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Posted by Susanne Ault on December 22, 2009
Many retailers were complaining that last weekend's massive East Coast snow storm would seriously curb their holiday revenues. But consumer electronics sales shouldn't be that negatively impacted, according to NPD in a recent blog post. Many people who buy consumer electronics tend to be tech savvy, and likely to use the Web to make their purchases. People can stay nice and warm inside, avoiding a trek to a storm-blasted brick-and-mortar store, while buying products on the Web. Additionally, NPD's Stephen Baker notes that it appears people are catching up on any missed weekend shopping now. With Christmas falling on a Friday this year, there's practically a whole week's worth left of shopping for people. So there's really no excuse for not picking up that Blu-ray player! Posted by Susanne Ault on December 18, 2009
It was ‘Make It Or Break It’ time for Blu-ray in 2009, or so said many home video observers this year. Giving Blu-ray such a hard and fast deadline to reach the masses does seem somewhat unfair. To me, it’s like girlfriends giving boyfriends icky marriage ultimatums. With the exception of maybe iPod or Wii, new technology has always been more of a gradual than immediate build. But for the sake of argument, I say that Blu-ray may not have had the perfect year, but the format did enjoy more ‘Make It’ than ‘Break It’ moments. In the ‘Make It’ column: ...Read MorePosted by Susanne Ault on December 15, 2009
Warner Home Video has gone back and forth on the dates with Lord of the Rings. Fourth quarter 2009! No wait, 2010! April 6...nope April 13!...and now finally, April 6. But phew. We know it's definitely coming on Blu-ray.The studio's LOTR announcement coincides with Gizmodo.com wondering: 'So what else do we want in the format?' There are some obvious missing ones on Blu-ray: The Big Lebowski, any six of the Star Wars films, Finding Nemo and Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. What's funny, wrong or controversial (depending on your point of view) are the films Gizmodo has called out as not being Blu-ray worthy at all. I take extreme objection to ...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on December 14, 2009
Starting Tuesday, Best Buy will be exclusively selling Boogie Nights on Blu-ray. It's unclear if Best Buy will corner the Blu-ray title for a specific window or if the chain will be exclusively selling it indefinitely. Best But has offered up a number of high-def exclusives in 2009, including Simon Pegg films Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Catalog movies continue to be a slower go on Blu-ray than new releases. So it makes sense for studios - in Boogie Nights' case Warner/New Line - to offer a retail exclusive to guarantee some promotion. Boogie Nights did show up in Best Buy's weekend circular. But the biggest Blu-ray promotion continues to be dominated by the new releases...i.e. Warner's Hangover for this coming Tuesday. I'll be interested in seeing how Lord of the ...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on December 7, 2009
Flipping through my newspaper over the weekend, I noticed a large one-page circular filled with coupons for Fox Blu-ray titles. Posted by Susanne Ault on December 3, 2009
A key theme to CES 2010 will be 3D in the home, including the showcasing of near-to-market 3D HD TVs and 3D Blu-ray players. Posted by Susanne Ault on November 24, 2009
Is it just me, or does Black Friday feel like it's already happened? There have just been so many leaked retail promotions over the last several weeks, that the whole event feels like old news.But some new deals have popped up, including something from relative Black Friday newcomer Apple. True, Apple doesn't offer much in the way of Blu-ray products. But many studios are tying their Blu-ray features into iPhones, iPods, etc...so it might make sense to look out for deals here. In typical secretive Apple fashion, the company is mainly saying to check its site on Friday for promotions. Nothing specific is mentioned. But it might be wise to bookmark this link. I can't remember when Apple was actually involved in a Black Friday promotion, so I'd say this is worth c...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on November 18, 2009
California has passed a new law mandating all TVs up to 58 inches sold in 2011 be more energy efficient. That means manufacturers must figure out how to deal: make unique TV displays just for California or renovate their product line for everybody? Retail chains will also have to figure out how to stock stores accordingly.MSNBC.com has a great story detailing the upcoming changes here. Basically, the new CA standards are the same as requirements attached to sets being awarded the Energy Star label. The state government believes this law will cut California's electricity bill by $1 billion annually. Such green TVs will save households $30 a year in electricity costs, according to California officials. This sounds like a great goal, but it doe...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on November 16, 2009
A TV spot drumming up buzz about Sony's early digital offer on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has me confused. The ad was promoting the fact that if you buy a Web-connected Sony Bravia TV you'll be eligible to receive an electronic rental of Meatballs, before it streets on DVD and Blu-ray. It likely got a lot of eyeballs, running during the big football match-up on Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. Posted by Susanne Ault on November 11, 2009
Given today's rocky economy, it's understandable that the year has been relatively muted for studio DVD/Blu-ray launch parties. There hasn't been much to compete with Disney's massive French food feast supporting its release of Ratatouille a while back. Or Warner's trapeze artists flying around when they bowed Superman Returns. But Paramount and Warner have many buzzing over their respective kick-off parties for Star Trek, to be held Monday Nov. 16, and The Hangover on Dec. 10. With Star Trek, the invitation is luxuriously printed on thick foam posterboard material. Also awesome, there is a shot of the Enterprise looking like it's taking off into the great unknown. The party is fittingly taking place at Los Angeles' G...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on October 29, 2009
To me, this would be nothing short of rad. Or at least rad for Blu-ray adoption. The most popular game console going is now offering up a model with Blu-ray playing capabilities?That is the rumor circulating today - much thanks to Blu-ray.com for spotting the news! Basically, speculation is that Nintendo will launch next year a 'Wii 2,' which comes equipped with a full-fledged Blu-ray player. The sourcing on the news is admittedly fuzzy - one Web site heard another Web site hear something from some Nintendo executive. Yet many of these gaming rumors have eventually come true...uh...hello, $299 PS3. Still, I have my doubts about a Blu-ray Wii actually coming to fruition. One big doubt revolves around the fact that the a huge consumer allure for the Wii is that it's relatively cheap. ...Read More Posted by Susanne Ault on October 16, 2009
Sorry, Apple fans. Those rumors of an imminent launch of Blu-ray enhanced Mac computers appear to be just, well, rumors.
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