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Spatial View Creates Glasses-Free 3D for the iPhone

Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, iPhone, Apple, 3D, Industry Trends (all tags)

According to an announcement from Spatial View and Sony Music Entertainment Germany, the new 3DeeSlide iPhone and iPod accessory will allow users to watch glasses-free 3D movies.

3D movies are experiencing a great amount of popularity in theaters, with an expected boom in upcoming Blu-ray releases, and 'Avatar: The Game' bringing three dimensional viewing to game consoles. A practical solution for viewing 3D content while outside of the home – one that doesn’t involve a separate headset or glasses – has not yet been established.

Spatial View, a company specializing in stereoscopic 3D, offers the 3DeeSlide as the solution. Using a lenticular screen, this device slides over your iPhone or iPod Touch and allows the viewing of three-dimensional content without the need for glasses.

The viewing angle is a bit limited, but when it comes to mobile devices, there’s usually only one person watching. Users are recommended to keep their device at a 90 vertical viewing angle, perpendicular to their eye line. The sweet spot distance wise is between 12” and 16” according to Spatial View.

The 3DeeSlide will be available shortly from in Germany (one of the countries that Spatial View calls home) and is expected to be on Amazon soon after. The product will be available individually or bundled with Sony Music’s “forsenses” Blu-ray disc, though a price has not yet been announced.

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Redbox Teams With CinemaNow

Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 06:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends, Redbox, CinemaNow (all tags)

Redbox and CinemaNow have announced they’re currently testing a program to determine the consumer demand for digital distribution.

With a good chunk of the studios and most of the video rental world at its heels, Redbox needs all the friends it can get. CinemaNow, on the other hand, seems to be hooking up with just about everyone these days. Together, they’re hoping to gauge the mass market demand for digital delivery.

Frequent customers of Redbox kiosks, and those who buy certain prepaid packages, will be given gift cards that will let them redeem titles on Roxio’s CinemaNow service. Representatives from Redbox would not say how far reaching the initiative is, but they did state that the program started on October 29th.

“We think this is a space that we should be testing in and understand better,” said Paul Davis, CEO of Redbox’s parent company Coinstar. “It’s an interesting space that we’d like to explore.”

CinemaNow appears to be the company that will receive the most benefit from the arrangement. After the announcement last week that the CinemaNow service would be embedded into electronics sold at Best Buy, this move seems to cater towards a different, but just as noteworthy, demographic.

Source: Video Business

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3D Blu-ray Coming Next Year

Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 06:00 PM ET
Tags: 3D, Industry Trends, Michael S. Palmer, Blu-con (all tags)

Our recap of Blu-con 2.0 continues with a look at the emerging world of Blu-ray 3D!

By Michael S. Palmer

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

3D is the hottest thing in movies right now. It’s a box office buoying premium experience that has captured audience attention around the globe (internationally, ‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ is the third highest grossing movie of all time, behind only ‘Titanic’ and ‘Return of the King’). And next year, it could be in your friggin' living room!

The Blu-ray Disc Association, a 170-company conglomerate responsible for establishing Blu-ray standards, is currently finishing up specs (a.k.a. requirements) that will usher Blu-ray into the 3D era. They plan to announce these new specs next month (before the end of this year), with the hope that manufacturers can produce equipment by Christmas 2010, perhaps even sooner. Panasonic was in house to say that they consider 3D a “revolution, not just a small feature.” They’re planning to get to “mass market pricing” as soon as possible. 3D won’t simply be for “the exotic few” who can afford luxury.

What do we know?

Though the standards are not finalized, we know we’ll be getting full 1080p video projected to both the right and left eyes. And they’re building in backwards compatibility on hardware AND software. Meaning, not only will 3D Blu-ray players be able to play CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and 3D Blu-rays, but 3D Blu-rays will also play in 2D Blu-ray players (but ONLY in 2D).

Wait, so none of my current equipment will play 3D?

Correct. The BDA wants you to know that your current devices aren’t going to be obsolete (which is why they built in the backwards compatibility onto the discs themselves), this is just an added layer for those who want it. Meaning, 3D at home requires the purchase of a 3D Blu-ray player as well as a 3D Blu-ray compatible TV and 3D glasses (which will be handled by the TV manufacturers).

So how does it look (a.k.a. is it worth it to wear silly glasses)?

As a fan of all things high def and a rampant early adopter. Ohhhhh yeah! Panasonic had a slick demo at Blu-Con 2.0 displaying 1080p to each eye, 120 frames-per-second. They’re planning to have their 3D devices available as a bundle (player, plasma TV, and glasses) when the technology hits the big box stores next year. We screened the trailer for Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’, footage from the 2008 summer Olympics / a preview for the 2010 winter games, and the teaser trailer of James Cameron’s ‘Avatar.’ Having recently seen both trailers in 3D cinemas (‘A Christmas Carol’ was on the ‘Toy Story 1 & 2’ double feature), they looked exactly as they did in the theatre. Both the good and bad aspects. The 3D effects were great, but sometimes the focus was hard to find and the image could be occasionally dim (thanks to wearing glasses; Roger Ebert wrote about this in his review of ‘Up’). But the 3D HD video footage of the sporting events was breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything like it (except for IMAX, which stands seven stories tall). It literally felt like there was a portal in the wall of this demo truck, and that I could have leapt through it into the stadiums of Beijing, or onto the snowy ski trails outside of Vancouver. It was so bright, clear, and crisp (sign me up for the first 3D Super Bowl).

One of the themes of the Blu-Con is that Blu-ray needs that wow factor to break into the mass market beyond the ten or so percent it has currently reached (interesting note, no video format has ever hit 10% of a market share and NOT gone on to mass adoption). That Blu-ray and its BD-Live technology need to be so exciting, people forcibly drag friends and families over to see it, and say, “you gotta get Blu-ray, look at what it does.” It’s been a huge obstacle to get people away from, “yeah, well my DVDs look good, so why do I need Blu-ray?”

3D Blu-ray is the game changer. Anyone and everyone will see the difference, whether or not they understand data rates, bandwidth, or other tech terms. This is the leap forward DVD brought to the home entertainment world over VHS in 1997. Look out cinemas. We may soon have a reason to never leave the house again.

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Download Kiosks Hit Stores

Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends (all tags)

Four Hollywood Video locations in Seattle and Portland as well as two Blockbuster stores in Dallas will be testing out the new download kiosks this week.

Digital distribution methods are still being nailed down, especially in those areas without a high speed connection. NCR Corp hopes to provide the solution with their new download kiosks. Kiosk customers will be able to browse from a selection of around a thousand films and download them directly to an SD card.

The cards are expected to be provided for free to customers, while set-top boxes to play the cards back on may be complimentary or offered as rentals. Playback of the movies seems to be limited to branded set-tops at the moment, though the company is considering allowing playback on computers.

Customers who rent the movies will have 30 days to watch them. After they begin playing the film, they’ll have 48 hours to finish before the file times out and becomes unplayable. Prices are not yet established, but according to CEO Anthony Bay, “You’re not going to see $1 downloads.”

The idea sounds good until it’s compared to Redbox. For some price higher than a dollar, you’ll be able to plug an SD card into a set-top box that you’ll have to buy or rent and then watch the film within a designated time. The resolution and quality of the video is unknown at the moment. Of course, if these come in high def, things start sounding a little better.

Source: Video Business

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'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' Streams Free for New Sony Owners

Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Sony, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)

New owners of Sony internet connected televisions and Blu-ray players will get free access to an early stream of 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' in 720p. Existing Sony owners, you’ll have to pay $25.

To show off the streaming capabilities of their new hardware, Sony is hooking new Bravia owners up with a free rental of 'Cloudly With a Chance of Meatballs.' Customers will be able to watch the movie in a 24 hour window, anywhere from December 8th until January 5th.

This availability marks a unique offering from Sony, as the streaming rentals will start nearly a month before the film’s January 5th DVD and Blu-ray release date. The rental will be in a 720p resolution, rather than the 1080p of Blu-ray discs, and while pausing and rewinding will be possible, recording will not.

Existing Sony owners will not have access to the free rental. Sony isn’t completely leaving these customers in the lurch though, as they can opt to pay a $24.95 rental fee for the same 24 hour viewing window. That’s right, for around the same price as the Blu-ray disc of the same movie, you’ll be able to rent it in 720p for a whole 24 hours.

Information is fuzzy at best, as it is entirely unclear exactly which TVs and Blu-ray players will qualify to receive the free stream, and whether there is a certain time during which these purchases must take place. Sony has stated that PS3s will not have access to the film.

Source: Associated Press

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Profile 2.0 Blu-ray Disc Players Heart Streaming Content

Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 06:00 PM ET
Tags: Blu-con, Michael S. Palmer, Industry Trends (all tags)

Our recap of Blu-con 2.0 continues with news on the growing number of Blu-ray players capable of streaming video content.

By Michael S. Palmer

There we were. Blu-Con 2.0. Up on the stage, sitting mere inches apart: mortal enemies and rental competitors Netflix and Blockbuster. Nothing overtly dramatic happened, sadly, but there was an awkward tension in the air. Netflix the young upstart; Blockbuster the foundering giant. Then came the numbers: Netflix plans to ship discs through 2030; they currently have 11 million subscribers, with 1 million of those paying a premium for Blu-ray access. Blockbuster, not to be outdone, claims 50 million people per day enter its stores (Seem a little high to anyone?), in addition to forming new alliances with TiVo and Samsung for “Blockbuster Online.”

Despite jabs over who offers older streaming content (Netflix*) vs. newer releases (Blockbuster, CinemaNow), it was clear to these companies (and their researchers) that physical media is here to stay. Many of you may be downloading and streaming, but most consumers still identify a “purchase” or “ownership” with a tangible object (obviously this excludes music). As evidence, consider the fact that people were still buying VHS/DVD combo units as recently as last year. Because they own physical copies of movies.

This is fantastic news for Blu-ray as big box retailers like Best Buy and Walmart join forces with hardware manufactures and Hollywood studios to push Blu-ray into the 90% of homes who do not yet have it. The final sales quarter is immensely important for Blu-ray and for the first time, Blu-ray disc is a top 10 most-wanted holiday gift for adults. This could be the year where customers finally understand why their HDTVs need quality high-def source material. Where Blu-ray becomes mainstream.

But Blu-ray isn’t a standalone feature anymore. Slow, oversized, single-minded, clunky machines have given way to sleek, broadband-capable home media centers. Blu-ray Disc’s always had great picture and sound. And now the Profile 2.0 players have arrived in a big way, offering extra choices / content for customers.

In fact, “available choices” is what it means to be a modern consumer (“I want it all. I want it all. And I want it now!”). This is why Blu-ray needs streaming / download services as much as streaming / download services need Blu-ray. It’s a symbiotic relationship of mutual benefit, which all ties into what Blu-ray players do, and where they're located in the home.

Alone, Blu-ray has spectacular picture and unbeatable sound. Its abilities all stem from digital bandwidth, which is three to six times higher than most broadband internet connections, meaning its quality easily trumps streaming options (though Vudu HDX sure comes close). But, watching a Blu-ray is an “occasion”: a once or twice per week “event.” And, Blu-ray either means a trip to a physical location such as Best Buy and Blockbuster, or a multi-day wait from Netflix or online retailers like Amazon.

Streaming / digital downloads can be instant, and portable. There’s no trip to any store. Available titles aren’t out of stock, or listed as a “long wait”, though selection is (at present) limited, and downloading an entire movie can sometimes take just as long as a trip to the local Best Buy.

The real obstacle facing Internet based services? Families really don’t want to sit around a computer. Sure it’s nice when traveling, or in a dorm room, but the majority of Americans now have giant HDTVs and plush, inviting seating (we worked hard to pay for those comforts, and by God, we aim to use them!). Streaming has largely not been the domain of the living room. Sure Apple, Vudu and Netflix all offered separate boxes that you could hook up to the TV, but too many individual set top boxes is confusing for most. And, truthfully, none of these boxes flew off the shelf.

Now we have networked Blu-ray Disc players. Queen of the living room (where the HDTV is King), they multi-task for just about any type of media you could want. Still have a library of CDs and DVDs? Check. Want to watch your favorite new movies in stunning high def on Blu-ray? Check. Don’t want to bother going out, so the reduced quality of streaming is okay? Check. Feel the need to fire up YouTube to see dancing kittens, local news anchors swearing on camera, and red necks setting fireworks off in their pants? Check. Check. And Check. Using your Blu-ray player is no longer an “event” – it’s a convenient content portal, and it might as well be on and in use almost as much as the TV or computer.

In the modern era of media consumption, formats are no longer about winning or losing the entire market. Blu-ray is amazing, but unnecessary without the large TV and surround sound. Digital content is quick and portable, but lacks quality. But why separate them? The new future is one where we buy or rent CONTENT, not a format (see Best Buy’s announcement of building CinemaNow into most of its products). For example, with the just released ‘UP’ Blu-ray, the 4-disc set includes a Blu-ray for the home theatre, a DVD for the car or kids’ room, and a digital copy for an iPod or laptop on the go. Sure we can’t be tethered to the living room, but when not out and about, Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players just make sense. And they make things simple. No one wants 800 components under their TV. Few as possible please, with a variety of services.

We’re in the infant stages of these cross-media platforms, but here’s a rundown on where to find these integrated streaming / download services that were featured at Blu-Con 2.0, as well as a recent Dolby event I attended:

Netflix streaming is subscription based, and included with rental plans over $8.99/month. It works with Roku, TiVo DVRs, Xbox 360, LG / Samsung / Insignia Blu-ray players, LG TVs, LG & Samsung Blu-ray Home Theater Systems, and now the Playstation 3.

Vudu is like on demand. Individual rentals and purchases. Check out on LG TVs (LH50 & PS80), Mitsubishi TVs (the Unisen Dimaond 249 series) and the LG BD390 Blu-ray Disc player.

Blockbuster Online services can be individual rentals or purchase, but I believe the service can be part of their subscription package. This is brand new, and available on TiVO DVRs and Samsung Blu-ray Disc players (BD-P1600, BD-P3600, BD-P4600), Samsung Home Theater Systems (HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200, HD-BD8200), and Samsung internet ready LED / LCD / Plasma TVs.

Roxio’s CinemaNow works with TiVo DVRs and LG Blu-ray Disc players (BD370 & BD390).

* Due to its subscription nature, Netflix is unable to stream newer movies due to distribution deals made with pay cable outlets, such as HBO. TV shows like ‘Heroes’ appear the day after broadcast, and Netflix does have an output deal with Starz, but Starz movies stream much later than the Blu-ray/DVD release of the movie. Blockbuster, Vudu, and CinemaNow each download, or stream new releases because one pays per rental.

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Netflix Discs for PS3 are Shipping Now

Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Netflix, PS3, Industry Trends (all tags)

Assuming you’ve requested your Netflix disc, it’s on its way now. If not, get on it!

The much anticipated availability of Netflix on PS3 is soon to be a reality for customers that ordered their discs from the company. The massively popular video streaming service has started shipping discs.

The initial availability of the service relies on the BD Live feature of a complimentary disc from Netflix. Sony has announced that a firmware update in early 2010 will enable users to access Netflix directly from the Xross Media Bar without the need for the disc.

The addition of Netflix streaming to the PS3 is being seen as quite the coup in the ongoing war between the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sources say that Netflix streaming could soon be coming to the Wii as well as soon as early 2010.

PS3 owners who haven’t yet ordered their disc need only to jump over to Netflix.com/PS3 and log into their account.

Source: Kotaku

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The RVU Alliance Expands – Networked Entertainment to Benefit

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: RVU Alliance, Industry Trends (all tags)

The RVU Alliance is a newly formed group that was created to set the standards and specifications for secure content delivery over a home network.

Thanks to the addition of a group of members according to Motorola, Humax and more, we may be getting one step closer to a centralized entertainment experience.

To break it down simply, it goes like this. The RVU wants you to be able to view your content no matter where you are in your house. They’re creating the standards that hopefully, companies will follow in the future to allow viewing of all of your content no matter what set-top box, computer or game console you’re using. Needless to say, we’re fans.

Originally consisting of Broadcom, Cisco, Samsung, DirecTV and Verizon, the RVU Alliance added a group of members today who will be developing and promoting the technology. Motorola and Humax may be the most familiar names, as they make up a significant portion of the set-top box market.

Among the other members are Pace, a developer for the pay TV industry and Thomson, who provide services for content creators. Also joining are NXP semiconductors and Entropic Entertainment, who have a hand in the chips being used in various consumer electronics devices.

An announcement like this in November could easily mean big things at the quickly approaching Consumer Electronics Show this January.

Source: Press Release

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The RVU Alliance Expands – Networked Entertainment to Benefit

Fri Nov 06, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: RVU Alliance, Industry Trends (all tags)

The RVU Alliance is a newly formed group that was created to set the standards and specifications for secure content delivery over a home network.

Thanks to the addition of a group of members according to Motorola, Humax and more, we may be getting one step closer to a centralized entertainment experience.

To break it down simply, it goes like this. The RVU wants you to be able to view your content no matter where you are in your house. They’re creating the standards that hopefully, companies will follow in the future to allow viewing of all of your content no matter what set-top box, computer or game console you’re using. Needless to say, we’re fans.

Originally consisting of Broadcom, Cisco, Samsung, DirecTV and Verizon, the RVU Alliance added a group of members today who will be developing and promoting the technology. Motorola and Humax may be the most familiar names, as they make up a significant portion of the set-top box market.

Among the other members are Pace, a developer for the pay TV industry and Thomson, who provide services for content creators. Also joining are NXP semiconductors and Entropic Entertainment, who have a hand in the chips being used in various consumer electronics devices.

An announcement like this in November could easily mean big things at the quickly approaching Consumer Electronics Show this January.

Source: Press Release

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BD-Live Hopes to Connect Viewers to Movies AND People

Thu Nov 05, 2009 at 04:00 PM ET
Tags: BD-Live, Industry Trends, Blu-con, Michael S. Palmer (all tags) By Michael S. Palmer

Reps from Walt Disney, Sony, Universal, and Fox gathered for a panel at this year’s Blu-Con 2.0 to discuss the present and future of BD-Live.

Currently, 4 million Blu-rays connect to BD-Live every month. 50% of users return to the various portals (1984-esque tangent: Sony remembers your player’s I.P. address, and thus knows if you repeatedly access digital content. Big Brother knows where you are at all times!).

I’ve always wondered why BD-Live features have been so lackluster. Apparently, the challenge here is education. Studios and retailers are already educating the consumer on alien terms like HDTV, HDMI, 1080p, 7.1 and Blu-ray. Creating a brand new social experience for BD-Live and having to educate the consumer even further is an uphill battle on top of an uphill battle. Which is why the current strategy for studios is to build upon technology and habits that already exist (via iPhone apps, and partnerships with popular websites like Facebook and IMDB.com). To them, BD-Live should be not only an extension / augmentation of the movie, but also of the consumer’s life.

Here’s a run down of strategies / features by studio:

How can they make it easy, dynamic, and interactive?

Their first BD-Live title was ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ and since then they’ve had the ‘Hannah Montanna’ movie tied to Radio Disney, and the recent ‘Snow White’ features include “living menus” that change appearance according to the time and local weather, as well as the ability to receive a phone call from a Disney princess.

‘Lost - Season 5’ will feature “Lost University” (http://www.lostuniversity.org/). LU, with its Polar Bear mascot, is a Blu-ray/BD-Live exclusive, and gives Lost’s rabid fan base a chance to not only learn about the show, but also to study the themes and mythology built into the Lost universe. Disney hopes that ‘Lost’ fans who have yet to go Blu will buy Blu-ray players in order to participate.

SONY: Every release since April of 2008 has featured BD-Live (and of course, it should, given that their parent company invented Blu-ray). Initially, the BD-Live link was to a portal for additional content downloads and a chance to fill out surveys to let Sony know how they’re doing. Snore.

Recently, however, Sony’s focus has been two-fold. 1) The chance to edit clips from the movies (as seen on ‘Step Brothers,’ ‘Year One,’ and the upcoming ‘Snatch’) and post them on Facebook. And 2) “MovieIQ,” which is a live interactive database about the movie’s cast, crew, and production. A nifty feature bound for ‘Julie & Julia’ (Dec. 8th) is the ability to choose and email yourself recipes from the movie as it plays.

UNIVERSAL: Admittedly arriving late to the Blu-ray world last year, Universal sees the BD-Live experience as something that should be “simple and sharable.” On their discs, look for “community screenings” (everyone around the country, or world, watches the film at the same time, chatting about it via BD-Live), and integrated Facebook / iPhone applications. Recently, for ‘Fast & Furious’ Universal released a car customizing iPhone app (build a car, and share with your friends online) that has proved popular.

FOX: Sharing similar buzz words as simple and social, Fox introduced “Live Lookup” with ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ a few months ago. Integrated with IMDB.com, it’s similar to Sony’s “MovieIQ”, but for my money, much more fluid and visual. Frankly, it’s a shame that we have to have two different versions of the same feature, but I guess simplifying would involve too many lawyers.

Fox is also looking to get into community screenings, citing the desire to “elevate catalogue titles to event status.” Seems like in addition to dressing up, throwing props, and singing along to the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’, the first rule of the ‘Fight Club’ Blu-ray will be to not talk about the fact that everyone’s supposed to show up to watch the flick at the same time.

WARNER was not in this panel, but they are very excited to host global community screenings for ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ (Dec. 7th).

It’s clear, despite all efforts, that BD-Live has a way to go. Studios are researching their little hearts out to give us features like “Live Lookup,” and attempting to integrate their products into the arenas we already occupy. “Lost University” seems like a good start, but is admittedly only for die-hard fans. In the not-too-distant future, we could see e-commerce (the ability to buy products literally used in, or as seen in, the movie), editing movies in real time and inserting them into the film, putting your voice / likeness into the movies, or features akin to Google maps (posting/tagging user generated clips online that tie into filming locations).

Perhaps in addition to developing and selling their movies, bold new filmmakers will also create exciting opportunities for interactivity in watching their movies, which is usually very passive (except for popcorn consumption). Or maybe it’ll be you, dear readers, with the next kick ass idea. What do you want from BD-Live? What’s a “gotta have it” toy you’d love at your fingertips as your favorite flick unfurls in glorious high def?

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