MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

SILICON ALLEY INSIDER | Google Satellite Now Watching You From 423 Miles Up

MM&EG NEWS — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:01:09 GMT

Google Satellite Now Watching You From 423 Miles Up

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FORBES | Dell Apes Apple

MM&EG NEWS — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:09:22 GMT

Dell Apes Apple

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THE NEW YORK TIMES | How Many Reviewers Should Be in the Kitchen?

MM&EG NEWS — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:03:17 GMT

Digital Domain

How Many Reviewers Should Be in the Kitchen?

By RANDALL STROSS

Published: September 7, 2008

Web sites that welcome customer reviews have evolved significantly, producing work that increasingly approaches that of their professional forebears.

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VIDEOBUSINESS | September 8, 2008

MM&EG NEWS — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:51:56 GMT

VIDEOBUSINESS | September 8, 2008

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER | Google reigns as the world's most powerful 10-year-old

MM&EG NEWS — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:42:36 GMT

Google reigns as the world's most powerful 10-year-old

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REUTERS | Napster faces challenges within and without

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:06:37 GMT

Napster faces challenges within and without

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THE NEW YORK TIMES | Justifying the Cost of an iPhone

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:06:37 GMT

Cost of Living

Justifying the Cost of an iPhone

By M. P. DUNLEAVEY

Published: September 6, 2008

I don’t know how any of this stuff works, and I don’t want to pay for it. Yet, I am on the brink of buying an iPhone.

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PORTFOLIO | Saving TV

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:29:23 GMT

Saving TV

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PORTFOLIO | Zuckervision

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:27:55 GMT

Zuckervision

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THE WASHINGTON TIMES | Digital Copy

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:20:51 GMT

Digital Copy

Some people want to watch their movies on the go - on their laptops, their iPods and their iPhones - without hauling around boxes of DVDs. Studios have just the solution for this slice of consumers: "digital copy."

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CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DAILY | Panasonic To Ship Tru2way TVs In Time For Holiday Season, It Says

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:15:06 GMT

Panasonic To Ship Tru2way TVs In Time For Holiday Season, It Says

5 September 2008

DENVER -- Panasonic will have tru2way TVs on the market before the holiday selling season, said Senior Vice President Robert Perry. Speaking Wednesday to reporters at CEDIA, he said the OCAP-compliant TVs will deliver all cable services without a set-top box. On-demand video, pay-per-view and the ability to order services will be among the offerings.

Perry described tru2way as providing the "Holy Grail in the television business: TVs that connect directly to the cable system and make all content from cable system available on TV without a box." Tru2way expands viewing choices for consumers now limited to one-way delivery of services with current CableCARD TVs. Applications from a cable company can be downloaded to an OCAP-compliant TV that will work "like a small computer," Perry said. Applications are expected to include enabling food purchases and cable-service orders.

Panasonic has worked with CableLabs on the technology. At the show the company is demonstrating tru2way in action with the local cable headend from Comcast. Panasonic plans to start offering OCAP-compliant 42W and 50W plasma TVs this year, capping a year-long test in five Comcast markets. Panasonic formally will introduce the TVs "in a few weeks," Perry said, and they will be selling in multiple markets before Thanksgiving.

With tru2way, the cable industry is opening its digital video interface for innovation and development, said *** Green, president of CableLabs. "It's truly an open standard, is Java-based and uses the same API sets as Blu-ray," he said. "All the cable operators in the U.S. have adopted this as their technology, which means all the cable systems throughout the country work on a common interface, and all the MSOs are upgrading their systems to support this." For consumers, the positives are a single interface and remote control for cable and TV functions. The cable industry hopes the open development standard and an installed base of 38 million U.S. digital customers will be "a very attractive platform for developers to work on," Green said.

Panasonic plans to open a plasma factory in Amagasaki, Japan, in April. Perry said the factory will be able to make a million 42-inch panels a month. Despite LCD's growth, Panasonic remains committed to what he called plasma's superior technology.

"Plasma is a fairly immature technology," Perry said. "In terms of the price curve and driving down prices and improving performance, we've only just begun. The dramatic low price points we have today and the huge improvements in picture performance with plasma are nothing compared to what we're going to see in the future." Panasonic has a 50 percent share of the U.S. plasma business, Perry said.

Panasonic filled out its 2008 line with two models in its flagship PZ850 series. As is the rest of the line, the new 58- and 65-inch screen sizes are IP-enabled, allowing consumers to access VieraCast content from Internet sources including You Tube, Picasa, the Weather Channel and Bloomberg. They also feature 1080p resolution, 30,000:1 dynamic ratio, four HDMI connections, 24p native reproduction and an SD card slot. The sets will be available this month at $3,999 and $6,999. VieraCast programming can be upgraded without limit, because the Web-enabled TVs connect directly to Panasonic's server hosting all services, Perry said. When programming is added, the TVs automatically will gain access to it. -- Rebecca Day

HOULIHAN LOKEY | Media & Entertainment Weekly Report - September 5, 2008

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 11:10:09 GMT

HOULIHAN LOKEY | Media & Entertainment Weekly Report - September 5, 2008

MULTICHANNEL NEWS | Comcast Debuts Fancast Store To Compete In Video Downloads

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:16:03 GMT

Comcast Debuts Fancast Store To Compete In Video Downloads

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THE NEW YORK TIMES | Google at Age 10

MM&EG NEWS — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:03:43 GMT

Technology

Google at Age 10

By By Miguel Helft

Published: September 4, 2008

Google applied for incorporation 10 years ago. Where does the company stand today, especially compared to rival Microsoft? We take a look at the numbers.

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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | Samsung Weighs SanDisk Buy As Chip Makers Seek Mergers

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:58:52 GMT

Samsung Weighs SanDisk Buy As Chip Makers Seek Mergers

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CLUSTERSTOCK | Sarah Palin Product Launch A Smash Hit: Now More Popular Than Obama And McCain

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:32:14 GMT

Sarah Palin Product Launch A Smash Hit: Now More Popular Than Obama And McCain

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SILICON ALLEY INSIDER | CBS's Moonves: We Don't Need Cable Because We Have The Internet

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:27:34 GMT

CBS's Moonves: We Don't Need Cable Because We Have The Internet

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THE NEW YORK TIMES | Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:20:01 GMT

Technology

Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista

By STEVE LOHR

Published: September 6, 2008

An advertising blitz intended to help Microsoft polish the tarnished brand of its Windows Vista operating system began this week with a head-scratcher of a commercial.

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BUSINESSWEEK | HP's 'End Run' Around Windows

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:10:06 GMT

HP's 'End Run' Around Windows

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MARKETWATCH | Nokia warns it is losing market share

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:58:26 GMT

Nokia warns it is losing market share

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SILICON ALLEY INSIDER | Why Video On Demand Is Still Cable's Game To Lose

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:11:44 GMT

Why Video On Demand Is Still Cable's Game To Lose

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PAID CONTENT | MSFT’s New Nothing Ad Campaign With Seinfeld

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:06:41 GMT

MSFT’s New Nothing Ad Campaign With Seinfeld

PAID CONTENT | Samsung Looking At Buying Digital Memory Company SanDisk

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:00:20 GMT

Samsung Looking At Buying Digital Memory Company SanDisk

M2 PRESSWIRE | ELAN Announces New Digital Music Software That Delivers Automatic iTunes" Integration

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:57:58 GMT

ELAN Announces New Digital Music Software That Delivers Automatic iTunes" Integration

4 September 2008

LEXINGTON, KY - ELAN Home Systems, a leading manufacturer of award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home control systems, announced today a major upgrade for its popular VIA!dj II line of Digital Music Servers. The popular whole house music server's new software update builds on its iPod connectivity with TuneXchange, providing full auto-integration with Apple Computer's iTunes , the world's leading application for playing and organizing digital music files. The announcement was made by Bob Farinelli, ELAN's President and Chief Technical Officer.

TuneXchange provides an easy way for VIA!dj II owners to share their music collections between their VIA!dj II and Apple iTunes running on a PC. It automatically synchronizes to iTunes updating songs, playlists, metadata, cover art and edits.

"TuneXchange is an easy download and self-installs on all Windows XP or Vista based PCs. Once the software is running, your VIA!dj II and iTunes can automatically talk to each other over a home network. This allows users to sync their iTunes library, or just selected playlists, with the Digital Music Server," said Mr. Farinelli. "Another awesome feature is that homeowners can also mirror', or back up, the content of their VIA!dj II into iTunes. In addition to serving as a safety net for all their digital media, this feature is great for folks who travel with laptops and want to take all their music with them."

Once TuneXchange is loaded onto a networked PC all DRM-free MP3 & AAC files are automatically copied to the VIA!dj connected to that home network. The "Full" or "Selective" options allow future synchronizations to contain all playlists or only those playlists selected.

If a Client's PC is short on disc space they can opt to link the music on their VIA!dj II to iTunes, making the music playable in iTunes but using no extra disc space on their PC.

A separate download is required to update the VIA!dj II for use with TuneXchange. Both TuneXchange and the VIA!dj II software update are free, quick and easily downloaded over the Internet. This simple upgrade processes is virtually labor free, yet adds enormous value by allowing the user to easily share all their favorite music files for home or on-the-go listening.

Yet another feature of the VIA!dj software update is a scalable user interface within a web browser. This allows users to work with other Windows programs while correctly displaying the TuneXchange Interface.

The VIA!dj line of Digital Music Servers includes three models, providing a music management solution for every budget and offering ELAN Dealers the feature sets and price points needed to best accommodate every Client. Models are available with 160GB and 400GB hard drives and with up four independent outputs for whole house, multi-room listening.

TuneXchange is a free download for both ELAN Dealers and system owners by navigating to http://www.imerge.co.uk. The download and installation average five minutes on a standard PC using a broadband net connection. TuneXchange works on Microsoft .NET, installed free with the program and is not available for the Mac at this time.

About ELAN Home Systems: ELAN Home Systems is a leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video and home automation systems. Based in Lexington, KY, the company's systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" experience. The company's unique products provide complete lifestyle, feature-rich solutions, yet can be configured to fit the specific needs of every homeowner. ELAN products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and distributors throughout the United States, Canada and 58 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

ELAN is a trademark of ELAN Home Systems, LLC, Lexington, KY. VIA! and Ole are registered trademarks of ELAN Home Systems, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

PLEASE NOTE -- ELAN's President and Chief Technology Officer, Bob Farinelli, is available for interviews and desk side briefings regarding TuneXchange and the VIA!dj II series. He is also available to provide expert quotes and bylined articles upon request. To schedule an interview or discuss article options contact Steven Style at 212-465-1290 or stevens@stylegroup.com

M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

Cat Fowler, ELAN Home Systems | Tel: +1 859 269 7760 | Fax: +1 859 268 2132 | e-mail: cfowler@elanhomesystems.com | Steven Style, The Steven Style Group | Tel: +1 212 465 1290 | Fax: +1 212 465 1299 | e-mail: stevens@stylegroup.com

PR NEWSIRE | HDNet and HDNet Movies Announce Affiliation Agreement With Comcast

MM&EG NEWS — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:54:52 GMT

HDNet and HDNet Movies Announce Affiliation Agreement With Comcast

Addition of HDNet Programming Part of Comcast's Project Infinity Commitment to Deliver Best and Most Content Available Anytime, Anywhere

4 September 2008

14:23

DALLAS, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet, the leader in high definition programming, today announced a carriage agreement to add HDNet and HDNet Movies to Comcast's strong high definition (HD) programming line up. The agreement enables Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, to provide the two HDNet networks to HD subscribers in many of its systems, including free On Demand programming, in addition to increasing Comcast's carriage of HDNet over the next year.

"We're thrilled to have a partnership that will provide Comcast's customers with top-notch HD programming. This agreement between two leading HD providers will help shape the ever-expanding world of high definition programming," said Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of HDNet. "This marketplace agreement makes HDNet's cutting edge, independent programming accessible to many more cable homes across the country."

"With hundreds of HD choices available to Comcast customers, we believe that partnering with HDNet further complements our offering by bringing both compelling and high quality HD programming to our customers in this increasingly competitive marketplace," said Matt Bond, executive vice president, content acquisition, Comcast. "This partnership is another example of the strides we're making on our Project Infinity commitment to deliver more HD choices than anywhere else."

Launched in September of 2001, HDNet became the world's first national television network broadcasting all of its programming in high definition. HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for critically acclaimed original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. HDNet also features championship sports coverage from MLS to MMA and groundbreaking music programming with the HDNet Concert Series.

HDNet Movies features a wide selection of major studio theatrical releases -- all uncut, unedited, and appearing in their original aspect ratio. HDNet Movies also offers exclusive Sneak Previews of first run feature films to viewers before they premiere in theaters.

About HDNet

HDNet (http://www.hd.net) provides viewers with the best in original comedy, drama, news, sports and music programming.

HDNet is your exclusive, high definition home for popular, critically acclaimed original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather and "NASA on HDNet" (presenting live shuttle launches through 2010). HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the NASCAR Camping World Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup re-broadcasts, boxing and premiere Mixed Martial Arts from "HDNet Fights;" behind-the-scenes sports news with "Inside the NHL" and "Inside MMA;" groundbreaking music programming with the HDNet Concert Series featuring leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas and more; and entertaining and irreverent lifestyle programming including "Deadline!," "Art Mann Presents," and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning programs such as the Emmy Award winning "Arrested Development," "The Black Donnellys," "Dead Like Me," "Smallville" and the hit series "Torchwood."

HDNet Movies features a wide selection of major studio theatrical releases -- all uncut, unedited, and appearing in their original aspect ratio so that HDNet Movies viewers get the best possible home theater experience.

Only HDNet Movies' exclusive Sneak Previews bring feature films to viewers before they premiere in theaters! Some of the HDNet Movies Sneak Previews have included the Academy Award nominated "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," Toronto Film Festival nominee "The War Within," and "Bubble," the first of six movies by acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh and produced exclusively for HDNet Films. Other featured films include "Cashback," written and produced by Sean Ellis, "Broken English," from Zoe Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands, Parker Posey, Drea de Matteo and Griffin Dunne, the critically acclaimed "Redacted" directed by Brian De Palma, "Flawless," starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore, "Quid Pro Quo," starring Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga, "Finding Amanda," starring Matthew Broderick and Brittany Snow and most recently "Red," starring Brian Cox. Upcoming Sneak Previews include "Special," starring Michael Rapaport, "Great Buck Howard," starring Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks, "Harlem Aria," starring Damon Wayans and "Humboldt County," starring Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich and Frances Conroy.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. For more information visit http://www.hd.net.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. With 24.6 million cable customers, 14.4 million high-speed Internet customers, and 5.6 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten Comcast SportsNets networks and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (http://www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

SOURCE HDNet

Colette Carey of HDNet, +1-303-542-5576, ccarey@hd.net