Main Stories
o Court Sides With FCC: All New Digital TVs to Include Over-the-Air Tuner
o Sony to Cut 13% of Worldwide Staff, Eliminating 20,000 Jobs
o RealNetworks Claims 250,000 Subscribers for Digital Music Services
o Yahoo Buys Music Download Site Dotmusic.com from BT Group
o Cable TV-Based Home Networking Developer Entropic Raises $29 Million
o Nokia Unveils New TV Cell Phone
o Correction: Activision - Dave Mirra - Acclaim Entertainment

o Briefly Noted: TVN Entertainment - KIDS Unlimited SVOD, iRiver - 1.5GB MP3 player, Avis - XM Satellite Radio, Intel - Square Enix, ScanSoft - Vivendi Universal Games, Eidos, ZOO Digital Group, Activision, THQ Wireless - Vodafone, Acclaim Entertainment - Ultimate Warrior, Vivendi Universal Games, Electronic Arts, Namco Hometek, Activision Value, Atari, Mythic Entertainment, 989 Sports, TheGlobe.com, Flexplay Technologies' disposable DVDs - weak sales reports

Washington -- The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington has upheld an order from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which will require consumer electronics firms to include an over-the-air digital TV tuner in all new television sets. The tuners will enable consumers to continue to receive all broadcast signals though the transition to digital television broadcasting. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) sued the FCC over the order, which it said the FCC lacked the statutory authority to make, and was not a reasonable request on the industry. "We obviously are disappointed by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling," said CEA CEO Gary Shapiro. "We will be reviewing the full opinion and consulting with our member companies, but of course will be compliant with any final court order." The National Association of Broadcasters, which urged the FCC to mandate over-the-air tuners, called the ruling "a milestone towards completing the DTV transition." "Consumers buying TV sets will know that the receivers they buy will continue to receive all broadcast signals, even as broadcasting changes to digital," said NAB president Edward Fritts.
http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common/opinions/200310/02-1312a.pdf
http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=10342
http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/PressRel/statements/S1603.htm
_____________________________________________

o Sony to Cut 13% of Worldwide Staff, Eliminating 20,000 Jobs

Tokyo -- Consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. announced on Thursday that it plans to cut 20,000 jobs, or 13% of its worldwide workforce, over the next three years in an attempt to increase weakening profit margins. Sony said the restructuring, which will cost some $3.09 billion, will save the company $2.8 billion annually. The company, which employs around 154,000 worldwide, did not elaborate on the layoffs other than to say 7,000 jobs will be eliminated in Japan. Sony plans to boost profits by eliminating redundancies in its U.S. electronics and marketing divisions, and promoting collaboration between its developers of home and mobile consumer electronics products.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/031028/0230000624_2.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/031028/japan_sony_9.html
_____________________________________________

o RealNetworks Claims 250,000 Subscribers for Digital Music Services

Seattle -- RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technologies, announced on Tuesday that it now counts over 250,000 paying customers for its digital music subscription services, which include the Rhapsody on-demand streaming service and RealOne RadioPass Internet radio service. The company said the figure represents a 46% increase in subscribers over the past three months. Seattle-based RealNetworks' Rhapsody service, acquired from Listen.com, offers 400,000 tracks for listening and burning to CD for $9.95 per month.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/sftu155_1.html 
http://www.real.com
____________________________________________

o Yahoo Buys Music Download Site Dotmusic.com from BT Group

London -- Yahoo said that it has acquired the online music download service Dotmusic.com from BT Group. The deal also included the purchase of video games enthusiast site GamesDomain.co.uk. Financial terms were not disclosed. Reuters said that music and Internet companies have been launching European download services in the past year to combat the rise of file-sharing sites which have created a sizeable black market for free music on the Internet. Yahoo will face stiff competition from AOL, a division of Time Warner, and Real Networks, which both plan to launch European music download services early next year.
http://www.dotmusic.com/news/October2003/news31306.asp
_____________________________________________

o Cable TV-Based Home Networking Developer Entropic Raises $29 Million

San Diego -- Entropic Communications, a developer of chips and software used to enable broadband multimedia networking over the existing cable television outlets, announced that it has raised $29 million in its second round of venture capital financing. San Diego-based Entropic's technology uses existing cable TV lines in the home to connect devices like televisions, digital video recorders, DVD players, CD/MP3 players and PCs. The company expects to ship its first products in 2004. Participants in Entropic's investment round included Anthem Venture Partners; China Development Industrial Bank; Cisco Systems; CMEA Ventures; Comcast Interactive Capital; The Dow Employees Pension Plan; Intel; Liberty Associated Partners; Mission Ventures; Motorola; Panasonic; Redpoint Ventures; Revolution Ventures; Time Warner and YAS Broadband Ventures.
http://www.entropic-communications.com/pages/press.html#29m
_____________________________________________

o Nokia Unveils New TV Cell Phone

Helsinki -- Nokia, the biggest mobile phone maker in the world, on Tuesday launched several new mobile handsets, including a model on which users can watch TV. In a statement, the company said that it expected to ship more than 100 million phones complete with color screens, Java software and improved messaging options next year. The company also announced plans to have at least 15 EDGE-enabled handsets on the market by 2004.
http://www.nokia.com
_____________________________________________

o Correction: Activision - Dave Mirra - Acclaim Entertainment

A headline and story in yesterday's edition of Digital Media Wire about a settlement of litigation between BMX rider Dave Mirra and video game developer Activision were incorrect. The dispute was between Mirra and New York-based developer Acclaim Entertainment, and did not involve Santa Monica, Calif.-based Activision. We apologize for the error.

Top

Top

Top

(Burbank, Calif.) TVN Entertainment, a provider of video-on-demand programming and delivery services, announced on Tuesday the national launch of KIDS Unlimited, a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) channel developed by cable TV operator Charter Communications. The service will offer 30 hours of programming per month from providers including PBS and Scholastic Entertainment, such as episodes of "Barney and Friends," "Teletubbies" and "Chicken Little."
http://www.tvn.com

(San Jose, Calif.) Consumer electronics firm iRiver on Tuesday released its iGP-100, a $250, 1.5GB MP3 player. The device features USB 2.0 support and an FM tuner, and will be sold at Best Buy and through the company's website.
http://www.iriveramerica.com

(Parsippany, N.J.) Rental car firm Avis announced on Tuesday that XM Satellite Radio service will be included at no additional cost to customers renting a luxury or premium Avis vehicle. Avis expects to equip 20,000 of its vehicles with XM receivers by the end of the year. Normally the XM service costs Avis rental customers an extra $3 per day.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/dctu020_1.html 
http://www.xmradio.com 
http://www.avis.com

(Santa Clara, Calif.) Chipmaker Intel said on Tuesday that it has partnered with Japanese game developer Square Enix to work to improve online and offline gaming experiences on PCs, mobile phones and PDAs. The companies collaborated in the past to optimize Square's "Final Fantasy XI" PC game title for play on Intel Pentium 4 processor-based PCs. Under the new agreement, Intel and Square plan to discuss mutual product planning, development, and joint marketing opportunities.
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20031028corp.htm  http://www.square-enix-usa.com

(Peabody, Mass.) ScanSoft, a developer of speech recognition and imaging technologies, said on Tuesday that Vivendi Universal Games has licensed its speech recognition technology for use in the PlayStation 2 title, "SWAT: Global Strike Team." The technology will allow multiple players to interact with characters within the game, issuing squad commands to in-game teammates and speaking compliance orders to both in-game hostages and suspects.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285492_1.html 
http://www.scansoft.com 
http://swatgst.sierra.com

(London) Eidos, a developer and publisher of entertainment software, on Tuesday launched a New Media Division. The new division will focus on online gaming, new platforms like PDAs and interactive TV, and on new channels, including broadband Games on Demand services and electronic software distribution.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N14721C56

(Sheffield, England) ZOO Digital Group, a publisher of interactive entertainment software, announced that it has received a $424,000 grant from a new scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund managed by Business Link South Yorkshire. The scheme provides support and financial assistance including development and risk capital to growing and innovative businesses in South Yorkshire. The grant will enable the company to maximize further developments to their DVD authoring software, DVD-Extra.
http://www.zoodigitalgroup.com

(Santa Monica, Calif.) Game developer Activision on Tuesday released its "Tony Hawk's Underground" title for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Activision said the game's launch will be the largest in company history, and will be backed by promotional support from AT&T Wireless, G4, Nestle Butterfinger and Tombstone Pizza. The console versions of the game were developed by Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Neversoft Entertainment, while a Game Boy Advance version was created by Vicarious Visions and a wireless version was developed by Jamdat Mobile.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/latu063_1.html 
http://www.neversoft.com 
http://www.vvisions.com 
http://www.jamdatmobile.com

(London) THQ Wirelesss, the mobile games unit of California-based THQ, announced on Tuesday an agreement with wireless carrier Vodafone to distribute content based on Fox's "The Simpsons" to Vodafone customers throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Content including ringtones, animated picture messages, wallpapers and screen savers, will be available from November, followed by games.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285311_1.html 
http://www.vodafone.co.uk 
http://www.thqwireless.com

(Glen Cove, N.Y.) Acclaim Entertainment on Tuesday said it has signed the professional wrestler Ultimate Warrior to appear in its "Legends of Wrestling: Showdown" video game. The company's Acclaim Studios Austin is currently developing the title, which will feature over 70 wrestlers, for release in April 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/nytu070_1.html
http://www.legendsshowdown.com

(Los Angeles) Vivendi Universal Games on Tuesday announced that it will release "Van Helsing" for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, based on the upcoming Universal Pictures film of the same name, in the spring of 2004 in conjunction with the film's theatrical release. The game is being developed by Utah-based Saffire Studios. Separately, Vivendi Universal Games said Chicago-based developer High Voltage Software is currently at work on "Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude," the next installment in the game franchise, which is scheduled for release on consoles and the PC in late 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/latu031_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031028/latu030_1.html 
http://www.high-voltage.com

(Redwood City, Calif.) Electronic Arts on Tuesday announced the release of its "Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup" for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and the PC. Based on the fictional broomstick-flying game in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels and developed at EA's U.K. studios, the game features multiplayer elements and connectivity between the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285376_1.html
http://www.harrypotter.ea.com

(San Jose, Calif.) Namco Hometek, the U.S. arm of the Japanese game developer, on Tuesday announced the release of its "kill.switch" title for PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. The tactical military third-person shooter game was developed internally by San Jose, Calif.-based Namco.
http://www.namco.com 
http://www.killswitch.com

(Minneapolis) Activision Value, the value-priced PC game publishing unit of the Santa Monica, Calif.-based developer, on Tuesday shipped its "The History Channel: WWII Battle Of Britain 1940" to retailers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285378_1.html
http://www.historychannel.com 
http://www.activisionvalue.com

(Beverly, Mass.) Atari on Tuesday shipped the Nintendo GameCube version of its "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai" game, based on the Japanese animated children's TV series, to retailers. Japanese developer DIMPS created the game for Atari, which said that the PlayStation 2 version of the title has already shipped more than 1.4 million units in North America.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285176_1.html
http://www.dimps.co.jp/index_en.html

(Fairfax, Va.) Massively multiplayer online game developer Mythic Entertainment on Tuesday announced the commercial release of "Trials of Atlantis," an expansion pack for its "Dark Age of Camelot" online PC game. Virginia-based Mythic said that "Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis" is being distributed in North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa by Vivendi Universal Games.
http://www.mythicentertainment.com 
http://www.darkageofcamelot.com

(Foster City, Calif.) Sony Computer Entertainment America's 989 Sports game development studio on Tuesday released its "NBA ShootOut 2004" for PlayStation 2 and the original Playstation. The game, which features 2002 NBA league leading scorer Tracy McGrady as cover athlete, offers in-game voice chat for owners of a USB headset for PlayStation 2, as well as online components available at 989SportsOnline.com.
http://www.989sports.com

(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) TheGlobe.com, a provider of video game and voice over Internet Protocol services, on Tuesday said it appointed former Yahoo and Clear Channel executive Doug Brisotti as president of its games division. Currently consisting of Computer Games Magazine and game retailer Chips & Bits, the company said it will now refocus its gaming efforts toward the online industry.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031028/285540_1.html 
http://www.theglobe.com

(San Francisco) Wired News on Tuesday reported on the somewhat weak sales that Flexplay Technologies' disposable EZ-D DVD discs have seen since going on sale in four test market states. The $7 discs, which Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment has used to distribute movies like "Shanghai Knights," expire and are no longer playable 48 hours after their packaging is opened. "They haven't sold very well yet," Illinois Cub Foods store manager Tom Mullen told Wired News. "I think the biggest reason is the price. It's a tad bit too high."
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60983,00.html
http://www.flexplay.com

Top

Top

Copyright 2003 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.