Software Dealers Wary of New Formats

Fledgling formats that offer movies on small discs have many video retailers edgy. Is the video store doomed?

Questions about the impact of new technologies were rehashed at the 12th annual Video Software Dealers Assn. Convention, a four-day affair that concluded here Wednesday. Speeches and panel discussions cautioned retailers to gear up for changes, ranging from advances in laser and computer technology to the 500-channel TV universe that would deliver movies on demand over phone or cable lines.

The heart of the convention, as always, was the exhibits by companies displaying upcoming videotape titles to retailers who rent and sell videos. But some of these companies were promoting future titles in interactive disc formats such as CD-I, CD-ROM and 3DO.

Paramount plans to release movies on CD-I in the next few months, including “Indecent Proposal” and “Patriot Games.” Also scheduled for fall release is one of Republic’s cliffhanger serials, “The Crimson Ghost,” on CD-I, an interactive technology allowing viewers to choose their own plot lines.

Playboy is also gearing up software for the new technology. Jeff Jenest, senior vice president of Playboy Video, said the company will put out a massage program on CD-I, allowing viewers to zoom in for close-ups whenever they choose.

From all corners of the convention, video retailers were bombarded with suggestions to make plans to expand their inventories to include software for new technologies. The message: Think expansion or face obsolescence. None of these changes will happen overnight but they’re lurking on the horizon.

In the future, watching movies on compact discs may become a significant option. Compared to the cassette, discs are more durable and less expensive to manufacture. The hardware, however, is much more expensive.

For instance, a CD-I player sells for $500-$600, plus an extra $250 for a cartridge for playing movies. Nimbus Technology and Engineering showed off a prototype unit, selling for $200, that allows audio-CD players to play movies.

The expensive hardware will slow down the introduction of the CD-based formats. But video retailers will be watching the progress nervously.

Laser-Disc Woes

Video retailers aren’t the only ones feeling the heat from the CD-based formats. They’re also putting a scare into the laser-disc industry, which is still struggling to gain a foothold in the home entertainment market. (The discs used for lasers are about 12 inches across, compared to 5 inches for compact discs.)

Though popular in film-industry strongholds like Los Angeles and New York, the laser disc is a minor factor in most other places. At the convention this week, laser-disc suppliers tried to persuade video store owners to branch out into laser. But many retailers who were considering the leap to laser now lump it in with the new CD-based formats they’re leery about.

Arguing for laser discs, David Wallace, marketing manager for Pioneer LDCA, pointed out that they offer a better picture than the CD-based formats--a fact that’s often lost in the hype about the new technologies.

Videobits

The convention is usually a showcase for celebrity exercise videos. Coming up are tapes by LaToya Jackson, Marky Mark and Zsa Zsa Gabor. You’ll be able to box your way to fitness with a video by Sugar Ray Leonard and Jill Goodacre. The most likely hit, though, will be the next Cindy Crawford tape, due Oct. 15.

When “Aladdin” comes out Oct. 1, the $25 cassette will be supported by tie-ins with Colgate and Pizza Hut. Estimates are that Buena Vista Home Video will ship at least 30 million units, which would make it the all-time home-video bestseller.

On Aug. 4, LIVE is releasing two versions of the controversial crime drama “Bad Lieutenant,” starring Harvey Keitel. One is the original theatrical version, which got an NC-17 rating, and the other is edited and rated R.

What’s New on Video

“The Bodyguard” (Warner, no set price). A love story/thriller about a star singer (Whitney Houston) who romances the bodyguard (Kevin Costner) hired to protect her from a stalker. The fact that none of the characters acknowledge that it’s an interracial romance is hard to believe--like most everything in this movie. But accept it on its own terms--as a glitzy, trashy movie--and it’s low-brow fun.

“Lorenzo’s Oil” (MCA/Universal, no set price). Based on a true story of two parents (Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte) whose 5-year-old son suffers from a rare, degenerative disease. Little is known about the disease, so the couple doggedly pushes for enlightenment. Sounds like a routine TV movie-of-the-week, except that director George Miller dodges cliches, creating a moving medical mystery. Sarandon’s remarkable performance earned her an Oscar nomination.

Upcoming on Video

Just announced: Warner has two videos out Sept. 1: “This Boy’s Life,” the drama starring Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin, and the action thriller “Point of No Return,” featuring Bridget Fonda.

Also: “Malcolm X,” “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” “Passion Fish,” “Amos and Andrew” and “Love Field” (Wednesday); “Home Alone 2” (July 27); “Scent of a Woman” and “Nowhere to Run” (July 28); “Sommersby,” “Sniper,” “Untamed Heart,” “Bad Lieutenant” and “Swing Kids” (Aug. 4); “Benny & Joon,” “Falling Down” and “The Vanishing” (Aug. 11); “Chaplin,” “Mad Dog and Glory” and “The Crush” (Aug. 18); “Groundhog Day” and “Boiling Point” (Aug. 25); “Aladdin” (Oct. 1).