More Articles By Susanne Ault

• At IndieFest, VPD, studios help indie retailers
  MAY 2 | FOLSOM, Calif.— During the first ever IndieFest West here this week, major studios and distributor VPD spent a day discussing with indie retailers how the stores can differentiate themselves from growing competition, including Netflix, video-on-demand services and kiosk rental machines. More
  
• Blockbuster co-sponsors Indy race car
  MAY 2 | Blockbuster and Lucasfilm are co-sponsoring an Indiana Jones race car, as part of an exclusive chain promotion fueling the franchise’s next May 22 theatrical installment. More
  
• Sony to release DVDs to Vietnam
  MAY 2 | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will become the first major U.S. studio to release DVDs to the Vietnam market through its partnership with Galaxy Studio. More
  
• Magnolia opens to sports with HDNet Fights line
  MAY 1 | Magnolia Home Entertainment is jumping into the sports genre ring for the first time with HDNet Fights , making the supplier the latest contender in the competitive mixed martial arts category. More
  
• Redbox to file for IPO
  MAY 1 | Redbox, the DVD vending machine provider co-owned by McDonald’s and Coinstar, is hoping to become a publicly traded entity. More
  
• Paramount goes Blu day-and-date with Spiderwick
  APRIL 29 | The Spiderwick Chronicles will be Paramount Home Entertainment’s first title released simultaneously on DVD and Blu-ray Disc when it streets June 24. The studio previously supported the HD DVD format exclusively. More
  
• Warner hires Vivendi Games exec to head Interactive Entertainment unit
  APRIL 29 | Martin Tremblay has been named president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In his new role effective in June, Tremblay will oversee the publishing, marketing, sales, distribution and licensing of Warner’s interactive and gaming content. More
  
• Panasonic launches high-def, Blu-ray Olympics promotion
  APRIL 29 | Panasonic will help Blu-ray Disc go for the gold in an Olympic Games 2008 marketing blitz. More
  
• Cargo adopts Blu-ray for high-def makeup
  APRIL 29 | You can either watch or wear Blu-ray, courtesy of a new Cargo cosmetic line. More
  
• Blu-ray momentum slow, consumers wait for lower prices, better features
  APRIL 29 | The Blu-ray Disc market will not gain serious momentum until the next 12 to 18 months, when more advanced players and cheaper hardware options become available in the format, according to ABI Research. More
  
• Consumers prefer gross for Day of the Dead packaging
  APRIL 29 | Although several retailers were grossed out by the zombie-puking-eyeballs design of Day of the Dead , consumers widely embraced First Look Studios’ packaging. On street date, First Look sold through 40% of its initial shipment of the puking zombie copies and just 10% of the DVDs with tamer packaging. More
  
• Image to distribute ProElite mixed martial arts DVDs
  APRIL 28 | Image Entertainment has signed a multi-year output deal with mixed martial arts producer ProElite. More
  
• 27 Dresses Blu-ray
  FOX Street: April 29 Prebook: now > Gorgeous dresses jump off the screen in this romantic comedy. Without wham-bam action, chick flicks don’t seem well suited to maximize the potential of high-definition. But 27 Dresses on Blu-ray is a special case. The film features more than two dozen spectacularly colored frocks that fly off the screen as much as any fight scene might. More
  
• Fewer episodes, more extras for Disney TV sets
  APRIL 25 | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is releasing its newest DVDs for Grey’s Anatomy , Private Practice and Lost with exclusive extended episodes and bonus features in an effort to offset the fact that the full season sets have fewer episodes than usual. More
  
• Studios vary pricing for Blu-ray releases
  APRIL 25 | Blu-ray Disc won the format war. Now one of the next challenges for studios, wholesalers and retailers is how to best price the product to quicken consumer adoption and preserve profits. Retailers report some shoppers balk at paying $5 to $10 more for Blu-ray than DVD. More
  
• Key indies enjoy perks of big chain stores
  APRIL 24 | Many independent video stores are no longer even blips on studio radar, but there still are certain indies that, because of their loyal customer bases and local reputations as tastemakers, enjoy the influence of much larger retailers. More
  
• Lombard leaves Starbucks
  APRIL 24 | Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard, who oversaw the launch of DVD sales at the coffee chain, has exited the post as part of a company-wide restructuring to focus on digital music and books. More
  
• DVD releases draft on summer box-office
  APRIL 24 | The first wave of big summer films will wash over theaters in May, and video retailers have ample opportunity to ride it with DVD releases tied to the potential blockbusters. More
  
• NPD: Entertainment spending to drop in 2008
  APRIL 22 | The economic downtown will slow consumer entertainment spending, according to the NPD Group. In its "Entertainment Trends in America" survey, NPD reports that 83% of respondents predict they will spend the same or less on media products this year versus 2007. More
  
• BD Live Platform promises savings in time, money
  APRIL 18 | New Blu-ray Disc development software, dubbed BD Live Platform, promises to save studios time and money in crafting advanced bonus features. The result could be more BD Live titles coming to market with beefed up interactivity this year. More