MUMBAI: Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment, along with Asia Vision Home Entertainment yesterday launched international quality DVDs in India at the Times Group owned music store Planet M in Mumbai's Andheri suburb.
Columbia Tristar is the first Hollywood studio to manufacture quality DVDs in India and that too at an affordable price. Present on the occasion were Columbia Tristar country manager N Muthuram and Asia Vision director Dhirubhai Shah. Asia Vision is the sole licensee in India of Columbia Tristar.
Muthuram said, "It is a momentous day for us as we are launching a totally new format which is the DVD format in the country. DVDs have been in India, but the quality is not like the international ones." He also said that Columbia Tristar will from now on bring DVDs in India on an ongoing basis and will also manufacture them here. "The quality is going to be international class because of the high standards that we have set for ourselves," he added.
Talking on the occasion Shah said, "This is the first time that a Hollywood studio has brought DVDs for India. The master copies are made in Australia and will be replicated in New Delhi."
"At present we have come out with four movies but very soon we are going to release the DVDs of Stuart Little 2 and Men in Black 2. Within the next three months we are also planning to release all time classics like The Guns of Navarone and McKenna's Gold," Muthuram added.
The first lot of DVDs that the companies have come out with for the Indian market are Tobey Maguire starrer Spiderman which is the biggest home entertainment product in the world, Jodie Foster starrer Panic Room, Steven Segal starrer Half Past Dead and The One. The introductory offer is that on purchase of every DVD, one VCD will be given free and the DVDs are available at an inaugural price of Rs 599.