Month: February 2006

Categories
Downloads HDTV Home Entertainment Media Servers and Streamers Wireless

Moviebeam relaunches

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A number of stories this morning regarding the relaunch of Disney’s Moviebeam service in 29 markets this year. In a nutshell, Moviebeam is a hard drive based set top box that receives movies over unused television spectrum. The box ships with a 100 movies on the hard drive and about 10 movies are swapped out each week for new ones. Movies then can be rented for $1.99 to $3.99 (catalog versus new releases) with HD movies costing $1 more.

While the service is interesting, the biggest problem that I see is that the set top box is $250 before rebates, which is a huge barrier to entry for many folks. Not to mention it is another piece of hardware to hook up to a television. I have a sense that if this service were being a promoted by someone like Apple it could be hugely successful, but with backers such as Cisco and Disney, the future of Moviebeam is fuzzy at best.

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(Via Zatz Not Funny)

Categories
iTunes Portable Entertainment Rumors

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Video to go

si.jpgJonesing for your Swimsuit Edition in you pocket? Tomorrow morning, Apple is there to help you view SI‘s bathing beauties while on that commuter flight to Des Moines. $16 gets you all the videos for your iPod so you can look less creepy in coach oogling scantily clad young girls in your spare time.

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(Via TUAW)

Categories
Portable Entertainment Wireless

Engadget Mobile launches

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I thought when I launched this blog that I would have coverage of all things gadget, but I realized over time that there are certain product areas that I could care less about. Mobile phones actually tracks pretty high on that list. This isn’t to say I’ll never cover mobiles on the site, but they must be leaps, not steps above the rest.

It seems like mobile phone carriers launch a new middle of the road phone every other week and keeping up in the market is pretty difficult. That said, I do like to point my faithful reader(s) in the right direction. Engadget Mobile launched this morning and promises to cover the mobile phone world like nobody’s business.

Check it out.

Categories
Satellite Television XM Radio

Oprah Channel on XM

images.jpegXM announced this morning that they’ve signed a 3 year, $55 million with Oprah Winfrey to launch the “Oprah and Friends” channel for the satellite radio provider. The channel will:

daily programming on a variety of topics including nutrition, fitness, health, self improvement,
home, and current events from popular “Oprah” personalities, including Bob Greene, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Robin Smith, Marianne Williamson, Nate Berkus, and Gayle King.

The station will launch September of 2006.

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(Via Orbitcast.)

Categories
Apple iTunes

1 Billion downloads

earl.jpgWhat would a day be without a little news about the iTMS? To celebrate the billionth track sold on iTMS, Apple is giving away a Nano and and a $100 gift certificate for every 100,000 songs sold (about 500) until they reach 1 billion songs. For the billionth track, the grand prize is an iMac, 10 iPods and a $10,000 gift certificate to iTMS.

If you want to try to game the system, try downloading iTunes Music Store Estimator to give you an idea where the numbers stand. Good luck.

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Categories
HDTV

CableCard Guide

If you’ve been shopping for an HDTV, you might want to check out Ars Technica’s CableCard guide. CableCard is the technology that allows televisions and other devices access cable tv without a cable box. The guide goes through the long history of CableCard and details out the questionable future that the technology has.

The long and short of is:

CableCard 1.0

  • One way communication (no pay per view)
  • Available now

CableCard 2.0

  • Two way communication (pay-per-view included)
  • Maybe available next year-ish

DCAS

  • Two way communication via software
  • Available in 2007-8

The bottom line is if you can wait to buy that HDTV and can stand looking at your ugly cable box, you possibly, may be slightly better off. Sounds like a way to continue squeezing people for a cable box rental.

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(Via eHomeUpgrade.)

Categories
HDTV Sony

Sony Blu-ray disc pricing set

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Not that I’m excited about the new format war (HD-DVD vs BD) and given the craptastic line up of movies announced, I’m not even sure why I’m reporting on this, but my adoring fan would be upset if I didn’t.

Sony announced today wholesale prices for new BDs at $23.95 and catalog (read:old) titles at $17.95, both commanding a slight premium over DVD. Now, remember folks, those prices are wholesale and vendors usually charge something a little extra so they don’t go out of business.

No release dates, but I’m sure they’ll come out around they same time the players arrive.

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(Via Engadget)

Categories
Apple iPod

Nano is now nano-er

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The long rumored 1 GB nano was announced today for $149 just in time for Valentine’s Day. The rumor that the demise of the Shuffle was coming seems a little premature as they have both dropped in price to $99 and $69 for the 1GB and 512mb respectively.

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Categories
Apple Downloads iTunes

What is Apple smoking?

weeds.jpgIt’s Tuesday morning, so what’s new for our pals at the iTunes Video Store? Looks like they bagged a big one – Showtime. It seems that premium cable didn’t want to be left out of the iTMS fun.

This morning, Weeds, Fat Actress, and Sleeper Cell launched on iTMS with their first seasons available to download. Nice thing here, they may be premium cable, but they are not premium prices. Same as before, $1.99.

So, with Showtime down, should we expect other premium cable shows to show up? There’s a certain mobster show that is due to start up in a few weeks that I’m sure would sell faster than fresh cannoli. Also, what about corporate parent, CBS? Maybe Survivor will make iTMS soon…

Weeds
Fat Actress
Sleeper Cell

Categories
Downloads

CBS selling Survivor on CBS.com

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CBS going it alone will be selling new episodes of Survivor on CBS.com. Episodes will be $1.99 just like someone else we know, but they will expire after 24 hours after you download it. They’re using Windows Media 9.0, but not the version that is Mac compatible.

While this is interesting, I do wonder how well CBS will fare on its own. Given that iTMS is an end to end solution and it isn’t a rental, folks may be a little less inclined to pony up that 1.99.

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(Via eHomeUpgrade.)

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