-Pixar animation I've seen that's on Pixar level, just really great work.