Empresas y finanzas

Fox and MGM Unveil Blu-Ray Exclusive Worldwide Releases for 2007



    Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) today unveiled an
    aggressive global Blu-ray Disc release strategy including 29 new
    release and "must-have" catalog titles that runs through the end of
    the 2007 calendar year. Among the many highlights of the impressive
    worldwide slate are six day & date BD/DVD new theatrical releases from
    Fox including the $241 million box-office family favorite FANTASTIC
    FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and the $335 million box-office action
    powerhouse LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, four day & date BD/DVD (U.S. only)
    new theatrical releases from MGM, 19 'must-have on BD' films from the
    two studios' libraries, Fox's first-ever TV release on BD - PRISON
    BREAK -- and Fox's intention to release at least one state-of-the-art
    title per month featuring numerous BD 'firsts.'

    The only high-definition packaged media universally supported by
    the film, music, gaming and computer industries, BD is the #1 selling
    high-definition packaged media. In fact, on a worldwide basis, BD is
    averaging nearly 70% market-share per week of all high definition
    titles sold this year and, in the U.S., it is out-performing HD DVD by
    a margin of 115%.

    "Given that Blu-ray has consistently outsold HD DVD all year, and
    this is the case for any titles released by any studio in both
    formats, we believe that the time is right for us to accelerate our
    activities and help convert the nearly 60 million high definition
    households worldwide into Blu-ray households," noted Mike Dunn,
    President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "By the
    end of this calendar year there will be expansive availability of
    technically vibrant releases featuring never-before-seen, advanced
    BD-J interactivity as well as a broad offering of playback devices at
    attractive prices that will prove to any doubting consumers once and
    for all that Blu-ray is the only way."

    "And as Blu-ray continues to grows stronger, it has become
    survival of the fittest which is most apparent in the retail landscape
    where our eager and growing global Blu-ray consumer base has caused a
    shift that is forcing the allocation of more space to the format that
    is selling the best. And, in many recent instances of note, top
    retailers in North America are choosing to promote the Blu-ray format
    exclusively in their stores," continued Dunn.

    Among the BD industry 'firsts' from the Studios' upcoming global
    release slate are picture in picture capability, enhanced viewing and
    surround sound modes with the ability to mix and match picture and
    sound, direct access to in-movie features through one of the four
    colored buttons on the BD remote and the most technically vibrant
    BD-Java interactive multi-player challenge and trivia games to date.
    The Studios' slate also takes full advantage of BD-Live functionality
    this fourth quarter. Internet-connected consumers will enjoy unique,
    title specific "web-enabled" interactive features and games and
    "web-exclusive" downloadable content with the ability to connect and
    interact with other broadband BD users worldwide.

    Cementing its leadership position within the industry - previous
    BD releases NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM and X-MEN THE LAST STAND rank in the
    Top 20 best-sellers - the vast majority of the Studios' upcoming
    global slate will be presented on 50 GB dual-layer discs with advanced
    BD-J interactivity and feature numerous Blu-ray exclusive
    high-definition bonus materials that further realizes BD's incredible
    potential. Consumers will enjoy the superior video and audio elements
    of AVC encoding and Lossless HD audio on many of the coming titles as
    well as enhanced and integrated menus, personal scene selections,
    search indexing, trivia and other title specific games and
    high-definition bonus materials.

    Upcoming BD-J features exclusive to priority catalogue titles from
    Fox and MGM include an "Alien Scavenger Hunt" (INDEPENDENCE DAY) that
    challenges players to earn points by identifying the correct number of
    aliens in select scenes to unlock additional bonus features; a "Global
    Warming Trivia Track" (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) where users must
    correctly answer questions about global warming to keep the Earth's
    temperature from rising and being destroyed; and a historical and
    geographical pop-up map (MASTER & COMMANDER) that tracks the location
    of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his enemies.

    Listed below are the upcoming Blu-ray Disc releases from Fox and
    MGM excluding new theatrical day & date BD/DVD releases. EXACT TITLE
    CONFIGURATIONS TO FOLLOW IN THE COMING WEEKS.

    -0-
    *T
    TITLE N.A. RELEASE INTERNATIONAL RELEASE
    MASTER & COMMANDER OCT. 2 OCT.
    THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW OCT. 2 NOV.
    FROM HELL OCT. 9 OCT.
    THE FLY (1986) OCT. 9 Q1 08
    EDWARD SCISSORHANDS OCT. 9 NOV.
    28 DAYS LATER OCT. 9 North America Only
    ROBOCOP (MGM) OCT. 9 DEC.
    AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) (MGM) OCT. 9 North America Only
    BATTLE OF BRITAIN (MGM) NOV. 6 Q1 08
    A BRIDGE TOO FAR (MGM) NOV. 6 Q1 08
    I, ROBOT NOV. 13 Q1 08
    DIE HARD NOV. NOV.
    DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER NOV NOV.
    DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE NOV. NOV.
    RED DAWN (MGM) NOV. Q1 08
    MR. AND MRS. SMITH DEC. 4 DEC.
    INDEPENDENCE DAY DEC. 4 DEC.
    CAST AWAY DEC. 4 North America Only
    RONIN (MGM) DEC. 4 DEC.
    *T

    Blu-ray Disc is a next generation optical disc format developed
    for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A
    single-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 25 gigabytes of data and a
    dual-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 50 gigabytes of data. This greater
    storage capacity enables the Blu-ray Disc to store over six times the
    amount of content than is possible with current DVDs, and is
    particularly well-suited for high definition feature films with
    extended levels of additional bonus and interactive material. Blu-ray
    also features the most advanced copy protection, player backward
    compatibility with the current DVD format, connectivity and advanced
    interactivity.

    Fox takes advantage of the next generation format's high
    definition technology and advanced functionality to present its titles
    with the highest quality audiovisual elements. Showcasing picture
    quality with six times the resolution of DVD and theater quality
    "uncompressed" audio for the purest digital sound, the cutting-edge
    discs also feature enhanced and integrated menus, games,
    high-definition bonus materials and Java-encoding for more dynamic and
    sophisticated interactivity.

    The Studio's commitment to emerging technologies is dedicated to
    enhancing the consumer experience of its products and providing for
    backward compatibility with their existing home entertainment
    libraries while also aggressively protecting its intellectual property
    from piracy. The Blu-ray companies fully embrace the Studio's
    steadfast commitment to the fight against piracy and the preservation
    of the integrity of its properties. Twentieth Century Fox is a member
    of the Board of Directors of the Blu- ray Disc Association.

    A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home
    Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and
    distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on
    VHS, DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) as well as acquisitions and original
    productions. The company also releases all products around the globe
    for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new
    and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets --
    from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and
    e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home
    Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film
    Corporation, a News Corporation company.