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Posted by Goro on 03/14/06 16:52
http://today.reuters.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2006-03-14T101309Z_01_N14311257_RTRIDST_0_TECH-FILM-HDDVD-DC.XML
By Thomas K. Arnold
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The much-ballyhooed launch this
month of the next-generation HD-DVD format promises to be more of a
whimper than a bang.
Warner Home Video, the only studio that in January had set a firm date,
March 28, for its first high-definition DVD titles to arrive in stores,
now says it might not be ready in time because of technical problems.
"To be honest, the outlook is tenuous -- we're still coming out with an
initial slate, but we may be a week or two later; we just don't know,"
division president Ron Sanders said.
Wal-Mart had been taking advance orders for the first slate of Warner
titles on its Web site since mid-February, but customers began being
notified Wednesday that their orders had been canceled.
"That's because they had published prices, and we haven't set prices,"
Sanders said.
Wal-Mart was selling most of the titles, such as "Batman Begins" and
"Million Dollar Baby," for $25.48, discounted from a list price the
retailer pegged at $29.98.
Best Buy also reportedly had to pull Warner HD-DVD titles from its
weekly circular.
Toshiba still is demonstrating its two HD-DVD players -- the company's
road show hits Los Angeles on Wednesday with a demonstration at the
Fry's in City of Industry -- and vows to stick by its original promise
to have players in stores by month's end.
"Everything is still the same," Toshiba spokesman Alejandro Arango
said.
But so far it appears that those will be the only players on the
market, at least for the time being. In the nearly three months since
Toshiba announced its players, not a single other consumer electronics
manufacturer has chimed in.
Moreover, sources report that only 10,000 Toshiba players are being
shipped to retailers initially, a number that indicates low sales
expectations. (A Toshiba spokesman would not comment on the figure.)
And only one player, the cheaper HD-A1, is on sale (for the full list
price of $499.99) at Amazon.com and the Web sites of other big
retailers like Best Buy, while the Circuit City Web site is offering
neither HD-DVD player.
Toshiba also has a pricier model, the HD-XA1, at $799.99. A Web search
found only two retailers accepting advance orders, Crutchfield and
Sixth Avenue Electronics City.
On the software front, it is unlikely that even a single HD-DVD title
will be available for sale this month at any of the consumer
electronics chains and discount retailers that are bringing in the
players.
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, which in January was one of
three studios to announce ambitious slates of titles for HD-DVD
release, still has set no dates, even with players set to arrive in
store within two weeks. Assuming the traditional six-week solicitation
period, "I'd be surprised" if any Paramount HD-DVD titles arrive in
stores before mid-April, a studio source said. Paramount's first HD-DVD
title will be the concert video "U2: Rattle and Hum," followed by nine
others, including "Sahara," "The Italian Job" and "The Manchurian
Candidate." The studio also is still banking on a day-and-date DVD and
HD-DVD release of "Mission: Impossible 3," which opens in theaters in
May and likely will be released on disc in late September.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which announced a dozen titles in
January, likewise hasn't scheduled any firm release dates. "We're just
trying to set a date that makes sense," said a studio source who asked
not to be named. "It's new technology, and dates are going to move
around a bit. And keep in mind, this is a very small launch."
One bit of good news for HD-DVD came Wednesday, when South Korea's LG
Electronics said it would support the format as well as Blu-ray Disc,
from Sony. Previously, LG was only in the Blu-ray camp, as are
virtually all consumer electronics manufacturers. Product announcements
are expected this year.
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