UltraViolet Puts Blu-ray, DVD Purchases in the Cloud

It just doesn't seem fair. Once you buy a Blu-ray, you should be able to enjoy it anywhere, right? That could be a reality if UltraViolet catches on.

UltraViolet is a new technology that allows consumers to store Blu-ray and DVD purchases in a "digital locker" for later use. Unlike Digital Copy, however, it's not limited to just one iPod or other portable device (or to devices linked to a single iTunes account). Instead, UltraViolet can stream your content directly to connected TVs, game consoles, smartphones, tablets, and other devices. No special equipment is needed.

The digital movie technology made its official debut yesterday, with the Blu-ray release of Horrible Bosses. The dark comedy stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell., and Jamie Foxx. If you bought a copy of Horrible Bosses on Blu-ray or DVD, it comes with a code that can unleash that UltraViolet copy.  On Friday, Green Lantern will become the second UV-enabled Blu-ray/DVD title.  Unfortunately, our request to Warner Bros. for review samples of either title went unanswered so we can't test this feature out in any detail to verify its behavior.  But you can be sure we will dig deeper once we have product in hand.

From what we understand, to use UltraViolet you'll need an account -- and registration is currently open (and free) on the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE)'s UltraViolet website. Just enter your name and email, and confirm your registration.

According to The Wall Street Journal, users will also need to register with Flixster, which was purchased earlier this year by Warner Bros. Once both accounts are linked, you can redeem the UltraViolet Digital Copy from specially marked Blu-ray and DVD purchases.

Everything in your digital locker can be accessed by up to six different users on 12 different devices. That basically means that dad can purchase Horrible Bosses at home, and one of the kids could be watching it on a tablet in a dorm on the other side of the country.

The DECE plans to also launch an UltraViolet movie store. Currently, there's no word on how it would work and/or who is participating. However, it would most certainly compete with the likes of iTunes and Amazon. Of course, both of those retailers have cloud plans of their own.

That said, we expect UltraViolet to be more than just a flash in the pan. It's kicking off with backing from Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony. Expect future UltraViolet releases to include Warner's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (November 11), as well as Sony's release of The Smurfs (December 2) and Friends with Benefits (December 2).

Source is
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/UltraViolet-Puts-Blu-ray-DVD-Purchases-in-the-Cloud.shtml

Online TV & video revenues to soar

Global online TV and video revenues will reach $21.52 billion in 2016, a massive increase from the $3.48 billion recorded in 2010, according to the Online TV and Video Forecasts report from Digital TV Research.

Report author Simon Murray said: “The OTT television and video sector is on the brink of a huge take-off as the key players expand internationally, companies consolidate [with Hulu about to be sold to one of existing major players] and as new partnerships are announced on a daily basis.”

This impressive growth will be helped as more and more households watch more and more TV and video online. By 2016, 415 million homes in 40 countries will watch online television and video, up from 177 million in 2010.

The US will remain the dominant territory for online TV and video revenues. However, its share of total revenues will drop from 54% in 2010 (when the US recorded revenues of $1,868 million) to 36% in 2016 ($7,722 million). China’s online television and video revenues will surge from $50 million in 2010 to $1,380 million in 2016.

Online TV and video advertising has been the key driver in the OTT television and video sector, recording revenues of $2.18 billion in 2010. Rapid advertising expenditure growth will continue, to reach a global total of $9.98 billion in 2016. However, advertising’s share of total OTT revenues will fall from 63% in 2010 to 46% in 2016 as paid-for revenues skyrocket.

For this report, online TV and video advertising is defined in net terms (rate card prices less discounts, agency commissions and production costs). Furthermore, online TV and video advertising is calculated from digital video revenues (for the relevant sites) as well as display advertising featured on the relevant web pages.

Sony boosting streaming services with Video Unlimited 'preview'

Sony recently introduced its new “Video Unlimited – preview” application, a revamped and much more beautiful program with more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes to rent.
For the past few weeks, only PlayStation Plus subscribers have had access, but now it is available to download for free by all PlayStation Network members.

Don’t confuse this with Crackle, Sony’s app available on the PlayStation 3 as well as via web browsers and mobile applications. The Video Unlimited preview includes new releases, popular television programs and classic films. The interface is an advanced and more aesthetically pleasing than most other menus seen on the PlayStation 3, and this look will likely be adapted by most other Sony console applications.

Video Unlimited offers users a plethora of ways to search for favorite or new titles, ranging from the movie title to the genre down to even the writers, producers or composers attached to the project. Although it might seem easy to get lost down the rabbit hole while searching, I tried it out myself recently, and it’s actually very simple to navigate backwards using the PS3 controller. Sony has also thrown in a special history menu that allows users to flip through screenshots of where they’ve been, and the user can jump back in to the search wherever they please.

Along with being a complimentary application to Music Unlimited within Sony’s Qriocity digital media content catalog, this next generation of Sony’s video streaming platform is aiming to win back the hearts of customers who might still feel burned by the security breach on the PlayStation Network this past spring.

That breach isn’t the only thing that is keeping Sony behind the competition these days. Sure, there are plenty of streaming services available on the PlayStation Network that are supported on Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray players, the PlayStation 3, and even the Sony Google TV. That last one is the most limited in app options, but that could very well change soon as we should be seeing more of Google TV 2 before the end of the year.

Yet for now, Microsoft has really surged ahead thanks to deal with Comcast and Verizon for its Xbox Live platform, significantly boosting the amount of content available on the Xbox 360, including Xfinity on-demand programming.

Video Unlimited is a lovely platform with tons of content, which is surely in the right direction for Sony. But PlayStation Network members can only look at their Xbox 360 friends with jealousy at this point.

For a closer look at the new Sony Video Unlimited interface, check out the promo video below:



Source is
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/sony-boosting-streaming-services-with-video-unlimited-preview/60433

TiVo Premiere Elite set-top box now available

This week the fine folks at TiVo have today announced availability of their new TiVo Premiere Elite set-top box. This box will be the company’s first and only retail DVR with a full four tuners allowing users to record four channels at once, all while viewing a fifth recorded program. Never ever miss any TV show again, ever! You’ll also have a gigantic 2-terabyte hard drive, this allowing you to record “up to 200 hours” of HD programming, two times the recording space that any other current comparable solution offers.

You won’t be able to use this new Elite system with analog cables or over-the-air antenna, such is the nature of this digital cable system ONLY solution. This device is a THX Certified DVR, and it maintains TiVo’s “gold-standard,” user interface, Neflix, Pandora, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and YouTube. The TiVo Premiere Elite outputs to HDMI, component video, composite video, optical audio, and analog audio.

Video outputs range from 480i to 1080p, and you’ll be able to input video with CableCARD, Cable coax, and of course, ethernet for all your internet-based content. You’ll get 2 USB 2.0 ports, eSATA for external recording space, and TiVo wireless N or G network adapter capability. This system supports digital cable, HD digital cable, and Verizon FiOS, and the entire system is built on TiVo Series4 architecture. This Elite system will be available through tivo.com, authorized home theater installers, and Magnolia stores nationwide immediately if not soon for $499.99 MSRP.

Source is
http://www.slashgear.com/tivo-premiere-elite-set-top-box-now-available-10186580/

Like a TV Network, Yahoo Launches Fall Programming

With TV network style, Yahoo is launching a fall slate of shows in a bid to strengthen its original programming.
On Tuesday, Yahoo Inc. announced that it will begin premiering seven new Web series this week, all targeting female audiences. That adds to the approximately two dozen original series on Yahoo, which often pull in much higher viewership than other, higher profile video hubs.
Yahoo sites generated 45.5 million unique viewers in August, according to comScore Inc., which was sixth best and above both Hulu and AOL. In the same month, Yahoo Studios had all 10 of the top 10 most-watched online video series, according to comScore.
"I absolutely liken us to the fifth network or really the first digital network," says Erin McPherson, vice president and head of original programming at Yahoo.
The new shows generally take an unscripted, lifestyle programming strategy. Judy Greer ("Arrested Development") hosts "Reluctantly Healthy," a series about cooking and exercising for those with little time. Niecy Nash ("Reno 911") hosts a relationship show, "Let's Talk About Love." "Ultimate Proposal," with Cameron Mathison ("All My Children"), will use a team of experts to help men deliver a memorable marriage proposal.
An eighth show, not specifically targeting women, is also set to launch in November: "The Failure Club," a show about people trying to overcome a fear, produced and hosted by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
Yahoo is also planning further additions, with series focusing on other demographics and genres. With its own Los Angeles production house, it's easy to see Yahoo as a budding video factory -- only making 3-minute to 5-minute videos instead of 30- or 60-minute programs.
On Monday, Yahoo announced a partnership with ABC News, which will further Yahoo's video news coverage. Yahoo is also considered a possible suitor for Hulu, the online video service that Yahoo syndicates.
Original and syndicated programming will be gathered in a new video site, Yahoo! Screen.
Yahoo's push into original programming is taking several pages from the broadcast book, like marketing shows' start times, a Web rarity, and offering up finished programs to advertisers rather than have a series sponsored by one brand.
"We're both a TV network and a studio," says McPherson. "We're creating our own original content -- we do have an in-house Yahoo Studios team -- and then we partner with folks like Ben Silverman's Electus and Morgan Spurlock's company and others."

Source is http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=021002KERKRU

Sony Pictures already acquiring rights for Steve Jobs film

Sony Pictures is preparing a very large bid to acquire the feature rights to the upcoming "Steve Jobs" biography written by CNN chairman and Time Magazine managing editor Walter Isaacson.
The deal is expected to be at least "$1 million against $3 million" for the rights and Mark Gordon seems to be signed up to produce. Gordon is best known for Saving Private Ryan.

Sony Pictures recently put together the Social Network and Moneyball based off popular books so the new move seems to be a "good fit."

Isaacson's book was set for a November 21st release but following the passing of Jobs this week, the book's release date has been pushed to October 24th.

"Steve Jobs" is the only autobiography ever authorized by the former Apple CEO.

Source is http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/10/09/sony_pictures_already_acquiring_rights_for_steve_jobs_film

YouTube starts movie rentals in the UK

YouTube has now launched its movie rental service in the UK, the third such region to gain access.

Earlier this year, Google introduced the rentals to Canadian and U.S. users.

For now, there are 1000 different titles including indies and big-ticket films.

Rentals will be somewhat expensive, however, costing £2.49 (USD $3.87) to £3.49 (USD $5.42) for a 48 hour window.

The movies are synced with your YouTube account you can access it anywhere with Internet during that two day period.

Furthermore, Google says you can access the movie through Google TV devices, Honeycomb tablets and "some" Android phones.

Adds YouTube (via Crunch)

We've got some cracking films to keep everyone entertained through the upcoming winter months and beyond. From blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs, to new releases such as Hanna, Fast Five, and Red Riding Hood, and even British classics like Monty Python's The Meaning of Life and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Source is http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/10/07/youtube_starts_movie_rentals_in_the_uk