archives

o Australian Govt. Challenges Video Game, DVD Regional Coding Guidelines
o MP3.com Placing Access Restrictions on Sexually-Oriented Audio Content
o Sony Pictures Launches New Online Promotions Unit
o Google Offers Corporate In-House Document Search Engine Service
> Digital Media Wire Panel: Interactive Games | Los Angeles | Feb. 27
o Briefly Noted: Kazaa, FullAudio - Microsoft, Motorola - Digeo - Charter,
NDS Group - MTV Hits Interactive, Farmclub.com album, THQ - Nickelodeon,
Macromedia - Microsoft .NET, Sonic Solutions - Hitachi, Eveo -
ProductionHUB.com, Ebrary - Princeton University Press - Elsevier Science,
GameColony.com - GammonVillage.com, Upside Magazine CEO, TV ads -
digitized Web ads, MPEG-4 royalties - industry response
_____________________________________________

o Australian Govt. Challenges Video Game, DVD Regional Coding Guidelines

Sydney, Australia -- An agency of the Australian government has opposed
Sony Australia in a court case that could have ramifications on DVD and
video game regional coding implemented by those industries, Newsbytes
reported. Regional coding is generally used so that studios and developers
can release their DVDs and video games to different areas of the world at
staggered intervals and for different prices -- to increase profits. The
chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), a
government agency representing the interests of Australian consumers, has
filed a "friend of the court" brief supporting a company that makes chips
which modify Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console so that regional
codes embedded on games are ignored. The ACCC believes that regional
coding is unfair to Australian consumers, who often pay higher prices for
games and movies and have access to a smaller library of titles than is
available in the U.S.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/174369.html
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o MP3.com Placing Access Restrictions on Sexually-Oriented Audio Content

San Diego -- MP3.com, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal that distributes
music on the Internet, is taking steps to separate sexually graphic and
pornographic audio recordings available on its site from its normal music
fare, according to an email sent to MP3.com station operators last week.
As of Feb. 22, stations in the "sexuality warning" genre will be removed
from all station charts, artist page links and will no longer come up on
the site's search engine. Effectively, stations that feature sexually
explicit content will only be available if a user types that station's URL
directly into their browser's address bar. San Diego-based MP3.com did not
provide reasoning for the change, but advised its members with stations
featuring both sexually explicit and non-sexually explicit content to
create a new station for the sexually explicit content to avoid the new
filtering.
http://www.mp3.com
_____________________________________________

o Sony Pictures Launches New Online Promotions Unit

Culver City, Calif. -- Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment on Monday
announced the launch of a new unit, Sony Pictures Integrated Network
(SPIN), which will develop promotions for the company's film, television
and home entertainment properties. The new unit will also oversee the
development and operation of all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's
websites. Sony appointed Ira Rubenstein as senior vice president for SPIN.
Previously, Rubenstein directed the development of Sony's Moviefly (now
known as Movielink) video-on-demand joint venture, and was vice president
of marketing for Columbia TriStar Interactive.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020208/laf061_1.html
_____________________________________________

o Google Offers Corporate In-House Document Search Engine Service

Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine provider Google announced on Monday
a new service for businesses that will let them install Google search
technology at their own companies so that employees may search through
company records and documents. The service includes a box called the
Search Appliance that is installed behind a corporate firewall; a $20,000
version can search up to 150,000 documents while a $250,000 version can
browse millions of documents. Customers including National Semiconductor
have already purchased the service from Mountain View-based Google.
http://www.google.com
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THE CARMEL GROUP’S CONVERGENCE 2002 SERIES - Get in the Game!
A Video Game Industry Focus

The Carmel Group predicts that by year-end 2002, 40% of U.S. homes will be
equipped with a video game system, increasing to 51% by 2005. Attend this
informative event on Tuesday, February 19, from 6-10pm at the Crowne Plaza
Cabana in Palo Alto, CA, to find out how and why the industry is
flourishing in the current economy. Participants include, Canal+
Technologies, Vivendi Universal, Stormfront Studios, DirecTV, IGDA, CTAM,
NATPE and GAMEproducer.com. Digital Media Wire subscribers attend for only
$50 – use promotional code DMW.

For more info or to pre-register visit:
http://www.carmelgroup.com/conferences/conferences.cfm
or contact info@carmelgroup.com or 831-643-2222.

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> Digital Media Wire Panel Discussion: Interactive Games on the Internet
Recent Developments and New Business Opportunities

Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2002
Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Beverly Hills

MODERATOR:
- Victor Hwang, COO of LARTA (the regional technology alliance for
Southern California)

PANELISTS:
- Tracy Fullerton, President of Spiderdance
- Chris Kantrowitz, Co-Founder of The Groove Alliance and
President of 7ate9 Productions
- Mark Kapczynski, Principal Consultant, Microsoft
*Other panelists to be announced.

Sponsored by LARTA

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAgames2.html

Sponsorships: Ned Sherman at 323/464.0793
or esherman@digitalmediawire.com

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_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Los Angeles) Sharman Networks, the new owner of the Kazaa file-sharing
software and website, has released an updated version of the software. New
features include download recommendations based on suggestions from other
Kazaa users, a faster search function and a "tell a friend" function users
can utilize to tell others about Kazaa. The Kazaa software and website
were sold to Australia-based Sharman by its former Dutch owners, who faced
a range of copyright infringement suits from various recording industry
companies.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/220420342&ticker=
http://www.kazaa.com

(Chicago) FullAudio, a company developing an online digital music
subscription service, announced on Monday that it will use Microsoft's
Windows Media Audio as the delivery and digital rights management
technology for its service. Chicago-based FullAudio has licensed over
70,000 tracks from Universal Music Group, EMI Recorded Music, EMI Music
Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group and BMG Music Publishing.
Distribution partners include radio giant Clear Channel, which will launch
FullAudio's service on the websites of 30 Clear Channel stations in
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020211/hsm010_1.html
http://www.fullaudio.com

(Horsham, Pa.) Motorola's Broadband Communications Sector announced on
Monday that it will manufacture and market a new line of interactive
set-top boxes developed jointly with interactive TV software developer
Digeo and cable TV operator Charter Communications. The new device will
offer personal video recording capabilities, telephone service,
entertainment including music, photos and games, and wireless home
networking. Washington-based Digeo's Basic iTV service was recently
launched for Charter subscribers in Southern California. The new Motorola
device is set to be deployed this fall and will be previewed at the NCTA
convention in May.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020211/110061_1.html
http://www.digeo.com
http://www.charter.com

(London) NDS Group, a division of News Corporation that provides
interactive TV technology, announced on Monday the launch of MTV Hits
Interactive on Sky Digital in the U.K. The channel will allow users to
select and place virtual logos and images on their TV screens, as well as
participate in daily interactive quizzes. Previously, London-based NDS
provided interactive TV voting services for the MTV Europe Music Awards.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020211/112408_1.html
http://www.nds.com

(Los Angeles) Interscope/UTV Records, a division of Vivendi
Universal-owned Universal Music Group, said on Monday that it will release
a compilation album of live performances from the short-lived USA Networks
TV show, "Farmclub.com." The album includes in-studio live performances
from former N.W.A. bandmates Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and MC Ren with Snoop Dogg, as well as tracks performed by Eminem, Powerman 5000 and And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.
http://www.interscope.com

(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game developer THQ on Monday announced its
lineup of games for 2002 that will be developed in conjunction with
children's TV network Nickelodeon. Titles will include games based on
Nickelodeon programs like "Rugrats," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Rocket
Power," based on the upcoming film "The Wild Thornberrys," as well as
games based on the "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" movie and upcoming "Jimmy
Neutron" television series. Calabasas Hills-based THQ will develop games
variously for Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy Advance, as well as for
Sony's PlayStation 2 and for the PC.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020211/110167_1.html
http://www.nick.com
http://www.thq.com

(San Francisco) Web publishing software developer Macromedia said on
Monday that it is working with Microsoft to ensure interoperability
between the company's .NET Web services framework and its line of tools,
servers and media players. San Francisco-based Macromedia said it will
make sure future versions of its ubiquitous Flash software and ColdFusion
website development software will work with Microsoft's .NET platform.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020211/sfm058a_1.html
http://www.macromedia.com
http://www.microsoft.com/net

(Novato, Calif.) Sonic Solutions, a developer of DVD creation and editing
software, announced on Monday that Hitachi will include the company's
DVDit software with PCs it markets in Japan. Novato-based Sonic Solutions'
software is also bundled with PCs made by Dell, Hewlett-Packard and
Fujitsu, and is also integrated into Microsoft's Windows XP operating
system.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020211/112036_1.html
http://www.sonic.com

(San Francisco) Eveo, a provider of video hosting and streaming services
for filmmakers, announced on Monday that it will provide its services to
ProductionHUB.com, an online search engine and network for film, video and
digital media producers. The agreement will allow Florida-based
ProductionHUB.com's clients to upload and stream their projects using San
Francisco-based Eveo's technology.
http://www.eveo.com
http://www.productionhub.com

(Mountain View, Calif.) Ebrary, an online provider of periodicals and
academic resources to libraries and universities, announced two new
distribution deals on Monday. Princeton University Press will make
hundreds of front-list and back-list titles available on Ebrary, as will
Elsevier Science, Science & Technology Division, a division of technology,
medicine and business content publisher Reed Elsevier. Mountain View-based
Ebrary is funded by Random House Ventures, Pearson and The McGraw-Hill
Companies.
http://www.pupress.princeton.edu
http://www.ebrary.com

(Newport Beach, Calif.) GameColony.com, a provider of online multiplayer
board and card games, said on Monday that it will provide co-branded
gaming content to Toronto-based GammonVillage.com, a backgammon portal.
Under the terms, the two sites will share the revenues generated from
hosting online matches and tournaments.
http://www.gamecolony.com
http://www.gammonvillage.com

(San Francisco) Business and technology publication Upside Magazine
announced on Monday the appointment of John Carroll as president and CEO.
Previously, Carroll held executive positions at Penton Publishing, Medical
Economics Company, and PennWell Corporation, and published Electronic
Design, Microwaves & RF and Portable Design.
http://www.upside.com

(New York) The Wall Street Journal ran a feature story on Monday on the
growing number of companies that are tailoring the same commercials they
run on TV for the Internet. Digitized 30- and 60-second commercials as
well as Flash-based adaptations of TV ads are becoming increasingly
prevalent as advertisers look for cheap ways to expand on existing
campaigns. Scot McLernon, executive vice president of sales and marketing
for publicly traded MarketWatch.com Inc., told The Wall Street Journal
that he estimates more than 75 percent of the campaigns on
CBSMarketWatch.com this year will include TV-like commercial ads.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/704414.asp?0dm=C14NT

(San Francisco) CNET reported on Monday on industry reaction to a recently
proposed licensing plan for MPEG-4 video technologies. The license
includes the right to use patents held by 18 companies that relate to the
interactive video technology, and outlines the royalties fees paid to
inventors of the technology for such things as streaming video. MPEG-LA,
the organization that released the licensing guidelines, proposed a
per-minute streaming fee that equates to 2 cents per hour. "I don't think
[the fees] are commercially viable," Douglas McIntyre, CEO of On2
Technologies, told CNET. The article also includes comment from the
Internet Streaming Media Alliance, a group working to develop an open
standard for streaming media that includes Apple, Cisco, IBM and Philips.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-833247.html?tag=cd_mh
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020131/310215_1.html
http://www.mpegla.com
http://www.isma.org
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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire