HD DVD Format Blog: HD DVD Format... in 2006 and 2007

Some highlights... from the latest press release issued by North American HD DVD Promotional Group Inc.

More than 300 additional movie titles that will be available this year, for an expected total of more than 600 titles worldwide.
As of January 5th, there are estimated to be more than 175,000 HD DVD players sold in North America, with new models in high demand. This estimated figure is also contributed by brisk sales of second-generation Toshiba HD DVD players, the HD DVD drive for Xbox 360, and HD DVD-enabled Intel Core 2 Duo laptops and desktop PCs from companies like Acer, HP, Niveus and Toshiba.
Using Nielsen data and retailer reports for title sales to date, the HD DVD studios projected an annualized attach rate of 28 movies per player.
Attendees of the press event saw a live demo of HD DVD's new advanced interactive features, working on both multiple PC platforms and consumer electronics based players -- effectively showing the wide breadth of support for these features. HD DVD titles with advanced interactivity will take advantage of HD DVD's mandatory specifications for network connectivity, secondary video decoders and persistent storage. Titles using player memory as well as the secondary video encoder for picture-in-picture were shipping throughout 2006, and titles using network connectivity are expected to be available in 2007. Using Microsoft's HDi interactive technology, the live demo showed how to save and share favorite scenes from a movie with other HD DVD owners, and how to download HD trailers and other content from the Internet. To date, HD DVD is the only format delivering titles using true picture-in-picture.
Several of the more innovative of the Asian manufacturers such as Alco, Jiangkui/ED Digital, Lite-On, and Shinco will add competitively priced HD DVD products to the market, and well-known brands such as Meridian and Onkyo will create HD DVD players as well.
Of the more than 41 studios and distributors supporting HD DVD worldwide, Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, HBO Home Video, New Line Home Entertainment, Genius Product, Inc., The Weinstein Company, Studio Canal, and Bandai Visual, one of the largest animation companies in the world, collectively announced more than 300 additional HD DVD titles will be released this year. The list included acclaimed hits such as: The Departed, The Good Shepherd, Flags of Our Fathers, Babel, the entire Harry Potter series, The Matrix trilogy and Blade Runner. Hit TV series will also appear on HD DVD, including Battlestar Gallactica, The Sopranos, and the original episodes of Star Trek, which have been digitally remastered.