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Posted by John Harkness on 10/20/05 08:15
This isn't even well-researched.
Blockbuster noted the swing months ago.
And of course Cinderella is selling mostly in full screen. There is no
widescreen version.
John Harkness
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 20:49:31 -0600, Black Locust <bl2112@hotmail.com>
wrote:
>While I still think the "I need a widescreen TV in order to watch
>widescreen DVDs." argument is utter bullshit largely perpetrated by Joe
>Sixpacks who hate the "black bars," this news is still a good sign of
>things to come..
>
>
>Widescreen DVDs spread - Along with wider TV sets
>By Susanne Ault
>
>The mainstream consumer is going wide. For years, the average DVD buyer
>overwhelmingly prefered fullscreen versions of DVDs, as the square shape
>of traditional TV sets diminished letterboxed images of the sort
>featured on widescreen versions of disc releases. Nevermind that the
>pan-and-scan process necessary to produce fullscreen crops portions of
>the filmed image from movies.
>
>But with the spread of widescreen TV sets, tastes are shifting
>noticeably toward widescreen versions of disc releases. Wholesaler
>Ingram Entertainment reports that its DVD orders now split 50-50 between
>wide- and fullscreen versions of titles, compared with an order-rate of
>75% fullscreen just two years ago.
>
>A representative of specialty retailer Tower reports noting an uptick of
>about 5% in widescreen purchases over the past year, though the broadest
>releases such as Buena Vista Home Entertainment's Oct. 4 Cinderella
>still sell 75% in fullscreen versions. And renters at New England chain
>Tommy K's have swung from a one-time 70% preference for fullscreen to
>more of a 50-50 split in recent months. Video Buyers Group stores
>estimate demand for widescreen versions at 40% of total rentals compared
>with 25% a year ago.
>
>Occasionally, studios such as MGM Home Entertainment have released a
>title with fullscreen and widescreen versions on one disc. But
>generally, bonus features take up too much disc space to satisfy both
>consumer types in this fashion. It should be noted that Wal-Mart and
>mass merchants generally appear as gung ho as ever on fullscreen
>ordering. Yet clutter concerns are prompting studios to streamline
>title options when possible.
>
>In August, Buena Vista bowed Sin City in widescreen only. Earlier this
>year, First Look Home Entertainment decided to release all of its films
>exclusively in widescreen.
>
>You may want to go out with two [versions per title] because you're apt
>to get more presence at retail," Buena Vista Senior VP brand marketing
>Lori MacPherson said. "But you have to balance that with simplicity. You
>don't want to overwhelm the consumer with too many choices." Buena Vista
>looks at each title individually to determine whether dual versions are
>worth while, she said.
>
>Since permanently benching fullscreen, First Look is pleased with title
>sales at most retailers, including Wal-Mart. "I think the retailers and
>the consumers are becoming more educated about DVD." First Look senior
>VP sales Bill Bromiley said. "It's not this cool new toy, and people are
>a lot more forgiving to its nuances."
>
>Lions Gate Home Entertainment puts out most DVD premiers as widescreen
>only. For its major films, the studio decides on the format on a case by
>case basis. "We have that conversation every time," said Anne Parducci,
>Lions Gate executive VP family entertainment and marketing. "How many
>SKUs [stock keeping units] do you need to meet retail and consumer
>needs?"
>
>Adams Media Research reports that by end of 2005, there will be 20
>millions to 30 million households with digital TV sets, a 30% one-year
>jump. "It used to be that just the connoisseurs liked widescreen," Adams
>Media Research's Tom Adams said. "But prices are plummeting, and you can
>get a pretty decent [widescreen set] for less than a grand."
>
>This was taken from the October 10 issue of Video Business Magazine.
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