dvds

Hollywood wants share of Netflix's windfall

At this point, who could begrudge Reed Hastings and his Netflix management team from some celebration, from performing the corporate equivalent of an end-zone dance?

Wall Street and Netflix subscribers appear overjoyed with the direction that Netflix's CEO has the Web's top video-rental store pointed in. The only people who don't seem pleased with Netflix's success work in Hollywood.

Just days before Netflix reported third-quarter earnings that jumped 48 percent from a year ago and subscriber growth of 28 percent during the same period, two executives from different studios told me they aren't getting their … Read more

Three software freebies worth $1,089

Nothing thrills me like getting something for nothing. Yesterday, for example, I redeemed the last of my birthday coupons, wolfing down a free scoop of Cold Stone ice cream (Fudge Brownie Batter with brownies mixed in--yum).

Today I've rounded up three software freebies that have a combined value of $1,089. Seriously! Take a look:

IOBit Security 360 Pro Normally $29.95 for a one-year license, this security app is free until Nov. 11. It promises "advanced malware and spyware removal," along with protection from all manner of threats: trojans, keyloggers, worms, etc. I haven't found … Read more

Download WinX DVD Ripper Platinum free

Want to archive your DVDs to your hard drive? Convert them for viewing on your iPhone or Zune HD? What you need is a good DVD ripper.

From now until September 30, Digiarty Software is giving away WinX DVD Ripper Platinum, which normally sells for $24.95.

Just pop a DVD in your drive, fire up the program, and choose an output format: AVI, MP4, WMV, iPhone, PSP, 3GP, or any of half a dozen others.

DVD Ripper Platinum has a clean, simple interface; I think that most users will have zero trouble using the program. Advanced users have the … Read more

Entertainment: Is it a rent-to-(never)-own market?

Even as the decline in DVD sales--both in the U.S. and abroad--has accelerated since 2006, DVD rentals through services such as Netflix (adding 25 percent more customers since 2008) and Redbox (adding 500 machines per month) have been booming.

The reason, as The Economist surmises, may be a shifting view on how consumers prefer to consume entertainment:

The real worry (for the movie industry), then, is not that people are abandoning DVDs but that they are abandoning the notion of owning them.

This is perhaps exacerbated by an industry that can't seem to make up its mind … Read more

Aussies cram 2,000 movies onto single DVD

Last month, GE revealed that its research scientists had discovered a way, using holographic technology, to store 100 DVDs worth of information on a single standard DVD. What a difference a few weeks make.

In what can only be seen as a "serving" (or pwning) of the GE researchers, the B-Boys researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, have gone way past 100 and on to 2,000.

While standard DVDs are made with three spatial dimensions, the Aussie researchers added two more.

Using nanoparticles--extremely small bits of matter--the Swinburne team was able to introduce a spectral (or color) dimension and a polarization dimension.

To create the "color dimension," the researchers inserted gold nanorods onto a disc's surface. Because nanoparticles react to light according to their shape, this allowed the researchers to record information in a range of different color wavelengths on the same physical disc location. Their findings appear in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature.

Current DVDs are recorded in a single color wavelength using a laser. Brain explode yet? No? Well just keep reading, pal. … Read more

Four cheap ways to entertain yourself

After yesterday's free-pizza minidebacle (make sure to read my final update to learn how to get a free order of Cinnastix), I thought I'd shift gears and find deals designed to entertain your brain rather than tickle your tastebuds:

DVD: Amazon has "Firefly - The Complete Series" on sale for $19.99 shipped. This is one of my all-time favorite shows. And check out the five-star ratings from nearly 3,000 reviewers! Game: Like first-person shooters? Newegg has Prey (PC) for $5.99 shipped. It has a lot of action, but very story-driven. Highly recommended. Music: … Read more

Netflix to hike up monthly Blu-ray fee by up to $8

On Monday, Netflix announced that the privilege to rent Blu-ray titles would be going up in price, beginning April 26. Citing the significant increase in the number of titles releasing on Blu-ray and the high cost of the discs over traditional DVDs, that comes out to a raise of anywhere from $1 to an additional $8 over what users were previously paying, for a total of $9 a month extra for its heavy renters.

According to the Official Netflix blog, it amounts to about an extra dollar per tier of the plan you're on, as opposed to the previous system, which simply tacked on an extra dollar. That amounts to:

1 DVD out at-a-time (2 DVDs a month) Monthly plan cost: $4.99 Additional monthly charge for Blu-ray access on this plan: $1 Monthly plan cost with Blu-ray access: $5.99

1 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) Monthly plan cost: $8.99 Additional monthly charge for Blu-ray access on this plan: $2 Monthly plan cost with Blu-ray access: $10.99

2 DVDs out at-a-time (Unlimited) Monthly plan cost: $13.99 Additional monthly charge for Blu-ray access on this plan: $3 Monthly plan cost with Blu-ray access: $16.99

3 DVDs out at-a-time (Unlimited) Monthly plan cost: $16.99 Additional monthly charge for Blu-ray access on this plan: $4 Monthly plan cost with Blu-ray access: $20.99… Read more

On DVD: Paul Simon, Live from Philadelphia

This performance from the Tower Theater in Philadelphia is loaded with hits. Musicianship is impeccable, but that's pretty much always the case with Simon, the guy's a real perfectionist. It's a rather laid-back show, and the Philly concert has a more intimate feel than the Simon & Garfunkle DVDs like "The Concert in Central Park."

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" has a terrific groove, but for me the sparser songs, like the "The Boxer" work best. The mix of hope and regret running through "American Tune" is a … Read more

Report: Blu-ray wins DVD format wars, but faces battle

Updated at 9:15 a.m. PDT with background on the DVD format wars.

Research firm In-Stat has declared a "winner" in the DVD format wars between Blu-ray and HD DVD. And the winner is...

Blu-ray.

In-Stat, in a research report released Wednesday, noted that the Blu-ray and HD DVD format war ended in the early part of the year, and that Blu-ray recorder and player sales are expected to reach 5 million by the end of the year.

With the death of HD DVD earlier this year, some took it a step further, saying Blu-ray's top-dog … Read more

DVD sales flat, but still dwarf downloads

UPDATE:To include quotes from NPD Group analyst Russ Crupnick

DVD sales are flat but the drop doesn't have anything to do with movie downloads, according to the NPD Group.

The research group reported Tuesday that, on average, consumers spent 41 percent of the money budgeted for movies and other video content by purchasing DVDs of films. Movie rentals on DVD were the next biggest category with 29 percent. Consumers spent 11 percent purchasing TV shows on DVD. About 18 percent went to theater tickets, according to the report.

Here's the kicker for Internet video: only 0.5 … Read more