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Media
Information > Media DVD Coverage 
Archive
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| Updated December 26, 2005 DVD
NEWS DIGEST
1 -
War of the Worlds (Widescreen) DreamWorks Home Entertainment
Worldwide movie sales on DVD are likely to be reaching their peak, according to a recent report by In-Stat. Online rentals, computer downloads, video-on-demand services and even HDTV were cited as factors. The flood of TV shows both new and old has been buoying current DVD sales, while blockbuster movieshave been sales disappointments. In addition to the Netflix DVD rental phenomena in the U.S., the UK saw online DVD rentals grow by 235%. According to the TNS AudioVisual Trak one out of every five DVDs rented in the UK is now rented online.
The fourth quarter has seen new releases of TV shows and old variety shows such as "Tony Orlando & Dawn -- The Ultimate Collection" and "The Captain & Tennille Ultimate Collection." A nine-hour collection of the "Donny and Marie" show is coming next spring; also expected next year is a 1950s favorite, "The Dinah Shore Show." A producer says that one reason why these titles are successful is that they were never out on VHS, and that they haven't been syndicated. Another reason is that there aren't many shows like this on TV anymore.
A campaign by the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America is designed to protect consumers from buying illegal copies of CD's and DVDs. Among tips offered to consumers: -- Movies that have yet to be released in theaters, or which are still out in theaters, will not be available in the DVD format. -- Read the Label. If the true name and address of the manufacturer is not shown, it is most likely not a legitimate product. -- Trust your ear. The sound quality on pirate DVDs is often poor or inconsistent.
Police recently raided a building in Moscow where there were three state-of-the-art DVD presses, pirated copies of "Finding Nemo" and the film classic "Twelve Chairs." Police found illegal master discs for nearly 400 other movies. The factory was able to produce more than 2 million discs a month, investigators said. With negotiations over Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization at a critical juncture, Russian officials insist they are finally getting serious about taking on the country's booming industry in pirated films, music and software. According to the International Intellectual Property Alliance, a trade association based in Washington, the motion picture, music, business and entertainment software industries lost $1.7 billion in Russia last year through domestic sales and the export of pirated materials, which have shown up in 27 countries around the world. A Microsoft senior attorney for Europe, the Middle East and Africa said the recent raid for the first time exposed a factory pirating software in Russia.
New York may be known as show biz central, but now it's earned a much less appealing distinction: DVD piracy capital of the world. Some 50% of those bootlegged discs sold by peddlers on street corners in cities across the globe originate in New York, according to figures to be released tomorrow by the Motion Picture Association of America. The industry estimates annual losses from piracy of $300 million in the U.S. and $3.5 billion worldwide. Last year, the number of illegal discs seized by the cops nearly doubled to 1.8 million and that number will likely be surpassed this year. New York has some of the most lenient DVD pirating laws in the country. Walking into a dark theater with a camcorder is considered a misdemeanor, no worse than a getting a parking ticket. end
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