Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
Both companies emphasised the lower cost of HD DVD players.
"Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience," Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. "I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount."
"We believe the combination of this year's low-priced HD DVD players and the commitment to release a significant number of hit titles in the fall makes HD DVD the best way to view movies at home," said DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The trouble with that argument is that its always going to be more expensive if you have to buy two players (or a dual-format player) rather than one.
And that's the position we're being pushed into when studios decide to restrict their products to a single standard when the market hasn't settled on one.
Transformers? Coming on HD DVD.
Spider-Man 3? Coming on Blu-ray.
Shrek the Third? Coming on HD DVD.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End? Coming on Blu-ray.
You get the picture - or not, as the case may be.
It makes some sense for Sony to support Blu-ray exclusively as it is an in-house format, but why do other studios think they need to back one or the other?
Announcements like this are just as likely to make potential buyers decide to stick with their DVD players and movies. I've seen a side-by-side demo of Blu-ray and DVD, and the difference isn't that significant - certainly less than the difference between DVD and VHS.
It will be interesting to see whether Paramount's decision has any effect on Blockbuster's and JB HiFi's policies of stocking Blu-ray movies but not HD DVD.
During the first half of 2007, Blu-ray discs outsold HD DVD by nearly two to one. But sales of the two formats had to be combined to exceed the number of VHS movies sold - and who is still buying them?
It's also significant that 300 recently set a hi-def sales record of 250,000 copies in one week in the US: it was a dual Blu-ray/HD DVD package.
Anyway, back to the details of Paramount's HD DVD plans. The decision is worldwide, and covers all movies under the Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies, MTV Films, and DreamWorks Animation brands. There is one important exception: movies directed by Steven Spielberg. "His films are not exclusive to either format," said Paramount officials.
First off the rank will be "Blades of Glory", to be released on HD DVD in the US on August 28.
David Bass
| For the fourth year in a row, IDC has placed content security provider Websense (NASDAQ: WBSN) at the top of the IDC Worldwide Web Security 2011 –…
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