Black Friday sales up on discounts
Discounts on flat-screen TVs, DVDs and videogame consoles helped draw consumers into stores and drive up sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as consumers kicked off their holiday shopping sprees.
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Stores rework high-def merchandising
Now that HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have been in stores together for a month, retailers from Wal-Mart on down are rejiggering their high-definition video merchandising to better reach tech-conscious consumers.
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Solid bow for Blu-ray
Suppliers and retailers called first-week sales of Blu-ray movies encouraging, with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment reporting it sold through 15% to 20% of its initial shipment of titles.
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Disney: VOD starting to impact rental
Increased video-on-demand offerings through cable companies and online are starting to cut into the video rental business, Walt Disney Co. senior VP and chief financial officer Tom Staggs told analysts at the Deutsche Bank Telecom and Media Conference Tuesday.
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Toshiba: Strong start to HD DVD
HD DVD backers reported strong initial sales Tuesday as the first high-definition DVD players and discs launched at stores nationwide.
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HD DVD set to launch quietly
If all goes as planned, HD DVD is set for a low-key launch Tuesday with four movies out from Warner Home Video and Universal Studios Home Entertainment and players from Toshiba coming the same day or shortly after.
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Studios stricter with returns
Universal Studios Home Entertainment and other studios are tightening up DVD return policies to protect their profitability as disc sales slow, according to retailers.
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Toshiba delays HD DVD players
Toshiba is delaying its release of HD DVD players until studios put out movies in the format, pushing HD DVD’s launch back to mid-April and giving it a slim one-month lead before rival high-definition format Blu-ray launches.
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Studios tout Oscar wins for DVD
With the Oscar winners out of the bag, studios are unleashing a new wave of DVD promotions and disc debuts for those rewarded. But some might be too late to the party.
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Ingram lays off 4% of workforce
Ingram Entertainment, the country’s largest video distributor, laid off roughly 4% of its force in mid-February after a tough 2005 for the industry, according to industry sources.
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Studios pull back from PSP
With sales falling below expectations, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video are cutting back on movie releases for Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld videogame player.
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Bambi II makes large leap
Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s Bambi II sold an estimated 800,000 units its first day in stores Tuesday, according to industry sources, making an impressive leap for the DVD premiere sequel to the six-decades-old cartoon classic.
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