Have the Blockbuster Online guys hacked Netflix???
Last night I went to log in to Netflix to watch a streaming episode of Masters of Horror only to find their website down with a promise of restoration by 8PM. I came back at 8, and it said 11PM, I came back at 11, it said 2AM. This morning I returned to the site, at 8AM, and it wait ‘be back up at 9AM… 9 AM said 11AM, and now it simply reads “temporarily unavailable.
It’s reported that Netflix shares are now at an all time low, and that the company recently reduced the price of all of their plans by roughly $1. What they didn’t expect was the site to go down.
The Boston Herald reports that Netflix claims that they will be back online by 4PM but doesn’t state the reason for the outtage.
You can be sure that some hacker at Blockbuster is getting a huge bonus today. Amazing when you consider the power of a intelligent nerd in a closet… Hail nerds!
It’s the end of the war! BluRay wins! Hands down! Uhh… That’s what I’ve been reading. I don’t agree. If Walmart said they will no longer carry HD-DVD… well, that would be the nail in the coffin, but Blockbuster just made a poor business decision, and people declare the end of the war. This simply is a business decision.
Why did Blockbuster go BluRay? More than any other reason, I’d have to go with Disney’s films. Blockbuster stores have many sections, and right next to new releases would be family when it comes to most rentals. When you consider the studios exclusive to BluRay, Disney, Sony, Fox, etc. While HD-DVD has Universal exclusively, you have to go where the content is.
While Warner is working on a dual disc format that features both versions on one disc, they have been unsuccessful in convincing me that I need to purchase their dual HD/standard DVD discs. I always felt that the secret to winning this battle would be to release dual discs so while someone is buying a new movie, they are receiving a HD-DVD and DVD version at the same time so that by the time they have a player, they already own the movies. Warner Bros. has jumped onto this concept, and released dual version discs, but for $10 more making their HD-DVD releases COST MORE than their BluRay version. What is the use in this?! Now it’s cheaper for HD-DVD buyers to buy the standard DVD of a film instead of the HD-DVD version. This is not acceptable, and is hurting the HD-DVD market. Blockbuster also knows this, and would never want to invest in a disc that is dual format for additional money when they can get the lessor expensive BluRay discs. Thank you Warner for your dedication to the market, yet poor business decision to raise prices above market acceptability.
As for the studios, Fox is willing to do what it takes to move their products. They discount their discs, and continue with unusually high quality releases. When you consider that the successful movies of the summer, Spider-man 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 will be coming to BluRay exclusively you can again understand Blockbuster’s choice.
Am I happy about the choice? No, but given the fact that there is a war going on at the moment, we have to hold steady until the market decides. At least Xbox 360 owners who have purchased the HD-DVD player attachment know that they didn’t have to make the huge investment into one side or another, and if BluRay does win out, you can bet the Microsoft will quickly release a BluRay attachment for the 360 as well. With the Playstation 3, you have no other choices but BluRay, and Blockbuster knows that as well. Every PS3 game renter is a potential BluRay disc renter, whereas they don’t know for sure who has HD-DVD.
After comparing both formats, my enjoyment in presentation says firmly with HD-DVD while my appreciation of which technology is superior falls on BluRay.
The saddest part of this whole war is that to most people, standard DVD is crisp and clean enough, and they really don’t need a HD disc format at all.
Before DVD, low quality, fuzzy, and full-screen VHS ruled the world. People are just not ready to repurchase their collections over again in HD.
BluRay 1, HD-DVD 0 this round. Let’s see what’s in store next. Cheers!
As an official beta tester for Joost, 2 Live Fools figured it was about time to actually let y’all in on what’s happening with this pretty damn cool concept, and company. So, in addition to kicking the tires on this eight-month-old upstart (with bugs still needing fixed), we made a few calls, and put together an introduction to this crazy company that we hope will be the beginning of a new way to think when it comes to watching your favorite TV programming (or even your soon-to-be-favorite TV programming). [But would it be ‘TV’ programming if it’s on the computer? I wonder. How about ‘TechVision’?]
First of all, what is Joost you may ask? Joost is a descendant from a long line of animals that have inherited the Earth. He comes from the species Google-opolis, and the ever popular Amazonian-Yahoo! Actually, its one of the first real Internet television service that is destined to be the next major competitor to cable TV, but with only one slight difference–it’s free. Well, sort of. Nothing is really free as we all know, but these guys at least are getting their advertisers to pay for everything and have just announced this week as having lined up several blue-chip ad-placers, including United Airlines, Coca Cola, Taco Bell, Microsoft, Sony Electronics, Intel, Hewlit Packard, Lions Gate Entertainment, General Motors and Unilever, as it prepares for its debut.
Is Joost the next best thing since the internet? (no, that’s digital paper) but it is a great beginning…
Nintendo’s Wii has broken new ground in getting your lazy butt off of your couch and physically into the game. Is this a new gimmick, or the beginning of the ‘Get up and move your body!†— ‘Active-Interface’ revolution?
Courtesy of KMBC Kansas City
Nintendo shocked everyone by releasing an ugly stupid controller system that looked more like a poor television remote than a breakthrough in gaming control. The Wii Remote has motion sensors that translate your movements into controls. If you add the ‘Nunchuck’-attachment, you can have two motion sensitive controllers per person, one for each hand. Unlike every other average gaming controller, this breakthrough insures that people get physical. (There’s even a wrist strap to stop you from throwing the controller across the room accidentally. Too bad the first straps were too thin and people unexpectedly ended up throwing their controllers through windows, at siblings, into their televisions, etc. Nintendo was quick to replace the straps with better ones, but not before they were sued over Wii wrist straps.) The new Wii controllers are not just a gimmick, but they are fun! People have even started documenting how they are on the Wii exercise program with great results! There’s even a website: www.wiiweightlossplan.com.
There are many reasons you’ll either love or hate Apple’s upcoming iPhone. The iPhone is a brilliant piece of engineering, but this first generation product has many shortcomings that will limit the success of the product. The point of this series is to seriously scrutinize these shortcomings, and offer predictions and suggestions on how to improve on the product. I want to have the ultimate cellular phone, PDA, and music player in one. The potential is clearly there for the iPhone to be it. However, for now, and in as basic a review as possible, I can’t imagine anyone but executives on expense accounts or those with a ‘me first’ mentality jumping at this over-priced, work-in-progress product.
As Part I of this ongoing series, this editorial will compare the actual physical size of the iPhone and how it compares to the most popular cell phones and music players today. There are reasons that some phones and iPods are popular… and why they reach their various demographics. My goal is to explore where the iPhone stands in this regard in today’s market.
(EDIT: This post was originally about an amazing deal from Amazon. Recently Amazon offered the films again in a boxed set for $95, and some of the ‘Lowry’ Bond films have already been announced for release on BluRay later in the year.)
I’m going to post this as quickly as possible, and I’ll continue to update it.
THIS IS A VERY LIMITED OFFER FROM AMAZON.COM! Get all four Ultimate James Bond DVD sets for $125! (Retail price per set is $99!) (Sorry, but the deal has expired… I recommend you buy them anyway! You deserve these discs at any price!)
I’ll update this page with the specifics, but in short, BETTER THAN THEATRICAL QUALITY (TO THOSE WHO KNOW, LOWRY/DTS DIGITAL!)!, EACH FILM A 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION, LOWEST PREVIOUS PRICE WAS $50 PER BOX FOR A TOTAL OF $200.
DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY! (I ALREADY PURCHASED THEM FOR $200 MYSELF, AND I LOVE THEM).
Click on the images or link below to get the deal:
It has been so many years since the HAL-9000 computer demonstrated that in 2001 we could be able to talk to our computers and they would clearly talk back to us. It’s 2007, six years after the events in 2001: a space odyssey! I want true simple Speech Recognition!
This is more of a complaint that a ’state of the technical union’ address.
We’ve come a long way since Apple hired Industrial Light and Magic to create their 1987 proof of concept video called the “Apple Knowledge Navigator.”
With the internet permanently established, voice-over the internet (VOIP) phone calls, and video cameras in our computers, we’re not that far off. But why are we completely stagnant when it comes to True Speech Recognition? There has to be a reason… did Microsoft Patent the idea and want too much money to make it practical? Why can you talk to a human sounding machine on the phone, that can practically understand what you say, but your computer can’t?At least True Speech Synthesis has evolved considerably.Here… listen to this clip from Apple’s upcoming 10.5 (Leopard) version of the Mac OS X here. More…
The fools have recorded sixteen shows since April 1st of last year. This is the first anniversary show! We look at April Fools jokes, a horrible trend in the film industry of making the theatrical movie suck so a great DVD can be sold… Star Wars: Willow??? A GOOD IDEA!!?… and Finally the fools have had it with the horrible way Dish Network treats their loyal customers… Time to quit Dish Network! It’s a great show, come and listen!
Our First Anniversary Show: April Fools!/DVD Better Than Theater?/SW:Willow?/Drop Dish Network! [62:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
The fools go over highilghts of the Academy Awards, with insider takes on who won and why… James Cameron’s new venture… An iPod killer by Microsoft? Is France going to destroy the iPod and Music Store? The battle between HD-DVD and bluRay contines… Stay tuned!
Highlights of the Academy Awards/Early HDTV owners screwed?/France fighting iPods?/Update on HDDVD and bluRay! [61:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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