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iTunes headache is a reminder purchases might not travel with you
Anders Gonçalves da Silva recently had three movies disappear from his iTunes library and a letter he received from Apple stated that it was because those titles were no longer available from the iTunes Store. Naturally, the response caused outrage at the idea that Apple can delete movies you've paid for just because the provider doesn't want them on iTunes any longer. But as CNET reports, it turns out da Silva's situation was a little more complicated than that and it's one that highlights the headaches digital content -- and the licensing rules that go along with it -- can cause for people moving to a new region.
BBC Three to launch new programs on iPlayer a week before they air on TV
The BBC might be a stalwart bastion of television broadcasting, but that's not stopping it from expanding its ventures into the wonderful world of online programming. Today, BBC Three announced that it would try its hand at digital-first content starting with the second series of Jack Whitehall's Bad Education. As more and more viewers turn to the internet for their TV-watching needs, the BBC has proven itself eager to keep up with demand, first by unveiling its plan to debut certain programs online in addition to producing iPlayer-exclusive dramas. iPlayer has long been one of the best ways to catch up on your favorite shows when you miss them on the air, but with this new development, the BBC seems interested in shifting the paradigm -- at least when it comes to a few select programs -- to favor online viewership.
Editorial: Nintendo's digital content problem and how the Wii U is making things worse
The Wii U's launch was a bit rocky, to say the least. Missing features, promised TV services and slow-loading, day-one firmware updates left Nintendo fans frustrated and disappointed. The company is still cleaning up the mess too, announcing that it will push two additional software updates to fix the console's slogging load times. A quicker console will certainly be welcome, but the Wii U spring updates are missing an opportunity to close a rift that divides Nintendo from its loving customer base: how it handles digital content ownership. Ever buy an Xbox Live game? You probably know that purchase is tied to your Xbox Live account, and will be available on any subsequent Xbox you purchase. Not in Nintendo's world; Kyoto's digital sales are tied to the gaming hardware, not the user's account. It's been a sore spot for Nintendo gamers for some time now, and the Wii U was the company's chance to make amends -- except it didn't. Like its predecessors, the new console locks content to the device it was originally purchased on, imprisoning digital purchases in a physical cage. The Wii U takes content confinement a step further with its support for legacy software, providing a near-perfect example of the folly of Nintendo's content ownership philosophy: the isolated sandbox of its backwards-compatible Wii Menu.
BFI to digitize 10,000 British films as part of Film Forever investment plan
The British Film Institute plans to digitize and provide easier access to 10,000 British flicks as part of a new £500 million (approximately $800 million) "Film Forever" initiative. In addition to driving growth in the UK industry by investing in education, filmmaking and the like, the institute wants to put a mixture of free and paid content on its website, YouTube and VoD services. A BFIPlayer app will be providing a similar service to Samsung Smart TVs, PCs and mobile devices. Cinemas, DVDs and TV channels will also play host to the films, selected for digital rebirth by a bunch of experts and in part, by the general public. And, in the spirit of digitization, full details of the ambitious Film Forever enterprise (slated to run from 2012-2017) are available in e-brochure format at the source link below.
Samsung aims to become key player in digital content distribution through company buyouts
The writing has been on the wall ever since Samsung's acquisition of mSpot, but the Korean firm today confirmed to Reuters that it plans to join the ranks of Apple, Google and Amazon in the world of digital content distribution. Most importantly, it plans to do so through buyouts. Samsung executive Kang Tae-jin offered a rather frank overview of the company's ambitions, saying that it will grow Music Hub into one of the top four services in terms of revenue and subscribers within the next three years. According to Kang, the push isn't so much to tap a new source of revenue, but rather to drive hardware sales -- perhaps it sees Apple's rumored move into music streaming as a bit of a threat. That said, the announcement also dovetails with rumblings of Samsung's efforts to build a more self-sufficient software ecosystem. Whatever the true reason, we'd imagine that the folks at Pandora, Spotify and the like are now watching the phone a bit more intently. Wouldn't you?
Tesco recruits Andy McNab's e-book firm Mobcast to help win the Supermarket content war
Hot on the heels of purchasing Blinkbox and Peter Gabriel's WE7, Tesco has purchased Andy McNab's e-book publishers, Mobcast. It seems clear that the British supermarket heavyweight is currently engaged in a phony war with rival Sainsburys, which snapped up Rovi, Global Media Vault and Anobii for its competing online content service. McNab's company is rather small, only offering around 130,000 titles in the UK, but like the earlier purchases, its infrastructure and resources will most likely be cannibalized to boost the company's forthcoming digital platform.
Nevermore: Beyond Oblivion fades off into... oblivion
For Beyond Oblivion, the end (see: tomorrow) is nigh -- the sun is setting on the service, the curtains are drawing close on its operations and that final, flickering flame of funding is about to be extinguished. But there's no need to slug through the five stages of mourning here, this fledgling iTunes competitor never really stood a chance. With a unique business model that paid rights holders for every track played, the company bled more cash than it raked in, ultimately leading to a shuttering of its public beta. So, enjoy that last dance 'round your room rocking out to BO's library of cloud-streamed tunes. And while you're at it, lay out a nice black outfit, will ya?
How Steve Jobs got the Internet to pay for content
Just about every Internet and print news outlet has paid tribute to Steve Jobs over the past few days, but PaidContent.org -- a website dedicated to discussion of the sale of digital content -- had one of the more interesting plaudits. In a post by Media Guardian's Charles Arthur, Jobs was rightly given his place in history as the "man who got the Internet to pay for content." Arthur reflected on the sad state of affairs in the media biz just ten years ago. He notes that "if you wanted to download some music, your best bet was Napster or one of the filesharing systems such as LimeWire or KaZaA." For the services that were actually considered legal, there were services like PressPlay and MusicNet requiring US$15 monthly subscriptions for low-quality streams that couldn't be burned to CD. Jobs came along with the iPod, and then followed up with the iTunes Music Store. If it hadn't been for Jobs persuading the music companies in 2003 to license their songs to Apple, the store wouldn't have happened. As Arthur notes, the music companies figured that Apple was just a tiny company with a minimal market share in the computer business, so they went along for the ride. And a huge ride it was -- Apple sold a million songs in the first week of the iTunes Music Store, which at that time was only available in the U.S. The iTunes Store now sells TV shows, movies, apps, and books in addition to songs, with sales of both songs and apps in the tens of billions. As Arthur comments towards the end of his post, "Jobs was a champion of getting customers who would pay you for your stuff." By focusing on "getting something great to the customer with as few obstacles as possible," Jobs was able to insist that customers pay for that value and the content. While he is largely known as the man who brought the world some "insanely great" hardware, Jobs should also be remembered for his lasting impact on sales of digital content.
Beyond Oblivion cloud-based music service: you play, they pay (video)
iTunes is the 600-pound gorilla of the digital music world, but that hasn't stopped other folks from trying to get a piece of Apple's sizable sonic pie. The latest challenger, Beyond Oblivion, has quite an unusual business model -- rights holders get paid by the company every time a song is played using the service, regardless of that song's origin. That's right, even when you listen to illicitly obtained music, Beyond Oblivion picks up the tab. Buy a licensed device and you're in the club -- with some sort of DRM manning the velvet rope, no doubt -- where you can enjoy cloud-based tunes, free downloads, and build and share playlists (similar to the oft-rumored, yet unseen Google Music). Rather than recommending new tunes, a la the Genius sidebar, Beyond Oblivion lets you follow similar-minded musical aficionados (and grab their playlists) to find hot new jams. If that sounds good to you, public beta starts April 4th, with a June 12 commercial release to follow. It's a mystery how the company will turn a profit while footing the bill for all those per-play royalties, but if it works, the cloud may be the source of your next Justin Bieber fix. Vid's after the break.
Boxee makes deal with CBS for digital content sales
As we eagerly wait for Netflix and VUDU to hit the peppy, young Boxee Box, The New York Times is reporting that the company has inked a deal with CBS for selling episodes through the software platform. As you know, the aforementioned network has traditionally tread carefully in the digital distro arena, while this is the first such deal between Boxee and a television network. "It's a major step for us, working with the biggest network in the U.S.," said the company, who expressed hopes that this is "the beginning of more deals with more major content providers both here in the U.S. and abroad." Just what we needed: more ways to watch Two and a Half Men.
Borders enlists BookBrewer for its e-publishing portal, 'Time Cube' guy asks where to sign up
We guess that Barnes & Noble can't have all the fun, huh? You'll soon have another option for self-publishing your wildly fantastical (and wonderfully fact-free) rants: Borders has announced that it'll be using the BookBrewer platform for its new eBook publishing service. Beginning October 25, $90 will get you one ePUB format book, complete with ISBN and distribution to "all major eBook stores," including Borders and Amazon. Does that mean that your pamphlet, EARTH HAS 4 CORNER SIMULTANEOUS 4-DAY TIME CUBE IN ONLY 24 HOUR ROTATION will finally be taken seriously? Nah, probably not. PR after the break.
Barnes & Noble opens 'PubIt!' self-publishing portal, details compensation model
It ain't exactly summer, but we'll take it. Launching just a few days after we'd been told to expect it, Barnes & Noble's PubIt! self-publishing portal is finally open for business. As you'd heard before, this platform is essentially designed to give independent writers a venue for hawking their masterpieces, with PubIt! converting files to ePUB for use on a wide range of e-readers (read: not only the Nook). Published titles will be available for sale within 24 to 72 hours after upload on the B&N eBookstore, and the company's pretty proud of its "no hidden fees" policy. Unfortunately, the compensation model -- which is being detailed today for the first time -- has its quirks. For PubIt! eBooks priced at or between $2.99 and $9.99, publishers will receive 65 percent of the list price for sold content; for those priced at $2.98 or less, or $10.00 or more, publishers will only receive 40 percent of the list price. In other words, there's a no man's land in that $10 to $15 range, so you'll probably be settling for a $9.99 price point or reaching for the skies at $19.99. But hey, at least all PubIt! ebooks will also be lendable for a fortnight -- surely that counts for something. Right?
Google music service might offer subscriptions as well as digital downloads
We know that Google's been thinking about launching a music service, and now the crazy kids at Billboard are reporting details of a proposal that the search giant's been circulating among the major labels. Apparently the company is pursuing a sort of hybrid digital download store / cloud-based locker service, with the store offering individual tracks or albums, while the "locker" would scan the user's hard drive for music files and, upon finding tracks that Google is licensed to offer, allow the user access to them on the cloud (presumably you won't be actually uploading your MP3s to the service, just streaming their content once it's determined you have a copy of your own). And since you can't offer any service without a little "social networking" on the side these days, Google would like to give users the opportunity to send each other tracks, which they could listen to once -- and then either purchase or preview (um, review) in thirty second snippets, similar to Lala. There's no word yet on which -- if any -- labels are willing to take the bait, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything else. Promise.
Google setting up music store later this year, looking for search and Android synergy
Remember that chart that pointed out the differences between Google, Apple and Microsoft? Well, it's looking increasingly like Google is intent on filling any and all gaps in its portfolio. Those good old unnamed sources have been talking, originally to CNET last week and to the Wall Street Journal today, and disclosing Google's supposed intent to introduce its very own music store. This would initially encompass a web store where you can stream or download tracks, with a search tie-in that'll get your money into Google's pocket in the fastest possible way. Subsequent plans are said to include Android integration in 2011 -- something that Google rather nonchalantly demoed at its I/O conference last month. Of course, none of this is as yet confirmed, but it looks like Apple and Google will be competing across yet another front -- hold on tight.
Amazon job posting hints at 'completely new' video game technology
We love it: Stealth projects! New technology! Amazon has only recently announced that it will be selling Xbox Live Arcade content, and now it seems that the company has its feelers out for a new Senior Product Manager for Digital Video Games. Are you "smart, analytical, and enthusiastic?" Care to develop and launch a "stealth project" that will result in "a completely new type of technology for customers?" We thought you might be. Hit up that source link to get started. For our part, we look forward to seeing what comes of all this. [Thanks, Daniel]
NBC and Time Warner inform Apple they'll be sticking to Flash, thank you very much
When the iPad bandwagon was launched in late January, ABC and Netflix quickly jumped onboard with tailor-made apps, while CBS and others started transitioning their content to HTML5-compliant formats, all in the name of not being left behind by the revolution. As it turns out, however, some content providers will be letting this ride pass them by, at least for the moment. The New York Post today reports that big media heavyweights Time Warner and NBC Universal have turned their noses up at the iPad's high entry demands and will be sticking to what works: Sources said several large media companies, including Time Warner and NBC Universal, told Apple they won't retool their extensive video libraries to accommodate the iPad, arguing that such a reformatting would be expensive and not worth it because Flash dominates the Web. According to the NYP article, these conglomerates have been emboldened by the forthcoming arrival of competing tablets from the likes of Dell and HP, and will be seeking their fortunes in the mobile space atop Adobe's winged stallion of web domination that we commonly know as Flash. This is a decision sure to end in tears -- we just don't know who'll be doing the crying when it all shakes out.
Barnes & Noble to open 'PubIt!' self-publishing portal this summer
Self-publishing has long since been possible through Amazon, but you won't catch us kvetching about a little competition in the market place. In an attempt to do for indie writers what InstantAction has done for indie game developers, Barnes & Noble has just announced its intentions to open up a self-publishing portal this summer. We wouldn't say that the PubIt! name is the greatest of all time (for a variety of reasons, frankly), but the world's largest bookseller is hoping to expand its importance in the digital realm by giving wannabe authors the ability to upload and sell their material through B&N's website and eBookstore. Details on the compensation model (read: profit split) will be announced "in the coming weeks," but the real kicker here is this won't be limited to the Nook; pretty much any e-reader, tablet or PC will be able to tap in and make purchases, so the potential audience is quite large. Hit that source link if you want to be notified when invitations are going out, and given just how close we are to this mythical "summer" thing, we'd suggest you start putting pen to paper -- and fast. [Thanks, Victor]
Apple files patent application for NFC e-tickets with 'extra benefits'
Apple appears to be casting an eye out to new shores, judging by the latest of its patent applications to go public. Filed in September 2008, this primarily relates to adding bonus digital content to event tickets, whereby swiping your entry pass to, say, a concert or a sports event into an electronic device would result in you gaining access to related goodies from "an online digital content service." Additional claims describe the use of an electronic device (read: iPhone or iPod touch) as the carrier of the (digitized) ticket, allowing the user access to the event itself as well as "at least one other event-related benefit." The whole thing is focused on the use of near-field communications as the data transfer method of choice, something that Apple's hardware is not yet equipped to handle. Then again, NFC interaction is also referenced in a separate patent application (from August 2009, see WIPO link below) for peer-to-peer payments, suggesting that Cupertino might have more than a passing interest in the contactless transfer tech. What do you think, will you be buying your Steelers tickets with a side order of iTunes?
Cynergy's magazine kiosk concept serves up digital content a la carte (video)
Not that we've never seen Surface-like touch tables interacting with mobile devices before, but now that the whole thing is being repackaged as "the magazine stand of the future" and those trendy tablets are involved, we might as well have a look. Cynergy is demonstrating a seamless method for purchasing digital content from one of these kiosks using your e-reader or tablet pc. It's just a matter of plopping your device -- which already knows your identity and available credit -- atop the display table and then flicking the particular magazine or newspaper you want onto your storage. It looks effortless and all, but it also requires that you have the "custom designed and built" software from Cynergy, which you'll have to pump funds into in order to get the seamlessness going. We don't know how we feel about yet another proprietary ecosystem floating about, but you can make your own mind up after watching the video after the break.
Wired's tablet app goes on show: developed on AIR, heading to the iPad (video)
Mmm, digital magazines. They are the little bites of paid-for content that all the publishers believe we should be deeply enthralled with. Hoping to show us why exactly it is that we should all care (and pay) for prepackaged digital content is Wired's latest and most comprehensive demo of its tablet app on an unspecified 16:9 device. Setting aside hopefuls like the Joojoo and Adam for a moment, it is clear that this is ultimately intended for Apple's iPad -- the device that stands by far the biggest chance of making the digimag concept a commercial success. Interesting choice of development partner, then, as Condé Nast has opted to use Adobe's AIR platform for the underlying mechanics. Adobe promises its Packager for iPhone, part of CS5, will allow devs to easily port AIR apps to run natively on the iPad, but until Apple gives its official assent to the final code, nothing is guaranteed -- and Packager hasn't even officially shipped yet. As far as the app goes, it'll come with Twitter and Facebook integration, and navigation is geared toward the touching and swiping model so prevalent today. See it on video after the break.
