Target, ‘Hobbit’ Among Honorees at DEG Awards

7 Jan, 2014 By: Thomas K. Arnold

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Honors bestowed at DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group’s annual reception during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas include Target Corp. as the 2013 DEG Retailer of the Year.

DEG established its retailer awards to recognize excellence in merchandising and promoting new digital entertainment products for hardware devices, Blu-ray Disc, DVD and UltraViolet titles, as well as merchandising sellthrough and rental content online.

“We applaud Target for aggressively going after the home entertainment category, and pushing the industry to evolve and add even more value to our products,” said Ron Sanders, chair of the DEG Board of Directors and President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution. “They have taken the time to evaluate the opportunities within the digital marketplace and are making strategic moves to market to their customers.”

According to a press release, “DEG members cited Target’s efforts in making the brand refreshing, relevant and accessible to its loyal customer base. The retailer continues to creatively merchandise Blu-ray Disc hardware and software, offering a broad range of products and purchasing opportunities. DEG members also recognized Target for using its physical business to launch a digital business from the ground up, making UltraViolet a key component of its Target Ticket service.”

“We believe that Target understands what its guests want and does its best to deliver it to them,” said DEG president Amy Jo Smith. “The launch of Target Ticket was exceptional — their UltraViolet implementation is best in class.”

DEG honors also acknowledged “creative excellence” in Blu-ray Disc titles released in 2013. The judging panel, nominated by the motion picture studio and music company members of the DEG, consisted of reviewers and industry reporters from trade, entertainment and daily consumer news organizations, including Home Media Magazine. In addition to overall sound and picture quality, all titles were considered for those features that best demonstrate the value-added nature of the format. The winners are:

• New Release Title of the Year: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Warner)

• Classic Title of the Year: The Wizard of Oz (Warner)

• 3D Title of the Year: Life of Pi (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

• TV Title of the Year: Breaking Bad: The Complete Series (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

• Music Title of the Year: Cabaret (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

In memory of DEG founding chairman Emiel N. Petrone, the organization also presented four awards to acknowledge the year’s most outstanding digital entertainment products released in 2013. Selected by a panel of product reviewers from the industry’s home theater enthusiast publications, the following four products were given the top honors:

• The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for Best Ultra HDTV: XBR X850A Series 4K Ultra HDTV (Sony)

• The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for Best Sound Bar: LAP340 Sound Plate (LG Electronics)

• The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for Best Connected Blu-ray Disc Player: DMP-BDT330 Blu-ray Disc Player (Panasonic)

• The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for Most Innovative Home Entertainment Product: KN55S9C OLED HDTV (Samsung)
 

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