Friday, September 25, 1998
11:42am PDT - After reading the Washington Post article (below), we couldn't help but smirk at the irony of the first two Divx titles that were sent to reviewers: RANSOM (the format that holds your viewing rights hostage to monetary demands every time you want to watch a movie again) and LIAR, LIAR (a reflection of some of the sales tactics being used to sell Divx players - and that's just the tip of the iceburg!)
11:29am PDT - Special thanks to TBP reader Erik Kroner for pointing us in the direction of a well-balanced article in the Washington Post on DVD versus Divx. In addition, we thought Erik's personal comments were worth reprinting here:
"The article is pro open DVD but also maintains some journalistic integrity by presenting both sides of the issue. Something that is hard to find in most articles on this subject no matter which side of the fence they lie on.
I personally think that DIVX is a great idea in the hands of exactly the wrong type of people. If you could get EVERY movie on both DIVX and open DVD then the format would be great. Or if every DIVX came with the same features as an open DVD AND EVERY movie could be converted to unlimited play (on any player) for about the same price as buying the open DVD in the first place (I'd even not begrudge them getting the same price as an open DVD plus the initial $4.50 for their trouble). Or afinal option of every disc costing $3.25 per additional play but then once it is viewed the number of times for the additional viewings to equal the cost of purchase, the disc automatically becomes open.
The trouble came when the greedy SOB's at Circuit City stopped considering what would be the best thing for the consumer that would make them money and starting thinking 'what would be the best way for us to make the most money.'"
7:41am PDT - Yesterday's news today: Reuters covers the open DVD announcement of Dreamworks. AMISTAD and PAULIE are to be in the studio's second batch of movies. Dreamworks had better start cranking up their production of feature films, though -- otherwise, they'll be out of new DVD stock to promote in a very short time.
7:37am PDT - Here's one of the few positive articles we've seen about Divx. It's only a few paragraphs long. Any further detail, would of course, be a disadvantage to the promotion of the format.
7:32am PDT - The San Jose Mercury News covers the NetFlix "2 cents" promotion of the Clinton testimony DVD in detail. Notice how the word "parse" or "parsing" seems to be popping up more in our collective vocabulary these days?
We've e-mailed the URL of our Dreamworks poll (see below) to our contact at that studio, so we hope that you've had the chance to offer an opinion! If not, please do so now!
Thursday, September 24, 1998
2:49pm PDT -- Take our NEW DREAMWORKS POLL
and tell the decision makers at the studio what's important to YOU. It's MULTIPLE CHOICE this time, so check however many boxes apply.
2:12pm PDT -- We just got off the phone with our liason at Dreamworks. It sounds like there's electricity in the air over there as the company is preparing to launch their first DVD titles. A lot of key decisions have not been made yet -- like pricing -- but that issue, along with features, should be decided by the weekend. I can tell you this -- it appears certain that Dreamworks will be issuing their content in Amaray keepcases. Our contact expressed that the studio is very quality-aware and is taking advantage of the fact that they can learn from what the other studios have done, thus far . The BIG Picture cordially invited Dreamworks to take a gander at our DVD Opinion Poll Page to see what's important to DVD buyers. We also expressed our fervent hopes that the studio adopts a policy by which all titles will be 16 x 9 enhanced with multiple language options, subtitles and theatrical trailers at the minimum. Without providing specific assurances, our contact promised that they'd let us know as soon as the decisions are finalized -- and we'll be sure to let you know immediately.
Dreamworks has (justifiably) taken a lot of heat for their slow entry into the DVD market. Let's hope that they take this opportunity to turn the (DVD-buying) public perception around and knock our socks off with the best looking and sounding DVD's we've ever seen. However, given the outstanding quality of more and more titles that we're seeing each week -- they've got their work cut out for them.
9:19am PDT -- Last Friday, we told you that Dreamworks was on the verge of an announcement for open DVD. Now, it's official (and confirmed). Last night, the press release was issued:
"We are thrilled to now offer DreamWorks pictures on DVD," Brown said. "The technology has moved beyond a niche audience and is gaining consistent ground with mainstream consumers. Buoyed by their successful theatrical and video releases, SMALL SOLDIERS, MOUSE HUNT and THE PEACEMAKER will have even more appeal on DVD, which allows us to add new, exciting behind-the-scenes footage. We believe sales of these movies will be strong throughout the holiday season and into 1999, with those beginning their collections."
Combining live-action with state of the art, computer-generated imagery, SMALL SOLDIERS has earned almost $54 million to date at the U.S. box office. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Gregory Smith and Dennis Leary, the film is receiving a multi-million dollar marketing campaign just prior to its DVD release when it premieres on videocassette November 10th. A major hit with kids, SMALL SOLDIERS characters were the number one boys' action toy of the summer. MOUSE HUNT, the $121 million worldwide box office smash, was one of the year's top ten videos, selling over 4.7 million videocassettes when it was released last May. The hit family film stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Christopher Walken and the world's most tenacious mouse. International celebrities George Clooney and Nicole Kidman star in THE PEACEMAKER, which earned more than $110 million at the worldwide box office. A suspenseful action-thriller, the movie spent six weeks on top of the rental charts when it was released on video last March, and is selling extremely well since its sell-through release in September.
DreamWorks SKG was formed in October, 1994, by its three principal partners - Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen - as a single company to produce live-action motion pictures; animated feature films and television programs; network, syndicated and cable television programming; records; books; toys; consumer products and interactive entertainment.
Our sources tell us that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN on DVD is a matter of "when", not "if". Congratulations, Dreamworks. Glad to finally have you on board. Here's hoping that we'll see anamorphic widescreen transfers, multiple languages, theatrical trailers at a reasonable price as the minimum standard for all releases. Those director's commentaries and "making of" featurettes are sure fun, too!
9:30am PDT - NetFlix announces their latest top ten rentals. It would be interesting to see which ones had the highest sell-through-after rental ratio:
1. U.S. Marshals
2. Wild Things
3. Wag the Dog
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. Primary Colors
6. Man in the Iron Mask
7. The Apostle
8. Mercury Rising
9. The Wedding Singer
10. Hush
10:35am PDT - A dangerous tool in the hands of a fool: Sony and Citibank have teamed up to offer a Visa card that can accumulate points towards the purchase of Sony products.
10:41am PDT - MGM has officially announced the November 17th release of "An All Dogs Christmas Carol" - containing a special sing-along feature, and "The Secret Of NIMH" - containing a booklet for kids explaining the making of an animated film. TBP will provide a full review of these titles once they become available.
Wednesday, September 23, 1998
1:13pm PDT - To give you an idea of the immense storage capacity of DVD, here's an article that talks about some interesting comparisons: "The Complete National Geographic: 109 Years of National Geographic Magazine" ($179, PC CD-ROM, DVD-ROM; Mindscape; 10 and up). Includes every page, article, page map, advertisement and magazine cover from every issue from 1888-1997. The DVD version holds all 190,000 pages on four DVD discs; the CD-ROM version fills 31 CDs. Sounds like a great set to have -- on DVD, of course.
1:09pm PDT C/Net reports on Future Shop's decision to carry Divx in their U.S. locations, but curiously, mentions nothing about the chain carrying Divx in Canada, where they have a much stronger presence. Does the prohibition of exporting triple DES encryption apply to Canada as well? We certainly hope so.
12:57pm PDT - The BIG Picture is building a brand-new link page and we'd like your feedback! Check out our current links page, then take a gander at our redesigned link page and let us know if you think the new look is worth it by submitting a link request in the category of your choice! We'll be leaving our original, massive link page in place until all several hundred links can be transferred to the new interface -- but before we undertake such a mammoth task, we ask you -- is it worth it?
12:49pm PDT - Thank you, Mr. President, but no -- I gave up cigars after reading the report. We assume that after uneventful sales at the $9.95 retail price, in a clever (if not tasteful) marketing ploy, NetFlix is generating lots of ink (or in this case, phosphor) by selling Bill Clinton's Grand Jury Testimony on DVD for 2 cents, plus two dollars shipping. So for $2.02, you can have chapter breaks and watch President Clinton perspire, sip liquids, wag his finger and wince on DVD in perpetuity. Such a deal. The highlight of the entire four hours was seeing his look of feined surprise when questioned about the cigar. Ouch. Here's the politically-correct official company press release.
Tuesday, September 22, 1998
4:24pm PDT - We've applied our patent-pending BIG Picture review treatment to SUPER SPEEDWAY for our new Special Interest listing at the bottom of our ratings and review index. Get yourself into gear and read about this excellent documentary narrated by racing aficionado and all-around great guy, Paul Newman.
10:37am PDT - The BIG Picture is pleased to announce two new reviews, with many more on the way. Available now, the loopy: RAISING CAIN and the ironically topical: PRIMARY COLORS.
9:43am PDT - And now a word from one of our sponsors:
CD PLAYRIGHT announced today that Hewlett Packard's Home PC division will include a Special offer for CD PLAYRIGHT's, CD / DVD TRIO in each HP Pavilion PC sold this fall. TRIO is a three pack of after market accessories which provide the products, practice, and methods for caring for CD Rom and DVD Rom Media.
6:53am PDT - Here's a look at the actual "ormail" message received by a Future Shop employee recently regarding the Divx roll-out. The quality of the fax was bad, but most of the content is legible. They claim 200 Divx titles will be available immediately -- and at every Future Shop store. At least, at the stores that are staying in business. TWICE reports that the financially strapped chain is shutting down five stores in the months to come -- one of them being the Portland, Oregon store where the Divx "ormail" was leaked, leaving the future of Future Shop in question. The closures will reduce the total number of outlets in the U.S.A. to just 21 or 17, depending on whose press you believe. Here's the official announcement from FS. Either way, they're not going to be able to prop up Divx. Here's another thing: Future Shops, usually placed in shopping malls, tend to be pricier than most comparable home electronics venues, with a much smaller selection. Trendy, gimmicky and high-priced. Just three reasons why they're shutting down those stores, folks.
6:30am PDT - Is the phone line connected? A few minutes after six this morning, an alert reader told us that the Divx site was down. At 6:30am, 6:55am, it still is. A harbinger of things to come? Okay. You can save yourself a click. At 7:00am PDT, they're back. For now.
12:56am PDT - According to Infoseek, "Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. will open a 2200 square foot Ultimate Home Theater Experience exhibit in Innoventions at Epcot at the Walt Disney World(R) Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The exhibit is scheduled to open in the spring of 1999." Funny - a check of the equipment list makes no mention whatsoever of Zenith, Divx or Circuit City while describing their "world-class distributors".
12: 48am PDT - Blockbuster gets friendly with San Francisco with a rolling DVD 18-wheeler filled with movie memorbilia as part of a 38-city U.S. tour to help promote their new DVD rental program.
12:36am PDT - Laserviews has updated their DVD page with street date confirmations and new announcements from Magic Lantern (a joint effort of the Roan Group and VCI), Sony Music, Trimark, Simitar, Eaton Entertainment, Media Galleries but nothing from the major studios. Expect an official announcement of new titles from MGM within 24 hours.
Monday, September 21, 1998
10:24am PDT - A better mousetrap? Sony has debuted a new cassette case. To celebrate, with the purchase of blank cassettes, they're providing coupons good for $3 off the purchase of DVD's, among other things. For full details and restrictions, read the story..
10:06am PDT - Johnny on the spot. We knew it would just be a matter of time. DVD developer Media Galleries and NetFlix are in cahoots to bring you President Bill Clinton's Grand Jury testimony on DVD. I think we'll pass on the review of this title, thank you.
9:58a, PDT - Popular Science reports on the emerging standards war for DVD recording. Another Beta versus VHS? Looks like it.
WEEKEND UPDATE
We're gearing up for our next DVD Giveaway! If you've previously entered on our contest page, you're already in the running. If not, be sure to submit your entry ASAP! (one entry per person, please). Rest assured that your information will remain completely confidential and will not be distributed to third parties.
Over the weekend, we received the following e-mail from one of our readers. It's reprinted here, unedited and in its entirety:
"I work in the video department at Future Shop in Portland Oregon. Yesterday (9-18-98) an employee from the music and movies department went around handing out a photocopy of an important "ormail" (company e-mail). Interupting customers to give it to me and others, I was not prepared for this.
Earlier in the day, I had seen a bunch of photocopied training papers on Divx. I thought we must have aquired them somehow from Circuit City or Good Guys. In the Portland area DIVX has just been released and advertised in the competitor's ads. I thought Future Shop now wanted to train us on what they had, so we could easily counter it. Everyone I had talked to in the store prior had always thought that divx was a big joke and was against it completely.
As I read the ormail, my understanding of DIVX and my involvement in it changed.
It started simple enough:
"Well, the time has come! Many of you have probably heard of DIVX and it's finally arriving. The national rollout is slated for September 25 and of course Future Shop will be a part of this new technology."
I did a double take as my enthusiasm was expelled and my stomach turned.
"All stores will be receiving stock by next Thursday, along with fixturing and signage. DIVX must be completely set up for Friday opening."
I could not believe it. The comany I decided to work for over Circuit City, largely because of Divx, was turning on me. Corporate was making an unannounced, collosal, marketing blunder. One that I was powerless to alter. I track news about DVD daily on the internet and I was not prepared for this. No one knew this was coming.
Please help me fight this. Get the word out immediately."
It appears that another small-time outlet has been convinced to carry Divx, but there's no need for alarm. With all due respect to the gent that emailed us, the Future Shop isn't exactly a mainstream distributor. Additionally (and even more importantly), employees like the one that wrote to us, can do the most to help -- from the inside, where all they need to do is gently provide undecided consumers with the facts and let them decide for themselves. Given the truth, their decision should be easy. Open DVD all the way. "Ormail?" Funny. Does it stand for "Orwellian Mail" by any chance? We're beginning to think so...
One of our Canadian readers wrote to correct me that although Future Shop may be small change in the United States, they're bigger than we thought -- and huge guns up North. Fortunately, a large contingent of Canadian consumers are every bit as leary as the rest of us are concerning Divx.
We've noticed that our average daily page view count increased by about a third the day after our quote, audio clip and link appeared on ABCNEWS.COM in the article "Will Divx Do?" The BIG Picture would like to take this opportunity to welcome all new readers who have found us in recent days and weeks either through the ABC News article or through other sources, including our VIP Banner Patrol partners, led this week by DVD Freak.
We're hearing good things regarding an Entertainment Weekly article about DVD. The more, the merrier. It must've been last week's issue, because the September 18th issue featuring Conan swinging on the moon failed to yield much about DVD except for a Panasonic ad for their portable DVD/monitor combo. I scoured the magazine from cover to cover twice as I was trailing behind my wife in the market while she was grocery shopping. One thing I DID notice was an ad for the Oldsmobile Silhouette mini-van -- the first to offer a video entertainment center with a fold-down LCD monitor and four headphone outlets, so the rear passengers can enjoy a good flick while mom and dad listen to CD's. No mention of DVD was made in the ad, but we'd think that DVD would be the ONLY way to go! The screen appears to be about 10"-12" maximum and is 4:3. We like it. But we'd prefer a larger 16:9 monitor -- and we'd like it better still in our car.
