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Power or Black Power?
In 1971 a London bank was robbed and the thieves got away with gold, jewels, money and the contents of many safety deposit boxes. It has been surmised that the main goal of the robbery was not money, but rather to regain the power that Michael X had over the British Royal Family.
Who is Michael X? What did he have stored in his safe deposit box?
Saffron Burrows, of "The Bank Job." explains. In 1971 a London bank was robbed and the thieves got away with gold, jewels, money and the contents of many safety deposit boxes. It ... more -
Cheap DVDs: HMV to use tax loophole
A controversial tax avoidance scheme which HMV operates on its website is to be extended to the high street, allowing customers to buy DVDs, CDs, Blu-ray Discs, and games for lower prices from instore kiosks.
The items will be free from the usual 17.5% VAT charges on conventional purchases, as the items are subsequently delivered to the customer from the Channel Islands tax haven of Guernsey.
If copied by other high-street chains and supermarkets, it could divert hundreds of millions of pounds from the Treasury. Woolworths is also testing similar terminals in three stores. A controversial tax avoidance scheme which HMV operates on its website is to be extended to the high street, allowing customers to buy... more -
Study Claims 1 in 3 are Pirating DVDs
Respondents in both the US and UK admitted to making unauthorized copies of DVDs in the last 6 months, up from just over a quarter of respondents in 2007.
The second annual study by Furturesource Consulting, a research and analysis firm, called "Consumer Home Piracy Research Findings," once again surveyed respondents in both the US and UK to gauge the levels of which consumers are making unauthorized copies of DVDs.
The online survey took place in May 2008 amongst consumers in the USA (3,613) and in the UK (1,718) and asked respondents about their home piracy habits of the last 6 months.
Around one third of all respondents in both countries admitted to making unauthorized copies of DVDs, up from just over a quarter of respondents in 2007. They pirated an average of 12 titles in the US and some 13 titles in the UK. It is 18-24 yo males who are most likely to pirate DVDs, but it is the 25-24yo combined age group that copied the most titles overall.
In both countries the most popular source for copying DVDs was rented or borrowed discs, and the most common method of copying was either from a DVD player to a DVD recorder, or using PC software for burning DVD copies.
Asked whether they would have purchased the films had they not been able to copy them, 63% of respondents in the UK and 77% in the U.S. said they would have purchased all, some or at least a few of the titles, "clearly indicating the scale of the lost revenues to the home video industry from home copying," said the study's conclusion.
Moreover, I think trying to take a few thousand respondents and trying to extrapolate to populations that number in the tens and hundreds of millions will always be a flawed proposal no matter how skilled the researchers claim to be. I just don't buy it. Also, the study was funded by the Macrovision Corporation which specializes in developing and marketing DRM technologies for companies concerned with things like DVD piracy.
Either way, the study fails to say how many people simply made backup copies of preexisting DVDs they owned or borrowed from family and friends, both of which seem like harmless enough practices unless your a multibillion dollar corporation trying to make sure everybody shells out $20 bucks for crappy titles like "Inspector Gadget" or "Gigli."
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9626/Study+Claims+1+in+3+a... Respondents in both the US and UK admitted to making unauthorized copies of DVDs in the last 6 months, up from just over a quarter of ... more -
Toshiba, MS, and Panasonic work on DVD 2.0, HD DVD
Seems some company's haven't completely given up on the DVD, looks like it will change quite a bit.
Recently Sony Electronics president Stanley Glasgow said “The battle really begins now to move people away from DVD to Blu-ray,". It seems as though DVD forum, chaired by Toshiba, is going to do everything it can to make it one tough battle. They have decided to try to overhaul the standard DVD format by finding ways to "incorporate some of the same next-gen functionality developed for HD DVD into a DVD 2.0 format, including the HDi interactive layer and the advanced network connectivity."
At the same meeting, according to a summary posted on the Forum Web site, the committee approved the formation of a new working group (dubbed WG-12) “to study and specify network applications and related network specification of DVD Forum formats, make recommendations for better interoperability and functionality of network-connected DVD Forum specified devices and content and communicate on relevant recommendations with other standard creation organizations.”
What that means in non-Forum legalese, I’m told by sources familiar with the plans, is that the new working group will look for ways to incorporate some of the same next-gen functionality developed for HD DVD into a DVD 2.0 format, including the HDi interactive layer and the advanced network connectivity.
One of the co-chairs of WG-12 is Microsoft, which played a major role in developing those capabilities for HD DVD (the other co-chair is Panasonic).
Toshiba and Microsoft are also working through the DVD Copy Control Assn., which oversees the CSS encryption format used on standard DVDs, to try to breathe new life into the old format.
Microsoft was behind a proposal to DVD-CCA—originally floated two years ago but revived in modified form late last year—to introduce “managed-copy” to standard DVDs, under which consumers would be able to copy their DVDs to a hard drive under carefully DRM’ed conditions, for streaming over a home network.
DVD 2.0 Format Specification
1. Video encoded in MPEG2 SD
2. HD available via Super Upconversion to 960p
3. HDi interactivity
4. Networking
5. Managed Copy
6. Fully backward compatible with existing DVD players. Seems some company's haven't completely given up on the DVD, looks like it will change quite a bit. ... more -
"Get Smart" not nearly smart enough
This is a slapdash effort whose producers threw money and stunts onscreen instead of the satirical gags and one-liners that made the old spy spoof so memorable. This is a slapdash effort whose producers threw money and stunts onscreen instead of the satirical gags and one-liners that made the o... more
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Dance a GoGo : Sexy Nightclub Workout DVD Trailer
www.danceagogo.com
Anyone can dance but only a real woman can Dance a GoGo. This is the only DVD of its kind, a dance instruction video by women for women ... all » that combines not just choreography and exercise but also sexiness, grace and empowerment. Created by expert dancer/choreographer Andrea Lin, Dance a GoGo uses the hottest nightclub moves to provide a fitness routine designed specifically to bring out your inner sex appeal while toning your body.
Andrea Lin has appeared in videos for everyone from Britney and Madonna, to Mariah Carey, to Velvet Revolver, to L'il Kim to Dave Chappelle, and now she turns her years of expertise to crafting a completely unique dance
experience that incorporates hip-hop, ballroom, salsa and cutting edge Asian moves and 21st century mojo. Andrea takes expert techniques and makes them accessible to any woman with a passion for movement, regardless of experience level. www.danceagogo.com ... more -
Soul Masters Movie
Hi everyone
Thank you for this oppurtunity to say hello and share what is moving for me ."Soul Masters"
This movie is a heart touching sharing of 2 Chinese Masters of a handful of Chinese arts and powerful healing techniques.There extraordinary simple "Say Hello to the soul healing" and integration of Chinese spiritual wisdom , Chinese Medicine,and Western Medicine has created simple techniques that anyone can use and heal themselves and others.The clinic in china has been recognised by the Government for stopping the SARS epidemic, treats any illness and has made incredible cures for advanced cancer patients that have been rejected by the chinese hospital system..I love this movie and there simple explanation of all health conditions. I have have used there techniques and have not any sickness since.
This is on drsha.com
Hi everyone Thank you for this oppurtunity to say hello and share what is moving for me ."Soul Masters" ... more -
Indiana Jones torna anche in DVD
Nuova edizione del cofanetto che racchiude i primi tre film. Mi chiedo quando uscirà quello con i quattro film insieme.
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Beer drinking lock in at Blockbuster, they hate the corporation!
I caught the naughty Blockbuster video team drinking beers when the store was closed, I tried to wangle a DVD but all I got was a bag of toffee popcorn! They even put a note on the door recommending we did not rent from Blockbuster! I caught the naughty Blockbuster video team drinking beers when the store was closed, I tried to wangle a DVD but all I got was a bag ... more
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Charles Schmidt, Murderer
"The Lost's" Marc Senter explains how to prepare to play a real-life killer.
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Playing A Psycho
Marc Senter stars as a psychopath serial killer in "The Lost." Here he explains the hardest part about making the character believable.
"The Lost" is on DVD now. Marc Senter stars as a psychopath serial killer in "The Lost." Here he explains the hardest part about making the character believabl... more -
R2 D2 projector ... yes please
I want one of these, if only so I can put in the clip of Princess Leia saying: "Help me Obi-wan Kenobi ... you're my only hope".
It's on my Christmas list. Let me know if you need my mailing address :-) I want one of these, if only so I can put in the clip of Princess Leia saying: "Help me Obi-wan Kenobi ... you're my only hope". ... more -
Upright Citizens Brigade...
Check out some videos or their new DVD, Asssscat!
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How to Decompress after Murder
Marc Senter tells us how he decompressed after playing a brutal killer in "The Lost." "The Lost" is on DVD now.
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Murder to Book to Movie
Marc Senter fills us in on the history behind "The Lost."
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DVD Sniffing Dogs
We all know about the war on drugs with dogs sniffing out the various narcotics
and the war on terrorism with bomb sniffing dogs. But now the pirating of
DVD's have a couple of canine crime fighters named Paddy and Manny to deal with. We all know about the war on drugs with dogs sniffing out the various narcotics ... more -
Lost in space
With the bank holiday weekend coming up, what better way to avoid the bad British weather than to escape into space.
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The basics on a killer movie
Marc Senter stars in "The Lost" on DVD now. myspace.com/thelostmovie
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Marc Senter is not a murderer, BUT...
...he plays one who REALLY existed in "The Lost." You can find out more at myspace.com/thelostmovie AND it's also out on DVD now.
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