HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "WARNER"Receive High-Def Disc News via RSS

Redbox Ignores Warner Demands – Will Rent Movies Day and Date

Thu Feb 02, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Redbox, Warner, Industry Trends (all tags)

Warner attempted to push Redbox's rental delay to eight weeks, but Redbox says no.

Warner Home Entertainment isn’t cool with Redbox and Netflix renting movies as early as they do. Initially, the company offered these renters a nice discount for pushing their rental window to 28 days. This means that Redbox and Netflix were unable to rent movies to customers until four weeks after they were released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Redbox went along with the demand, albeit not happily. Warner’s new request pushed the window even further, to 56 days. Redbox says that this won’t stand, and will be going back to its old practice of buying movies at retail and renting them to customers on the day that they’re released.

The fallout from this should be interesting to see. Warner certainly won’t be pleased with the way Redbox is doing things, but there’s no telling what the fallout will be.

Source: Engadget

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Rumor: Warner is Doubling the Rental Embargo to Eight Weeks

Mon Jan 09, 2012 at 09:30 AM ET
Tags: Redbox, Netflix, Blockbuster, Warner, Rumors and Speculation (all tags)

This embargo affects not only Redbox and Netflix, but Blockbuster stores as well.

Warner Home Video has never been a fan of the whole Redbox and Netflix thing. They say that the low priced rentals are hurting sales and are doing what they can to cut down on the effects. It's not surprising then that Warner is looking to expand their existing 28 day embargo to 56.

What does seem a bit out of character is that Warner isn't just targeting Netflix and Redbox this time. Not only is the company expanding the embargo on low priced kiosks and subscription services, they're applying that eight week embargo to Blockbuster stores as well.

It hasn't been officially announced at this point, but it seems fairly likely. Adding the delay would be a move not only to increase DVD and Blu-ray sales, but to push the digital copy storage locker UltraViolet which is getting a big push this year.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Warner Puts a 28 Day Delay on Blockbuster and Other Video Stores

Fri Oct 28, 2011 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Warner, Blockbuster (all tags)

This puts Blockbuster on even footing with Redbox and Netflix in terms of release dates.

One of the things that Blockbuster has been holding above the heads of rental companies like Redbox and Netflix is that there's no delay for Blockbuster titles. You can swing in to a store on the day of release and pick up a brand new Blu-ray.

Well, it seems that's not something Blockbuster can boast about anymore. Warner has issued a 28 day delay on all titles to the video giant. Starting on November 1st, movies like 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and, much more importantly, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' will suffer the four week delay.

What does this mean for Blockbuster? It means they can't brag about that advantage anymore, at least when it comes to movies from Warner. It also means that the company will be under a bit more pressure than it already was.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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'Dangerous Liaisons' Blu-ray Features Added

Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner, Disc Announcements (all tags)

Supplements have now been detailed for Stephen Frears' three-time Oscar-winning period romance/comedy having a February Blu-ray release.

As previously reported, Warner Brothers says 'Dangerous Liaisons' will have a Blu-ray release on February 7.

This adaptation of the novel by Choderlos de Laclos stars John Malkovich as an aristocrat and Glenn Close as his former lover who entertain themselves by scheming to tarnish the reputation of Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer).

The film also won three Academy Awards including Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and And Best Adapted Screenplay (Christopher Hampton).

Specs have yet to be revealed, but supplements will include a director's commentary and theatrical trailer.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.98.

You can find the latest specs for 'Dangerous Liaisons' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 7.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Dangerous Liaisons (Blu-ray)

Warner May Put a Three Month Delay on Redbox and Netflix Releases

Tue Sep 27, 2011 at 02:30 PM ET
Tags: Warner, Redbox, Netflix (all tags)

Rumor says that the new scheduling will start on November 1st.

Once Redbox and Netflix really took off, movie studios started imposing new rules, experimenting with pricing and different release windows until it seemed like everyone agreed on a 28 day delay. That is, instead of being able to rent out new releases on the day they come out, Netflix and Redbox have to wait four weeks.

If rumor is to believed, Warner isn't happy with the 28 day arrangement and is planning to triple it starting in November. Instead of just a 28 day delay, they're looking at 90 days.

This means that if you want to watch a movie right when it comes out, you'll have to buy it, or go to one of the few video rental stores still in business. The big question on this one - how will this move affect Warner? Will they sell more Blu-rays and DVDs at retail or are they simply costing themselves money because Redbox and Netflix will likely not be buying as many copies of the movie. Time will tell.

Source: Warner

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Your Photos Could Appear In Warner's New Facebook Series

Sat Sep 03, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Warner, Facebook (all tags)

Assuming that's something you want, of course.

For some reason, people think that an interactive web series is something we desperately want. Perhaps some people do, but every attempt at it so far has been pretty lackluster.

Of course, that's not stopping Warner from giving it a go. The new series 'Aim High' stars Jackson Rathbone, Aimee Teegarden and Greg Germann - not A-List celebrities by any means, but still a pretty impressive lineup for a show designed for Facebook.

You can appear on the show, or at least your photos can, by linking your profile information with the show's Facebook page.

"Facebook is an increasingly influential destination for discovering and acquiring movie and television content," says president of digital distribution Greg Gewecke. " This effort takes video distribution to a whole new level by making the actual viewing experience personal and social in a truly innovative and entertaining way."

The series launches October 18th.

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Warner Buys Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes

Fri May 06, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner (all tags)

Both sites were picked up by Warner Home Entertainment for an undisclosed sum.

Movie studios know that the internet is the future, but have historically had some issues trying to tie their content in with social networks and digital distribution. Warner hopes to bridge the gap with the acquisition of two fairly major movie websites - Rotten Tomatoes and Flixster.

"We’ll use the Flixster initiative to dramatically enhance the ownership benefits of digital movies," says CEO Jeff Bewkes. Just how Warner will be doing that is unclear at the moment, both Bewkes and company president Kevin Tsujihara stressed a focus on digital ownership.

Bewkes also commented on Netflix, saying that he believes subscription VOD services have a role to play, and that role is providing customers with back-catalog content. "In that sense you can add to the ecosystem," he says, "and that's good for everybody and performs a useful function."

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Warner is Raising Fees for Netflix and Redbox

Thu Feb 03, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner, Netflix, Redbox, Ultraviolet (all tags)

The company is pushing towards movie ownership instead of streams and rentals.

Netflix is making a lot of money streaming movies and the folks at Warner want a piece of it. In a call about the company's fourth quarter results, CEO Jeff Bewkes said that the company would be raising the licensing fees that Netflix and Redbox are paying for movies.

It seems as if Warner underestimated both Redbox and Netlix and priced their content accordingly. "The current terms are not commensurate to the value of our films,” said Bewkes in the call. “The value should be considerably higher than what we are getting now.”

In addition to raising the price to Redbox and Netflix, Warner is introducing premium Video on Demand (VOD) content which would let viewers watch movies on demand just 60 days after the theatrical window.

Warner is pushing hard for disc ownership as well, especially with the new Ultraviolet digital rights management system. "Ultraviolet should dramatically increase the appeal of owning movies," says Bewkes.

Home Media Magazine

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REMINDER!! The DVD2Blu Program Lets You Trade In ANY(!) DVD You Own

Fri Oct 29, 2010 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Warner (all tags)

Want a discount on some Warner Blu-rays? Trade in the crappiest of your DVD collection!

The DVD2Blu trade-in program was a cool idea, but a bit lacking at the inception. This new change makes it simple for anyone to get some cheap Blu-rays by allowing you to trade in any DVD you own for a discount.

Alright, it's technically not good for any DVD you own. It has to be a professionally produced DVD that was sold at retail – that means home movies and burns don't count. It's also limited to content that's not considered "adult," so don't go try exchanging your sock drawer movie collection for new Blu-rays.

Pricing for Blu-rays starts at a measly $4.95 for titles like 'Beerfest' and 'Ocean's Eleven,' but ranges up to $19.95 for the complete second season of 'Chuck.' Shipping is free if you order more than $35 worth of Blu-rays, which really shouldn't be difficult to do with the selection available.

Source: DVD2 Blu

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Ocean's Eleven (Blu-ray)
Chuck: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Entire Series of 'Nip/Tuck' Hitting iTunes, Xbox, Amazon on Demand and More

Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 03:30 PM ET
Tags: Warner, Industry Trends (all tags)

In celebration of the final episode of 'Nip/Tuck,' Warner Bros is releasing the entire series on practically every service there is.

Fans of the series already know the importance of 'Nip/Tuck.' Debuting just a year after 'The Shield,' 'Nip/Tuck' helped lead the charge to turn around FX and make it a channel truly worth watching. It paved the way for more dramatic and comedic programming aimed at adults, and it earned an incredible number of Emmy awards.

The series finally draws to a close after seven seasons, and Warner Brothers is giving fans the opportunity to relive the entire series in high definition. You’ll be able to download all episodes from seasons one through six directly from iTunes starting this week, while the seventh will be made available on March 4th.

The series will also be available from Amazon’s Video on Demand service and on the Xbox 360, which likely means it will be included on the Zune video marketplace as well. Warner Bros says there are more services getting the downloads too, and assures that all Nip/Tuck downloads will be available in HD.

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