Archives

House Passes Bill That Stiffens Anti-Piracy Laws, Legalizes DVD Sanitizers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:52am.
Washington -- The U.S. House on Tuesday passed the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, which will stiffen penalties for both movie theater and Internet pirates, and legalize some services that edit offensive content from DVDs. Having already passed in the Senate, the bill is now expected to be signed into law by President Bush. The bill will make it a federal crime -- punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for first offenses -- to record a movie within a theater, or post a film or song on Internet file-sharing networks before their official releases. The bill will also likely have the effect of terminating a lawsuit brought by the film studios against ClearPlay, a developer of software that enables viewers to skip over offensive language, sex and violence with their DVD players.
tags: Bill | House | Anti-Piracy Laws | Legalizes DVD Sanitizers |

Report: DVD Title, Player Sales Grow Double Digits in First Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:48am.
Los Angeles -- More than 400 million DVDs were shipped to retail during the first quarter of 2005, a 21% increase over the same period in 2004, bringing the total number of DVDs shipped since the format's launch to 4.3 billion discs, according to a report industry trade group The Digital Entertainment Group. Additionally, the report found that 7.5 million DVD players were sold in the first quarter, a 13% increase over last year. DVD players are now in 73 million U.S. households; around 46% of DVD-owning households also report having more than one player. The DEG estimates more than 80% of U.S. households will own at least one player by the end of the year.
tags: Reports | Player | First Quarter | DVD Title | Grow Double Digits |

Universal Music, AOL Reach Accord on 'Net Music Video Payments

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:47am.
New York -- The New York Times reported on Tuesday that major record label Universal Music Group has negotiated a deal with AOL to pay for the use of Universal artists' music videos on the AOL service. Both AOL and Yahoo recently had to remove Universal videos -- previously provided for free as a promotional tool -- as the label worked to establish new compensation agreements. A source told The Times that terms of the two-year deal call for AOL to pay Universal a per-view fee for each video, or a share of ad revenue generated by the video -- whichever is greater. The variable per-view rate is said to be less than one cent, lower than Universal's original proposal. Universal is also reportedly negotiating a similar deal with Yahoo. "This is a landmark agreement," Universal chairman Doug Morris told The Times. "With all these new services expanding so quickly, it was important that we got this agreement in place before everyone's business model was based on free."
tags: Universal Music | AOL | Deal | Net Music Video Payments |

Buena Vista Games Buys Avalanche Software, Opens Vancouver Studio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:28am.
Burbank, Calif. -- Disney's Buena Vista Games video game publishing division announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Salt Lake City-based developer Avalanche Software, and also that is has established a new development studio in Vancouver. Disney did not provide financial details of its acquisition of Avalanche, which was founded in 1995, employs 100 developers and has created titles including "Tak and the Power of Juju" and "Dragonball Z Sagas." The company is also currently working on titles based on Disney's upcoming animated film "Chicken Little." Burbank, Calif.-based Buena Vista Games said its new Vancouver studio's 20-member team will be headed by former executives at Electronic Arts Canada, and will focus on action/adventure games for current and next-generation game consoles.
tags: Buena Vista Games | Acquires | Avalanche Software | Opens Vancouver Studio |

IBiquity Digital Consumer HD Radios to Hit Stores This Summer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:26am.
Las Vegas -- IBiquity Digital, a developer of HD Radio technology that allows radio stations to transmit a digital signal alongside their traditional analog signals, announced on Tuesday that manufacturers including Polk Audio, Radiosophy, Sanyo, Panasonic, Yamaha, ADA and Rotel are expected to bring their consumer HD Radio receivers to market this summer. "By the end of 2005, we expect to see at least a dozen different manufacturers offering HD Radio products across categories that include aftermarket and OEM automotive, tabletop, and high-end home," said iBiquity president and CEO Robert Struble. "Just as importantly, prices of comparable receivers are falling by 50% or more from 2004 levels, making HD Radio products available to a wider range of consumers." Sanyo plans to sell an HD Radio car receiver that also supports playback of MP3 and WMA files in June for $499; Polk Audio's I-Sonic all-in-one receiver with satellite radio, a DVD/CD player and HD Radio tuner will sell in September for $599. Maryland-based iBiquity also said on Tuesday that Dolby Laboratories' Dolby Pro Logic II audio format has been approved for use with HD Radio, which provides surround-sound on a two-channel service.
tags: IBiquity Digital Consumer HD Radios | Hit Stores | Summer |

Report: Mobile Users to Reach More Than 3 Billion by 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 19, 2005 - 8:24am.
London -- The number of mobile users worldwide is set to double from 1.5 billion people to more than 3 billion people by 2010, according to the latest report from market analysis firm Gartner. The report said such growth would force mobile manufacturers to innovate, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where users will demand cheaper handsets than in many other parts of the world. "We will see a lot of innovation coming out of Asia," said Gartner Research Vice President Nick Jones. "That's forcing the price down and opens up a whole new set of opportunities."
tags: Reports | More | Mobile Users |