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Nobody Wants to Pay for 3D Glasses, Including Theaters and Studios
A squabble between movies studios and theaters has already had an effect on the stock market, and may soon affect audiences as well. It started when Sony Pictures Entertainment sent out letters that said it would no longer pick up the cost of handing out 3D glasses after May 2012. The National Association of Theater Owners reacted the way anyone would expect, and on Thursday 3D technology company RealD Inc. ended the day with its shares closing at $10.42, down 15 percent.
Amazon Heats Up the Fight for Mobile Audiences
Amazon introduced four new devices to the world today, one made specifically for multimedia and each at an attention-grabbing low price. Three new Kindle e-readers and the Kindle Fire tablet will connect Amazon more closely with content and consumers than ever before. The company is careful not to call the Kindle Fire a tablet, however, preferring to position it as a new class of Kindle to avoid confusing it with laptop-replacement devices like Apple’s market dominating iPad.
IPads Are Virtual Disney Play Mats [with demo video]
Disney has come up with a new way for kids to use iPads. Taking advantage of children's instinctive response to touch screens and mobile technology, Disney Appmates toys use the iPad as a play mat, interacting with the screen via individually identifiable sensors. The first toys in the line are vehicles from the Disney-Pixar movie "Cars 2," so the app will replicate their world of Radiator Springs.
Free Disney Videos, Now on Roku
Roku Inc. announced Wednesday that hundreds of videos from Disney.com have been added to the streaming platform’s Roku Channel Store, where they are available for free. This Disney channel features animated shorts, clips, a behind-the-scenes section, and a What’s New area that gives previews of what television shows and movies are coming soon.
Customize ESPN Radio on Slacker
ESPN Audio and Slacker Inc. went live with the first radio service to feature ESPN Radio in a personalized context. The interactive ESPN Radio station includes major sporting event coverage and news stories, in addition to content from ESPN programs and platforms including "Mike and Mike in the Morning," "SportsCenter," and "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." Access to ESPN content varies according to a listener’s tier of service.
DirecTV Networks the Home with Pace
DirecTV is set to launch its Home Media Center in October, and today it was confirmed that the television provider selected Pace’s HR34 as the new service’s server hub. Pace said this product will be the first fully interconnected DVR experience for the satellite TV industry, enabling customers to pause live video, bookmark programs, set recordings and choose which recorded or paused programming they want to watch from any connected device in their household.
Xbox TV and the Mainstreaming of IPTV
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer told a convention center full of financial analysts that Xbox TV will launch in time for this year’s holiday season. That would give families another reason to put an Xbox 360 on their gift list. He didn’t give any content specifics, but Ballmer did say it would be similar to what’s available via Xbox’s partnerships with Sky TV in the U.K., Canal Plus in France, and FoxTel in Australia.
Netflix Customers, Meet Your New DVD Service Qwikster [with video]
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings published a blog post Sunday evening, apologizing for how the company handled its recent price increase. His thoughts undoubtedly were concentrated by the precipitous drop in Netflix’s share price late last week. Hastings also took the opportunity to announce that Andy Rendich has been promoted to CEO of the physical disc rental operations, however, and that this service will be rebranded as Qwikster within the next few weeks. Additionally, Qwikster will begin to offer video game rentals alongside movies and TV shows.
Free 'Portal' Downloads to Teach Physics [with Video]
Valve Corp. is giving away Portal, one of its best-known titles, to encourage use of the game to teach principals of physics and critical thinking. The only catch is that people must first install the company’s Steam game platform client to their PC or Mac. That’s free too, but it does require registration. It’s part of Steam’s “Learn with Portal” campaign and runs until Sept. 20, when the game returns to its $10 regular price.
Subscribers Leave Netflix, Investors Follow [with Infographic]
Subscribers got hit in their wallets by the recent Netflix price increase, but they weren’t the only ones. The company had to revise its domestic subscriber estimates downward by 1 million customers and its share price nosedived by nearly a fifth. Even so, Netflix confirmed its international subscriber guidance and its financial guidance for the quarter.
