Discs & Downloads
MySpace allowing data to be shared on other sites
The San Francisco Chronicle (California) - May 9, 2008
MySpace users will soon be able to share their profiles, photos and friends on other Web sites in a program outlined Thursday. Instead of having to re-enter their interests, such as favorite movies and music, or re-establish their network of friends when they sign up for a new site, MySpace users will be able to transfer that data with the click of a button. If they want to update their MySpace pr...
Battle of the broadband; A new venture could expand service across much of the nation and shake up the provider duopoly. Los Angeles Times - May 8, 2008 Typical broadband speeds in the United States are barely in the top 15 globally, trailing such technological hotbeds as Luxembourg and Norway. DSL and cable modem services are unavailable in many rural areas, leading to far lower broadband use in the country than the city. And even in the city, consumers often have only two choices of provider -- the dominant local phone company or the local cable...
Sprint to beef up wireless venture; Billions from partners would help create the fastest U.S. network. Los Angeles Times - May 7, 2008 Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to combine its costly wireless broadband effort with a smaller company founded by cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw in a $12-billion venture funded by Internet search powerhouse Google Inc., cable television companies and others. The combination would create the fastest nationwide wireless network for laptops, smart phones such as BlackBerrys and other mobile devices, as well...
Battle of the broadband; A new venture could expand service across much of the nation and shake up the provider duopoly. Los Angeles Times - May 8, 2008 Typical broadband speeds in the United States are barely in the top 15 globally, trailing such technological hotbeds as Luxembourg and Norway. DSL and cable modem services are unavailable in many rural areas, leading to far lower broadband use in the country than the city. And even in the city, consumers often have only two choices of provider -- the dominant local phone company or the local cable...
Sprint to beef up wireless venture; Billions from partners would help create the fastest U.S. network. Los Angeles Times - May 7, 2008 Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to combine its costly wireless broadband effort with a smaller company founded by cellphone pioneer Craig McCaw in a $12-billion venture funded by Internet search powerhouse Google Inc., cable television companies and others. The combination would create the fastest nationwide wireless network for laptops, smart phones such as BlackBerrys and other mobile devices, as well...
Content Protection & Management
MySpace allowing data to be shared on other sites
The San Francisco Chronicle (California) - May 9, 2008
MySpace users will soon be able to share their profiles, photos and friends on other Web sites in a program outlined Thursday. Instead of having to re-enter their interests, such as favorite movies and music, or re-establish their network of friends when they sign up for a new site, MySpace users will be able to transfer that data with the click of a button. If they want to update their MySpace pr...
House passes studio-backed, anti-piracy PRO-IP Act http://www.dmwmedia.com - May 8, 2008 Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the PRO-IP Act, a bill pushed for by Hollywood studios that would beef up law enforcement dedicated to protecting intellectual property, as well as increase penalties for piracy....
Copyright infringement a debatable issue Vancouver Sun - May 8, 2008 Chris Brand feels a little bit like a criminal every time he breaks the code of a DVD shipped from family in England so he can watch the video....
House passes studio-backed, anti-piracy PRO-IP Act http://www.dmwmedia.com - May 8, 2008 Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the PRO-IP Act, a bill pushed for by Hollywood studios that would beef up law enforcement dedicated to protecting intellectual property, as well as increase penalties for piracy....
Copyright infringement a debatable issue Vancouver Sun - May 8, 2008 Chris Brand feels a little bit like a criminal every time he breaks the code of a DVD shipped from family in England so he can watch the video....
Digital Home
Circuit City concedes to dissidents' demands
TWICE - May 9, 2008
Under pressure from dissident shareholders Mark Wattles and HBK Investments, Circuit City has agreed to open its books to would-be buyers Blockbuster and, possibly, Carl Icahn, and will add three of Mark Wattles’ four board nominees to it own directors’ slate....
Cablevision bid taken seriously Newsday (New York) - May 9, 2008 A day after News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch spoke confidently that he would end up buying Newsday, sources familiar with the negotiations in Chicago said last week's higher bid from Cablevision Systems Corp. is being seriously considered. The sources said the talks between attorneys for Cablevision and Newsday parent company Tribune Co. were working intently to move this forward. Much energy was...
When ads mimic art: MTV blurs the lines The International Herald Tribune - May 9, 2008 Every year at this time, networks pitch advertisers on their programs for the coming year in previews called the upfronts. On Thursday, MTV Networks will sell not only the appeal of its programs but of its commercials as well. In the past year MTV Networks, which is owned by Viacom, has produced a series of commercials for its advertisers that look like regular content on its roster of channels, i...
Cablevision bid taken seriously Newsday (New York) - May 9, 2008 A day after News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch spoke confidently that he would end up buying Newsday, sources familiar with the negotiations in Chicago said last week's higher bid from Cablevision Systems Corp. is being seriously considered. The sources said the talks between attorneys for Cablevision and Newsday parent company Tribune Co. were working intently to move this forward. Much energy was...
When ads mimic art: MTV blurs the lines The International Herald Tribune - May 9, 2008 Every year at this time, networks pitch advertisers on their programs for the coming year in previews called the upfronts. On Thursday, MTV Networks will sell not only the appeal of its programs but of its commercials as well. In the past year MTV Networks, which is owned by Viacom, has produced a series of commercials for its advertisers that look like regular content on its roster of channels, i...
Discs
Copyright infringement a debatable issue
Vancouver Sun - May 8, 2008
Chris Brand feels a little bit like a criminal every time he breaks the code of a DVD shipped from family in England so he can watch the video....
PlayStation 'will reclaim lead' BBC News - May 8, 2008 PlayStation 3 will help Sony reclaim its spot as the leading console maker, says the head of the firm's games division....
Finally! Movies on my PC the same day they're on DVD. Christian Science Monitor - May 8, 2008 Since we don't watch much TV in my house (no cable in our neck of Virginia), movies are our main source of entertainment. We're always eagerly awaiting the release of a favorite film on DVD so that we can race to the local supermarket or department store to snap up a copy. (For my children, waiting for the latest Harry Potter DVD is like waiting for Christmas.) But once a DVD is released, that's w...
PlayStation 'will reclaim lead' BBC News - May 8, 2008 PlayStation 3 will help Sony reclaim its spot as the leading console maker, says the head of the firm's games division....
Finally! Movies on my PC the same day they're on DVD. Christian Science Monitor - May 8, 2008 Since we don't watch much TV in my house (no cable in our neck of Virginia), movies are our main source of entertainment. We're always eagerly awaiting the release of a favorite film on DVD so that we can race to the local supermarket or department store to snap up a copy. (For my children, waiting for the latest Harry Potter DVD is like waiting for Christmas.) But once a DVD is released, that's w...
Platforms & Formats
Britain's Blinkx flies on Google, Newscorp bid talk
http://www.reuters.com - May 9, 2008
Shares of British video search engine firm Blinkx surged 50 percent to a seven-month high on Friday, on talk that Internet giant Google and media conglomerate NewsCorp may bid for the firm....
Telekom chief stokes talk of Sprint takeover; Companies approach FCC for guidance The International Herald Tribune - May 9, 2008 The chief executive of Deutsche Telekom, the largest European telecommunications company, fed speculation Thursday that it was considering a takeover bid for the U.S. mobile operator Sprint Nextel, saying the German company had an obligation to consider all acquisitions that would improve its bottom line. ''We have said we can't rule out acquisitions which, when evaluated under strict financial an...
China Mobile exploring opportunities in Africa South China Morning Post - May 9, 2008 China Mobile Communications Corp, the parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile, remains interested in Africa as a wide-open market, despite not bidding for MTN Group, a leading telecommunications operator in Africa that is for sale....
Telekom chief stokes talk of Sprint takeover; Companies approach FCC for guidance The International Herald Tribune - May 9, 2008 The chief executive of Deutsche Telekom, the largest European telecommunications company, fed speculation Thursday that it was considering a takeover bid for the U.S. mobile operator Sprint Nextel, saying the German company had an obligation to consider all acquisitions that would improve its bottom line. ''We have said we can't rule out acquisitions which, when evaluated under strict financial an...
China Mobile exploring opportunities in Africa South China Morning Post - May 9, 2008 China Mobile Communications Corp, the parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile, remains interested in Africa as a wide-open market, despite not bidding for MTN Group, a leading telecommunications operator in Africa that is for sale....
Streams & Downloads
Britain's Blinkx flies on Google, Newscorp bid talk
http://www.reuters.com - May 9, 2008
Shares of British video search engine firm Blinkx surged 50 percent to a seven-month high on Friday, on talk that Internet giant Google and media conglomerate NewsCorp may bid for the firm....
World of digital music in turmoil The Business Times Singapore - May 9, 2008 The music world really seems intent on boggling the mind of the music lover who just wants to figure out how to download music he loves without breaking any laws, and listen to it where and when he wants. Salvation seemed at hand last Tuesday when Nokia launched its Music Store in Singapore. But the songs are hobbled by debilitating Digital Rights Management (DRM), which means you can only play t...
Universal to allow free music downloads http://www.guardian.co.uk - May 8, 2008 The world's largest record label has signed a deal with Qtrax for an ad-funded free-download service....
World of digital music in turmoil The Business Times Singapore - May 9, 2008 The music world really seems intent on boggling the mind of the music lover who just wants to figure out how to download music he loves without breaking any laws, and listen to it where and when he wants. Salvation seemed at hand last Tuesday when Nokia launched its Music Store in Singapore. But the songs are hobbled by debilitating Digital Rights Management (DRM), which means you can only play t...
Universal to allow free music downloads http://www.guardian.co.uk - May 8, 2008 The world's largest record label has signed a deal with Qtrax for an ad-funded free-download service....
I want my ZeeVee TV - May 8, 2008
Media Wonk says: keep an eye on ZeeVee Inc., a company with a terrible name but an interesting approach to bringing PC and broadband content to the TV screen. I know, I know, who doesn't have a product or service for bringing broadband content to the TV set? Some of them even work. But the ZvBox (ZvBox??) has the sort of intuitive simplicity that could well appeal to non-gear heads.The slim back box--which is being built by Lite-On in Taiwan--...
Buzzworthy
Apple losing 'green' points
May 9, 2008
Sure, the iPod and iPhone are culture-changing devices and marketplace delights, but where Apple isn't in the running for prom king is being 'green' – or rather the company's green credentials.
The company is taking its lumps as it now ranks last among computer firms rated within a recent ClimateCounts survey on climate friendliness. Climate Counts, a nonprofit funded by yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, released on Wednesday its annual assessment of corporations' actions related to addressing climate change and whether they live up to their "green" marketing claims. IBM, Google, and Microsoft top the list for reducing their carbon footprint.
(Credit: Climate Counts)
May 9, 2008
Sure, the iPod and iPhone are culture-changing devices and marketplace delights, but where Apple isn't in the running for prom king is being 'green' – or rather the company's green credentials.
The company is taking its lumps as it now ranks last among computer firms rated within a recent ClimateCounts survey on climate friendliness. Climate Counts, a nonprofit funded by yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, released on Wednesday its annual assessment of corporations' actions related to addressing climate change and whether they live up to their "green" marketing claims. IBM, Google, and Microsoft top the list for reducing their carbon footprint.
(Credit: Climate Counts)
TorrentSpy won't pay fine
May 8, 2008
David Kravets reports that "a day after a U.S. judge dinged TorrentSpy with one of the largest fines in copyright history, the lawyer for the torrent-tracking search engine said Thursday the $111 million judgment won't get paid."
May 8, 2008
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RIAA: DRM will return
May 8, 2008
Greg Sandoval reports from the Digital Hollywood conference that the "news of DRM's death has been greatly exaggerated, according to an executive with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)."
-- "(Recently) I made a list of the 22 ways to sell music and 20 of them still require DRM," said David Hughes, who heads up the RIAA's technology unit, during a panel discussion at the Digital Hollywood conference. "Any form of subscription service or limited play-per-view or advertising offer still requires DRM. So DRM is not dead."
-- Hughes also said that DRM must change so that the public sees it less as a sort of policeman that locks music a way. He would prefer a mode where consumers don't notice DRM at all. "People just want music when they want it," he said. "It's about access. If they get that then they don't care about DRM."
May 8, 2008
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-- "(Recently) I made a list of the 22 ways to sell music and 20 of them still require DRM," said David Hughes, who heads up the RIAA's technology unit, during a panel discussion at the Digital Hollywood conference. "Any form of subscription service or limited play-per-view or advertising offer still requires DRM. So DRM is not dead."
-- Hughes also said that DRM must change so that the public sees it less as a sort of policeman that locks music a way. He would prefer a mode where consumers don't notice DRM at all. "People just want music when they want it," he said. "It's about access. If they get that then they don't care about DRM."
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