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LaunchMicrosoft Kicks Off Free Xbox Live Gold WeekendAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2006 - 8:09am.
Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft is offering owners of its Xbox 360 game consoles 72 hours of free access to its Xbox Live Gold online game service this weekend. The Verizon-sponsored Free Xbox Live Gold Weekend will give Xbox 360 owners, who already receive free access to a Silver version of Xbox Live, an upgrade to the $49.99 per year Gold version, which includes more advanced features and HD content downloads. The weekend will include special events like the opportunity to play "NBA 2K6" against Kamal from The Roots, or "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" with both the game's development team at Ubisoft and the company's Frag Dolls pro gamer team.
Movie Studio MGM Launches New Media DivisionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2006 - 8:07am.
Los Angeles - Hollywood movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) this week announced the formation of a new media division, which will oversee the company's digital distribution strategy, including broadband and wireless efforts. The company named Douglas A. Lee as executive vice president in charge of the new unit. Previously, Lee founded Lee Consulting Company, and also served in executive positions at Universal Television, 20th Century Fox and HBO. "There are numerous opportunities to grow and extend the MGM brand in the new media age," said Lee. "We will look to mine the library for new opportunities and also create new productions and initiatives for the plethora of new media opportunities that currently exist, as well as plan for new and emerging possibilities."
Wired News: Vivid Entertainment to Launch "Burn to DVD" Porn DownloadsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 31, 2006 - 7:52am.
San Francisco - Wired News on Friday reported on a forthcoming offering from adult entertainment firm Vivid Entertainment that will let users purchase and download an adult film from its website, and then burn the film to a DVD that plays on standalone DVD players. "We expect the service to be extremely popular," Vivid CEO Steven Hirsch told Wired News. "Just hit the button, download and burn." Launching April 3, Vivid's Burn to DVD service will utilize a delivery system powered by All Adult Entertainment, which uses digital rights management that enforces a one burn limit on downloads. Hirsh added that Vivid shoots 80% of its productions in high-definition, and in the future the service will be upgraded to HD.
Hearst, Volantis Launch Mobile Versions of Cosmopolitan, SeventeenAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2006 - 9:44am.
New York - Hearst Publications announced on Tuesday that it has launched a number of mobile sites and mobile content for its magazines Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL and Seventeen. Hearst partnered with Volantis to develop the mobile versions of the magazines, which include ringtones, wallpapers, horoscopes and editorial content and will be available to Cingular and Sprint Nextel subscribers. The mobile commerce portions of the sites will be powered by U.K.-based Bango.
THX Launches "Create a THX Trailer" Online ContestAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2006 - 9:42am.
San Rafael, Calif. - THX, a developer of standards for commercial cinemas, post-production studios, car audio and home entertainment systems, on Tuesday announced the launch of a "Create a THX Trailer" contest. The top 10 submissions, which must feature the THX logo and signature "Deep Note" audio effect -- played to showcase the sound quality in movie theaters -- will be featured on THX.com.
Hong Kong Broadband Network Launches Free Movie Download SiteAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2006 - 9:40am.
Hong Kong - Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN), a provider of broadband Internet access in Hong Kong, announced on Tuesday the launch of a free, legal movie promotional download site for all Hong Kong residents. The site is offering five Chinese films -- "Cocktail," "My Wife is 18," "Heat Team," "Tiramisu" and "Shiver" -- with a catch: there is an 18-minute download limit. HKBN said subscribers to its 100 Mbps service will be able to download a 4GB movie in under 7 minutes, while for subscribers to competing, slower services it will likely take over an hour.
PlayFirst Launches "Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue" PC GameAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 29, 2006 - 9:34am.
San Francisco - Casual video game publisher PlayFirst announced on Tuesday the release of "Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue". San Francisco-based PlayFirst is offering a free trial of the game on its website, where it also available for purchase and download for $19.95.
WSJ: EU Warns Microsoft on Launch of Windows VistaAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:51am.
Brussels - According to the Wall Street Journal, the European Commission has sent a letter to Microsoft warning the software giant that it will not be allowed to sell its new Windows Vista operating system in Europe if it comes pre-packaged with certain security features. "We expect that Microsoft will design Vista in a way which is in line with the European competition laws," EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told the Wall Street Journal. "It would be rather stupid to design something that is not." The report also said EU officials were particularly concerned that Microsoft could use its Internet Explorer 7 browser to direct users to the company's own search service.
Airborne Entertainment Launches Activist RingtonesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:19am.
Montreal - Mobile entertainment publisher Airborne Entertainment on Wednesday introduced a new line of ringtones with social, political and environmental activist themes. The "Just Cause" ringtones and ringback tones -- such as "Hell no, we won't go!" and "Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger" -- will see 10% of net proceeds donated to a different charity each month.
IGN Entertainment Launches Mobile Game News ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:06am.
Brisbane, Calif. - IGN Entertainment, a recent acquisition of News Corporation that provides video game news and information, on Wednesday announced the launch of IGN Mobile. Initially offered to Cingular subscribers for $4.99 per month, the service will include the company's game news, reviews, tips, cheats and other content.
Sony Pictures, Thought Equity Launch Online Stock Footage LibraryAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on March 27, 2006 - 11:31am.
Culver City, Calif. - Sony Pictures Entertainment on Monday announced the launch of the Sony Pictures Collection, an online library of stock footage from its film productions. The company partnered with Denver-based Thought Equity to manage the stock film library, which includes more than 70,000 clips of explosions, stunts, natural phenomena and scenes from remote geographic locations that may be licensed for use in other productions.
Fox Launches Mobizzo Mobile Content PortalAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:22am.
Hollywood - News Corporation's Fox Mobile Entertainment unit on Monday announced the launch of a new mobile content portal, Mobizzo. The site will offer downloads like ringtones and wallpapers from Fox's "Family Guy," "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Ice Age: The Meltdown," in addition to mobile games, and mobile art from Shepard Fairey and March Mahoney. The portal will offer a la carte downloads for $1.99-$2.49, and subscription plans for around $5.99 per month. Mobizzo content is available now for Cingular and T-Mobile customers, with most U.S. carriers to follow.
Auto Resource Edmunds.com Launches CarSpace Social Networking SiteAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:14am.
Santa Monica, Calif. - Online auto resource Edmunds.com on Monday announced the launch of its own automotive lifestyle social networking website, CarSpace. The service lets users create profiles, upload photos, form discussion groups and interact on Edmunds-moderated blogs.
GQ Magazine, m-Qube Launch GQ Mobile ServiceAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:04am.
New York - Men's lifestyle magazine GQ on Monday launched GQ Mobile, which will deliver weekly podcasts and other GQ content to mobile subscribers. The Conde Nast magazine, which claims 5.5 million readers, partnered with Boston-based m-Qube on the wireless service.
Howard Stern Launches Video-on-Demand Film FestivalAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 22, 2006 - 5:15am.
New York - Radio shock jock Howard Stern, whose show is now broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and on the In Demand video-on-demand service, on Wednesday announced plans to hold the first Howard Stern Film Festival. The festival will accept films under five minutes in length that deal with storylines related to Stern's show. Winners will be broadcast on Howard TV On Demand, a video-on-demand service offered by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Adelphia that features 40 video episodes of Stern's show and other programming for $13.99 per month.
Sony May Delay PlayStation 3 LaunchAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:54am.
Tokyo - While still looking to launch its PlayStation 3 console in the spring, Sony said delays in specifications for the Blu-ray DVD drive and other technologies could force it to wait until next year, Reuters reported. Sony intends to include its next-generation Blu-ray DVD technology inside the PlayStation 3, and the specifications for that format have not yet been finalized. "We're waiting for them until the last possible minute, but the launch could be pushed back if they're not decided soon," a Sony spokeswoman told Reuters. "We're aiming for spring, but we haven't announced specific regions." A Merrill Lynch research note released on Monday speculated that the launch of the PlayStation 3 could be delayed by six to 12 months, making for a launch in the fall of 2006 in Japan, and a late 2006 or early 2007 launch in the U.S. The note also said that the cost for Sony to produce each individual game console at first could reach $900, making for a heavy loss on each console sold until production costs come down several years into the console cycle.
MTV Launches High-Definition Channel in Dolby Digital 5.1Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:34am.
San Francisco - MTV Networks said on Tuesday that it recently launched its first high-definition channel, MHD, which broadcasts in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Programming will include "MTV Unplugged," "VH1 Storytellers," "CMT Crossroads" and other music concerts and events. MHD will deliver programming to broadcast centers using the Dolby E compression format, which is then re-encoded into Dolby 5.1 for transmission to cable and satellite TV providers, and on to HDTV receivers and set-top boxes.
National Lampoon Launches Broadband ChannelAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:32am.
Los Angeles - National Lampoon announced on Tuesday the launch of its first broadband programming channel. "National Lampoon Toga!" will feature elements from the company's National Lampoon College television network, as well as from its library of films and TV programming. The company partnered with Brightcove to provide video distribution, ad delivery and asset management for the broadband TV service.
Fuse to Launch New Entertainment WebsiteAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:31am.
New York - Fuse, cable TV provider Cablevision's music video TV network, on Tuesday announced the launch of a new entertainment website. "Just for the F of It" will feature music, gaming and entertainment content that begins with the letter "F". Fuse said it hired Blink-182 bass player Mark Hoppus to serve as "exclusive tastemaker and MC of the site."
Verizon Launches FiOS TV in Woburn, MassAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2006 - 6:27am.
Reading, Mass. - Verizon said on Tuesday that it has launched FiOS TV, the company's Internet-based TV service, for the 23,000 residents of Boston suburb Woburn, Mass. Verizon's FiOS TV is currently available in parts of Texas, California, Florida, Virginia and New York.
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