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The UK retailer, Woolworths, has reportedly dropped HD DVD from their stores. According to The Retail Bulletin, the decision was primarily due to Blu-ray outselling HD DVD by a 10-to-1 margin during the holiday season.
Woolworths has become the first major retailer to solely back one of the new high definition DVD formats.

The high street firm has announced that it will only stock Blu-Ray high definition DVDs from March, with HD-DVDs being dropped from stores to be sold online.

The move comes after Blu-Ray DVDs outsold HD-DVDs by ten-to-one in Woolies stores over Christmas. From March Woolworths stores will have a Blu-Ray DVD chart in all 820 stores and a Blu-Ray DVD back catalogue section in larger stores.
Take note that Woolworths has not dropped HD DVD altogether, as the company will continue to sell HD DVD titles online. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour is going back on the road. Walt Disney Studios and Panasonic have announced that the tour will extend into 2008 and will visit seven new cities throughout the US and Canada.
Following overwhelming consumer and media response of Blu-ray technology being the leading format of choice for home entertainment - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Panasonic Electronics today announce the official extension of Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour to visit seven additional North American cities in 2008. The announcement was made by Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, sponsored by Panasonic, will continue to educate consumers across the country about the leading, state-of-the-art high-definition home entertainment technology through hands-on interactive kiosks, product demonstrations, and a special presentation theater where consumers can experience first-hand the amazing capabilities of Blu-ray Hi-Def. The tour extension will commence in Toronto, Canada beginning January 24 and continue on to six additional locations across the nation.
The 2008 tour will also give visitors a first look at upcoming Blu-ray titles such as Finding Nemo and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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The DVD6C Licensing Group has announced that they've revised its patent licensing program. The new license agreement offers reduced royalty rates for DVD Read-Only Discs as well as new categories for DVD+R and DVD+RW discs.
The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C) consisting of nine developers of DVD technology and formats —Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. — today announced that it has revised its worldwide patent licensing program beginning on and after January 1, 2008, including offering a new license agreement (the "New DVD6C License"), which offers reduced royalty rates on certain products and additional licensing options.

Key changes to the new licensing program include the following:

  • Reduction of royalty rates for DVD Read-Only Discs (i.e., the DVD-Video Disc, DVD-Audio Disc and DVD-ROM Disc) from US$0.045/Disc to US$0.040/Disc for sales of DVD Read-Only Discs beginning on or after the Effective Date of the New DVD6C License.
  • The addition of +R Discs and +RW Discs as new categories of licensed DVD Products. The royalty rates for +R Discs shall be the same as the current royalty rates for DVD-R Discs, and the royalty rates for +RW Discs shall be the same as the current royalty rates for DVD-RW Discs.
  • Inclusion of Time Limited DVD Discs in the DVD-ROM Disc, DVD-Video Disc and DVD-Audio Disc categories of licensed DVD Products.
    • More information, including a list of royalty rates, is available on the DVD6C Licensing Group's website. Add a comment

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    Home Entertainment
    HP and Sony Pictures announced today that they have signed a licensing agreement giving HP the ability to offer catalog Sony titles via their DVD manufactured-on-demand service.
    HP (NYSE:HPQ) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced that SPHE will license select catalog titles from its vast home video library for production and distribution via HP’s DVD manufactured-on-demand service.

    This agreement makes Sony the first major Hollywood studio to present its home video titles using HP’s service.

    “HP’s manufactured-on-demand service provides us with a viable means of delivering a broader range of niche and library product to consumers,” said David Bishop, president, SPHE. “We know there is strong consumer demand for these titles, and by working with HP we can monetize our deep product library and help give retailers the means to bring a wider offering of Sony Pictures product to consumers without a significant investment in inventory.”
    The list of available titles has not yet been finalized. However, content currently being targeted for release includes classic TV shows, foreign and independent movies and recently broadcast TV shows and sporting events. If you'd like to read more, HP and Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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    NME announced this week that they will be showcasing the world's first commercial 'Multilayer' HD VMD replication line on "Global HD VMD Day." The new line is located at the VDL-ODMS headquarters in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
    NME will showcase the world's first ever commercial 'Multilayer' HD VMDreplication line to both the entertainment and optical disc industries andpress. The event will be a celebration of the HD VMD format and willprovide industry and press with worldwide updates of recent milestones. NMEwill also take this opportunity to announce some of its new partnerships.

    Attendees will see presentations from co-hosts NME and VDL Group andwill be given an exclusive tour of the new line at VDL-ODMS. Guests willalso see technology demonstrations as well as exhibits of HD VMD productsand services. Confirmed attendees include distinguished members of thepress from the entertainment/video, consumer electronics, digital authoringand optical disc industries.
    If you'd like to read more, NME's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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    Roxio recently announced the launch of BackOnTrack Online. This new backup service automatically protects the files on your hard drive by storing them online.
    Roxio, a division of Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today launched BackOnTrack Online, a digital media storage solution that automatically and continuously protects personal data and precious family memories. Trivially easy to set up and maintain, personal content is encrypted and uploaded to a remote and secure Roxio online backup center. In the event of computer data loss due to a crash, system theft, human error or even natural disaster, consumers' digital files can be quickly restored from any Web-connected computer. Consumers can begin safeguarding their digital lives today through a risk-free, 15-day trial available directly from Roxio at www.roxio.com. A 12-month subscription offering unlimited storage space is available for $49.99.
    If you'd like to read more, Roxio's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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    Contrary to post-CES rumors, Universal Studios has no plans to drop HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. In a recent interview with BetaNews, Ken Graffeo of Universal has stated that the company is not making any changes to its strategy at this time.
    First of all, I want to say that none of those rumors were substantiated. Nobody ever talked to us. I know nobody talked to Paramount because Brenda, their PR person, sent out a statement immediately. This is business as usual for us and there are no plans to make any changes. We just made an announcement of our new HD DVD titles yesterday, with American Gangster. We also have a lot of other things planned. It's business as usual.
    If you'd like to read more, the entire interview can be found here. Add a comment

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