Record Industry welcomes EU changes to copyright term

Copyright protection extended in European Union from 50, to 70 years.
The Directive extends the term of protection for performance and producers of musical works to 70 years, closer to the protection that is offered to authors and composers, which is life + 70 years. It also narrows the gap between the term of protection in Europe and that of other countries and regions, where term of protection can range from 70 to 95 years.

It was adopted on Monday by the EU Council of Ministers in Brussels after a vote in the European Parliament in 2009. Governments of member states will implement the Directive to national law over the next couple of years.

Plácido Domingo, chairman of IFPI:
"The decision to extend the term of protection for recordings in Europe is great news for performing artists. Artists at the start of their careers will benefit from an increased pool of revenue that will be available to invest in new talent. Established artists can benefit from their work throughout their lifetimes. This is especially important today when licensed digital services make music widely available online. Extension of protection also reflects the important role performers play in the success of songs by narrowing the gap between the protection offered to recorded performances and that offered to compositions."

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI
"This is a victory for fairness. With this decision, the European Union is giving artists and producers in Europe the fair treatment they deserve. The extension of the term of protection to 70 years narrows the gap between Europe and its international partners and improves the conditions for investment in new talent. Over 38,000 artists and performers petitioned for this extension, supported by right holders from across the European music sector. Their calls have been heeded, and we thank the European Commission for having the vision to table this Directive, the European Parliament for giving it resounding support and the Member States, led on this occasion by the Polish Presidency of the EU, for making term extension a reality."

Source is http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/09/13/record_industry_welcomes_eu_changes_to_copyright_term

DivX Plus brings Blu-ray features to streaming

Rovi has released DivX Plus, its streaming solution for the delivery of premium digital entertainment to connected devices, including HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc Players, smartphones, game consoles, PCs, Macs, and cable set-top boxes.

The technology brings with it multimedia features that have previously only been associated with Blu-ray discs, part of a package that includes support for 1080p high definition, DTS Audio, subtitles, multiple language tracks, and trick-play features such as smooth fast forward and rewind, quick-start playback, and the ability to resume playback across devices.

"It can deliver a very Blu-ray like experience on a big TV or a quality that is appropriate for a phone or a tablet," Rovi chief evangelist Richard Bullwinkle told Broadband TV News. He added that both Samsung and LG had taken site-wide licences with a view to installing it across all of their devices. "Their story is that they want an eco-system that allows the consumer to start watching on the TV and continue on the tablet."

DivX Plus is using digital rights management technology already used by online retailers that offer movies in the DivX format that include WB Shop, Media Markt, and Film Fresh.

Separately, it has been announced that Rovi's TotalGuide will be included in Panasonic's connected TV and DVD/BD recorder products sold in Europe.

Source is http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2011/09/01/divx-plus-brings-blu-ray-features-to-streaming/

Guide spotlight: Extracting content from a Blu-ray disc

Last week we introduced you to a number of new guides and videos from AfterDawn. This week we are going to shine the spotlight a little closer on one of them.
If you are used to extracting and converting titles from DVDs, it can be quite a shock to move up to the world of Blu-ray.

Thanks to features like Picture-In-Picture, BD-Java, and multiple video formats and resolutions, just figuring out what files you need can be a daunting task if you have never done it before.

Making things even more complicated, there is no single, all-purpose tool like DVD Shrink for Blu-ray discs.

In our guide for Extracting Content From A Blu-ray Disc we break the process down into two steps.

In the first part, Analysis, we cover using BDInfo to analyze various aspects of the playlists (MPLS files) on a Blu-ray disc. Then we explain how to use Media Player Classic - Home Cinema to preview titles to help you decide which ones you want to keep.


In the second part, Extraction, we show how to use MeGUI's HD Streams Extractor tool to extract video, audio, subtitles, and chapters from the titles you have identified using BDInfo and MPC-HC.


Source is http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/08/26/guide_spotlight_extracting_content_from_a_blu-ray_disc

China bans 100 more songs from the Internet

The Chinese ministry of culture has banned 100 songs from the Internet saying that any track that "harm the security of state culture must be cleaned up and regulated under the law."

It is unclear why exactly the songs were banned, but China is known for censoring anything it deems politically sensitive or potentially offensive.

Included in the list are songs from The Backstreet Boys, Beyonce, Simple Plan and four songs from Lady Gaga.

The list also banned music from Taiwan's Chang Hui-mei. China is currently in a spat with Taiwan over its territory.

Past music on the banned list included tracks from artists like Avril Lavigne and the Rolling Stones.

Currently, all songs posted on web sites in China need prior approval before they can be embedded.

Source is http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/08/30/china_bans_100_more_songs_from_the_internet