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Paramount and Kingston team up for movies on flash memory

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:43PM

Movies delivered on memory cards isn't an entirely new development (Sony did it back in the early days of the PSP), but it looks like Paramount and Kingston think the idea is prime for a comeback, and have today announced a partnership that'll see some of the studio's movies delivered on SD cards and USB drives. That gets started with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on a (presumably reusable) 4GB Kingston DataTraveler I USB drive that's available right now for $29.99, and will apparently continue with additional movies offered across Kingston's full line of memory cards and USB drives, although both parties are staying mum on any further specifics. There's also no word from any other studios or memory companies just yet, but we can only presume this means slotMovies are right around the corner.

[Via HotHardware]

mSpot brings new release movie streaming to major US carriers

by Darren Murph posted Sep 30th 2009 at 11:34AM

mSpot has been streaming full-length movies to cellphones for a few years now, but not until this week has the company had a potential customer base of 40 million. As of right now, mobile phone users on Sprint, AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile (yes, that includes the G1, Pre, iPhone and every other smartphone with a half-decent browser) can surf over to m.mspot.com in order to stream major motion pictures, and being that the service is on-demand, you can also pause and restart 'em whenever you darn well please. Deals have been inked with Paramount Studios, Universal Pictures and the Weinstein Company, and we're told that more agreements are in the works. Movie rentals will cost $4.99 per title, and can be viewed from 24 hours to 5 days after they're rented. Naturally, mSpot recommends paying for an "unlimited" data plan, and if you're smart, you won't utilize the service whilst traveling abroad.

Paramount, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. & Sony Pictures movies finally available (legitimately) in DivX

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 26th 2009 at 8:00AM

Over the last few years we've witnessed a slew of DivX Certified devices including HDTVs, DVD & Blu-ray player, set-top boxes, game consoles and even cell phones, but until now, despite several content agreements, in the U.S. there hasn't been any content available in the format from the major studios. That changes today now that online store FilmFresh.com, has signed up Paramount, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. & Sony Pictures to offer new release and archive movies for purchase as DivX formatted downloads. The bad news? For now at least, they'll be standard definition (stereo audio) only. Rick Bolton, CEO of Film Fresh as well as Eric Grab and John Greene of DivX filled us in on the details, and from what we've learned -- if you'll stand for lower res video -- the combination of compatibility and portability could make this download service a competitor against the likes of iTunes, CinemaNow and Zune.

Continue reading Paramount, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. & Sony Pictures movies finally available (legitimately) in DivX

CinemaNow launches Wii movie streaming service in Japan

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 25th 2009 at 5:03PM

CinemaNow, the company that's over the years brought streaming content (and often Frisbees) to such varied devices as the Samsung P2, various Dell PCs, and the Xbox 360, has announced that it's partnering with Fujisoft to deliver flicks to the Nintendo Wii. The service will initially launch in Japan, subjecting our friends to the East to such Paramount Pictures fare as Hotel For Dogs and Madagascar 2: Return of the Sassy Cartoon Animals, but we're fairly confident that a Stateside launch is in our future. In related news, cult film director Tommy Wiseau is reportedly negotiating with Chintendo to bring his inadvertent comedies to the Vii game platform.

Continue reading CinemaNow launches Wii movie streaming service in Japan

Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, the DRM of the future?

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 13th 2008 at 6:11PM

We've heard this about this dream so many times before, DRM that will make digital media as easy to use and as consumer friendly as a physical medium like DVD. We'd normally be quick to disregard this as yet another DRM "ecosystem" for digital media, but the list of players backing the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (or DECE) has us taking notice. As impossible as this seems, if anyone could make it happen, it'd be a group composed of: Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox, HP, Intel, Lions Gate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign, and Warner Bros -- yes, we also find it hard to believe that all these companies are working together. We'll have to wait until January at CES for the ins and outs of how this would actually work, but we do know it'll be based around a "rights locker" which will amount to a website where digital purchases will be stored -- we assume this is where VeriSign fits in. Oh, and Apple is noticeably absent from the list

Paramount & Dreamworks HD DVD support ends March 4

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 28th 2008 at 11:11PM

We don't know if Jeffrey Katzenberg got a text message, fax, e-mail or smoke signal indicating the format war was over, but Video Business has confirmed Paramount and Dreamworks Animation will (rather abruptly) to stop releasing HD DVDs after next week. If you were looking forward to Bee Movie on March 11, Sweeney Todd on April 1 or the just announced There Will Be Blood, those are cancelled. Into the Wild and the appropriately-named Things We Lost in the Fire will be Paramount's last reminders of its exclusive agreement. Not specifically mentioned was Star Trek: TOS Season 2, but don't hold your breath. Blu-ray release plans are still up in the air but we wouldn't be surprised to hear something soon. As far as HD DVD movies still scheduled, that leaves two from Universal (for now) and twelve from Warner Bros, who may have been the first to leave red, but will apparently be the last major studio out the door.

Read - Video Business
Read - High-Def Digest

Paramount officially Blu-ray (again)

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 21st 2008 at 3:17AM

Michael Bay can breathe easy, Paramount (Dreamworks included) has officially gone Blu-ray. Two and a half years after announcing itself purple, and exactly five months after becoming HD DVD exclusive, this move makes all six major Hollywood studios Blu. Don't make space for that Blu edition of Transformers in your DVD rack just yet, as the company plans to "monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly", but with PS3 sales up and BD Live on the way, we can't imagine it will take very long. The Hollywood Reporter expects to see Universal and Paramount new releases hitting Blu-ray and DVD at the same time by late spring or early summer, when we can forget this whole thing ever happened -- unless of course you picked up an HD DVD player for Shrek, in which case we have a few ideas on what to do next.

[Thanks to Robert and everyone who sent this in]

Paramount and Universal to publish films on Blu-ray

by Darren Murph posted Feb 19th 2008 at 11:19AM

Not a whole lot to go on right now, but German site HDTV Praxis has it that both Paramount and Universal will now make the obvious choice and publish their films on Blu-ray. Notably, this follows hints seen in certain Circuit City databases as well as word that we've received noting that both studios would indeed make things easy on everyone and simply support the one format still standing. Interestingly, DreamWorks isn't mentioned in the linked article per se, but we've all ideas it'll be following suit shortly.

[Thanks, Khattab]

Update: Universal's president Craig Kornblau had this to say: "While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray." Thanks, Kiwi616!

Universal HD DVD exclusivity contract has expired, sits non-renewed

by Steven Kim posted Jan 10th 2008 at 12:39PM

More news from the format war today, and it isn't good for the red camp. Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal's agreement to stick with HD DVD has ended and has not been renewed. Additionally, Paramount has an escape clause in its contract that can be exercised following Warner's departure from the (now dwindling) HD DVD ranks. The article highlights various ongoing commitments both companies have to the format, but we've heard these kind of promises before from studios. It's feeling like a party where everyone leaves at once; nobody wants to be the first out the door, but everyone's looking in that direction.

[Thanks, Mike M!]

Sources say Universal and Paramount are both going Blu

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 9th 2008 at 5:34PM

Rumors just won't stop about the future of HD DVD, and while we try not to post all of them, some seem too believable to pass up. Our friend Bill Hunt, at the Digital Bits, -- still waiting on those permalinks, Bill -- is reporting that his "second to none" sources informed him that both Universal and Paramount are in the process of going blu. But don't bother asking 'em, because the same contracts that prevent them from switching now, prevent them from confirming the rumor. In addition, Bills sources tell him that while Paramount could make an announcement any day now, Universal's won't come until February -- at the earliest -- because "their contract period with the HD-DVD camp expires at the end of January."

[Via FormatWarCentral]

MusicGiants launches VideoGiants, with HD movies from Paramount

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 9th 2008 at 3:18PM

The HD digital distribution club just got a little bigger, as lossless audio distributor MusicGiants is launching its VideoGiants service with 250 movies from Paramount, and additional content from HDNet. Available in 1080p or 1080i WMV format, users can purchase the movies in 10-packs for $159 delivered via Seagate hard drives or, in a few months, one at a time via direct download to a home media server. After that, it can be viewed via the media PC or Media Extender (including Xbox 360). MusicGiants has been selling HD audio tracks to high end home theater owners via its network of dealers and installers for about two years, with plans to make this type of service available to the mass market soon. Still think the future of HD content is on shiny discs?

iTunes movie rental fire gets a poke: Warner Bros, Fox, Disney, Paramount and Lionsgate all on board?

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 9th 2008 at 1:58PM

Rumors have been swirling that Apple will be offering movie rentals over iTunes for weeks now. Now it would appear that Warner Bros have joined Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate and Paramount in the initial launch. This, according to sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg. The announcement is expected to be made on January 15th according to the report, presumably during Jobs' MacWorld keynote. Both new releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. Bloomberg's sources also indicate that Fox may join as a supplier of movie downloads. While the details may change, an iTunes rental service announcement on Tuesday seems a near certainty given the recent multi-source, confluence of data.

[Via Appleinsider]

Paramount: "Current plan is to support the HD DVD format." Currently.

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 8th 2008 at 1:51PM

Paramount has officially issued its denial of the rumor -- originally printed in the Financial Times -- that it is very close to ending its exclusive support of HD DVD. The quick end to what had been reported as an 18-month agreement could be the result of a "get out" clause triggered by Warner Bros.' sudden departure from HD DVD releases. Whether this will follow last year's "Universal may switch" rumor, that didn't happen, or last month's "Warner may switch" rumor, that did, remains to be seen. Until we hear otherwise, Paramount, Transformers and Shrek are still HD DVD only, whether they like it or not.

[Thanks, numlok]

Paramount following Warner out the HD DVD door?

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 7th 2008 at 10:29PM

The Financial Times is reporting that Paramount is preparing to use a get out clause in its HD DVD exclusivity deal, and go back to Blu-ray, about 4 months after ending its dual-format release schedule. The move would be a result of Warner's switch to Blu-ray, using a "get out" clause in Paramount's promotional agreement with the HD DVD camp. No details on what it might take to rip up the contract and make Michael Bay very, very happy, but if the rumor proves true this could make the slow death he predicted for HD DVD a very, very fast one.

Michael Bay "drinks the Kool Aid," now supports HD DVD

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 22nd 2007 at 2:49AM

Ha, so much for standing up to the boss-man. Michael's latest post now says that, "I drank the Kool Aid" blah blah blah "so I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!" Whatever, wuss.