Tech

Studios Sue Swedish ISP, Demand Closure of OpenBitTorrent

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2009 - 11:54am.

Los Angeles - Several Hollywood movie studios have filed suit against a Swedish ISP that is hosting OpenBitTorrent, an independent BitTorrent file-sharing tracker site that was launched in the wake of the The Pirate Bay's announced sale to Global Gaming Factory, TorrentFreak reported. The studios sued hosting provider Portlane, demanding that it shutter the OpenBitTorrent website.

The Pirate Bay Permanently Shutters File-Sharing Tracker

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 17, 2009 - 8:41am.

Stockholm, Sweden - Marking "the end of an era," the operators of file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay on Tuesday shut down their BitTorrent tracker, which grew over six years to become the largest hub for finding copyrighted materials for download in the world, TorrentFreak reported. "Now that the decentralized system for finding peers is so well developed, TPB has decided that there is no need to run a tracker anymore, so it will remain down! It's the end of an era, but the era is no longer up2date," the Pirate Bay wrote on its blog. "We have put a server in a museum already, and now the tracking can be put there as well."

YouTube to Launch 1080p HD Video Quality Next Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 11:41am.

San Francisco - Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube plans to introduce a new 1080p, full high-definition resolution option for viewing videos, as well as a new full-screen player next week, the company said at the NewTeeVee Live conference this week. The site's current maximum output is 720p. YouTube said it is currently re-encoding already submitted 1080p videos so they can be viewed in the higher-resolution format.

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 9:17am.

San Francisco - Mobile operator Verizon Wireless will this week begin sending "copyright notices" on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to subscribers suspected of illegally downloading songs, CNET News.com reported, citing sources with knowledge of the agreement. The letter reportedly urges the recipient to delete the content they distribute, but does not include threats of potential service interruptions as a penalty.

Copy-Protection Tech Firm Widevine Raising New Funds

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 8:10am.

Seattle - Widevine, a provider of forensic watermarking technologies and other digital rights management services for content owners, has secured $7.25 million of an expected $9.7 million round of new venture capital, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing.

AEG Live, Action 3D to Produce HD 3D Concert Films

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 11:02am.

Los Angeles - Concert promoter and venue owner AEG Live has partnered with Action 3D to produce a series of HD 3D concerts that they plan to offer in theaters for limited, one-week releases, Variety reports. The first such engagement will be a Dave Matthews Band set from the Austin City Limits festival, which will show in 300-400 digital cinema screens from Dec. 11.

Apple Now Offers 250 HD Movie Titles on iTunes Store

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2009 - 11:36am.

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has expanded the library of HD movies available for purchase from its iTunes Store to 250, according to a promotional email from the company. New titles available for $19.99 include "Up," "WALL*E," "G.I. Joe," "Twilight," nine James Bond films and a pre-order for "Star Trek."

tags: HD | Apple | Movies | iTunes Store |

Sony to Offer "Meatballs" on Web TV Before DVD Release

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2009 - 11:35am.

Los Angeles - Sony (NYSE: SNE) plans to make its animated film "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" available via Internet-connected televisions and Blu-ray players ahead of its physical DVD release date, The New York Times reports. The price tag for the advanced screening, available from Dec. 8 through Jan. 4, is $24.95, which Sony told The Times was "high enough not to alienate retailers."

Universal to Debut New Interactive Blu-ray Features

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2009 - 11:33am.

Universal City, Calif. - Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced on Tuesday that several of its upcoming Blu-ray releases will include new interactive features, including social networking and mobile applications for the iPhone. The pocket BLU app connects a user's iPhone via Wi-Fi to a network-connected Blu-ray player, and can become an advanced remote control; provide a video timeline; function as a keyboard for Blu-ray chat and messaging; and unlock exclusive mobile bonus content. The social BLU technology will allow users to send Facebook and Twitter status updates from their Blu-ray player, and in the future let users share film-related user-generated content. The new features will be available on forthcoming Blu-ray editions of films including "Bruno," "Funny People" and "Inglorious Basterds."

Swedish ISP Black Internet Appeals Pirate Bay Shutdown Order

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2009 - 10:36am.

Stockholm, Sweden - The Pirate Bay's former bandwidth supplier, Black Internet, has been given leave to appeal a Swedish court's order to disconnect the file-sharing hub, TorrentFreak reports.

Report: Google Acquires VoIP Firm Gizmo5 for $30 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 9, 2009 - 8:17am.

San Diego - Google (NASD: GOOG) has paid about $30 million in cash to acquire Gizmo5, a developer of Internet telephony technology, TechCrunch reported, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.

Norwegian Court: ISP Telenor Need Not Block The Pirate Bay

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 9:57am.

Oslo, Norway - International record label trade group IFPI has lost its court case that sought to compel Norwegian ISP Telenor to block its subscribers' access to file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay, TorrentFreak reported.

Walmart.com Prices Top 10 Pre-Order DVDs at $10

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:28pm.

Brisbane, Calif. - Walmart.com (NYSE: WMT) is now offering a $10 price tag and free home delivery on its top ten pre-order DVD and Blu-ray movie titles. Titles available through the offer include "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek" and "Julie and Julia." The DVD promotion comes as Walmart.com is engaged in a price-cutting war with Amazon and Target.

Report: Skype Creators, eBay, Investors Near Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 9:29am.

San Francisco - Litigation between the inventors and former owners of Internet phone service Skype, current owner eBay (NASD: EBAY), and an investor group looking to acquire Skype from eBay, could be nearing a settlement, The New York Times reported, citing several people who have been briefed on the situation. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis -- the inventors of Skype and the peer-to-peer technology behind file-sharing service Kazaa and video portal Joost -- sued the investor group in a bid to block their acquisition of Skype from eBay.

Survey: Among Consumers, File-Swappers Spend Most on Music

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 8:30am.

London - Those who download songs from unauthorized file-sharing services are the consumers who spend the most money on music, according to a survey of 1,000 16-50 year-olds with Internet access conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of London-based think tank Demos. The survey found that one in ten of the British respondents admitted to using free file-sharing services. File-swappers were found to spend about $120 a year on music -- 75% more than the $72 spent by those who aren't on file-sharing networks.

Swedish Court: Pirate Bay Operators Must Stop Running Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 7:45am.

Stockholm, Sweden - A Swedish court has ordered two of the operators of file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay to cease their involvement in operating the site, or else face fines of $71,000 each, TorrentFreak reported. The story notes that neither Gottfrid Svartholm nor Fredrik Neij currently reside in Sweden, nor is The Pirate Bay itself currently hosted on servers within Sweden.

U.K. Parliament to Consider "Three-Strikes" P2P Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 10:14am.

London - The U.K. government plans to introduce a bill mimicking France's recently enacted "three-strikes" legislation on file-sharing, which authorizes the suspension of the Internet accounts of those warned repeatedly they are violating copyrights, according to published reports. The bill will "make technical measures available, including account suspension," U.K. business, innovation and skills minister Peter Mandelson said at a meeting of government and entertainment industry heads, according to PaidContent's coverage.

Report: Pirate Bay Being Courted by Four New Suitors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 9:45am.

Stockholm, Sweden - In the wake of the unraveling of Global Gaming Factory's unsuccessful attempt to acquire The Pirate Bay, as many as four new suitors have emerged with an eye towards purchasing the file-sharing hub, TorrentFreak reported, citing Sweden's Dagens Industri. Reservella, the Seychelles-based holding company that currently owns the Pirate Bay, is reportedly currently in talks with GamersGate, a Swedish online games firm.

Roku Offers New HD Set-tops; Cuts Price of Base Model to $79

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2009 - 12:17pm.

Saratoga, Calif. - Roku, a maker of Internet-connected set-top boxes, on Tuesday introduced two new HD-capable models, and new pricing for its standard model. The $99 Roku HD player and $129 Roku HD-XR support HD-quality video and audio, while the standard model Roku SD player will now sell for $79.The devices can deliver content directly from partners including Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand and MLB.TV.

Dutch Court Orders Pirate Bay to Remove Torrents; Block Access

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 22, 2009 - 10:51am.

Amsterdam - The Amsterdam Court on Thursday gave the operators of file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay three months to remove a list of copyrighted torrents, and block access to portions of the site from Dutch users, or else face penalties of $7,500 each per day, TorrentFreak reported.

Studios Sue Swedish ISP, Demand Closure of OpenBitTorrent

The Pirate Bay Permanently Shutters File-Sharing Tracker

YouTube to Launch 1080p HD Video Quality Next Week

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

Copy-Protection Tech Firm Widevine Raising New Funds

AEG Live, Action 3D to Produce HD 3D Concert Films

Apple Now Offers 250 HD Movie Titles on iTunes Store

Sony to Offer "Meatballs" on Web TV Before DVD Release

Universal to Debut New Interactive Blu-ray Features

Swedish ISP Black Internet Appeals Pirate Bay Shutdown Order

Report: Google Acquires VoIP Firm Gizmo5 for $30 Million

Norwegian Court: ISP Telenor Need Not Block The Pirate Bay

Walmart.com Prices Top 10 Pre-Order DVDs at $10

Report: Skype Creators, eBay, Investors Near Settlement

Survey: Among Consumers, File-Swappers Spend Most on Music

Swedish Court: Pirate Bay Operators Must Stop Running Site

U.K. Parliament to Consider "Three-Strikes" P2P Bill

Report: Pirate Bay Being Courted by Four New Suitors

Roku Offers New HD Set-tops; Cuts Price of Base Model to $79

Dutch Court Orders Pirate Bay to Remove Torrents; Block Access

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