Media consumer, tech enthusiast, and gamer
Right on the heels of Warner Bros. announcing exclusive Blu-ray support comes news of HD DVD canceling its CES press conference due to its rival’s announcement. The HD DVD group previously invited attendants with this upbeat message:
“Please join us as we present exciting news and a sneak peak at what’s to come for 2008, featuring executives from the HD DVD Promotional Group: Intel, Microsoft, Paramount Home Entertainment, Toshiba, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.”
According to Warner CEO Barry Meyer, this move is a “strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” and he also mentions that “the window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.” Warner movies will be released on both next generation formats (HD DVD and Blu-ray) until May 2008, but the studio will then go exclusively with Blu-ray.
The big news today is that Netflix and LG plan to market an LG-branded device (like a cable box) that will allow you to watch movies on your TV via Netflix streaming. Details are sketchy, but the product is to be available in the second half of this year.
And multiple sources are claiming that this magical device will play both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, the two big next generation high definition rival formats that are incompatible with each other. LG already offers a Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player for $799, but some are hoping this new Netflix device will be priced much lower.
Read More “Netflix TV Boxes Coming Soon + Netflix via Gaming Consoles” »
Hot on the heels of news of Apple soon offering rental movies via iTunes, Amazon has some even better news (in my opinion). Another sign that DRM (Digital Rights Management, music with restrictions) is on its way out: Amazon MP3 now offers DRM-free MP3s from Warner Music Group’s catalog.
This makes Amazon’s MP3 download store the first to offer DRM-free music from Warner Music and brings Amazon’s library up to 2.9 million songs, all without restrictions. And Warner’s catalog includes some of the most popular artists: Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Madonna, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.
Read More “Amazon MP3 One Ups Apple, Gets Warner Music MP3s DRM-free” »
While this holiday season has been met with record online shopping, remember that many retailers (even the online ones) don’t necessarily offer their best prices leading up to Christmas. I personally did much of my Christmas shopping via Amazon. And today being the day after Christmas, I thought I’d check the current prices on all those presents I bought and shipped. Here’s what I found:
Read More “Amazon 30-day Price Guarantee: Check Your Holiday Shopping” »
The Economist, via numbers from Comscore, tells us that since the beginning of November online spending is up by 18% compared with 2006. And Thursday December 6th was the “biggest online spending day yet” with sales of $803m, which made for a weekly online sales record of $4.6 billion (see chart below). Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal today explains that traditional retailers are making a final big push before Christmas (why would they ever not make a big push at this time?).
The articles cites a study/survey, which shows that approximately 71% of shoppers were done shopping as of December 23rd while past holiday seasons have had more like 85% of shoppers done by the 23rd. Part of the article reminded me of my own situation:
Read More “Online Shopping Sets Record Even as Consumers Procrastinate” »
In theory, Blockbuster has a better offering than Netflix in that it “lets you rent online with the flexibility to exchange movies in-store, so you never have to wait for a movie.” That is, according to the marketing pitch plastered all over its homepage. But I decided to see just how “total” Total Access is, and I found it pretty lacking. In short, over half the movies in my Netflix queue are not available at my local Blockbuster.
The popularity of adding some sort of quote as part of your email signature is on the rise (see discussion here and here). But some can be taken differently than intended. For example: “Too often we underestimate the power of a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Quotes like these can come across as a bit preachy by presuming readers are insensitive and complacent.
Read More “Email Signatures with Famous Quotes: Amusing or Annoying?” »