Posted 10/16/08 at 02:55:53 PM by Paul Lilly

Forget about the fight between DVD and Blu-ray, Playboy has decided to leave physical media behind altogether. Instead, the company best known for its articles (you do read Playboy for the articles, right?) will focus solely on digital distribution, according to the company's regulatory filing. The move is expected to save Playboy about $12 million a year in expenses.

Shedding its DVD operation will result in the loss of 80 jobs an $2 million in restructuring charges. Combined with an additional $4 million taken against archival materials and a receivable, Playboy expects to take a total of $6 million in charges against operating income resulting in a net loss for the third quarter.

Despite the initial net loss, Christie Hefner, the company's chairman and chief executive, wrote in a memo to all Playboy employees that the goal is to return the company to profitability in 2009. In addition to migrating to digital distribution, savings will come from cutting overtime, travel, and entertainment.

Almost makes you not want to work at Playboy. Almost. 

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dvd, downloads, digital distribution, videos, playboy

Posted 09/25/08 at 08:47:41 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Windows Vista Ultimate users, it's time to check Windows Update for another group of Ultimate Extras, the first new ones since April. 

Here's what's new:

• Microsoft Tinker, a new casual game
• Ultimate Extras game sounds from Microsoft Tinker
• Dream Scene Content Pack #4

The total download size for all three is 120.8MB.

Microsoft Tinker, developed for Microsoft  by Fuel Industries, puts you in control of an old-school robot that's exploring a miniature world.  Move to each level's destination by moving blocks, jumping on elevator buttons, and destroying objects. Along the way, you can also turn switches on and off and collect cog wheels. You can control your journey with the arrow keys on the keyboard, an Xbox 360 controller, or a Windows Media Center remote. You can also record a video of a game level, and while you play, a cool jazz soundtrack keeps your spirits up.

Game sounds from Microsoft Tinker make up the second Ultimate Extra, joining previous audio Ultimate Extras Glass and Pearl.

Dream Scene Content Pack #4 adds three variations on a mountain lake at sunset (see illustration) to previous full-motion wallpaper offerings.

To learn more about Ultimate Extras and other offers for Windows Ultimate users, drop by  the Ultimate PC website.

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vista, windows, microsoft, operating system, Ultimate Extras, downloads, Vista Ultimate

Posted 08/12/08 at 10:07:35 PM by Paul Lilly

Purchasing software and other digital content online is not only be convenient, it can also make fiscal sense when there's no sales tax involved. That's been the case for some time now, but according to DailyTech, the free ride may be rapidly coming to an end.

With a $130 billion digital market going untaxed, the temptation for some states to cash in may be too great to pass up, even if the idea of taxing downloads doesn't pass muster at the national level. Indiana, South Dakota, and Utah are the most recent states to sign digital download taxes into law, bringing the count up to 9 states altogether in 2008, and 17 in all. But are taxes the answer?

Several online entities have begun lobbying against the taxes, claiming that this differentiation is vital to their business. As Steve Delbiano from NetChoice - which is composed of Ebay, AOL, Yahoo, and others - explains it, "With global warming and a world that's running out of oil, the last thing governments should do is add taxes on something that uses no oil and produces no carbon. A digital download is the greenest way to buy music, movies, and software, since it requires no driving to the store, no delivery vans, and no plastics or packaging."

What's your stance? Do states have a moral and legal right to tax digital downloads, or should the internet tax moratorium trump individual state desires?

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legal, tax, downloads, digital distribution, amendment

Posted 07/17/08 at 04:51:23 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Xbox Live is a major money-spinner for Microsoft's gaming division, one which both Sony and Nintendo envy. Sony is currently trying to replicate Live's success with its very own PSN service and the wide array of new additions to PSN might help Sony in its endeavor. One of the new additions happens to be the Playstation video downloading service, which is now live.

Users can rent or purchase SD or HD content from various leading TV and movie stables including Fox, MGM, Warner and Disney etc. TV videos begin at $1.99, while movie rentals and purchases begin at $2.99 and $9.99 respectively.

Several reports frequenting the internet seem to suggest that the service is not available in all regions/countries. But there is no word on this issue from Sony. Limited launch or not, Wedbush Morgan’s videogame analyst Michael Pachter believes that availability of videos on PSN can lure potential Apple TV owners towards the PS3.

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gaming, video, sony, tv, movies, ps3, E3, consumer electronics, Consoles, Videogames, apple tv, downloads, psn, content

Posted 07/02/08 at 09:48:48 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Firefox 3 has stormed its way to a Guinness World Record for the most number of software downloads in 24 hrs. A shade over 8 million downloads from 18:16 UTC on June 17, 2008 to 18:16 UTC on June 18, 2008 have effectively made Firefox 3 the GTA IV of web browsers.

The browser’s launch, as you all would easily recall, was named “Download Day 2008” and is now an urban technology legend. If you played a pivotal role in setting the world record than you can claim your Download Day certificate and flaunt it the way you like.

Now please bend towards your computer screen and conjure up your best clandestine expression because here is a little secret for you all: even those of you who haven’t even downloaded Firefox 3, and thereby have no hand in the record whatsoever, can get the Download Day certificate. Anybody can!

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Software, Firefox 3, web browser, downloads, download day certificate, guinness world record

Posted 06/24/08 at 02:25:56 PM by Mark Pengelski

Starting in January 2009, French users bittorrenting the latest film or music from singer Carla Bruni can get the guillotine -- from the Internet at least. That's the plan approved by the French presidential cabinet last week. It goes to a vote in the French Parliament later this year.

Under the 'three strikes plan', individuals who do not cease their illegal downloads after 2 (very official) warnings will be have their broadband service disconnected for 1 year. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said "There's no reason that the internet should be a lawless zone."

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bittorrent, piracy, law, france, downloads