June 2004   Pixel Farm Interactive Finds DVD Use Evolving             By Chad Schmeidel Long before DVD players became common household appliances, major retailers were utilizing DVD kiosks to present key messages at the point-of-sale. Today, with the low cost of DVD replication and the number of DVD players skyrocketing, exciting new opportunities for DVD have arisen.

Give-away DVDs
According to Pixel Farm Interactive, a Minneapolis-based developer of DVD titles, a new trend among retailers has emerged. Many retailers are now giving away promotional DVDs at the check-out counter. “A number of our retailing customers are filling DVD discs with information about upcoming products, popular current products, and discount coupons,” said Jeff Strobl, Director of DVD Services at Pixel Farm Interactive. “Some retailers are also including entertainment content intended to lure consumers into adding the free DVD to their home library instead of discarding the disc.”

Time Expired
In some cases, DVD content is required to expire after a certain period of time. One example of this is an entertainment title sold at a low price point. Another example is a DVD that includes a time-sensitive special offer. New technologies now allow for the development of a “disposable” DVD. Once removed from its packaging, the disc plays only for a specified period of time and then becomes unreadable by the DVD player.

Instructional DVDs
DVD players are now so common in American households that many manufacturers are replacing VHS tapes with DVDs to show consumers how to assemble or use their products. DVDs improve on videotapes and printed documentation by including easy-to-choose language preferences, subtitles, chapters or similar navigational controls, and DVD discs are a fraction of the size and weight of VHS and printed materials.

Multi-Image DVD
Many companies are now using DVD and video projectors to create dazzling multi-image displays to lure customers into the store. Pixel Farm Interactive has worked with Minneapolis-based Visual Circuits to create powerful multi-image presentations for large window kiosks that display from four to 20 channels of synchronized DVD video.

The Future
“The scope of DVD is so broad,” said Jeff Strobl, “and our clients’ needs are so varied and unique, every day is a new challenge. I’m sure there are DVD applications that no one has even thought of yet. Now is definitely an exciting time to be part of this industry.” For more information visit www.PixelFarmInteractive.com