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Tag: content-providers

  • Savor the carnival atmosphere of Cirque Du Sole as Blu-ray brings the excitement of the big top into your living room

    Sony Pictures has announced it is bringing one of the world famous Cirque Du Soleil’s performances to Blu-ray later this year.
    “Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo”, by the celebrated troupe that has thrilled audiences on five continents, is due to be released on September 2nd.
    Sony said disk would capture all the magic of the performance in stunning high definition. No specs or special features have been announced at this time.
    The move is the latest digital venture by the circus, which has been seen by close to 80 million spectators in over 200 cities.
    Last month, the award winning Cirque announced it was extending its reach through mobile in partnership with YuuZoo, the fast growing new global mobile content, media and advertising company.
    Cirque du Soleil fans around the world are able to download show video excerpts, graphics and wallpapers directly onto their mobile devices through a new service offered through YuuZoo.
    Ron Creevey, president of YuuZoo, said the link-up was intended to expand beyond traditional mobile offerings by providing our customers with a broad selection of popular, unique subjects.
    “That’s one reason we’re very proud to be associated with such an innovative, creative world brand as Cirque du Soleil,” he said.

  • Deal signed with Intelsat to provide HD transmissions from Beijing Olympic Games

    The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has signed a multi transponder deal with Intelsat Ltd for the video carriage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to Europe.
    C-/Ku-band cross-strap capacity on the Intelsat 706 satellite, located at 50.2 degrees East, will be used to distribute the all high definition event to EBU members.
    Intelsat is the only global satellite operator to have provided coverage of every Olympic Games since 1968.
    The EBU, of which a large proportion of the major European broadcasters are members, provides a full range of network services, including but not limited to HD transmissions to broadband video carriage.
    Stefan Kurten, director of the Eurovision Operations Department, said: “By using Intelsat to deliver the Summer Games, we are confident that our members will benefit from the reliable service Intelsat offers when it comes to large scale events.”

  • The iPhone takes on new role as universal remote control


    A new application is to go on sale in July that turns the iPhone into an all-purpose remote control capable of operating everything from your HDTV to audio, video and lighting.
    While the iPhone is popular as an interface for home-control systems such as home automation (HAI, Savant), multiroom audio (SpeakerCraft) and media servers (Sooloos), so far there hasn’t been a low-cost solution for using the iPhone (or iPod Touch) as an ordinary universal remote control.
    Now London-based integrator, Steve Moore, has launched the AirRemote application which he modestly describes as “the greatest little TV remote you’ve ever used”.
    The setup includes the AirRemote software and a communications box from Global Cache, which can turn the iPhone’s IP commands into signals to operate an array of home electronics devices.
    “The beauty of the iPod Touch or iPhone versus other tablets is that it has bullet-proof Wi-Fi, doesn’t need to wait for Windows to boot up, and can be held in a hand,” Moore told CE Pro.
    “And they sell loads of them so they cost almost nothing.”
    AirRemote will be available from July 11th exclusively from the iPhone App store for $99. The Global Cache transmitter will retail for about $100.

  • Up close and personal – porn industry turns on to high definition


    A leading maker of adult movies is to release all new titles on Blu-ray Disc as well as on standard definition DVD.
    Digital Playground says it is the first mainstream studio to opt for the “same day” treatment for HD discs.
    The porn maker will also begin converting one previously released title to Blu-ray every week.
    Such a move is likely to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of adult titles available on Blu-ray.
    Samantha Lewis, CEO of Digital Playground, which has already released 21 HD sex films, said it was the first adult studio to make dual releases.
    “DP has become the first adult studio to make all their Blu-ray releases day and date with standard DVD,” she said,
    “This is something no mainstream studio has done yet, so it’s quite noteworthy for the future of the Blu-ray format."
    The studio’s library includes such films as Pirates and Cheerleaders.

  • High Definition footage of action adventure game for iPhone released

    Apple has released HD footage of a demonstration of the upcoming iPhone fantasy game Krull created by Barcelona-based Digital Legends Entertainment.
    The 3D mobile game uses a combination of touch-based controls and accelerometer mechanics.
    Dynamic shadows and other handheld-level effects are also on display in the footage received by Shacknews.
    Xavier Carillo Costa, CEO of Digital Legends, said his team only got the iPhone SDK two weeks before the demo, and that the port itself took just four days to create.
    Krull is expected to be available available from the upcoming iPhone App Store in September, following the July launch of the new iPhone 2.0. Based on Apple founder Steve Jobs’ WWDC keynote address other original games should also be available, which iPhone users should be able to download wirelessly from their phones.
    Earlier this month it was announced that iTunes will be launching movie rentals and sales via iTunes in the UK, with 100 being available in HD.
    The move, as with that for Canada, is a result of deals signed with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., MGM, Sony Pictures and Lionsgate.
    Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, said the iTunes Store in the UK would have over 700 films for purchase and rent.
    “We think customers in the UK are going to love being able to enjoy their favourite movies on their iPod, iPhone or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV,” he said.

  • Soccer fans enjoy ITV's first HD programming as Euro 2008 matches broadcast on Freesat


    The UK’s ITV network has launched its HD service on Freesat by broadcasting the opening games from Euro 2008.
    Freesat is a subscription-free, digital satellite TV service from ITV and the BBC.
    Viewers can see all the games the BBC has rights to in high definition on Virgin Media and Sky, but ITV announced that its debut HD programmes would be matches on the opening few days of the football tournament.
    The first HD offering from ITV was the Portugal v Turkey match on Saturday.
    Following this, ITV’s games through to the 13th of June will also be available in high definition, by pressing the red button on ITV1 when viewing on Freesat.
    Although Euro 2008 will occupy the channel for the next few weeks, Simon Fell, Controller Emerging Technologies, ITV Consumer, said there would also be HD coverage of England football internationals, the Champions League football and selected dramas.
    Speaking at Understanding and Solutions’ Driving Digital Content event, Mr Fell said the red button strategy was made necessary by the structure of the ITV Network. “We’re a regional business funded by advertising and that’s the model we have to keep to,” he said.
    Once an HD broadcast has completed, viewers will be returned to their local ITV region.

  • Japan's HD offerings boosted by launch of new VOD service

    The growing market for high definition television in Japan has received a further boost with the start of a VOD service by the country’s largest retail chain, Tsutaya.
    Users will be able to download titles from home using the acTVila portal that is popular on Japanese plasma and LCD HDTVs.
    They will have 48 hours to watch the films or TV shows as many times as they want.
    The new service from Tsutaya, which counts 27.2 million members at its 1,330 branches across Japan, is the latest sign of the growing popularity of HDTV in the country.
    The retailer plans to make deals with four Hollywood studios – Paramount, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and NBC Universal – to expand its available online library to 2,000 titles by the end of the year.
    It added that high-speed fiber-optic connections are required for use of the service – which are currently available in about a quarter of Japan’s 48 million homes.
    The service launched with downloads of the first season of hit US series “Heroes”, “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives”.
    Each full length movie will cost 735 yen (about $7 USD) with other prices still to be announced
    Tsutaya hopes that the new service will pull in more customers with higher disposable incomes in the 40-50 age range.
    AcTVila was developed by Japan’s major television makers – Sharp, Sony, Matsushita, Toshiba and Hitachi – and is compatible with several dozen models of plasma or liquid crystal display sets.

  • Launch of Sony PS3 TV show may be pre-cursor to further HD programming


    Sony is to launch an original High-Definition TV show on gaming for the Play Station 3 video console.
    Called Qore, the monthly programme will offer news on the latest PS3 games, game reviews and interviews with game developers. The first episode will be available on June 5.
    The show, which can be purchased at the online Play Station store for $2.99 each or annually for $24.99, is being seen as a signal that Sony is preparing to compete with Microsoft’s XBox 360 programming service.
    In addition to games, XBox 360 offers TV shows and movie downloads over the Internet, something Play Station 3 hasn’t done until now.
    However, Sony has hinted that it might begin offering both SD and HD downloads sometime this year.
    Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Play Station Network, said: “Original content, community-related services and innovative products are a major focus for the Play Station Network this year and we are pleased to introduce Qore exclusively for our customers.
    “Qore is the first step in providing original content dedicated to the Play Station community and evolving the network into a place where our customers can gather, share and discover new forms of entertainment.”

  • "Hard" media discs in no danger of disappearing despite advances being made in digital downloading


    Blu-ray discs and DVDs are going to survive for another 20 years even though great advances are being made in digital downloading.
    That is the belief of Reed Hastings, head of NetFlix, the online rental service, who also stated that he doesn’t think a rival physical optical disc will emerge to challenge Blu-ray.
    Speaking at an investors meeting, Hastings said on DVD and Blu-ray wouldn’t be replaced by digital downloads and ray Hollywood studios would continue releasing films on disc.
    “Our view is that the studios are going to publish DVD and Blu-ray for another 20 years,” he said. “I don’t think there’s going to be another physical optical disc.”
    Hastings said that the DVD/Blu-ray industry would probably not “peak” for 5-10 years.
    However, despite his long-term confidence in discs, the executive said the online rental service is aggressively developing online video streaming services.
    “We’ve been looking forward to these years for a long time,” said Hastings.
    “Our DVD shipments will probably peak in 5 to 10 years … the streaming can be thought of as defensive, protecting our turf, or offensive,” he added.
    In the US this month, NetFlix began selling a $99 set-top that enables subscribers to download movies over the Net directly to their TVs.
    The company also offers a streaming service at its web site, which is free to subscribers.
    Hastings said that NetFlix ultimately could generate 20 million subscribers to video streaming; the company now projects having 10 million DVD subscribers by the end of 2008.
    He also said NetFlix is still examining ways to charge more for Blu-ray rentals, an idea floated by the company earlier this year.

  • Freesat's mix of HDTV programmes and subscription-free service is likely to appeal to "millions" of customers unhappy with the UK's digital TV providers


    Dissatisfaction with the UK’s top three digital TV providers is likely to make customers consider switching to freesat’s combination of HD programmes without subscription.
    That is the conclusion of Steve Weller, communications expert at uSwitch.com, which carried out a customer satisfaction study on the UK’s top three digital TV providers – who hold 95% of the market.
    Almost 9 out of 10 homes in the UK have now ‘gone digital’ and spend a total of £4.2 billion on receiving the service every year.
    However, the independent price comparison and switching service found that more than 1 in 4 customers are not satisfied with their digital service.
    While 73% of people surveyed were satisfied overall with their DTV provider, 27% said they were not satisfied. This equates to 6,000,418 households.
    Weller said the survey of nearly 10,000 digital TV subscribers looked at the services provided by Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.
    He said that less than 1 in 2 digital TV customers (46%) are satisfied with the customer service they receive from their provider.
    “Sky and Virgin will have quite a challenge on their hands convincing customers to part with their hard earned cash whilst expecting them to accept the current levels of customer service on offer,” he said.
    “The availability of ‘free’ services has received a boost with the launch of freesat, a joint initiative from the BBC and ITV that promises high definition programmes without the need for an ongoing subscription.
    “With a one-off cost for the set-up and a box, consumers will no doubt see these services as offering greater value for money when compared to the traditional monthly subscriptions offered by Sky and Virgin.”
    On a more positive note, customers voted Sky Best Overall Provider with 76% satisfied, despite coming last for value for money (57% satisfied).
    Sky customers pay an average of £31.17 per month for their digital TV service – almost double the £16.70 paid by Virgin Media customers.
    Freeview won Best Value for Money award with 75% satisfied – with value for money voted the most important feature when choosing a DTV provider.