VSDA Report - Wednesday

The first day of the VSDA conference here in Las Vegas is almost over. We just come in from Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s Opening Gala to prepare these lines for you and then we will be back on the road to meet our friends over at the Hard Rock Casino, where Universal is throwing a big “Blues Brothers 2000” party.

We arrived late here in Vegas and only had the chance to quickly walk the show floor and gather some brief information and to make sure we have not missed any big announcements. We have not.

FOX
As you might already have figured, Fox have not announced their DVD support here on the first day of the show, but don’t despair, there are three more to come. We have had the chance to talk to one of the Fox representatives, though, and the general impresison I got was that Fox definitely have something going on behind the scenes. Our contact could not confirm Fox’s support at this time, but the way he was searching for the right words, seemed indicative that he had to be very careful not to let slip information - or so I think. We will go back tomorrow and see if we can’t find out a little more. Of course we will keep you updated.

WARNER
Warner have dedicated most of their booth to DVD, unlike many other companies who are mostly presenting their VHS catalog. They had Linda Blair and Tim Curry here at the show today to sign autographs. Of course we were able to pick up some extra for you, which we will give away in the next week or so, so come back and make sure you are part of our unique competition. We will let you know about the details somewhen later, when the show is over and the dust has settled a little.

TAI SENG
We stopped by Tai Seng briefly to see what they are coming up next, but apart from the already announced “Tai Chi II” and “Untold Story”, they haven’t decided yet. Since they stop doing domestic Laserdisc releases this month however, there should be more time available in the future to work on more domestic DVD releases. Frank Djeng has pointed out that the company is completely refocussing from their domestic Laserdisc business to DVD. Now that’s good news and commitment.

NEW LINE
I don;t know if you knew, but it was new to me. Jackie Chan has been doing a film with Chris Tucker for New Line Cinema, which will hit theaters in August. The titles is “Rush Hour” and will supposedly come to DVD sometime, too. We will try to find out more and let you know.

FULL MOON
Next stop was Full Moon Pictures, the masters of independent horror. It was a nice meeting and fun talking to them. Especially hearing that they are working on six new titles for release on DVD in fall, was a pleasant surprise. We will have an exact list of the titles somewhen after the show for you, with all the details. Also at the booth was a very charming “vampire”. Denise Duff, star of the “Subspecies” series was there for some smalltalk and to sign autographs.

She is really cool! Of course, being responsible editors, we also snatched an autograph for one of our readers, which will also be part of our special “VSDA chachka and memorabilia competition”.

PARAMOUNT
Unfortunately we had no chance to catch up with our DVD contact in Paramount yet, but the booth itself - in the shape of the Titanic - did not have DVD exhibits. Let’s wait until tomorrow, when we will meet with Paramount representatives to find out more.

DISNEY
The gala I mentioned earlier was mostly dedicated to the announcement of three interesting video releases this fall, announced by the President of Buena Vista Home Entertainment. After ten years of absence, “The Lady And The Tramp” is finally making it back to video on September 15. Sorry folks, sadly no light has been shed on the question whether it will become available on DVD as well. Also coming to video in fall are “Pocahontas II” and “Lion King II: Simba’s Pride”. It was a nice gala with really good food and plenty of drinks, that ended with a spectacular performance of songs from these films with a flashy stage show.

OTHERS
DVD is all over the showfloor, generally covering a lot of ground, despite the massive presence of VHS. Even really small publishers have their first DVD projects wrapped up and ready to ship, which was very pleasant to see. We will give it all a closer look tomorrow, so make sure to check back for more news.

Stay tuned, we have to run now, but we will keep you posted during the next days

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