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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- November 11, 2002
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Digital Video Recorder Firms Sonicblue, TiVo Settle Patent Litigation
o Studios Launch Movielink Video-on-Demand Joint Venture
o Liquid Audio Terminates Merger Agreement with Alliance Entertainment
o BT Group Sells $194 Million Stake In Satellite Broadcaster BSkyB
o Interactive TV Developer IMagicTV Lays Off 25% of Staff
o Gemstar Shares to Retain Listing on Nasdaq
> DMW Events: Last Chance for iTV Visions Pre-Registration Discounts
> DMW Publications: Special Rates for DMW Subscribers
> DMW Marketing: 2003 Events & New Holiday Classifieds Section
> Featured Company: Etronica
o Briefly Noted: MultiMediaCard Association, Garageband - CD subscription
service, Digeo - Charter, Sony Ericsson - "Die Another Day," THQ -
Disney/Pixar, Pinnacor - LodgeNet, Software defined radio, "Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City," Amateur screenwriter sites
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> Jobs: East Coast Sales Rep.
> Events: GasPedal VIP Dinner
> Marketplace: New iTV Reference, Homeland Security Directory
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/mainpostingpage.html
or contact David Peebler at david@digitalmediawire.com
_____________________________________________
o Digital Video Recorder Firms Sonicblue, TiVo Settle Patent Litigation
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Digital video recorder manufacturers Sonicblue and
TiVo announced late on Friday that they have agreed to drop all pending
patent infringement claims pending against one another. The two companies
sued one another in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of California, over various patents held for digital video
technologies. In a joint statement, Santa Clara-based Sonicblue and San
Jose-based Tivo said, "We believe our energies are better spent expanding
the market for Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) rather than fighting each
other. Both sides believe in the merits of their respective positions, but
the overall success of the DVR category is what is most important to the
companies at this time." Sonicblue is also currently being sued by a
number of networks and movie studios over its ReplayTV device's ability to
skip through commercials and send recorded programs over the Internet.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021108/80239_1.html
http://www.sonicblue.com
http://www.tivo.com
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o Studios Launch Movielink Video-on-Demand Joint Venture
Santa Monica, Calif. -- Movielink, an Internet video-on-demand joint
venture between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros., on Monday announced a limited
launch of its service. Movielink will initially offer around 170
contemporary and classic films, including "A Beautiful Mind," "Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Blue Velvet." The service will
download films in both RealNetworks' and Microsoft's media formats to U.S.
users for between $2.99 and $4.99. Users may view the films on their PCs,
with VCR functionality, for a 24-hour period. "With more than 25 million
broadband residences, we believe the market is now ready for the launch of
a new Internet movie rental service," said Movielink CEO Jim Ramo.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-movie11nov11,0,3037593.story?
coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology
http://www.movielink.com
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o Liquid Audio Terminates Merger Agreement with Alliance Entertainment
Redwood City, Calif. -- Liquid Audio, the beleaguered provider of digital
music distribution technology, announced on Monday that it has terminated
its merger agreement with CD and DVD distributor Alliance Entertainment.
The two companies planned to merge "in the hope that combining their
operations would provide strategic advantages for the digital and physical
distribution of entertainment media and that the transaction could create
stockholder value," Liquid Audio said, in a statement. Management for both
companies said they still endorse the merger. "However, a significant
percentage of Liquid Audio stockholders have publicly expressed opposition
to the proposed merger and the companies believe that the termination is
in the best interests of both parties." Redwood City, Calif.-based Liquid
Audio already sold off its patents and technology to Microsoft for $7
million, as well as licenses from major record labels to other
distributors, in preparation for the now-failed merger.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021111/sfm064_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965246.html?tag=fd_top
http://www.aent.com
http://www.liquidaudio.com
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o BT Group Sells $194 Million Stake In Satellite Broadcaster BSkyB
London -- BT Group, Britain's largest telecommunications company, on
Monday sold its $194 million stake in British satellite broadcaster BSkyB,
effectively ending its involvement in interactive television. BSkyB bought
out its other former partners in the business, U.K. bank HSBC and Japan's
Matsushita, to take full control of the interactive business under its Sky
Active division.
http://europe.cnn.com/2002/BUSINESS/11/11/bt.bskyb.reut
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o New Programming Language, "SportsML," Launched for Sports News
New York -- The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) has
released a new computer language, Sports Markup Language (SportsML),
designed as a standard for the transmission of sports data to newspapers
and websites. The language defines how certain data such as scores,
schedules, standings and statistics will appear in print, on a website or
other platforms like wireless devices and interactive television, without
having to re-format for each platform. News organizations that will
support SportsML include The New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters,
Agence France-Presse and Deutsche Press-Agentur.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/832230.asp?0dm=C1FQT
http://www.sportsml.com/site/press/press-release-sportsml-1.0.html
http://www.sportsml.com
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o Interactive TV Developer IMagicTV Lays Off 25% of Staff
Saint John, New Brunswick -- Canadian interactive TV firm IMagicTV
announced that it will lay off 25 percent of its staff -- or 31 employees
-- as part of a cost-saving initiative. The company said it will take a
charge of $1.8 million to account for the layoffs, and that the cuts will
save it around $4.2 million annually. IMagicTV develops software that lets
telecommunications companies deliver digital TV and other rich media
services over their broadband networks.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021107/chth020_1.html
http://www.imagictv.com
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o Gemstar Shares to Retain Listing on Nasdaq
Pasadena, Calif. -- Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of
electronic program guide technology, announced on Monday that its shares
will remain listed on the Nasdaq exchange, provided it meets several
SEC-imposed deadlines for filing its amended financial results. The
company must also hold a 2001 shareholder meeting before June 30, 2003.
The Nasdaq previously announced it would delist Gemstar shares as a result
of its delinquent filings, which stemmed from its intention to restate
financial results because of overstated earnings. Pasadena, Calif.-based
Gemstar also recently ousted founder and CEO Henry Yuen.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021111/110146_1.html
http://www.gemstartvguide.com
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DMW Events: Last Chance for iTV Visions Pre-Registration Discounts
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iTV Visions: Technology Transforming Entertainment
New York City | Thurs. November 14 | 1:30-7:30 PM
Sponsors: Etronica | World Gate | iTV Marketer | ITA | Filter Media
Pre-Registration Discount Tickets:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=38439&Referrer_id=4074
This half-day executive forum will present views on the future of
entertainment based on next generation interactive television technologies
emerging today. Thought leaders from leading edge companies that are
driving these technologies into the marketplace will gather to show how
entertainment is on the verge of yet another radical transformation.
For more information:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/itv_visions_111902.htm
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November 2002 Issue Publication Date: 11/31/02
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DMW Marketing: 2003 Events & New Holiday Classifieds Section
=================================================
We are pleased to announce New 2003 Events & Marketing Information:
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
==================
Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
Meet Etronica at "iTV Visions" in NYC on Nov. 14th.see you there!
Meet us at iTV Visions to learn about the vision of the future for
"Interest Based Navigation" of digital content. Jim Cantalini, CEO of Gist
Communications, will be on the panel. Gist is the leading independent
developer of electronic programming guides (EPGs) and related
applications. Gist has partnered with Etronica to offer a unique new EPG
experience. Our mutual goal is to help MSO's increase revenues (through
one-click purchases of premium content, targeted ads, and commerce.)
Additionally, the compelling navigation experience can help reduce
customer churn.
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Briefly Noted:
(Cupertino, Calif.) The MultiMediaCard Association, an industry trade
group promoting the adoption of a postage-stamp sized, removable storage
card for mobile phones and digital imaging, announced on Monday it has
approved a reduced-size card standard. The new cards are approximately
one-half the size of existing cards. The Cupertino, Calif.-based
MultiMediaCard Association said new cards in 16, 32 and 64MB capacities
will begin manufacture immediately, with 128 and 256MB capacity cards
beginning production later in 2003.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223150134&ticker=
http://www.mmca.org
(San Francisco) Garageband, an online community for unsigned musical acts,
announced on Monday the launch of its CD subscription service. The Evolved
service will distribute a compilation CD of Garageband artists in one of
15 genres every two months, a total of six CDs for an annual subscription
price of $29.95. "It's like receiving a compilation CD every other month
from a friend who always knows about good music just before it gets
popular," said Garageband CEO Ali Partovi.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/223150166&ticker=
http://www.garageband.com/go/evolved1
(Kirkland, Wash.) Interactive TV service provider Digeo said on Monday
that it has partnered with cable TV operator Charter Communications to
launch an interactive games channel for Charter subscribers. The i-Games
channel, available to 650,000 Charter interactive TV subscribers, features
several games developed by Los Angeles-based Two Way TV US.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021111/sfm046_1.html
http://www.digeo.com
http://www.twowaytvus.com
http://www.charter.com
(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Wireless developer Sony Ericsson announced
on Monday that its phones and their imaging abilities are featured in
MGM's upcoming James Bond film, "Die Another Day." The film will feature
Sony Ericsson's T68i handset and the P800 smartphone, which offers a
built-in camera that can take pictures and then send them via Multimedia
Messaging Service (MMS) or as an email. The two companies also partnered
on a variety of promotions for the film and featured technologies.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021111/112116_1.html
http://www.sonyericsson.com/dieanotherday
(Calabasas Hills, Calif.) Game developer THQ said on Monday that it will
release "Finding Nemo," a game based on the Disney/Pixar film of the same
name, for Game Boy Advance, PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube
concurrent with the film's release on May 30, 2003. The PlayStation 2,
Xbox, and GameCube versions are in development at U.K.-based Travellers
Tales, and the Game Boy Advance version is in development at New
York-based Vicarious Visions. Two PC/Mac titles are also in development at
Washington-based KnowWonder.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/021111/110115_1.html
http://www.t-tales.com
http://www.vvisions.com
http://www.knowwonder.com
(New York) Pinnacor, a provider of business and financial information
formerly known as ScreamingMedia, announced on Monday that it will create
an interactive TV portal for use with South Dakota-based LodgeNet's
interactive TV system for hoteliers. The portal will offer hotel guests
news, stock quotes, sports and weather information. LodgeNet currently
provides its services to 930,000 rooms in 5,600 hotel properties.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/021111/nym028_1.html
http://www.pinnacor.com
http://www.lodgenet.com
(San Francisco) Wired News on Monday reported on emerging "software
defined radio" technology, which aims to replace analog radio circuitry
with digitally generated samples of radio waveforms. The technology has
the potential to more easily combine the functionality of devices like
cell phones, PDAs and global positioning systems (GPS) by eliminating the
need for such a combined device to carry three single-purpose radio
transmitters.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,55804,00.html
http://www.sdrforum.org
(San Francisco) Online magazine Salon.com on Monday featured a lengthy
review of U.K.-based Rockstar Games' controversial recent release, "Grand
Theft Auto: Vice City." The ultra-violent game features voice-overs from
actors including Ray Liotta and Dennis Hopper, and is accompanied by a
number of Sony Music CD compilations featuring music from the 1980's, the
period in which the game is set.
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/11/11/vice_city/index.html
(New York) The New York Times on Monday reported on the growing number of
sites where amateur screenwriters may post their scripts in the hopes of
getting feedback and possibly being discovered by a motion picture studio.
The article discusses the well-known ProjectGreenlight.com, which spawned
an HBO series and feature film release, as well as director Francis Ford
Coppola's Zoetrope.com, and actor Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.com --
which launched today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/11/arts/11ARTS.html
http://www.triggerstreet.com
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
===================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
East Coast Sales Rep - Imaging and Music Software Firm
Imaging and music software firm is seeking an independent, East Coast
sales representative. We have great products - you have strong
relationships with camera and computer hardware manufacturers and
marketers. Significant OEM experience strongly preferred. Position offers
a retainer and generous commissions. Interested parties should forward
their resume to David McKie at: david@simplestar.com
_____________________________________________
====================
CLASSIFIEDS - EVENTS
====================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm
Feast For Smart Marketers: Little Italy, NYC, 11/18/2002
1000 CEOs and SVPs have attended! Join the best marketers in the business
as we do a few deals, reconnect with old friends, and meet new people with
new opportunities. Our guarantee: No speeches, no PowerPoint, no posers.
"I left with a "wow" and I'm really looking forward to the next one." --
Ron Kovas, CEO, i-traffic
For more information: http://www.gaspedal.net/feast
_____________________________________________
==========================
CLASSIFIEDS - MARKETPLACE
==========================
To Post Marketplace:
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For iTV lovers! New from Digital Media Wire: "Interactive Television: The
Definitive Chronicle". Covering the period 2000 to the present, this
encyclopedic sourcebook presents a complete history of the news and events
that have shaped the business of iTV at the beginning of the 21st Century.
Culled from countless sources including the Digital Media Wire database,
all of the major players are covered, as are the legal and financial
issues. that helped shape an industry that is about to emerge as a prime
shaper of the future of entertainment. Key research and industry
projections as well as a host of fact, figures, resources and tons of
pertinent links are included. At 100+ pages, the book is being released in
electronic form (PDF) next week and is being offered at a pre-publication
price of $45 (a $10 discount) to our readers. Please contact
david@digitalmediawire with your order or call 323-717-9286.
_____________________________________________
Only 55 copies remaining of Directory of Homeland Security
This is your company's final chance to purchase the inaugural edition of
the Directory of Homeland Security: a 160-page book that lists all federal
and state agencies involved in homeland security. The directory includes
names of over 1,500 homeland security officials, profiles of 500 agencies
involved in homeland security, and a detailed list of technology companies
in this sector. The directory is sponsored by NETSEC, Greenberg Traurig,
AT&T and the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
To purchase the directory, go to: http://www.homeland-directory.com
_____________________________________________
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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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