901am

New Media News Every Morning

British illegal downloaders could lose Net connection

By

Proposals to cut off people who persistently download files illegally from the Internet have been washing around for several years now, but today Lord Mandelson, the UK government’s secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, laid out plans to introduce tough measures to combat illegal filesharing.

Opposed by leading ISPs, who fear that they will be forced to introduce costly and inconvenient monitoring and recording systems, Lord Mandelson did say that he had “no expectation of mass suspensions”, instead outlining a “three strikes” approach whereby persistent offenders would still have the right to appeal if cut off from the Net. [Read more…]

Originally posted on October 29, 2009 @ 9:15 am

Tiscali launches “Music for Life” download service

By

Just when you thought there were no companies left jumping on the music download bandwagon, along comes UK ISP Tiscali with their offering.

tiscali-music-for-life-banner

Claiming a catalogue of 6.5 million tracks, including artists such as Johnny Cash, Paul Weller, Temper Trap, The White Stripes, and Adele.

It can boast this number of tracks because it has partnered with eMusic. That means you won’t necessarily get all the latest tunes as you might on services like iTunes, but still have access to a decent range of music. [Read more…]

Originally posted on October 29, 2009 @ 7:58 am

Tesco to offer digital download service for customers buying DVDs

By

tescoIn a move described as “next generation”, Tesco (UK retailer) and Microsoft have announced a new deal whereby customers buying selected DVDs from Tesco stores will be able to download a digital copy of the same film.

Using Microsoft’s Silverlight technology, and with the backing of major film studios, this digital copy will be downloadable to either PC or Mac, offering a “virtual DVD experience” and promising a range of additional features including auto-updating trailers, exclusive bonus content, online chat and related merchandising.

Yes, it’s mainly aimed at making the companies involved more money — expect copious links to Tesco’s music download service and other partner web sites. [Read more…]

Originally posted on September 9, 2009 @ 5:15 am

iTunes Gets New Movies on Day of Release

By

No more waiting to download that spankin’ new movie from the iTunes store.  Effective immediately, Apple is offering many movies on the same day as their DVD release. Participating studios are 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

New releases will set you back $14.99 and standard titles remain unchanged at $9.99.  Rentals are $2.99 to kick it old school and $3.99 for the new stuff.

Get your street smarts on with “American Gangster,” get sarcastic with “Juno” or get creeped by “Cloverfield” – all without the wait.

Movie purchases and rentals require iTunes 7.6.2.  Download here.

Originally posted on May 1, 2008 @ 9:04 am