Berlin - Korean consumer electronics maker Samsung this week introduced its line of third-generation Blu-ray Disc players, including a dual Blu-ray/HD DVD player. The Samsung BD-UP5000, which does not yet have a price tag but is slated for release in the fourth quarter, supports playback of both Blu-ray and HD DVD media in a range of resolutions, can upscale standard-definition content, and output 24fps video at 1080p.

Berlin - DivX, a developer of video compression technology, said on Friday that it has partnered with Accedo Broadband, and will feature the company's TV gaming services on its home networking platform. DivX Connected lets consumers access media content and services from the PC and Internet through a range of consumers electronics devices, the first of which are expected to begin selling in the fourth quarter. Accedo's Funspot service offers a range of casual games for online consumer electronics and IPTV.

Fairfax, Va. - Electronic Arts and BL Publishing, a division of Games Workshop that publishes fiction set in the "Warhammer" game worlds, announced on Friday that BL will publish an original novel based on EA's forthcoming "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning" massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The first book in the new series of novels set in the "Age of Reckoning" universe, "Empire in Chaos," was penned by Anthony Reynolds and is set for release in early 2008, alongside the game.

San Francisco - CMP Game Group this week announced that it will launch a sister event for mobile games at its Game Developers Conference, which will be held in San Francisco in February. IGF Mobile, part of the event's Independent Games Festival, is a contest that will reward developers of titles for Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, cell phones and other mobile devices with $20,000 in prizes. Submissions for individual $2,000 prize categories like Innovation in Mobile Game Design and Audio Achievement, and the $10,000 prize category for Best Game of IGF Mobile, are currently being accepted at a link below.

Tokyo - Japan has enacted a law making it illegal to bring a camcorder into a movie theater to pirate films, with violators to face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $89,960, Variety reported.

New York - Facebook has asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed against it by ConnectU, a rival social network that claims Facebook was created from code stolen from ConnectU's creators, the Boston Globe reported on Friday.

New York - In another battle in the war between old and new media companies to control monetization of content on the Web, NBC has said it won't renew a contract with Apple to sell its TV shows from the iTunes Store, The New York Times reported on Friday.

New York - Amazon.com is gearing up to launch its long-awaited digital music service in mid-September, the New York Post reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Bangkok, Thailand - The government of Thailand has ended a countrywide four-month ban on YouTube, following the company's promise not to allow videos to be posted that violate its laws or "are deemed offensive to Thai people," the Associated Press reported.

San Francisco - An independent filmmaker who posted some of his work on YouTube, which was then used without permission by Viacom on a TV show, has seen his posting of Viacom's use of his work removed from YouTube by the media conglomerate, CNET News.com reported.

Washington - The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), a trade association that represents over 700 U.S. music publishers, announced on Friday that it has settled its lawsuit against German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, over the company's investment in the Napster file-sharing service in 2000.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Jacked, a developer of interactive TV technology, has raised $6.5 million in its first round of venture capital financing, from Provenance Ventures, Core Capital Partners and Gabriel Venture Partners, PaidContent.org reported.

Paris - Dailymotion, a video-sharing site based in France that competes with YouTube, Metacafe, Veoh Networks and others, has raised $34 million in new financing, from Advent Venture Partners and AGF Private Equity, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Mountain View, Calif. - Six weeks after raising $15 million in its third round of funding, TheFind, developer of a shopping search engine for lifestyle goods, said that it has acquired high fashion shopping website Glimpse.com.

dreamGEAR announced the addition of video game industry veteran Chris Berthelot to its ranks as Vice President of Licensing and Business Development. Berthelot joins dreamGEAR directly from Toys’R’Us, where he has served as the Director of Merchandising for their video games division.

http://www.dreamGEAR.net