The future of movie distribution: Plays everywhere.
Posted Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 12:32 pm by Jason Cartwright
There’s a lot of talk lately of the digital distribution of movies vs the traditional DVD model. That’s all about to change with movie studios finally providing a way to consume content in a variety of formats. The hit movie from 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was produced by 20th Century Fox on Blu-ray, DVD and as a digital copy all in one package.
The DVD comes with conversion software so the user can transfer the movie to a laptop, tablet or smart phone. The conversion process takes 20-30minutes depending on your hardware and device type. Part of the process is authenticating each playback device, using the digital verification code provided inside the cover.
The movie studio is happy as the rights management is catered for, while providing flexibility for the end user. While the multi-format version of the movie may cost a little more than the regular DVD version, it does allow the movie to be watched pretty much anywhere, so probably worth a few extra dollars.
It’s early days for the ‘plays everywhere’ brand, but is certainly a good direction for movie studios to head. What needs to happen next is to ditch the disc all together and sell digital copies directly from their website. The retail chain in movie distribution is rapidly becoming an unnecessary link (and cost) in the chain. Purchasing movies via the store has a very limited lifespan, probably around the time it take for the NBN to be rolled out. At that point there’ll be no bandwidth or time issues with downloading even at the highest qualities.
Of course another solution to digital distribution of movies is to licence the content through existing movie streaming services. The ultimate goal here is to maximise the number of places consumers can consume the content. It seems Hollywood is finally waking up to the fact that we won’t pay for content three times, but instead happy that we’re buying at all.
Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition coming Nov 24, 2010
Posted Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 5:25 am by Jason Cartwright
Not content with making more than 2.7 billion (with a B) at the box office, Twentieth Century Fox have announced global release details for Avatar Extended Collectors Edition. It comes in two forms, Blu-ray and old school DVD, each containing 3 discs.
The new updated versions with 16 extra minutes and an alternate ending will be available on November 24th, 2010. As someone who already owns Avatar on Blu-ray I really don’t feel compelled to buy the new extended version, is your neck twitching while you wait ?
AVATAR Extended Collection’s Edition: 3-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray:
- Original Theatrical Version
- Special Edition Re-Release
- Collector’s Extended Cuto
16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening - “Capturing Avatar“ An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and
cast and crew - Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes
Production Materials - Open “Pandora’s Box” and go deeper into the filmmaker process
- Interactive Scene Deconstruction: Explore the various stages of production through 3 different viewing modes
- Production Shorts: 17 featurettes covering performance capture, Scoring the film, 3D Fusion Camera, Stunts and much more
- Avatar Archives including original scriptment, 300 page screenplay and the extensive Pandorapedia
- BD-live Portal with additional bonus materials (UK, France, Germany, Japan, Australia & US)
AVATAR Collector’s Edition: 3-Disc Special Edition DVD:
- Original Theatrical Version
- Special Edition Re-release
- Collector’s Extended Cut
16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening - “Capturing Avatar“ An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew
- Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes
Sharp integrate Blu-ray burning to TVs, copy protection? disc cost ?
Posted Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 11:13 am by Jason Cartwright
Whilst the television technology break-throughs of recent years have largely been the realm of LG, Sharp says ‘Not so fast’, busting out their new sets complete with Blu-ray burning capability. This offers many magnitudes of storage over that of DVD.
My biggest question about this technology is how they manage copy protection. You may be thinking ‘recording has been enabled on DVRs for years, what’s the problem?’ Whilst that’s true, DVRs prevent you from moving that content around (at least in HD). So how will the portable disc medium cope with this same problem ?
The other part of this equation is of course the cost of writable blu-ray media. Despite the format being around for years now, blank Blu-Ray discs are still incredibly expensive. So whilst this is an important develop as far as technology goes, in realty, I doubt it’s going to set the world on fire.
More @ Engadget
Sony open Blu-ray plant in NSW, Australia – tonight !!
Posted Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 6:58 pm by Jason CartwrightTonight, Sony are opening a multi-million dollar Blu-ray manufacturing plant. Apparently us Aussies love our Blu-ray (I can vouch for that). Question is, are we going to see cheaper blu-ray costs if they don’t have to pay for international shipping ? Also I’m pretty much going to stop buying blu-ray once Microsoft’s 1080p on demand streaming arrives via the Xbox 360 later this year, so for me, Blu-ray is short-lived.
Anyway, check out the Sony Press Release for yourself below.
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Sony companies celebrate ongoing success of Blu-ray Disc format, as local production commences
NSW-based Sony DADC Blu-ray Disc plant, the only one in the southern hemisphere, set to support the continued growth in Australia’s demand for Blu-ray content
Sydney – 10 June, 2009 – The opening of a new, multi-million dollar Sony DADC Blu-ray Disc plant in Huntingwood, New South Wales, will be collectively celebrated tonight by the Managing Directors of Sony companies; Michael Ephraim, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Carl Rose, Sony Australia and Kim Overall, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Set to be joined by Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Peter Colby, Managing Director of Sony DADC Australia, the occasion will mark a significant milestone in the adoption of the storage format, reflecting the continued growth in consumer confidence and demand for Blu-ray content, with disc production beginning in Australia for the very first time.
Launched in Australia in February 2007, Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium that is able to store up to 50GB of data on each disc, the equivalent of six standard DVD movies. This storage capacity allows more information to fit onto a single disc, enabling far greater picture and sound quality to deliver high definition entertainment in the home.
The new Blu-ray Disc plant is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere and includes three Blu-ray lines; one dedicated solely to the production of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) games and two for movie and other content, with a production capacity between them of 12 million discs per year.
Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, speaking on behalf of the Sony group of companies, commented, “Australian consumers are already adopting Blu-ray faster than DVD, pushing Australia forward as one of the global leaders of the format growth, with the third highest per capita attachment rate behind the USA and UK. Research shows that as a brand, Sony is by far the most associated with Blu-ray technology, leading the market. The opening of this local production plant should send a clear message to consumers that Blu-ray is now a permanent fixture on the format landscape and that their investment in Blu-ray hardware will be relevant for many years to come.”
Ephraim continued, “From a Sony Computer Entertainment perspective, PLAYSTATION 3 has played a critical part in the success of the format, both locally and globally, and has demonstrated its value in over half a million Australian living rooms as a true entertainment hub offering. Blu-ray games, only available on PS3, have shown consumers what an amazing experience the larger storage format can deliver and to date over 3.5 million have been sold in Australia. In addition, PS3 hardware has enjoyed numerous accolades for its capability as a Blu-ray movie player.”
Kim Overall, Managing Director of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), said, “From a movie perspective, consumers are continuing to discover the benefits that the Blu-ray format brings to their home entertainment experience. SPHE is the number one distributor in the Blu-ray market, having enjoyed some great successes with recent titles like Twilight. In addition, once consumers understand that a Blu-ray player will not only play their current DVD collection, but will also upscale the picture quality, their investment in Blu-ray technology delivers some clear benefits.”
Carl Rose, Managing Director of Sony Australia, commented, “One in every three households now owns a high definition LCD TV and this growth has really helped drive Blu-ray player uptake. After investing in a high definition TV, consumers should make the most of this by enjoying the best possible content on their TV. Blu-ray delivers this rich experience.”
