USA Today: Planet Earth HD DVD = Biggest moneymaking hidef disc on EITHER format!

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by USA TODAY

The high-definition DVD version of the Discovery Channel and BBC’s Planet Earth has sold about 45,000 copies. That’s “one for every five owners of a high-def disc machine, a ratio only a handful of DVDs have ever come close to,” USA TODAY reports.

Those sales translate to $3.2 million, “the biggest moneymaker yet to hit Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.” The set actually has “a list price of nearly $100 costs more than the average DVD player,” although it retails for around $65—still more than many DVD players.

The four-disc high-definition set has been available in both HD-DVD and Blu-ray; both have the British narration by David Attenborough, and are not the Sigourney Weaver-narrated US version. There’s also a standard DVD version. Today, the Discovery Channel starts selling HD versions of the US version.

Warner Home Video’s Ron Sanders tells the paper, “This series was made for high definition. Its success points to consumers wanting to see and hear high-definition content, and there isn’t a huge amount of content available from broadcast or cable or satellite.”

The BBC’s Burton Cromer tells the paper, “In a month and a half, we’ve sold more copies of Planet Earth across all three formats than we’ve sold of The Office or Fawlty Towers. And we don’t see any letup; in fact, we’re selling more units a day than when we first streeted.”

He attributes that success in part to Oprah, who talked about the series during two episodes of her show. “If you don’t think I have a shrine to Oprah set up in my office, you’re wrong,” he said.
‘Planet Earth’ looks great in HD — and to the BBC

Go HD DVD!

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by DarthBeavis

I still want to buy it but have not decided which format to buy it in.

HD DVD is most consumer friendly IMO. Less DRM and cheaper with more consistent quality and higher interactivity standards. Especially if used with a computer, as Blu-Ray's BD+ Advanced Countermeasure lets the studio run programs on your box if they think you are hacking

[Despotes]

A shrine to Oprah???

Originally Posted by Despotes

A shrine to Oprah???

There are lots of shrines to Oprah. We call them McDonalds.

[Bman212121]

Originally Posted by DarthBeavis

I still want to buy it but have not decided which format to buy it in.

I can tell you that it probably won't matter what format you get it in, Planet Earth is still going to rock. *Looks at the box for it infront of me with PS3 remote sitting on top of it* I can say it looks good on the PS3 since that is what I've played it on. The worst case would be you buy it in one format than the other wins so are locked onto which console you can play the movie on.

[Amuro]

I never get it why people are into buying these kind of stuff, movies, documentaries. I rarely if ever watch the same movie more than once, so they just end up taking up space.

Originally Posted by Amuro

I never get it why people are into buying these kind of stuff, movies, documentaries. I rarely if ever watch the same movie more than once, so they just end up taking up space.

LOL, I got the set as a gift, and I know I'll only watch it 1-2 more times.

[nrdstrm]

I'm going to get it in the next month...It seems like a good way to showcase (or rather SHOW OFF) my new HDTV and Blu-Ray...I probably will watch it once or twice all the way through, then just use it for the "oohhh" and "ahhhh" factor...

[XxDeadlyxX]

Wait a sec... The Departed sold 100,000 on both formats...

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20598

Wouldn't that mean that either the BD or HDDVD version sold over 45,000?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by XxDeadlyxX

Wait a sec... The Departed sold 100,000 on both formats...

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20598

Wouldn't that mean that either the BD or HDDVD version sold over 45,000?

The Departed also costs less than half the price of Planet Earth, meaning it didn't make as much money per sale.

[XxDeadlyxX]

Originally Posted by Ruined

The Departed also costs less than half the price of Planet Earth, meaning it didn't make as much money per sale.

Yep, stupid me