‘X-Files’ Movie Marks Fox’s Interactive DVD Debut
“The X-Files: I Want to Believe” will be Fox Home Entertainment’s first interactive DVD when it’s released in December. The film’s BD-Live features will allow Internet-connected watchers to access special features as well as create an avatar that competes against others at “solving” cases, the studio said this week.
Netflix CFO: Blu-ray Will Have Little Effect on Sales
Blu-ray will have little effect on Netflix’s revenue in the near future because consumer adoption of next-generation players is “slow” due to higher prices, said Barry McCarthy, Netflix’s chief financial officer, at a conference this week. Meanwhile, other retailers such as Best Buy and Ultimate Electronics say Blu-ray sales will jump by the end of the year as price declines on some models appeal to the broader public while a wider inventory of more expensive machines attracts videophiles, Video Business says.
Comcast VOD Offers HD Previews of ‘Lipstick,’ ‘Chuck’
Comcast’s video-on-demand service will preview NBC shows including “Lipstick Jungle” and “Chuck” in high definition a week before they air on the network, Web site TVPredictions.com reports. “Kath & Kim” and “Knight Rider” also will have HD previews on Comcast before airing on NBC, which is likely to offer a similar service to other multichannel service operators, the Web site says.
Sony’s PS4 Unlikely to Have Blu-ray Player
Sony’s PlayStation 4 games console probably will not have a Blu-ray player, which is included in PlayStation 3 machines, because the next-generation DVD format may be out of date by the time the console is released three to five years from now, CNET reports. Cheaper standard-definition players and discs now are holding back Blu-ray sales, and the Blu-ray format may be made obsolete in the near future by video streaming and content downloading services, CNET says.
Best Buy Says Flat-Screen TV Prices Have Fallen 13% This Year
Best Buy says the average price of its flat-screen televisions has fallen about 13% this year, helping the largest U.S. electronics retailer boost flat-panel TV sales for its most recently completed quarter by more than 10% from a year earlier. The company’s earnings fell 19% because it spent more on labor and promotions.