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Nintendo Video's 3DS app plays coy, is / is not launching in the US today
Is Nintendo Video launching in the US, or is it just coming soon? Someone over at the house that Mario built needs to make up their mind -- Reggie knuckle sandwich, anyone? The application was quietly announced this morning via Nintendo Download, then listed as a non-downloadable item on the eShop and featured on the company's official site with a release dated today. So, where is it then? Your guess is as good as ours. When it finally hits your parallax display, expect this 3DS only app to update weekly with fresh content, promising limited-time only 2D and 3D comedy, action and adventure shorts. Head to the eShop right now, and you'll be treated to a music-backed, text-only tease of the service and a College Humour video, apparently. If a curated experience from the makers of the Wii U fits your bill, then go right ahead and set that Spotpass to download.
Nintendo Video arrives on Japanese 3DS tomorrow, American equivalent and Netflix 'later this summer'
It wouldn't be a Nintendo product if the JDM release didn't get special treatment, and that practice continues here for the 3DS. The Nintendo Video service hits the Japanese version of the parallax-busting handheld tomorrow, allowing the download of 2D and 3D content that's been "recommended" by the house Mario built. It's actually the second video service to hit Japanese systems, following SpotPass TV's earlier launch with original content. When will we Americans get something fulfilling? "Later this summer" according to a Nintendo statement, which also confirms Netflix will be available "soon" -- soon enough to save your subscription?
Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity
We haven't been hearing a whole lot about the planned video distribution service for the Wii as of late, but looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to try it out first hand, as the service is set to launch in the country on May 1st. Dubbed the "Wii no Ma Channel," the service is rolling out with a little help from advertising firm Denstu, and includes both free and paid content, as well as some other various services and special offers from sponsors. Even more interesting, however, is word that a free DSi app will launch alongside the service, which will let you download video from the Wii to the DS, and even download coupons from advertisers, which can then be scanned directly from the screen. Head on past the break for a quick video overview -- which, of course, doesn't include any word of a launch 'round here.
Gran Turismo TV goes live
The latest update to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has turned the game into a video download platform rivaling the console you play it on, with episodes of Top Gear and other auto shows, plus exclusive HD content filmed just for the game. Also packed in the update are some gameplay fixes, although we're still waiting for Sony to put real collision damage in our Real Driving Simulator. One step beyond watching HD video of others playing the game, all the content that costs is available for $.99 for the first two weeks, if you're still not sure check out the PlayStation Blog's video embedded below, or hit the read link to download 720p video of the Japanese version's video marketplace in action.
We take the brand spankin' new PS Store video service for a spin
Announced yesterday at E3, the PS Store video service was ready for us the same night. We tried it out, and chronicled our experiences with it. Will you be using this instead of buying/renting a DVD, or even a Blu-ray?We tried a both a SD and HD download, as well as watched a video on the PSP. We also played with different options, and even took a note of download and transfer speeds. Hopefully this will help out you guys who are on the fence about all of this.So what cha' waiting for? Took a look here.
We give PS Store's new video service a go: PC-to-PSP
It's an endearing feature to have, knowing you could have tons of movies and television shows at your finger tips. There's no need to go to the local video store (seriously, who does this anymore?) or even wait on those movies to arrive from mail-based rentals. However, we still have many questions regarding this new content for the PS Store. We wonder if the PS Store is really ready to handle this kind of transaction and will it be easy to use? To help answer these questions, we gave the new video service a try and have presented a mini-walkthrough that'll hopefully give some insight into getting started with the new service.So get started with the video service for PC Store to PSP right here!
Pioneer's SyncTV YAOTVS (yet another online TV service)
Pioneer just announced their SyncTV on-line television download service. The ad-supported, subscription-based service costs between $2 to $4 per channel per month or $2 for any show you wish to download outside of your subscription -- there's no mention of streaming capability (though it's not excluded, either). While details are soft, downloaded video is said to offer DVD-like, "home-theater quality" with surround-sound capabilities and in some cases, hi-def resolution. They will be PC and Mac compatible wrapped in a Sony, Philips, Samsung, and Panasonic (note: not Microsoft or Apple) supported "Marlin" DRM wrapper. As such, expect to see portable players, television, and set top boxes from at least one of these manufactures sometime early next year in support of the nascent service. A private test begins today with a public beta set to launch in January. Unfortunately, the channels and shows available over SyncTV were not revealed today so we'll just have to wait to see how this develops.%Gallery-10566%Update: The SyncTV site is now up with more information and beta pre-registration.
Hollywood wants PSP to compete with iPod
In a recent CNET article, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey explains Sony's lost opportunity to capture the media download market. Due to their fixation on UMD, Sony has let Apple hold a near-monopoly on digital downloads. "The thing is, Sony could have been all this. The Sony PSP is one of the best portable entertainment media devices that anyone has come up with in years. It has a relatively big screen, plays video beautifully, has good storage and audio. It could have been the first big mobile carrier for TV shows and movies."Even now, Sony continues to stand by UMD, instead of offering a true video download service for the handheld. Sony seems content with their position: their attempts in Japan have been lackluster at best, and PSP's video playback remains crippled due to incomprehensible video restrictions. "You got a company here that's pushing its own approach on every level, and as a result nobody is using its memory stick or video format," McQuivey said. "So you don't have the same robust market that you could have had if you said, 'We're going to open this up. You can put your Windows Media files on here. You can put your QuickTime files on here.'"All hope is not lost, however. A Hollywood executive spoke anonymously to CNET, noting that many Hollywood executives are "pulling for the PSP to emerge as a competitor to the iPod." Many executives are afraid that Apple will maintain a monopoly over movies as it has had over music. Competition is good for the consumer, and the companies making the content. A PSP video download service makes so much sense, but it won't happen until Sony stops making lame excuses. "But Sony has been so dysfunctional and clueless when it comes to the Internet," said the executive. "We keep hoping they pull themselves together ... with the PSP video, we're hoping they create a forward-thinking strategy and stick to it."
Netflix founder joins Microsoft's board
Get ready to mop the juices fanboy, Microsoft just announced that Reed Hastings, chairman and chief executive of Netflix, will join their 10-member board of directors. So Microsoft -- the people behind the Xbox Live video-download service -- and Netflix -- recently seen pushing into digital delivery of video -- are now officially in cahoots. Of course, we must be careful about reading too much into board-level appointments. After all, no business deals were included in the announcement. But damn if this doesn't sound like a potential win-win for both camps: Microsoft could quickly extend their meager video catalog while Netflix finally lands themselves a living room box. With both facing stiff competition from the likes of Amazon/TiVo, Wal-Mart, and now Apple, it sure smacks of something in-the-works, eh? Oh, and it wouldn't be too bad for us consumers either. [Via Business Journal, Thanks Dave K.]
Movie Gallery to enter on-line video rental service
Movie Gallery -- the media cats behind Hollywood Video and Game Crazy stores -- just announced a foray into the online video rental service. Set to launch sometime in mid-to-late 2007, the new service is meant to complement its brick-and-mortar business. They also announced an extension to their movie kiosk program by adding another 200 movie vending machines to the 74 units already occupying high traffic areas in malls and supermarkets. How the new rental service (no mention of download-to-own) will integrate (if at all) with their recently acquired MovieBeam service is unclear. One thing's for sure however, Blockbuster had better get a move on if they hope to compete in this redefined marketplace which is both busting at the seams while simultaneously converging.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Amazon's Unbox video download service "now available" on TiVo
Usually when a vendor says available "later this year," they deliver in December, not the following month. So excuse our surprise to find Amazon's Unbox video download service "Now Available!" to any broadband connected Series2 or Series3 TiVo. That's right, after a brief pilot kicked off in February, TiVo subscribers can now register their box with Amazon and get $15 worth of free movies and TV shows in the process. Not all Unbox content is available for download -- only about 1,376 titles are tagged for TiVo download as of this posting. We presume that's due to the need to transcode titles into a TiVo-playable format and not the result of some nefarious meddling by the studios. TV shows cost $1.99 per episode while most movies can be purchased for between $9.99 and $14.99 -- movies rentals start at $1.99 although most are listed for either $2.99 or $3.99. If you already own a TiVo then this is about as easy as movie downloading can get. [Via TiVo Lovers]
Download Japanese P-TV videos to PSP
Inspired by a for-pay IGN article, Andrew Yoon at PSP Fanboy explains the process of downloading free videos from the Japanese P-TV service. The walkthough includes pictures to translate important store links into English, so even we greasy Americans can play along. Of course, PSP gamers who don't understand Japanese may hit other language barriers when watching certain shows, but maybe you'll stumble onto culturally untranslatable comedy gold.
Wal-Mart joins the digital movie download fray
Looks like all those rumors and conspiracy theories regarding a Wal-Mart download store actually counted for something this time around. Just in time for the holidays, Wal-Mart has announced its very own video download service, which will kick off in "beta" mode next week with an exclusive Superman Returns bundle. Buyers of the DVD will have an option to also obtain a portable, PC, or dual license for a movie download, priced at $1.97, $2.97, and $3.97 respectively. Users will be directed by a sticker on the DVD case to walmart.com/superman where they can enter a promo code and start the download -- which can be watched while the movie is downloading if they can't bring themselves to pop in the actual DVD. This is quite a different tact than other movie download services, such as iTunes, Amazon Unbox and Xbox Live, and it seems primarily designed to protect video sales cannibalization while leaving out much of the convenience of a traditional movie download service. Wal-Mart says it has more bundles planned for the beta launch, along with what is presumably a more traditional download service with more traditional pricing, though deets are slim at this point. What we do know is that the war for your holiday download dollar will be a bloody one this year.
iTunes movie downloads to go for $14.99 a pop?
Yeah, we've been around the block on this rumor a few times already, but some interesting new details about a possible (some would say invitable) iTunes Movie Store have emerged in a recent BusinessWeek article. The gist of the report is that Wal-Mart has been talking up the Hollywood suits lately, and isn't too happy with the idea of Apple selling new releases for a mere $15 while Wal-Mart has to spend $17 wholesale for the same title in physical form. Of course, that $14.99 number -- $9.99 for older movies -- isn't exactly official, but the way Wal-Mart is purportedly going off about it, it seems to be a very real figure indeed. According to BusinessWeek, the Wal-Mart gripes are one of many reasons Apple has been having trouble signing up studios other than Disney (of which Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder) for the store. Some studios aren't happy with iTunes DRM that allows playback on up to five devices, while others are afraid of getting locked into a single pricepoint with Steve Jobs and co.. Either way, it's clear that movie downloads are the future -- Wal-Mart has their own such service in the works -- but we just hope these "discussions" end soon; before we end up spending $45 a flick and verifying our identity for playback with thumbpricks and urine samples.
Seven major studios line up to sell movies online
We have no idea why they chose today to do it, but today seven major movie studios announced they'll be selling movies online through Movielink and CinemaNow. Warner Bros, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Fox, and MGM will all be distributing first-run titles online -- definitely something they've never done before -- through Movielink for between 20 and 30 bones (way, way too much if you ask us), with older movies going for between $10 and $20. Lionsgate (and Sony) also announced distribution through CinemaNow. Really this was only a matter of time -- for these guys it was either sell these things online DRMed all to hell for way too much money (see above), go the subscription route (like Vongo, for example -- not likely) or continue whining without any justification whatsoever about pirates stealing movies in the Internet. At least now they can say they've legitimately offered their digital content up online (hey, you can even make a DVD backup for use only on Movielink-authorized computers), even though they still can't account for the artificial demand they try to create by releasing movies for purchase months after the films have gone out of theater.[Thanks, Phil]
CES: How the hell am I supposed to make this stuff work together?
Connecting. It seems like companies had no problem doing that at CES. Everybody was in a partnership with everybody else and was in a hurry to tell people about it, I'm not even going to make the lame high school compariso...oops. But seriously, after all the talking is done, I still don't know what is going to work with what, or how. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like for the average consumer this year, because this stuff is gibberish to me. Let me run down a list just of the things I'm left with far more questions than answers about.Intel: Viiv: I still don't know what this is. I know that Intel has partnered with everyone and their mother. (Seriously, at this point I wouldn't be at all surprised if I visited home and found that I needed at the least a software upgrade before I could eat some DRM protected home cooking). The questions I need answered are, will I absolutely need to buy an Intel PC to take advantage of this content? How will I take advantage of it, can I build my own Viiv PC? And what does this mean anyway? Microsoft: Congratulations, the Xbox 360 is getting HD-DVD playback. How much, how will it connect to my 360 and my TV and when can we expect it, until you answer those questions I'm not excited in the least. Is Wintel really dead? Viiv relies on Windows Media Center, but Microsoft is partnering with AMD on their competing AMD Live standard, (btw, everything I said about not knowing what Viiv is, goes double for AMD Live). Now that Google is using DivX, is Microsoft going to add support for streaming to the Xbox 360 or am I going to have to wait for a mod chip? Continue on for questions for Google, Sony, HANA or provide your own answers/questions.
