Blockbuster is donating videos to entertain troops involved in campaign against terrorism. Retailer said it was providing 3,600 videos to 30 USO centers overseas, 6 locations in U.S. and aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. Donation includes VHS movies, DVDs, DVD players.
Comparison of movie film and high-definition video footage was scheduled for L.A. Thurs. night. “Cinematographers’ Test” entailed shooting identical scenes on 35mm motion picture film and HD 24-fps progressive scan video, projected side by side in 3 35 mm print. Point of test is to show differences in how 2 media render nuances in color, contrast, texture, focus and other characteristics, sponsor Kodak said. Sony contributed HD camera and camcorders for shooting by 3 professional cinematographers, and converted their HD images to film -- www.kodak.com/go/motion.
DVD-ROM section of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider disc released this week has interactive feature than enables viewer to use PC to play, race and shoot along with heroine of movie inspired by videogame. Interactive feature is available through entire length of film, distributor Paramount said.
On eve of today’s screen debut of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, pirated videotape copies of $90 million Warner production were spotted for sale in N.Y.C. Reports said bootleg tapes had poor video quality and graininess indicative of camcorder kinescope. Meanwhile, in U.K., authorities were bracing for flood of Harry Potter counterfeits on DVD. Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) reported Thurs. that preorders for discs already had been placed on pirate Web sites. Discs from Southeast Asia cost pirate dealers $2-$4 depending on quantities ordered, FACT said. Group’s Operation Wizard is keeping tight watch on movie theaters to ensure Harry Potter film reels aren’t purloined to make high-quality telecine transfers. FACT said Thurs. it was investigating 2 reports of cinema projectionists’ copying film with digital camcorder hooked into theater sound system.
Electronics industry is optimistic that consensus national model for financing management of end-of-life CE products will emerge by next Sept., said Holly Evan, dir.-environmental affairs of Electronic Industries Alliance. Echoing sentiments expressed by regulators on outcome of Nov. 8-9 meeting of National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI) in Boston (CED Nov 14 p5), she said good progress was made at meeting toward putting together elements of national program. Major outcome of meeting, she said, was agreement to take off table financial models that put onus only on manufacturers or on govt. and taxpayers. Two models now being considered are advance disposal fee (front-end fee included in purchase price of product) and end-of-life fee (back-end fee paid by consumer when depositing used product for recycling and reuse). Evans said models might have to be tweaked to make program cost-effective and questions such as need for enabling legislation to enforce program would have to addressed. Asked how industry was disposed to regulators’ emphasis on redesigning products for environment, she said industry was open to considering designing for environment and “it’s already happening.” Evans cautioned that solution that depended solely on product design would be high-cost one. Industry will oppose any proposal that makes product design only criteria rather than part of solution, she said.
Annual Photo Mktg. Assn. show is scheduled for Feb. 24-27 at Orlando Convention Center in Fla. -- www.pmai.org.
Cross-section of speakers at intellectual property conference in Washington Wed., representing private sector, academia and Capitol Hill, agreed govt. shouldn’t be imposing digital copyright standards on consumer electronics industry. At issue was proposed bill by Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Hollings (D-S.C.) that would require industry to develop copy protection system for every digital device, with threat of govt.- imposed solution if industry didn’t act quickly enough. That bill has yet to be introduced and Hollings recently postponed hearing on it. Where there was little unanimity at Cato Institute conference, however, was on merit of digital rights management systems (DRMs) themselves. Language of speakers often gave away their positions, with DRM supporters calling system “tool,” while opponents called it “scheme.”
SanDisk and Toshiba developed 1 GB CompactFlash memory card that can program at 10 MB per sec. and be read at twice that speed. Chip can store 2 bits in each memory cell using multilevel cell technology that essentially stores twice data of 1-bit/cell, 512 MB device using same size silicon. SanDisk and Toshiba started volume production at latter’s Yokkaichi, Japan, factory using 0.16-micron process, and 1 Gb chip is geared for 0.13-micron design. Card will be available in first quarter, price not set. CompactFlash cards currently have maximum capacity of 512 MB ($400-$450). At same time, SanDisk started marketing first Memory Stick cards under licensing agreement with Sony. While Sony is manufacturing initial Memory Stick product for SanDisk, latter expects to take over production next year, spokesman said. SanDisk will transfer multilevel cell technology to Memory Stick with goal of boosting its capacity to 512 MB and 1 GB in 2002, 2 GB in 2003, Sony Senior Memory Stick Mktg. Mgr. Dulcie Neiman said. Previously, Memory Stick’s maximum capacity was 256 MB. “Sony has to do this because they're having trouble getting the market to be very broad,” SanDisk spokesman said: “All their competitors don’t want to make Memory Stick product because then they would have to depend on their competitor for memory.” At same time, SanDisk is opening digital photo kiosk at Staples store in Seattle and plans to add 40-50 more in year, spokesman said. Kiosk is designed to develop pictures stored on flash cards regardless of manufacturer, spokesman said. Price will be about 45? per print, with development process taking about 3 min., spokesman said. Rollout of kiosks is substantially short of original goal of having 2,000 in place this year. Photo Me International, which developed concept, ran into delays in developing technology, SanDisk spokesman said.
Acclaim Max Sports started shipping Jeremy McGrath Supercross World for PlayStation 2, Acclaim Entertainment announced Wed. Title ($49.99) is said to feature new software engine developed exclusively for next-generation systems that fosters “perfect mix of simulation and arcade racing action.”
“Try before they buy” is intended lure of new Blockbuster promotion announced Wed. offering free 5-day game rental Dec. 1- Jan. 31 to customers who submit proof of purchase of GameCube or Xbox console from any retailer. Only stipulation is that game rented must be of same format as console for which receipt is presented. “Few people can afford to build an extensive library of games,” said Brian Woodrick, Blockbuster dir. of videogame purchasing. He said “ever-changing selection” of titles at participating stores would allow gamers to try out latest games before they bought.