Comcast Corp on Tuesday launched Fancast.com, a one-stop movie-television hub where viewers can watch more than 3,000 hours of TV shows, movie trailers and short videos, check show listings, and dive into a comprehensive actor database.
The Web site by the largest U.S. cable operator will also point fans to where they can watch any show, be it on television, online, On Demand, DVD or in theaters. The site is the first to gather film and TV offerings scattered all over the Internet on such a large scale, thanks to agreements with content owners such as CBS Corp, Viacom Inc and Hulu.com, which is owned by NBC Universal and News Corp's Fox Network.
Viacom makes videos available online
Viacom's MTV Networks Group has signed deals to make videos available on five online video services and Comcast Corp's broadband site, as the company aims to increase its presence on the Web. Dailymotion, GoFish, iMeem, MeeVee and Veoh Networks entered agreements, MTV Networks said on Tuesday at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Slouching Toward Digital
Amazon.com's new music download service amounts to a grand experiment for record labels, many of which have agreed to sell their tunes for the first time without restrictions against copying and other digital rights management (DRM) protections. But Amazon's online store will also be a crucial test for just how flexible the beleaguered music companies are when it comes to pricing.
Bill Carr, Amazon's vice-president for digital music, won't discuss terms of Amazon's contracts with the labels. But he says Amazon isn't running the business to be a loss leader: "Our business has to be profitable on Day One."
Hypebot's 10 Music 2.0 Predictions For 2008
- Despite major layoffs and promises of change, the EMI at the end of 2008 will look much like the EMI of today only smaller and with new faces at the helm.
- The major labels groups will try to buy there way out of the decline by purchasing indie labels and other smaller music tech companies.
- More venture capital and tech money will flow into the music industry.
- There will be consolidation or closures within the subscription music sector.
- iTunes and the iPod will remain in dominate positions throughout the year, but several competitors will finally gain traction.
- Paid ringtone sales will plummet.
- Mobile full song downloads will grab a significant share of the US digital market.
- More niche music and download destinations will launch and flourish.
- The quality of downloads will improve. More artwork, lyrics and other extras will be included along with higher bit rates.
- Free music will gain traction as ad supported channels evolve.
Video: Slacker Portable closes in on release
It's been a semi-long journey to release for the Slacker Portable, and while it truthfully hasn't quite arrived, it's on the proverbial home stretch now. Demoing at ShopStoppers here at CES, Slacker was pimping its forthcoming Portable -- which is set to be available on the outfit's website on January 31st -- and according to the on-site rep., it'll be out in 4GB ($199) and 8GB ($299) versions. Granted, we're still not elated about the thing, but those who can't squash curiosity can head on through to check on the vid.
Fox DVD ships with iTunes-compatible digital file
An iTunes user has found evidence of an iTunes-compatible digital file on a Fox DVD slated for release on Jan. 15, the day of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ upcoming keynote address. According to pictures from a Mac with the Family Guy (Blue Harvest) DVD loaded, the disc contains a “Fox Digital Copy” file that “requires iTunes version 7.6 or newer.” iTunes 7.5 is the current version, suggesting that Apple plans to announce iTunes 7.6 on or before January 15. The DVD package itself says to “Visit www.foxdigitalcopy.com for more information,” but the site currently only contains information on PlaysForSure digital files, which Fox has been including on select DVD releases for some time; however, it does provide further support that a serial number will be required to access the digital file. In early December, it was reported that Apple and Fox were working on a movie deal, which would include both sales of the studio’s films on iTunes, as well as plans to offer iTunes-compatible digital copies of the films on DVD releases.
Apple's preps iTunes 7.6 with support for movie rentals
Apple Inc. at the Macworld conference next week will show off a new version of its iTunes jukebox software that bundles support for a digital movie rental service slated for an introduction at the same time, AppleInsider has been able to confirm. Reports have suggested that individual rentals will fetch between $2 and $5 depending on their stature, but last only 24 hours from the time they're downloaded to the time they'll expire and become unplayable.
IPod Killers
Just stroll around the exhibit halls at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, and you'll find attractive alternatives to the blockbuster music device from nimble players such as SanDisk, Creative Technology and Samsung that boast snazzy designs and more bang for the buck.
Kadoink, widget-maker for bands and their fans, raises $7 million
Kadoink lets bands create widgets where fans can sign up to receive text, calls or songs from them. Fans can also add the bands widgets to their own blogs. It is also a sort of mobile social network, as fans can send messages about bands to each other through Kadoink, while using their mobile devices. Participating bands include Third Eye Blind, Rogue Wave and Death Cab For Cutie.
DRM (on music) is dead. Long live DRM (on video)!
Ian Rogers began by making the pronouncement that DRM is done when it comes to music. "When it comes to music, we're set," he said. "Next question: do we have to go through all of this nonsense with video?" The answer, unfortunately, appears to be a resounding yes. "I think DRM in video is robust and healthy, and we'll be stuck with it for a long time," said von Lohmann, who then brought up a point we've touched upon repeated here at Ars over the years. "[DRM] is not about piracy. AACS has been broken and stayed broken through 2007," explained von Lohmann. "It's about controlling competition and eliminating disruptive innovation. If you want to play my content, I get to tell you how to build your player."
Hollywood insiders' panel praises Apple, iTunes, debates business model
At CES 2008 Monday afternoon, Variety Magazine hosted a panel discussion and Q&A session with representatives from some of today's biggest content providers. Their discussion was the future of content delivery, and the big question was this: How will you make money from it?
CEA Sees iPod Systems Outselling HTiBs, Compacts
Sales of iPod-docking speaker systems and clock radios will outsell combined sales of traditional compact shelf systems and home theater in a box (HTiB) systems for the first time in 2008, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) forecasts show.
CEA's July 2007 forecast called for an expected 45 percent rise in factory-level sales of iPod speaker-system sales, including docking clock radios, to $867 million in 2007 and another 23 percent rise in 2008 to $1.07 billion. The statistics exclude the growing sales of shelf systems and HTiBs sold with included or embedded docks, illustrating the influence of the iPod brand of MP3 players as a source of audio content in home as well as on the go. In contrast, combined factory sales of HTiBs and compact stereos will slip to $1.04 billion in 2008, the forecast shows. CEA will unveil an updated forecast here at CES.
Despite Move to MP3s, DRM Will Haunt Record Labels
While record labels' retreat from digital rights management software is designed to give consumers the ability to play songs on any device, music fans will likely be trapped in a DRM-filled world for years to come.
Still, more than 80 percent of the digital music market remains encoded with DRM, despite the announcements from the big labels. That's because of the highly popular iTunes Store, and Apple's iPod and iPhone. Those devices, with more than 100 million units sold, only play music protected by Apple's proprietary FairPlay DRM technology, or music that isn't protected at all. Apple, since 2003, has sold more than 3 billion music downloads, capturing more than 80 percent of the market.
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