iPod

QUARTERLIFE debuted on NBC with a 1.6 rating and a 4 share in the 18-49 demographic, pulling in only 3.86 million viewers. It finished well behind ABC and CBS for the hour and viewers trailed off in the second half of the show. Creator Marshall Herskovitz said the show “bombed” and that it “shouldn’t have Continue Reading →

TOSHIBA has officially announced that it will stop producing and marketing HD DVD players. Shipments to retailers will cease by the end of March. The company said it “simply had no chance to win,” and that continuing the format would harm consumers. APPLE has signed a multifaceted deal with American Idol, making iTunes the exclusive Continue Reading →

“I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.” — Obi-wan Kenobi (Long, Long Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away) Many people believe that Obi-wan was referring to the destruction of Princess Leah’s home planet Continue Reading →

iTunes Rentals Apple announced iTunes movie rentals with support from all the major studios. DVD-quality rentals will cost $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases. The service launches today and expects to have 1,000 titles available by the end of February. Apple TV has been updated to include support for direct rentals — Continue Reading →

Wireless HD, BluRay, IP-enabled television monitors and very, very thin flat screens dominated the consumer electronics show this year. Officially dubbed, International CES 2008, the show featured 1.85 million square feet of exhibition space, 2,700 exhibitors, 25 thousand international attendees and over 140,000 participants. Las Vegas, a city literally built for tourism, is always overwhelmed Continue Reading →

APPLE will reportedly offer iTunes movie rentals from Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, and Lions Gate. Rentals will cost $3.99 for 24 hours. An announcement is expected during the Steve Jobs keynote at Macworld on January 15th. HARVEY WEINSTEIN told reporters that WEINSTEIN CO. has signed an interim deal with the WGA. Weinstein called it a Continue Reading →

THE NFL will allow NBC and CBS to simulcast Saturday night’s Patriots/Giants game. This will be the first tri-network simulcast since Super Bowl I. NBC and CBS will carry the NFL Network feed of the game, featuring announcers Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said “We have taken this extraordinary step because Continue Reading →

Neuros, which brought us the OSD machine that’s supposed to make it easy to record any digital media, then play it on any device, has released their new “Unlocked” standard they hope will catch fire.   Customers disagree about how good the OSD is, and how easy to use (which probably means it’s a techie Continue Reading →

SYNCTV will launch in private test form today, offering an online a la carte channel lineup with downloadable DVD-quality programs. The PIONEER spinoff will offer online channel subscriptions for a few dollars per month and sell individual episodes for $2. The company also promises forth-coming compatible media players and a public test version of the Continue Reading →

GOOGLE will announce plans for Google-powered phones within the next two weeks according to The Wall Street Journal. The company has been approaching handset makers and aims to bring the phones to market by mid-2008. Google will offer an open operating system that encourages developers to create innovative new applications for phones and aims to Continue Reading →