Toshiba Stops HD DVD Production
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, Universal, Corporate Shakeups, Home Entertainment, Technology
It’s official. HD DVD is DOA.
Toshiba finally announced Tuesday what had been rumored for days—it is pulling out of the high-definition market. Although the HD DVD system preceded Sony’s product, Blu-ray sales have steadily outpaced its competitor.
In the past few months, major studios have aligned themselves with the Sony brand. Even though Paramount and Universal continued to offer their titles on HD DVD, it was clear the Toshiba format was being crippled.
Recent decisions made by Wal-Mart and Netflix helped drive a nail into the HD DVD coffin. The companies announced they would no longer be making the high-def option available to its customers.
Shipments of the Toshiba systems will wrap up by March.
Read More 
| Hollywood Reporter
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DVD-Sniffing Dogs Help Curb Counterfeiting
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Distribution, Home Entertainment, Technology
Bootleggers beware: DVD pirating is going to the dogs. Literally.
Last Wednesday, the district attorney’s office in Queens, New York reported on the success of a police raid, where a substantial inventory of counterfeit DVDs was undermined. But what set this particular raid apart from the ordinary, everyday struggle to stop the illegal distribution of popular films, were two black Labradors—Lucky and Flo—the newest offensive against a billion-dollar industry.
The dogs use their highly-trained sense of smell to identify chemicals used in the DVDs, and, according to law enforcement, have become a legitimate threat to bootleggers. Said Queens District Attorney Robert Brown, Man’s best friend has become a DVD counterfeiters worst nightmare.
This marks the first canine-assisted bust in the United States after the dogs helped put a stop to a major pirating operation in Malaysia last March. With sponsorship from the Motion Picture Association of America, the dogs are sure to have a long, effective tour in the states.
One thing’s for sure: major bootlegging outfits have a new enemy—one with big teeth, fast legs and an inexplicable aversion to copyright infringement.
Read More | USA Today
Good News For HD DVD Owners
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Paramount, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Technology
Although Blockbuster recently announced they were leaning toward Blu-ray rentals (citing customer preferences), HD DVD owners finally have a win in their corner.
Blu-ray had been noted for having a wider movie catalogue due to their exclusive partnerships with several movie studios. Now Paramount Studios (with DreamWorks Animation) has decided that they will go strictly HD DVD from this point forward. This announcement may finally help ignite an actual competition between the two formats.
The August 28th release of Blades of Glory will signal the first movie under the new Paramount/HD DVD partnership.
Read More | Variety
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