When it's released in the fall, the LG BD300 will be the first Blu-ray player that will also have access to Netflix's online Watch Now library of streaming movies. But thanks to LG's sneak preview of the product (at its Manhattan press event last night), we have a pretty good idea of what we'll be getting when it hits stores in a few months. … Read more
According to Google, there's no such thing as complete privacy. And while we tend to agree, we don't necessarily think that should mean Google can drive up into the driveway, take pictures of the inside of our houses, and put them on the Internet. Maybe we're just not all on the same page. Also, new Mac notebooks and iPods are likely coming soon, along with, but not related to, a new Internet.
Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 778Apple Warns of iPod, Mac drought http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Apple_Warns_of_iPod_Mac_Drought/551-91696-615.html
GENI To … Read more
Update at 7:30 a.m. PDT: The day of the announcement has been corrected.
Netflix fans will soon have another new option for watching movies.
On Thursday, the company made famous by sending DVDs to consumers via snail mail announced, in conjunction with LG Electronics, the imminent availability of a Blu-ray disc player that will also allow Netflix subscribers to view streaming video of movies and TV shows.
The LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player one-ups the Netflix Player by Roku, a set-top box that hit the market a couple months back. While the Roku device garnered much attention … Read more
With suitable tragi-comedy nuance, Netflix announced this week that it made more money in the 2nd quarter (yes, profit went up 4%) and that it was closing Red Envelope, its film financing and acquisition company.
It so happened that over the last couple of weeks, I happened to have three Red Envelope movies fly from my Netflix queue, via a deeply philosophical USPS mailman, to my door.
Did Netflix really have to take this depressing decision? All these three movies were surprisingly good.
I have no recollection whether the Netflix's insidious secret service, with the deviously credible Stan Lanning … Read more
I was slapped awake this morning by Don Reisinger's touching excoriation of Blockbuster.
"Blockbuster's ineptitude over the past few years is simply unrivaled," he reasoned.
For all I know, he is right. I mean, doesn't the man who founded Blockbuster still own the Miami Dolphins?
However, sometimes real life behavior can give you that peculiar frisson that only a back-waxing has previously achieved.
Last night, I was driving to a concert and was becoming more than usually frustrated at the lines of turgid traffic ahead of me.
I thought they must all be going to … Read more
E3 coverage http://news.cnet.com/crave/?keyword=%22e3+2008%22… Read more
Netflix has always been a thorn in Blockbuster's side. For years now, the company has found creative ways to shape new business models and generally make Blockbuster look old, ragged, and incredibly foolish.
And although it was facing serious financial issues that required it to close hundreds of stores and layoff thousands of employees, Blockbuster has turned things around as of late. In the last two quarters, it enjoyed a slight profit of about $40 million in each period.
With that in mind, I was under the impression that things were finally turning the corner and it would have the ability to realize that the future of its business isn't in the brick-and-mortar, but in the wide world of downloads. And although its stock price is laughable and its foolhardy decision to go after Circuit City made it look desperate, I thought Blockbuster would finally wake up and get to work on something worthwhile.
Evidently, I was wrong.
Instead, it's (once again) Netflix realizing that the future of the the rental business isn't in the brick-and-mortar and probably not even in the mail sector. It's Netflix that's adapting to the changing times by streaming movies and TV shows to its Roku box and, now, the Xbox 360.
And in one fell swoop, Netflix has once again made Blockbuster irrelevant.… Read more
The E3 conference opened Monday in Los Angeles with a press conference from Microsoft. Here are some highlights.
Microsoft showed off first-ever game play footage from the post-apocalyptic title Fallout 3 and announced that there will be downloadable content exclusive to Xbox Live. We saw real-time action from Resident Evil 5, shipping on March 13. We got a peek at the new co-op feature in the game, where players will be able to team up and make their way through together. Developer Square Enix also made announcements that included the release of four titles for Xbox 360 including Final Fantasy XIII.
As for console exclusives, we saw in-game action from Fable 2, shipping in October. Players will be able to seamlessly invite other friends who are also playing the game. Finally, we were blown away by the impressive game demo of Gears of War 2 shipping November 7. The game actually looks better than the original and will feature a five-player online co-op mode.
Microsoft will be releasing a new dashboard interface this fall that incorporates an avatar system--the Xbox answer to Nintendo Mii characters. The new feature allows you to join up with other friends to form a "party," a group of up to eight people where you can share multimedia items or start a game. A new mode called Primetime will actually incorporate real-life TV shows like 1 vs. 100 and allow Xbox Live members to play and watch these game shows and possibly even win real prizes.
Microsoft also announced… Read more
Microsoft on Monday morning announced upcoming support for movie rental service Netflix as part of its system software update for the Xbox 360 (see live blog here). Console owners who are also Netflix subscribers will be able to take advantage of Netflix's Watch Now streaming movie service on their consoles without any additional software or hardware.
It's actually not the first time 360 owners have been able to accomplish such a feat. Several third-party tools that use a workaround in Windows Media Center's plug-in architecture have let you do this with just a small hit in performance. … Read more
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