Sony to launch online entertainment service in 2010

11/19/09 TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp said on Friday that its planned entertainment content distribution service for network-compatible TVs and other devices will be launched next year. So ...Read More »

"Up" makes quick ascent of DVD sales chart

11/18/09 LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The animated hit "Up" was an easy victor in the weekly DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales competition, bowing Wednesday at No. 1 on ...Read More »

NAB: HD Is Driver, Retrans Is Beneficiary

11/18/09 NAB: HD Is Driver, Retrans Is BeneficiaryNAB Executive VP and General Counsel Jane Mago Wednesday sought Wednesday to clarify broadcasters' discussion with the FCC's broadband team headed by FCC broadband advisor Blair Levin.Levin said in a letter to Mago (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/document/view?id=7020348885) that he had come out of an Oct. 30 meeting with broadcasters with..... ...Read More »

Broadcasters: We Need Full Spectrum to Get Full Retrans Value

11/18/09 Broadcasters have been telling the FCC that they will need every bit of their digital spectrum allocations to have sufficient leverage to get their money's worth out of retrans negotiations with multichannel video operators.At least that was the impression broadband czar Blair Levin says he got from a meeting with executives from the National Association of Broadcasters and the A..... ...Read More »

Dingell Concerned About Spectrum Reallocation Proposals

11/17/09 The former Democratic chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee says the FCC should come up with a national broadband rollout plan to Congress that promotes expansion of infrastructure while at the same time preserving, "to the greatest extent possible," free, over-the-air local broadcasting.That advice came from Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to FCC Chairman Julius Genachwoski ..... ...Read More »

Netflix Goes Live On Sony's Bravia HDTVs, Blu-ray Players

11/17/09 Netflix's video-streaming catalog is now available directly through Sony's Bravia HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players. The partnership between Netflix and Sony was announced in July. The Netflix "Watch Instantly" streaming feature, available for no extra charge to most of the company's 11.1 million DVD-by-mail subscribers, now provides some 17,000 tit..... ...Read More »

Public Broadcasters Want To Hold On To Spectrum

11/16/09 Public broadcasters are on the same page as their commercial counterparts when it comes to holding on to their spectrum, arguing that their use is "efficient and productive, and abundantly serves the public interest." In filings with the FCC and in a meeting with FCC staffers last week at those staffers' request, PBS representatives made their case for why broadcasters shoul..... ...Read More »

Broadcasters Tackle Loudness Problem

11/13/09 The problem of audio loudness—dramatic shifts in volume when a program goes to a promo or commercial, or a viewer changes channels—has annoyed digital TV viewers for years, forcing them to frequently scramble for their remote to adjust the volume. Recently the issue has drawn the attention of Congress, with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) backing a bill, the Commercial Advertisement ..... ...Read More »

Broadcasters Reject Wireless Providers Calls to Curtail Over-the-Air Digital Service

11/13/09 Broadcasters told the FCC Friday that the country does not have to choose between broadband and broadcasting, and that the efforts by a "few" wireless companies to get their hands on broadcast spectrum could be an attempt to nip a potential competitor in the bud.In comments on spectrum management submitted to the commission, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Association..... ...Read More »

"G.I. Joe" shows muscle at top of video charts

11/11/09 LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" has stormed into the No. 1 position on the national DVD sales charts. ...Read More »

CEA Sounds Off On Spectrum 'Crisis'

11/10/09 The Consumer Electronics Association again weighed in Tuesday on the ongoing debate over how the U.S. should best use its wireless spectrum, as CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro called the lack of available spectrum for new consumer devices a "national crisis" and recited findings of a CEA-backed study which estimates the broadcast spectrum could be worth some $60 to $100 billion if ..... ...Read More »