AllofMP3 making a comeback
While many believed it to be dead and buried, it seems AllofMP3 will be resuming service."The service will be resumed in the foreseeable future," a blog post from the company read. "We ...
TorrentSpy no longer available to US users
Users logging in from the United States are no longer able to access TorrentSpy's torrent search engine and instead are redirected to a privacy notice."Sorry, but because you are located ...
Netflix says demand for HD discs are evenly split
Netflix, the US' largest online DVD rental service has said that its demand for HD discs, HD DVD and Blu-ray, are just about equal but also reiterated what most knowledgeable consumers know ...
Sony introduces Vaio LT HD PC/TV
On Monday, Sony introduced its first ever combo HDTV/PC that included Blu-ray.Dubbed the Vaio LT HD PC/TV, the display is a 22-inch widescreen "all-in-one". The system has support for CableCARD ...
Student's piracy claims not likely to keep information from RIAA
A University of Tennessee student is attempting to quash an RIAA subpoena issued as part of the music industry's war against on-campus file-sharing. Doe #28 is taking a different tack than other ...
220 Megapixel computer display built
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have built the world's highest-resolution computer display, a 55-panel screen capable of zooming in on a live picture of a human brain to ...
DirecTV and NFL join to offer streaming games
If you're a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan living in Boston, there's no better way to catch Peyton Manning gesticulating wildly before each snap of the ball than with DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. ...
Stories that Bioshock includes a rootkit aren't true
This weekend news spread quickly that the PC version of Bioshock comes loaded with a rootkit. The only problem is, it isn't loaded with a rootkit, it's just your standard "let's punish our customers" ...
PSP getting a hard drive?
Sony Europe head David Reeves has recently said that the company has not ruled out introducing a hard drive for the PSP even though the PSP Slim is coming out soon."I think that it certainly ...
Fox to premiere K-Ville online first
Fox Broadcasting Co. has premiered its police drama "K-Ville" online ahead of its September 17 broadcast debut.The series is available commercial-free for a Limited time on News Corp. portals ...
Game consoles see unexpected growth in July
Nintendo's Wii continues to lead the pack of current-generation video game consoles, according to NPD Group. However, the real eye-opener, from NPD's perspective, is the unexpected mid-summer ...
UK study shows DVRs affecting DVD viewing
DVRs have earned the enmity of broadcasters and advertisers alike by enabling viewers to easily skip their least favorite bit of the TV watching experience, commercials. Another group may be ...
Study shows internet not used by teens to discover movies
A majority of teens see movies within the first two weeks after their release, and despite the surging popularity of the Internet among 13- to 17-year-olds, most find out about the latest films ...
SoundExchange reaches deal with large webcasters
The Digital Media Association (DiMA) and SoundExchange announced an agreement yesterday to cap the $500 per-channel webcasting fees at $50,000—a victory for large webcasters that stream thousands ...
European Commission tries to clear hurdles for satellite based DVB-H
A European Commission plan to simplify the licensing of Europe-wide mobile satellite services could boost the nascent market for broadcast TV services over handheld devices.With a general ...
RHI to release VOD and DVD simultaneously
TV movie producer RHI Entertainment plans to debut 24 original films on video-on-demand over the next year, bypassing both traditional broadcast and cable TV and DVD.The plan is for RHI ...
Limewire reveals pricing scheme for new legal store
Recently, we reported that the infamous P2P client Limewire was set to start a DRM-free legal music store but the company didnt give any pricing information or a date for launch.According ...
VG Chartz: Wii passes Xbox 360 worldwide sales figure
According to VG Chartz, Nintendo's Wii console is now the most sold home console of its generation worldwide after passing out the Xbox 360. The site reports 10.57 million Wii units have been ...
Indonesian anti-piracy raids lead to six arrests
Indonesian police and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) anti-piracy experts raided a pirate music factory on Thursday and found a large quantity of counterfeit ...
Europe finally gets iPhone
According to the Financial Times, Apple has finally secured revenue sharing deals that will bring the iPhone to Europe.Three service providers have signed the deals, T-Mobile in Germany, ...
Vizio tops LCD sales
According to a new report by iSuppli, the relatively unknown Vizio has jumped to the top of LCD TV sales in North America, beating out giants such as Sharp and Sony.For the second quarter ...
Canadian anti-piracy raids turn up $800,000 worth of bootleg DVDs
Police raids at a Mississauga flea market have squashed rampant piracy that was bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars for sellers. On Sunday, about a dozen booths at flea markets on Mavis ...
Rolling Stones DRM free MP3s now available
London-based 7digital has become the first digital media delivery company to make EMI's Rolling Stones catalog available on MP3 with no Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions.Without ...
iTunes rival launched by Viacom and RealNetworks
Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks and digital media company RealNetworks announced Tuesday a digital music joint venture that will compete with Apple's dominant trinity of the iTunes store, iPod player and iPhone....
Wal-Mart trying to gain market share by losing DRM
Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it is now selling digital music downloads on its Web site without the customary copy-protection technology that limits where consumers can play the songs....
Wal-Mart hopes to gain market share by losing DRM
Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it is now selling digital music downloads on its Web site without the customary copy-protection technology that limits where consumers can play the songs....
P2P giant Suprnova returns
With lawsuits flying around from every angle, the owner of the once famed Suprnova.org, sloncek was forced to deliver a huge blow to the BitTorrent P2P scene by shutting down the website. Once ...
YouTube tapping Google customers for overlay ads
YouTube is making its biggest push into video advertising on its Internet site, a key strategy by owner Google Inc to Capture an even greater share of Web marketing budgets.Google has tread ...
Vizio becomes the top LCD TV vendor
Vizio, which got its start helping Gateway enter the LCD business, has a new hand to clasp: its own.The television manufacturer, which has quietly toiled behind the scenes, was the top vendor ...
Adobe adds hi-def tech to Flash Player
Adobe Tuesday announced an update to its Flash Player multimedia player, now in beta testing, that will support higher quality audio and video than previous versions via standard H.264 video ...
Comcast denies filtering Bittorrent traffic
Comcast on Tuesday denied rumors that the company is filtering BitTorrent traffic running over its network.Broadband providers have not been big fans of BitTorrent because the use of the ...
Paramount picks HD DVD in format war - again
Just when many observers are beginning to believe that Blu-ray has the next-gen HD format wars all wrapped up, Paramount throws us a major curveball. The studio has announced that it is abandoning ...
Movie studios announce increased Blu-ray releases
After a slow start in high-definition, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment are now slating Blu-ray Disc titles with a vengeance, slotting 29 releases for the rest ...
Panasonic prolongs plasma life cycle
Panasonic became the first company to announce that it extended the phosphor half life of its consumer 1080p plasma displays to 100,000 hours from 60,000, exceeding the announced performance ...
Defendent argues "making files available" isn't infringement
The assertion that making a song available over a P2P network like KaZaA infringes on the copyrights of the record labels will be tested by Warner v. Cassin next month, as attorney Ray Beckerman ...
Second installement of DVD Project added
The second part of our Basic DVD Project guide series is up now. It covers analysis of source files and formulating a plan for creating DVD assets from it.You can find the guide, entitled ...
Lucky and Flo receive awards in Malaysia
As I look over at my own dog who's only real talent comprised in his hyper-sensitive nose is the ability to accelerate faster than human reaction straight into an unsuspecting crotch, I wonder ...
Google's Adsense to distribute videos
Google's web advertisement service, Adsense, will work with Media Rights Capital on two projects that will put videos on websites around the world that display Adsense advertisements. Working ...
Wii sales catching up to Xbox 360?
Nintendo's Wii console has enjoyed surging demand ever since it was launched in 2006. Often thought of as the "alternative console" of the generation, the Wii is now threatening to take the ...
MainConcept licenses H.264 encoder to Corel
MainConcept AG has announced that Corel Corporation has agreed to license its H.264 encoder technology. Corel is a leading global software company that provides full-featured, easy-to-use productivity, ...
Europe finally gets 360 price drop
Following hot on the heels of the U.S. price drop, Microsoft has officially announced the much anticipated European price drop for their Xbox 360. The consoles will drop in price by 50 euros ...
Toshiba unleashes REGZA C3500 and RF350 LCDs
Japanese electronics manufacturer, Toshiba continues its release party with the unveiling of two new LCD lines to please consumers wishing tot take the high-definition plunge. The two new lines ...
2007 best summer on record for box office
For the first time ever, four summer films have broken the $300 million barrier at the domestic box office: "Spider-Man 3" ($336.4 million), "Shrek the Third" ($321 million), "Pirates of the ...
Sony launches new HD marketing campaign
Sony Electronics launched its largest integrated marketing campaign in the U.S., centering on its high definition DNA known as "HDNA."The campaign, featuring Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning ...
KindyElec brings out new PMP for analog and digital TV
Chinese personal media player maker, KindyElec has released a device, while not easy on the eyes, boasts some interesting features. This player, dubbed the KP701-11 is capable of receiving both ...
RIAA sued by consumer citing illegal tactics
Being no stranger to the court room, the RIAA has found themselves on the receiving end of a class action lawsuit filed by Tanya Anderson of Oregon who claims the recording organization impersonated ...
Netflix still looking for perfect combination of features and price
Going a different direction than most companies in the Internet era, Netflix has stopped taking customer service questions and complaints via e-mail, preferring to handle all customer support ...
Disney announces more interactive Blu-ray releases
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment next year will bow its first Blu-ray Disc titles with advanced interactivity, including Web-enabled and picture-in-picture bonus features.National ...
Sony sells exclusive LCD televisions at Target
Although not available in stores until mid-September, Target.com has begun showcasing two Sony Bravia LCD televisions that will be an exclusive to the Target stores. The 26-inch and 32-inch ...
NuTech Digital to deliver hi-def over phone lines
It seems like these days high-definition content is being pushed towards consumers through many different avenues, whether it be satellite, Streaming, high capacity discs or otherwise. One company, ...
Happy Birthday Compact Disc
For some of us it doesn't seem all that long ago, but the revolutionary Compact Disc is officially 25 years old. Although, development of the disc dates back many hears, the official date in ...
Children sued by RIAA try to bring Sharman with them
Some time ago, the RIAA had files suit Patti Santangelo and her two children Michelle and Robert for allegedly illegally downloading copyrighted music from the Internet. Patti, the mother, had ...
DivX reaches 100 million compatible devices shipped
DivX has managed to pass a very important milestone in its run. DivX has officially shipped 100 million devices capable of playing video encoded in the DivX Codec. These DivX Certified video ...
LaCie launches 5TB SATA RAID for video professionals
In late July, LaCie announced the 5TB Biggest S2S 5-disk RAID designed for digital content creation applications. Using eSATA 3Gbit/s interface and direct eSATA-to-SATA connection, a single ...
New guide series on Afterdawn
Tonight I'm posting the first in a series of guides for creating DVDs. The project involves creating a DVD using public domain video files and a combination of free, trial, and on occasion low ...
PlayStation 3 passes "independent stress test" for durability
Sony America chief Dave Karraker has proudly noted on the official PlayStaion blog that the PlayStation 3 was put through an "independent stress test" by PS3 Vault and that it had passed with flying colors....
Allofmp3 case thrown out of Russian court
The owner of the once famed Allofmp3.com, Denis Kvasov has been acquitted of charges of copyright infringement stemming from his sale of bottom dollar priced MP3 files. The court in Moscow has ...
Limewire to start authorized music download store
The infamous file sharing company LimeWire announced today that they had plans to begin a legal, authorized music store which it will eventually integrate into its hugely popular P2P client....
Sharp LCD televisions are trimming down
As the worldwide leader in liquid crystal displays, Sharp has announced that it will soon launch its new D64U series of AQUOS LCD televisions featuring a new slim line casing. The new line of ...
iPhone users get digital books from HarperCollins
Literature publisher HarperCollins announced Wednesday that it will offer several iPhone compatible digital books on its website for savvy iPhone web surfers. Most of the books that will be ...
Audio Watermarking may be new alternative to DRM
Several record labels such as Sony Music and Universal Music have been courting with the idea brought about by a Seattle based company called Activated Content which places audio Watermarks ...
Most consumers still prefer DVD and TV to downloads and streaming
Consumers still prefer watching TV shows and movies on DVD or the TV to watching movies online via Streaming or downloading, according to a study by industry trade group DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group....
New CCE Basic guide added
We have a new guide called "Deciphering CCE Basic". Instead of being oriented toward a single task, like most of our guides are, it's intended to give you an overview of all the options in the program....
LG drops price of its 'Super Blu' HD DVD/Blu-ray Player
Finally seeing some competition on the horizon in the form of Samsung's $1,049 dual-format hybrid player, LG has lowered the price of their "Super Blu" BH100 hybrid combo player by $200 USD....
John Lennon finally comes to iTunes
Although the Beatles' digital catalogue wont be hitting iTunes until next year, Apple announced that they had made the solo works of John Lennon available on the iTunes platform.16 tracks ...
Analysts doubt outcome to hi-def format war this year
People who own an HD DVD player can forget about watching "Spider-Man 3" in high definition when it goes on sale during the holiday season. The movie from Sony Pictures will only be available ...
Amazon begins large HD DVD promotion with Xbox 360
Tempting consumers, Amazon has begun using last week's Xbox 360 price drops to sweeten the pot for gamers who may want to step up to HD DVD by offering a new bundle for the Elite Xbox system....
US moves forward with WTO demands against Chinese pirates
The Bush administration asked a world trade panel on Monday to force China to crack down on pirated goods, like U.S. movies and software."Over the past several years, China has taken tangible ...
On-demand DVD burning gaining industry acceptance
Polar Frog Digital, a company that distributes and operates movie download kiosks, has joined the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) as an associate member.Polar Frog operates MediaIgloo ...
Google lawyers seek testimony from comedians in YouTube case
Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, whose programs were once among the most viewed on YouTube, were requested by the video site to give testimony in legal proceedings as it fights a $1 ...
Blu-ray appears to be thriving in developing markets
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is touting Blu-ray Disc strength in developing markets, noting that sales in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Eastern Europe, South Africa and the Middle East now ...
Netflix promises more movies for its streaming service
In a fierce battle with Blockbuster that seems to be ever heating up, Netflix has promised more "Watch Now" streaming movies to be included with their service plans.Netflix has been running ...
Movie Gallery expresses "substantial doubt" as to whether it can continue to operate
Movie Gallery, the game and video rental outlet, posted a large loss for the second quarter of 2007 and expressed “substantial doubt” as to whether it can continue operating.The company ...
French movie rental operator creates new download drive
Cinebank, the largest video rental operator in France has developed a new and unique system for movie rentals by creating a portable hard drive that customers can use to load up at an instore ...
NBC to record 3600 hours of 2008 Olympic coverage, many in HD
NBC Universal has announced that they will be shooting more than 3600 hours of coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which is over 3 times the previous record of 1,210 hours of coverage ...
ISPs worry about video bandwidth
Analysts believe that ISPs have started to revolt about delivering net video because of the fickle European broadband market and because publishers are effectively transferring their distribution ...
New study shows European youth have no problems with piracy
Children in Europe are aware of the risks of illegal downloading, but often rationalize their act by saying that everyone -- including their parents -- is doing it, according to a major European ...
Google's decision to discontinue video may alter DMCA enforcement
Since the death of the commercial part of Google Video will render thousands and thousands of purchases useless, the Library of Congress will have no choice but to consider the matter when they ...
EFF and Universal battle over sale of promotional CDs
A legal storm is brewing between the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Universal Music Group over the right to sell CDs distributed for promotional purposes by music labels.The dispute ...
Universal to promote iTunes alternative
Universal Music Group plans to sell DRM free music appear to include marketing a new online music store called gBox.Under the program, gBox will get referrals through ads Universal will ...
Canadian theaters follow American lead and offer rewards for caught "pirates"
A few months ago, we heard a report from Twentieth Century Fox that said that Canada was a "haven for pirates" and that over 50 percent of all camcorder recorded movies came from the country. ...
Matsushita shifts focus from plasma to LCD
Panasonic maker Matsushita, the world's largest plasma TV supplier, said it will launch 37-inch LCD TVs in September, modifying its policy of covering demand for 37-inch and larger flat TVs ...
Google takes back ownership of customers' purchased video
So much for buying and renting videos from Google. On Wednesday, August 15, the world's most popular search engine waves goodbye to the DTO/DTR (download-to-own/download-to-rent) feature on ...
Update: Universal snubs iTunes for DRM free downloads
Universal Music Group's plans for DRM free downloads apparently don't include iTunes. The downloads will be offered through Rhapsody as well as digital download stores run by Wal-Mart, Best ...
Disney beats Warner to the punch with "Best Of" HD packs
Although Warner has boasted that they will be the first studio to offer "Best of HD DVD" and "Best of Blu-ray" disc bundles, apparently Disney has beaten them to the punch.This week, the ...
"300" on Blu-ray sells almost twice as well as HD DVD rival
Earlier this week we reported that the blockbuster movie "300" had become the fastest and highest selling HD title to date.In its first week of sales however, according to Home Media Magazine, ...
BenQ introduces new E-series LCD monitors
BenQ has introduced their new E-series of LCD monitors with very fast response time.Each display has a 5ms pixel response time and uses BenQ's custom Senseye image processing techniques ...
EMI physical CD sales plummet
For the last 4 months, EMI physical CD sales have plummeted 20 percent, however the news comes bundled with the fact that in the same time period, digital music sales were up 26 percent....
New website will feature TV commercials
NBC Universal is expanding its battle against YouTube and other viral video sites, using the weight of its top-rated USA cable network to launch an all-advertising website called Didja.com....
D-Link is planning an Apple TV rival
According to Reuters, D-Link is planning to introduce a rival to the Apple TV that will serve the same purpose as well as cost the same price.The new device will support 802.11n wireless ...
Google begins filtering certain torrent results from its search engine
According to TorrentFreak, Google has begun filtering certain torrent results from its search engine, those that have been specifically mentioned to them in DMCA complaints.Searching for ...
Google Video's download to own service going away
Ever since the purchase by Cupertino, California based Google of YouTube, Google Video has played a very distant second fiddle to the free video clip structure of YouTube. One service that a ...
Universal tries out DRM free downloads
Universal Music Group, the world's largest music label, has said it will temporarily allow the sale of thousands of its albums and tracks DRM-free.For the next few months, the likes of Amy ...
Universal tests out DRM free downloads
Universal Music Group, the world's largest music label, has said it will temporarily allow the sale of thousands of its albums and tracks DRM-free.For the next few months, the likes of Amy ...
Universal tries to block CD import
Universal Music Group, in an effort to sell as many copies as possible of Amy Winehouse's newest CD have begun blocking US sales of her first album, "Frank" and are threatening to sue retailers ...
Microsoft applauds piracy conviction
Microsoft has applauded today's federal court decision to sentence a man convicted of selling pirated MS software along with faked certificates of authenticity.The man, Justin Harrison, ...
Halo 3 hits 1 million pre-orders
Microsoft announced this morning that Halo 3 had become the fastest selling pre-ordered game in history, with over 1 million copies already paid for.Hoping to add to that total, Microsoft ...
Onkyo takes the plunge into HD DVD
Onkyo USA is rolling out its first HD DVD player, the DV-HD805, at a relatively high $899 price point for the format.Slated to debut this fall, the DV-HD805 will represent one of the first ...
Azureus hits 7 million subscribers with Vuze
Based in Palo Alto, California, P2P leader Azureus is proud to announce that their spinoff site Vuze, a high Resolution video portal, has crossed the threshold of seven million users in just ...
German courts don't see file sharing as a serious problem
German prosecutors have begun denying requests to force ISPs to identify the subscribers behind IP addresses, saying that the alleged file-sharing was a "petty offense."The most recent ruling ...