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Ad-supported streaming to trump download-to-own content in 2008?
It's a notion that may surprise some folks at first listen, but truthfully, it tends to make sense. Download-to-own video didn't see stellar growth in 2007, and according to a number of industry execs on a panel at CES, content guardians distributors could be opting for ad-supported streaming to pull in revenue. According to Fox's Dan Fawcett, he thinks that "people like to watch on an impulse," and furthermore, he stated that these same folks "want to watch for free because they can get content for free via piracy." Granted, we'd say that's a fairly bold assertion to make, but it's not really that hard to understand why unattractive DRM-laced programming -- you know, the kind that can only be played back on certain players and whatnot -- isn't being accepted with open arms.
Is New Line going Blu-ray exclusive, too?
While everyone's eyes have been (understandably) fixated on Warner's sudden -- but not completely unexpected -- leap to the Blu-ray wagon, we've been wondering what would happen to New Line (owned by Time Warner, which also owns Engadget's parent companies). As you know, the aforementioned studio is currently format neutral, simultaneously releasing such titles as Pan's Labyrinth on both HD DVD and Blu-ray, but new reports are suggesting that tables could be turning. According to a writeup over at Variety, it outright proclaims that "Warner sister company New Line confirmed it will shift allegiance to Blu-ray only as well." However, a conference call with Warner Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara -- sat in on by High-Def Digest -- reportedly had the fearless leader stating that "[New Line and HBO would] make whatever decision they're going to make," and he concluded by noting that while those decisions should be handed down "very quickly," they "are not covered by the initial announcement." Quite honestly, we wouldn't be shocked in the slightest to see New Line declare its unending love for Blu and turn a cold shoulder to HD DVD, but it seems it hasn't got up the courage to actually do so quite yet.[Thanks, Ben]Read - New Line going Blu-ray exclusiveRead - New Line, HBO not covered in Warner announcement
L5 Games looking a lot like Blizzard
Forming a new game studio and want to build some instant cred in the industry? Following in the example of other companies who believe anything associated with the Blizzard name turns to gold, Gravity Interactive has announced the formation of a new subsidiary game studio called L5 Games, which is to be staffed by a sizable number of former Blizzard North employees. According to the story over at Gama, as many as half of the new staff has ten or more years of experience in the industry, with credits in such mega-hits as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.It's not exactly standard practice to flaunt the resumes of new hires in the press, but well... it's Blizzard, alright? Giant Interactive, which plays both publisher and developer roles for Ragnarok Online over in South Korea, is looking to beef up its U.S. operations, which have largely floundered to date, despite their game's unmitigated success overseas. "We intend to develop online games targeting the North American market, one of the fastest growing online gaming markets, with the outstanding developers of L5 Games who have a successful track record and thorough understanding of the culture of the North American market," says Gravity CEO Il-Young Ryu.While there's a temptation to be snarky about this, the fact of the matter is that they've successfully captured our intention. Now just don't disappoint us.
NBC celebrates opening of new world headquarters
We already knew that CBS was giving its New York studios a major overhaul, but for those clocking in at NBC, you can look forward to a freshened workplace right now. After six months of work, NBC News and MSNBC will finally be under one roof when it opens the doors to its new world headquarters on October 22nd. The facility itself has 8,500-square feet of space and packs such niceties as "280 high-definition monitors and 6 HD projectors," which reminds us -- we should really see when Engadget HQ is due for an upgrade of its own.[Via BroadcastingCable]
Ringtonator Studio makes ringtones from any QT format
We wrote about Ringtonator a while back, reader Joe's GUI program that used Cleverboy's hack to make ringtones. At the time, we were looking for a program that didn't require AAC, where you could pull any mp3 out and turn it into an official ringtone on iTunes. Then 7.4.2 hit, and we had bigger problems with ringtones than just converting them from mp3.But now, Joe's sent us his new version, called Ringtonator Studio, and he tells us that not only will it accept any Quicktime formats, but it will also let you crop your tunes, and then translate them directly into ringtones. And, he says over on his blog, it will work with iTunes 7.4.2. That's probably a YMMV thing, but if you're really frustrated that you haven't found a way to get around Apple's lockout, it's worth a try.And no guarantee, of course, that any ringtones made won't disappear with 7.4.3. But kudos to Joe for putting this all together, and doing his part in the fight to give us control over our ringtones.
V3HD FireWire capture box boasts inputs galore
Those making their ends in the video production biz just might fall head over heels for the V3HD, you know, if you're down with an all-in-one solution for capturing SD / HD video as well as audio on the side. This semi-professional device can handle up to 32-channels of simultaneous audio input and output, touts HDMI output for watching your work on nearly any display, and includes just about every input you could ask for including HD / SD BNC connections, component, composite, S-Video, FireWire 400 / 800, RS-422, and XLR ins / outs for starters. You'll find MOTU's Video Console software bundled in, but both Mac and PC users will have no qualms syncing this up with their favorite editing suite. Expect to see this thing ship sometime in Q3, but as of now, there's no telling how much loot it'll demand.[Thanks, Kaku]
Major anime studios split on HD DVD / Blu-ray decision
For the anime lovers out there, there's no question that even cartoons have a very different feel in HD, so we're sure there's quite a few of you out there clamoring for more HD renditions of your favorite shows. Unfortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of discord when it comes to settling on a format of choice. According to a report at IGN, Bandai looks to be squarely in the HD DVD camp (despite conflicting reports), while FUNimation seemed to prefer Blu-ray and Geneon remained undecided. Generally speaking, none of the firms seemed to think that branching out to other high-definition film formats was out of the realm of possibility, but if the major producers do indeed choose opposing sides, the hardcore anime fans may want to check out a hybrid player to prevent future heartaches.
Pressure mounting on Universal to support Blu-ray?
With the way things are going, it's not too shocking that these same rumors have once again found new life. As Blu-ray looks to widen its lead in the disc sales race, analysts are beginning to wonder if Universal is indeed on the verge of finally supporting Blu-ray, despite direct reports that counter such an idea. The Envisioneering Group's Richard Doherty has been quoted as saying that the format war could come to an abrupt end if Universal, "the only major player not supporting Blu-ray, were to suddenly adopt the same dual-format approach as Warner and Paramount." Of course, Universal has made sure not to release any information that would prove these hunches correct, and let us not forget that Mr. Doherty has been known to spit out less-than-believable lines before. Still, only time will tell if Universal will indeed make the switch, but we've got a feeling it'll wait things out a bit longer before taking the plunge (or not).
Human Head survives fire, no data loss reported
Early Friday morning (late Thursday night for most), a devastating fire feasted on a historical building in Madison, Wisconsin. Local news coverage identified the multi-use building as home to Human Head Studios, developer of last year's long-incubated shooter Prey. Thankfully, the level designers had been released from their shackles for the night. No one was harmed in the fire.But what of the precious MEE data? Had Marc Ecko's rags-to-renders dream gone up in ... smoke? According to today's update from Human Head, no. "[Though] we suffered some equipment and furniture loss due to smoke and water, we suffered no significant data loss," reports the studio. A temporary relocation plan seems to indicate that Human Head is eager to get back to work on the Ecko-endorsed project, shedding any stigma earned from Prey's 5-year development cycle.
Housewife Superstar: home-ec minigames
This looks totally strange, and totally endearing. Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield found this poster at GDC, for a DS game called Housewife Superstar, developed by Studio Nocturne. It looks like a minigame collection, but based on the idea of becoming the perfect (stereotypical) housewife. There are games about things like embroidery, flower arranging, knitting, and dressing up.The non-serious tone keeps this from being completely insulting, and the art style, which is kind of a stylized 1960s anime (a little like Mr. Driller color-wise, but not as severe), looks really nice. We have no idea when or where Studio Nocturne plans to release this, but we hope it is somewhere close and sometime soon.
Blu-ray surpasses HD DVD in disc sales for the first time
The Blu-ray and HD DVD battle has entered a new era, as preliminary Nielsen VideoScan stats show the BDA's baby sold more -- a ratio of 100 Blu-ray to every 98.71 HD DVD discs, sorry still no hard numbers here -- since their inception last year. As we all know, HD DVD was first to market and had enjoyed a lead on Blu-ray ever since, but then things started to turn with the launch of the PlayStation 3. The studios supporting Blu-ray finally began releasing significant numbers of titles and haven't looked back. Each team put its own spin on the numbers, with HD DVD-backing Universal pointing out that despite a 5:1 advantage in hardware due to the PS3, disc sales are still nearly even, while Blu-ray supporter 20th Century Fox sees the format war as being in its "final phase," and fence-straddling Warner merely noting that both formats are "selling well". Still, with the exception of the LG combo playing BH100, none of the major players have shown any plans to change sides, so until they do, prepare for a prolonged stalemate before this war is truly over.[Thanks, Jason]
Capcom talks about Clover closure
This news may not be as hopeful as the last Clover-related item, but it certainly helps to soften the original shock of Capcom's shutdown of Clover Studio last October. Capcom's vice president of marketing, Charles Bellfield, explained the nature of Clover's dissolution, giving us a glimpse at Capcom's internal development team structure. Basically, most of Capcom's teams are defined by their heads, and programming talent is pulled from a common pool. Clover was the exception, with a dedicated team of about 80 people. When Hideki Kamiya, Atsushi Inaba, and Shinji Mikami "decided to leave" the rest of the staff were folded back into the Capcom development pool. It's not exactly a happy ending to the Clover saga, but at least the whole development team didn't get canned for being too Viewtiful. The Clover bigwigs have their freedom, and the staff still have Capcom jobs. The interview is packed with info on all kinds of recent Capcommery, including a discussion of Phoenix Wright's surprising success. A Fanboy high five to the interviewer, former Video Game Ombudsman and blog-relative Kyle Orland.
Dark Water Studios open for business
Let's all give a warm welcome to Dark Water Studios, which has just officially opened its doors. The Northern Ireland developer is headed by industry vet Mike Brown, with former Acclaim man Paul Houbart named as technology manager, and Rory Fellowes, another vet, on board as lead animator. Dark Water currently totals 10 employees, with a goal to reach 25 by the end of the year.The studio is developing a multiplayer PC title, partially funded by DETI, the economic development branch of Northern Ireland's government. Dark Water is also working on a prototype project for PC and consoles.
Lionsgate announces upcoming Blu-ray titles
We've seen various slates of HD DVD / Blu-ray titles come out today, and heading up the rear of the release lists is none other than Lionsgate. While a Lionsgate film (The Descent) has caused quite a bit of fuss lately, the studio is hoping to create some positive PR noise by announcing that 40 BD titles should be hitting shelves with its name on it during this year, starting with Crank. It also highlighted the Golden Globe-winning TV series Weeds would be making its way to Blu-ray disc, as well as Ultimate Avengers I and II on the animation side. If you're anxious to get a few more Lionsgate productions in your collection, Employee of the Month is landing on January 16th, while the sure-to-be-successful Saw III hits on the 23rd. Overall, Lionsgate's 2007 list is far from spectacular, but it's got a bit of everything mixed in, including one of our personal favorites: Reservoir Dogs on February 6th. Click on through to see the first 21 titles to be released from Lionsgate on Blu-ray disc this year.
Netflix CEO sees HD DVD and Blu-ray war "maintaining stalemate"
Remember last November when Netflix CFO Barry McCarthy declared Blu-ray the winner, then Netflix announced they would carry both formats? Eight months later and things are a bit different in the video rental giants' view. During their Q2 Earnings Conference Call yesterday, CEO Reed Hastings stated that they now view the format war as an unwinnable one. In their view, the best thing that can happen now would be for all studios currently declared exclusive on either side to release films on both formats starting early next year, ending the war and restoring consumer confidence in both camps. That is certainly a better alternative than going the way of DVD Audio and SACD, which all sides risk with the situation as it is. It's also interesting to see the sudden boost of confidence in HD DVD, Blu-ray's shaky, slow launch may be costing them some of their most important allies in getting discs and players to consumers.Blu-ray supporters are still strong in their belief that they will dominate HD DVD and achieve victory outright, but until they start delivering players and sics that are more in line with expectations, it's very difficult to believe them. The question is will Fox, Universal, Lionsgate and others listen to Netflix, or stay the course and hope they've backed the right one?[Via Thomas Hawk]
Memorial City Store Grand Opening Announced
Mac geeks in and around the Houston, TX area have begun receiving the "Come meet your new neighbor" emails which Apple sends out in preparation for a new Apple Store opening. The store located in the Memorial City Mall will hold its grand opening on June 17th at 10AM. As is standard practice with store openings, the first 1000 people through the doors will get a special edition t-shirt emblazoned with the name of the store. Customers will also be registered for a prize package which includes a 17" iMac, iPod nano, Canon PowerShot digital camera, and HP Deskjet printer. The new location will feature "The Studio" to provide support for creative amateurs and professionals alike.As always, please send us your pictures and reports from the opening. Have fun!(Thanks to everyone who sent this in.)
Media Molecule: Rag Doll Kung Fu creator's new studio
Here's the newest installment in the ongoing adventures of Mark Healey, the ex-Lionhead programmer who created Rag Doll Kung Fu. After cutting loose from Lionhead -- which, let's not forget, has since been acquired by Microsoft -- Mark reportedly started to pursue "other projects".He's now founded a new studio, Media Molecule, which includes other ex-Lionhead staff. For the next part of this ongoing soap opera, stay tuned -- the team are "mega busy" at the moment, and we're looking forward to what comes out of this new indie developer.
Hands-on with God of War II
IGN got an early hands-on preview of God of War II, and they're lovin' what Sony's Santa Monica studio has come up with so far.Without revealing too much of the sequel's plot, our hairless hero now sports some new magical attacks and context-sensitive finishing moves. Needless to say, prominent Greek mythological figures will also be showing up to keep Kratos company, and there will certainly be a lot of flashy slashing-first-ask-questions-later kind of action to fill the hours.For more spoilers on "an early section of the sequel," simply follow the image link above or Read link below, where you can find a few more details on the new power-up system and annoying enemy combatants (otherwise known as smarter fodder for your sharper blades). A practical explanation goes into the reasons for keeping things on the PS2 rather than the PS3, and hopefully less frustrating puzzles are revealed as well. More will likely be revealed at Sony's big E3 press conference today.See also: New God of War 2 director speaks God of War's Jaffe inspired by Britney vs. Christina God of War 2 GDC video leaked online
Yuji Naka confirmed to be leaving Sega to form Prope
Back in March, we heard rumblings that Sega stalwart Yuji Naka was planning to leave Sega to start his own studio. Today, that rumor's been confirmed. According to Next Generation, Naka's new company is called Prope, which means "'beside' and 'near' future." Prope's web site (not linked on Next Gen) apparently explains that the name was chosen "in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment." We're just happy that Naka is retaining some ties to his old corporate home thanks to a 10% contribution on Sega's part to prop up the emerging new independent studio (a concept which Sega seems to support with its developers). Unfortunately, as the firm "will commit to new IP," you shouldn't expect updates of Sega classic franchises from the old hand anytime soon. It will also be interesting to see who's guiding the new Sonic games as well. Prope will open for business on June 1st. [Thanks, Sense; via 8-bit Ninja] See also: Rumor: Yuji Naka set to leave Sega NiGHTS Into Dreams, onto Revolution? Next-gen Sonic to be "re-invented" for PS3 and Xbox 360
HD DVD international: StudioCanal announces 20 movies
Quick: Who has the third largest film library in the world?Now if you didn't cheat and read the title then you may have been like me and never heard of StudioCanal until five minutes ago. If you have, the fact that this French distributor has just announced they are releasing 30 HD-DVD titles in the near future is no surprise because you're probably well aware they are the French arm of Vivendi Universal. French HDTV owners can look forward to titles like Million Dollar Baby, Traffic, or The Graduate as well as French flicks like La Haine and Brotherhood of the Wolf.We've had some updates on Japan-only high definition releases but very little information about Europe. Maybe some of our European readers can tell us what kind of splash next generation DVDs are making over there, or not.All of this is of little consequence to those of us in the U.S., the real question is when can we start importing foreign HD-DVDs and looking down on people who dislike subtitles?[Via MovieWeb]
