"Blu-ray" articles

Despite putting together a nice product with a great interface, VUDU has struggled to define itself. Is it the consumate video-on-demand box? The adult content box ? The high-end installer box? A Blu-ray challenger? With today's release, it looks like VUDU wants to take on the cable company. It launched VUDU RIA (Rich Internet Application) platform, a standards-based platform that brings Web-hosted rich applications and services to consumer appliances. VUDU has created an...

The one consumer electronics product about which I'm being asked the most this year is Blu-ray. Hollywood, the retailers, and of course the consumer electronics manufacturers are trying to figure out how sales are doing, particularly in this challenging economic environment. We got some clues from the industry last week that indicate that the aggressive price promotions for Blu-ray players seems to have paid some dividends. Our own Digital Media Evolution study also offers some...

Art Hair, Disney Studios CTO, is speaking now at C-Scape. Disney has released a Blu-ray version of Sleeping Beauty that includes the interactive features of BD-Live. There's actually a good video demonstration of the functionality on YouTube . Disney has launched the BD-Live Network that offers chat, gaming, and other interactive features. Our Digital Media Evolution study, the results of which will be available soon, reveals that consumers are more likely to view such BD-Live...

I had the chance to attend CEA's Webcast this afternoon Holiday Update and Post Black Friday Analysis . They indicated that 54% of Black Friday buyers purchased consumer electronics products. CEA says that 2.2 million Blu-ray players have been shipped (purchased) so far this year, and that we're on track to hit 2.75 million units before year-end. I've been more conservative on Blu-ray players, forecasting 2.35 million sales for all of North America for 2008, but it would be nice to...

So, if retailers aren't willing to cut prices on flat-screen TVs, they're definitely dropping prices on Blu-ray players, according to today's Wall Street Journal . The article says that entry-level Blu-ray players have dropped below $230 at major retailers, including Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. Some observers think that the price will fall below $150 in time for Black Friday.

Ad Age ran an interesting article today, Public Might Cut Cord on Landlines, Cable TV. The article posed the hypothetical question, “If you could keep only one thing out of a list that included your phone (home or mobile), your TV, or your computer and Internet connection, what would it be?” According to the article, the implications of the current economy and subsequent consumer cutbacks is on the minds of marketers, telecoms, ad agencies, and media companies. Verizon is...

Here's a recap of the late-week and weekend economic news and the potential impact to consumer electronics spending: Blu-ray sales may suffer in the fourth quarter, thanks to the shaky economy and plenty of entertainment altnernatives, theorizes and article from the San Francisco Chronicle ; The technology industry needs consumers more than ever, according to The Los Angeles Times ; NPD says that consumer spending will be down this holiday season .

Netflix announced today that its Instant Queue service will now feature select content from both CBS and Disney-ABC. The CBS content will include C SI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, NCIS , and Numb3rs . The Disney-ABC content will include Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place , and Disney Channel's newest original series, The Suite Life on Deck . Netflix Instant Queue content is or will soon be available for direct view at the TV via the following devices: The Netflix...