ABC.com Adds HD Video Streaming
ABC.com is now beta testing a player that will allow it to stream television shows in high-definition. The player is produced by Move Networks, and recommends a 2Mbps or faster broadband connection, 128MB of video RAM, 1 GB of RAM, and a resolution of at least 1300x770 pixels.
Only four episodes from four different shows are currently available from "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," and "Ugly Betty." Other shows will be added soon, ABC says. All episodes are shown with what ABC calls "limited commercial interruptions," although viewers are not permitted to skip those commercials that do exist.
Massive Signs Deal with EA for Ad Placement
Microsoft's in-game advertising subsidiary Massive said Wednesday that it had penned a deal with Electronic Arts to place its ads in several popular games. Titles included in the deal are Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for Xbox 360 and PC, as well as NASCAR 08, NHL 08, and SKATE for the Xbox 360.
Massive will bring dynamic ads into each of the EA titles and allow for advertisers to keep their ad presence in games fresh and relevant. "The addition of EA's leading titles to our network represents a tremendous opportunity for brands targeting the youth demographic and sends a clear message that in-game advertising has arrived as a compelling medium for marketers," Massive CEO Cory Van Arsdale remarked.
World of Warcraft Bigger Than New York City
Blizzard's massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft now counts a subscriber base of over 9 million, more than the population of New York City, the company announced Tuesday. The virtual world has become so popular that it has remained a top-seller since its debut in November 2004.
The "Burning Crusade" expansion for World of Warcraft sold 3.5 million copies in its first month, and is preparing to bring the add-on to mainland China where it expects to add even more subscribers. World of Warcraft is offered in seven languages and is played around the world in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
Britain Refuses to Extend Music Copyrights
The British government Tuesday refused to endorse an effort to change the copyrights on sound recordings to last at least 70 years, a move that has critics claiming the UK isn't supporting their artists. Currently, individuals can receive royalties for 50 years after the date a song was released.
United States artists receive copyright protection for 95 years, while Australian law dictates 70 years. The British government would have had to convince the European Union Commission to increase copyright expiration, but it said such a change would not benefit most artists and would incur additional costs. Representatives from British music industry groups said they would continue to push the EU directly on the issue.
Nintendo Profits Soar on Strong Wii Sales
Nintendo continued to impress investors, posting another solid quarter thanks to strong Wii sales. Its strength was apparent in recent surveys that show during the month of June, the Wii outsold the PS3 by 4 to 1 and the Xbox by 2 to 1 in the US market. In Japan, where Sony is traditionally strong, the numbers were even better. The Wii managed to outsell the PS3 there by a 6 to 1 margin.
Nintendo's profits skyrocketed to 80.3 billion yen ($669 million USD) from 15.6 ($129 million USD) in the year-ago quarter. Such strong results have led Nintendo to raise its full year profit forecast to 245 billion yen from 174.3 billion yen. Altogether, Nintendo has sold 9.3 million Wii consoles worldwide, and may soon overtake Xbox 360 for the lead in sales. Microsoft has sold about 11 million units worldwide, according to reports.
XM CEO Panero to Leave in August
The fate of XM CEO and co-founder Hugh Panero was finally revealed late Tuesday as the satellite radio company said he would be leaving the company in August. No reasons were given for his departure. Nate Davis, currently XM president and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as interim CEO. Panero had no position in the proposed merger of XM and Sirius, leading some to question his future with XM and the combined company.
Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin will serve as the new CEO, and XM's Chairman Gary Parsons will become the chairman of XM/Sirius. The deal is still awaiting regulatory approval, however both sides have repeatedly said that they expect the merger to close by the end of the year.
AllofMP3 Owner Faces Fines, Jail Time
Russian authorities are seeking jail time for Denis Kvasov, the owner of AllofMP3.com, along with paying restitution to EMI, Warner, and Universal. Kvasov could face up to three years in prison, plus fines of 15 million rubles ($590,000 USD) if the courts rule in the prosecutors' favor. AllofMP3 closed last month after Russian authorities clamped down on the site.
It's not clear, however, if AllofMP3 is completely out of business. Mediaservices launched a new site, MP3Sparks.com, which is essentially identical to that of AllofMP3. Russia has a vested interest in seeing AllofMP3 shut down: its entry into the World Trade Organization was predicated on cracking down on piracy. The site was even mentioned specifically in the list of milestones that the country would have to meet in order to be allowed into the trade body.
Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 Coming Thursday
Microsoft will announce Thursday morning the release of Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2. According to Scott Guthrie, the general manager of Microsoft's Developer Division, the release will be nearly feature complete and will likely be the last major release before the product is released to manufacturing in preparation for its launch on February 27, 2008.
Beta 1 of Visual Studio 2008 -- code-named "Orcas" -- was released in April, and brings with it features aimed at development for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Version 3.5 of the .NET Framework will accompany the release. "VS 2008 and .NET 3.5 Beta 2 (which will be out later this week) are pretty much feature complete," said Guthrie. "We'll do some small features additions/chanegs based on new feedback on Beta 2, but 99% of the features are all there."
Microsoft to Compete with Google Analytics
Microsoft has offered a glimpse of its upcoming competitor to Google Analytics, which currently goes by the code-name "Gatineau." The service promises to offer features beyond Google's and Beta 1 is expected to go live later this summer.
According to Ian Thomas, who works in Microsoft's Digital Advertising Solutions group, "Beta 1 will include the ability to segment data by both age and gender buckets, so you can get more of an idea of what kind of visitors you have." Thomas says the information is obtained anonymously through cookies, although privacy advocates will surely ask questions when Gatineau launches.
Palm Seeking Treo Beta Testers
Palm is seeking Treo smartphone users to help test out a new product that is designed for busy professionals that are constantly on the go and are looking for the best in communications tools. The company won't provide many details, but testers will need to be available for the next 3 to 4 weeks.
The only requirements of the beta are that participants currently use a Treo smartphone and have access to a computer they use for syncing. Palm typically beta tests many of its products before taking them to market, including new Treo phones as well as new software, including updates to Palm OS. Those interested can sign up to join the beta through Centercode.
DRM-Free MP3s Coming to Yahoo, URGE
MusicNet, the company that powers the song libraries of Yahoo! Music Unlimited and URGE, said Tuesday that it will make available over 1 million tracks in MP3 format without digital rights management. The move follows Apple offering DRM-free songs in its own AAC format through iTunes.
Like Apple, MusicNet will offer the song catalog of EMI -- the only top record label currently willing to drop DRM requirements -- as well as several leading independent labels including Righteous Babe, Nettwerk, Madacy, Nitro, and others. By using the MP3 format as opposed to Windows Media, MusicNet will enable customers of Yahoo and URGE to transfer their songs to practically any portable media player they choose. Pricing and a specific launch date for the MP3 option has not been set, but MusicNet said it will happen this quarter.
Nokia Buys Media Sharing Site Twango
Nokia, which has tried to build its own mobile-oriented Web sites like Lifeblog, has acquired media sharing site Twango with the intention of making it easy for Nokia phone users to upload and access photos, videos and other documents.
Twango is similar to Flickr, but supports a variety of multimedia content types and uses "channel" terminology instead of the photo "sets." Nokia hopes users of its fancy N-Series multimedia phones will use the site as their primary social network. It is unclear if Nokia plans to change Twango's branding, although the company says, "As we grow Twango into a global service we may decide on a name that is more suitable."
$100 Laptop to be Sold Commercially
The One Laptop Per Child Foundation indicated Monday that it might begin selling a version of the "$100 laptop" it is now producing for educational use. The system would become available by the holiday season for a price of about $350 USD, according to representatives from the company. A commercial version of the laptop has long been talked about, but until now the group had dismissed the idea.
At that price tag, the laptop would cost approximately twice the amount it costs to produce. Although it is not explicitly said, the profits would likely go towards the production of the devices for the educational sector. Initially, the commercial launch of the laptop would be for around 3 million units, with production to begin in October. "Our whole goal is to maximize the number of units shipped," OLPC technology officer Mary Lou Jepsen told Reuters.
Zune Meets One Million Goal
Microsoft said last week that it had met its previously stated goal of selling one million Zunes by the end of the company's fiscal year, which occurred on June 30. "We actually went above and beyond our goal: we sold 1.2 million units," Microsoft's Cesar Menendez said in the Zune Insider web log. Other reports also indicate that the company has surpassed an 11 percent market share in hard-drive based players, although its overall share remains around 3 percent of the market.
Even as Microsoft celebrates its success with the Zune, the iPod still outsells it by a wide margin. During the same period, Apple has likely sold more than 20 million iPods according to estimates.
Sirius, XM Detail Post-Merger Offerings
Sirius and XM committed to offer a la carte programming options, hoping to curry favor with regulators as its proposed $13 billion merger comes under increasing scrutiny. Plans in the merged company will range from $6.99 to $16.99, with two a la carte options. The first includes 50 channels for $6.99, while the second allows 100 channels for $14.99, although it allows users to select channels from either service.
A plan, which includes all channels from both services, will be available for $16.99 per month. More details of the plans will be made public when the two companies filed their joint comments with the FCC on Tuesday. In total, eight programming options will be made available within the first year following the completion of the deal.
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