A leading maker of adult movies is to release all new titles on Blu-ray Disc as well as on standard definition DVD.
Digital Playground says it is the first mainstream studio to opt for the “same day” treatment for HD discs.
The porn maker will also begin converting one previously released title to Blu-ray every week.
Such a move is likely to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of adult titles available on Blu-ray.
High Definition TV News
Industry experts have played down reports that Panasonic’s Tru2way TV has failed to pass tests after being submitted for certification.
The manufacturer was expected to introduce Tru2way sets at selected retail outlets in test markets in September.
It had submitted units for certification testing at the industry’s R&D consortium, CableLabs.
Reports then emerged of “bugs” in the implementation which had resulted in the sets being failed.
CableLabs issued a statement saying it was unable to comment on specific test results.
However, it went on to say it was common for devices to require multiple test runs before achieving CableLabs Certification.
Apple has released HD footage of a demonstration of the upcoming iPhone fantasy game Krull created by Barcelona-based Digital Legends Entertainment.
The 3D mobile game uses a combination of touch-based controls and accelerometer mechanics.
Dynamic shadows and other handheld-level effects are also on display in the footage received by Shacknews.
Xavier Carillo Costa, CEO of Digital Legends, said his team only got the iPhone SDK two weeks before the demo, and that the port itself took just four days to create.
Krull is expected to be available available from the upcoming iPhone App Store in September, following the July launch of the new iPhone 2.0
The market leader in the manufacture of optical disc production lines has upgraded its 2008 forecast for Blu-ray machines by 50% after receiving strong orders in the first three months of the year.
Along with “numerous orders” for Blu-ray lines from Europe and Asia, the company received its first major order for Blu-ray from the US.
Stefan Baustert, CEO of Singulus Technologies, said its order projections had been upped from 20 Blu-ray machines to “about 30 machines” for 2008.
He said a market share of more than 65 % was targeted for the Blu-ray segment.
With Blu-ray sales still not setting the heather alight much has been made of the high cost of HD players and continued viewer satisfaction with standard-definition DVD.
Paul Erickson, director of DVD and HD Market Research at DisplaySearch, is in no doubt these are big factors contributing to Blu-ray’s slow shift into the living room.
Adding to the picture is the emergence of online content delivery as a viable source of HD programming, something that is seen as posing a real threat to Blu-ray’s long-term survival.
If Europe wants to benefit from the growing HDTV market, broadcasters and production companies must take a broader view.
That is the advice of Jaume Rey, director of Professional & Broadcast IT Systems Business Unit (PBITS), part of the Panasonic group.
Urging those involved in producing TV programmes to look beyond local markets, he noted that while European consumers have embraced HD acquisition technology, many viewers are still watching television on SD sets.
“In countries such as Spain, broadcasters and production companies must show a lead in the introduction of HD," he said. "In a growing market, manufacturers need to think globally instead of locally where content production and distribution is concerned.”
The UK’s ITV network has launched its HD service on Freesat by broadcasting the opening games from Euro 2008.
Freesat is a subscription-free, digital satellite TV service from ITV and the BBC.
Viewers can see all the games the BBC has rights to in high definition on Virgin Media and Sky, but ITV announced that its debut HD programmes would be matches on the opening few days of the football tournament.
The first HD offering from ITV was the Portugal v Turkey match on Saturday.
An Australian consumer body has called for small consumer electronics devices to carry energy-usage labels following a survey into power consumption.
Tests carried out by Sydney-based CHOICE showed that a PlayStation3 left on but not in use would cost Aus$250 annually in electricity – over five times more than a medium-sized fridge.
The survey found the usage cost for the Xbox 360 was not much lower.
The growing market for high definition television in Japan has received a further boost with the start of a VOD service by the country’s largest retail chain, Tsutaya.
Users will be able to download titles from home using the acTVila portal that is popular on Japanese plasma and LCD HDTVs.
They will have 48 hours to watch the films or TV shows as many times as they want.
The new service from Tsutaya, which counts 27.2 million members at its 1,330 branches across Japan, is the latest sign of the growing popularity of HDTV in the country.
Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, has appointed its Chief Executive Officer, David McGlade, as acting Chief Financial Officer.
The announcment follows the resignation of Jeffrey Freimark from the position of CFO, a move that was effective from June 5. He is leaving to pursue other opportunities.
Mr McGlade will also continue to serve as CEO while an external search for a permanent CFO is carried out.