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Sony moving forward with video download service
GI.biz is reporting that Sony is finally revamping its pledge to bring PSP owners more video content. With the UMD format dead, Sony is looking towards digital distribution. Strangely, it appears that Sony is avoiding their failing music store, Connect, and are in talks with other content providers, such as Amazon's Unbox, MovieLink and CinemaNow. Unlike downloadable PSone games, which require the purchase of a PLAYSTATION 3, the movies will be downloaded to a PC and then transferred to the PSP.This move gives PSP more of an edge in its continuing struggle against Apple's iPod and iTunes Store. Apple's iTunes Store offers a wide assortment of downloadable movies from big-name partners like Disney, but the iPod itself currently features only a 4:3 screen, making it less than ideal for movies. Sony's PSP will provide a better movie-watching experience, but users will be responsible for purchasing sufficient flash memory. With Microsoft also providing video content downloads via Zune and Xbox Live Marketplace, this battle is sure to be an interesting one.[Via Joystiq]
CinemaNow and Universal team up for same-day DVD burning
Unbox and iTunes have been getting all the attention lately, but movie download "veterans" like CinemaNow still have a few tricks up their sleeves. CinemaNow is still the only service to allow DVD burning of select downloaded films, and now they're about to get their first same-day title, which will be downloadable and burnable the very same day the retail DVD hits stores. Universal Pictures is providing the pic, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," for a CinemaNow-standard $9.99, and everybody else will be watching from the sidelines to see how such an "unprecedented" release affects the market. We can't quite seem to muster as much excitement for the release, but maybe that's because such a thing is so long overdue -- it's hard to argue with it being a decent evolutionary step in the realm of online video distribution. Now if CinemaNow could just get the infernal things to play.[Via Ars Technica]
Amazon working with TiVo for Unbox integration?
There's nothing confirmed yet, but the New York Post is reporting that Amazon and TiVo are currently in talks regarding a feature that would allow the playback of Amazon Unbox videos on TiVo's set-top boxes. If something like this works out, it would give Amazon a substantial advantage in arena of getting online video to the living room, since Apple's "iTV" device is still in prototype mode. Amazon already has a bit of a leg up on Apple in the online movie space, since they've got rights to films from a lot more studios, but Apple's iPod ensures a substantial customer base that won't be downloading PlaysForSure files anytime soon, so studios will have to cave sooner or later. TiVo really seems like a natural fit for Amazon, and hopefully they can get this functionality in the hands of consumers before iTV steamrolls the market, but we'll have to wait and see how legit this rumor turns out to be.[Via Tech Gadgets]
Unboxing the 24-inch iMac
It's taken a little longer than we anticipated, but here they are: the first unboxing shots of Apple's new 24-inch iMac to go alongside those recent benchmarks. It's not the most comprehensive unboxing set we've seen, nor the most tidy (check out that cable mess!), but the fact that it's the first means that the guy behind the camera automatically gets our Engadget-branded kudos. The scale of the machine is a little hard to judge -- we *think* that's a 17-inch iMac in the later shots -- but the one thing we have learned from the pictures is very welcome: the increase in screen size makes the 24-incher's plastic "chin" the least distracting of all the iMac models. Apple, take note -- making an iMac that looks less like Jay Leno was a good decision. Keep reading to check out this new Mac in all its unboxed glory, then hit up the Read link for the full gallery...[Via TUAW]
Amazon's Unbox video download service goes live
No surprises here, but Amazon has taken their fancy new Unbox video downloads store live, and it's looking... download-ey. Bad news first: prices are kind of xtreem, with our personal fav Rumor Has It going for $19.62, and the 1999 cult hit Office Space topping the download charts at $13.45. Luckily, the price fluctuations have an up-side, since you can catch boy wonder Elijah Wood in Everything Is Illuminated for a mere $8.99. TV prices, however, sit solidly at the $2 price predicted. As for download format, the full-length and preview videos are standard .wmv fare, but can only be played by the Unbox player. A third file is downloaded in a ".amzn" format for playback on mobile devices, but Amazon claims it's just a straight PlaysForSure DRM-scheme. They've tested the files out on the Zen Vision, Zen Vision: M, Gigabeat S, Archos AV 500/700 and the iRiver PMC, but we're guessing most devices shouldn't have much of a problem. As for the full quality flicks, we can't get an exact number, but we're just going to assume "DVD quality" means 720 x 480, and we did note that sound is 5.1 surround. With rights management, rentals allow you a 30 day window to start watching the movie, but once you've begun you have 24 hours to enjoy before the file gets deleted. Purchased movies can reside on up to two computers, with each computer being allowed to sync with one portable device, and it does seem that re-downloading will be allowed in case your HDD crashes. DVD burning is allowed for backup, but you can't burn playable DVDs, and the only way to get video to your TV is through a video out plug from your PC or media player. Now if you'll excuse us, we've just dropped a Jackson to see what crazy antics Jennifer Aniston has gotten herself into this time.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Amazon "Unbox" download service due to launch today?
The word is out on Amazon's movie download service. After plenty of rumorings, it doesn't look like Amazon will be able to keep mum on the subject for long, since they're expected to launch "Unbox" today. The word on prices isn't exactly wonderful: rentals should go for about 4 bucks, while permanent downloads are hovering at $15. TV shows are matching the $2 iTunes pricepoint, and should be available the day after they air. As for studios, Amazon is purported to have Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all signed up, but Disney is said to be holding out for iTunes at this point. Picture quality is supposed to be DVD-ish, and videos will be playable in Amazon's Windows-only Unbox player (pictured), or on your TV or portable device. So far the amazon.com/unbox URL is redirecting to a plain-vanilla DVD page, but if all this word on the street proves true we should be seeing it up in the next few hours.Read - Unbox rumor roundupRead - Unbox screenshotsRead - Amazon.com/unbox (not yet live)
Unboxing the Chocolate
Ah, what could be better than a good, old fashioned unboxing? Not a lot, and in today's episode we'd like to introduce you to the packaging and subsequent de-packaging of an LG KG800 Chocolate phone, courtesy of MobileBurn's Brad Kellett. It's only a few short, beautiful pictures, but because the likelihood of your having one in the States is so low, we'd like to show you how LG turned it out. (Hint: they did well.) Enjoy.
