Infinite Ventures will ship what it’s billing as “the first interactive live-action horror game on DVD-Video” in Nov. Game - - Dracula Unleashed -- will be available online at www.draculaunleashed.com. Purcellville, Va.-based independent production company said it was “in discussions with a number of companies about worldwide retail distribution.” Company said it acquired rights to Dracula Unleashed from Viacom in 1997, along with rights to Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. Infinite said titles, originally developed by ICOM Simulations, were released on CD-ROM in early 1990s. Digitally remastered version of Holmes title was released on DVD-Video in 1999. Infinite Pres. Eugene Evans said DVD owners “have come to expect depth through bonus content” and “we're taking that expectation to unmatched levels by creating a fully interactive mystery game” that consumers would use more often than typical DVD-Video movie.

Dreamcast versions of Sega Sports NBA 2K2 and Sega Sports Tennis 2K2 started shipping at $39.95 each.

EPA began new electronics collection, refurbishment and recycling project with Region 3 states Del., Md., Pa., Va., W.Va., Washington, D.C. Called eCycling, year-long project will partner EPA and state and local govts. with electronic manufacturers, recyclers and waste transporters to evaluate methods for collection and recycling of consumer electronics products, EPA spokeswoman Bonnie Smith said: “The EPA role is really a coordinating role, recognizing there is a potential to recycle a lot of these electronics and that each state does have its own [recycling] process.” Data developed will guide development of cost-effective and sustainable collection system to remove end-of-life computer equipment and TVs from municipal waste systems, she said. EPA Environmental Analyst Claudette Reed said: “The purpose of the project is to see if we can amass the kind of volume that allows recyclers to benefit from the process.” She said agency approached individual consumer electronics and computer manufacturers and industry groups and had “worked closely” with EIA, JVC, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony.

As Blockbuster continues to increase prominence of DVD at its stores, CEO John Antioco told analysts in conference call Tues. that format could represent half of its domestic rental revenue by 2003. Antioco said DVD currently made up 20% of Blockbuster’s domestic rental revenue and should widen to 30% by year-end: “As a matter of fact, on some new titles as much as 40% of our rentals are DVD, so it’s probably not a stretch to assume that by 2002, 40% of our domestic rentals will come from DVD and we can be trending at 50% DVD, 50% VHS going into 2003. Clearly, DVD has gone mainstream.”

Online scam using DVD players is price of success for Apex Digital, whose U.S. market share in players is 2nd only to Sony’s. Apex spokesman told us changing variety of Web sites informed unsuspecting consumers that they had been selected to get free Apex DVD player as part of promotion in exchange for returning promotional questionnaire. E-mail asks recipient to qualify by remitting $19.70 for UPS shipping charges. Shipping fee is to be remitted electronically using online debit system such as CCNow or PayPal. Apex has posted warning about fraud on its Web site (www.apexdigitalinc.com) and asked victims to cancel any payments to perpetrators and send supporting documents to company for further investigation. Spokesman told us Apex had contacted UPS, remittance companies and FBI about fraud. But remittance companies told Apex it took 30 days to investigate claims and probes were back-burnered at FBI owing to terrorist activity.

Panasonic cut price of DLP-based rear-projection TV to $10,999 from $13,999 in effort to blunt impact of falling retail prices in competitive technologies such as plasma display panels (PDPs), National Mktg. Mgr. Jonas Tanebaum said. Panasonic brand 52W, which shipped year ago, will be continued into 2002 and there are no immediate plans to replace it, he said. Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Panasonic were first companies to introduce rear- projection TVs based on Texas Instruments’ (TI) DLP technology, but prices have hovered around $12,000-$15,000 as PDPs dropped below $10,000. Indeed, Panasonic cut price on 42W PDP to $7,000- $8,000, Tanebaum said. Price move also came as several vendors readied plans for DLP-based sets at $3,000-$5,000 and based on TI’s 2nd generation chip. “I'm not sure that the reduced price is the result of chipset,” Tanebaum said. “If I reduced the price of chipset to zero, I would still have to price the set at $5,000 at this point.”

Consumer groups and privacy advocates criticized FTC Tues. for failing to take action against Microsoft and its Passport and Windows XP products. In letter to FTC Chmn. Timothy Muris, several privacy and consumer advocates urged agency to reconsider 2 earlier complaints about Passport, which allows use of single password and user ID at all participating outlets. Letter included new assertions about “serious security lapses” in Microsoft systems that it said made information stored in Passport particularly vulnerable. Groups also said Microsoft’s XP operating system further integrated Passport into functions of computer. Junkbusters Pres. Jason Catlett said Microsoft’s marketing strategy for Passport was unfair and deceptive practice under FTC act. Microsoft tells users that they must participate in Passport to gain access to Internet, which isn’t true, Catlett said. Vincent Sampson of Assn. for Competitive Technology (ACT) said Microsoft’s MSN Internet service did require Passport participation but said Passport was very similar to registration required for AOL or any other ISP. ACT receives funding from Microsoft. Microsoft’s failure to secure information in Passport also is unfair trade practice, Catlett said. Sampson said charge was “stretch” and by such logic, all software products would have to be completely secure or be in violation of FTC act. Groups, which included Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Consumer Action, Consumers Union, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and others, said FTC should force Microsoft to “disgorge” information collected from Passport and prevent Microsoft from collecting data under false pretenses. FTC has taken no action since complaints were filed in July and Aug. FTC spokeswoman said agency didn’t announce potential or pending investigations.

International Game Developers Assn. (IGDA) opened “members profile” section at its Web site, www.igda.org/Community/Profiles/profiles.htm

Clarification: Matsushita’s proposed 50 GB dual-layer recordable disc is 1.1 mm thick, composed of 1 mm thick substrate and 0.1 mm thick cover plate. Although disc is 0.1 mm thinner than standard DVD, Matsushita engineers say they anticipate no compatibility problems with existing laser optics and drives when dual-layer 50 GB disc is commercialized.

Broadband video-on-demand using MPEG-4 DivX Open Video compression will be unveiled to news media 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 30 at Westin Bonaventure Hotel in L.A., developer DivXNetworks said -- www.divxnetworks.com.