Daily Marauder

VIDEO ON DEMAND DEATHMATCH

Click on the image above for a larger view.

Now that there’s a new kid on the block, otherwise known as the Sony Playstation Network, I thought it was time for a little online video on demand throw-down.   Here are some features which bubble to the top for me in analyzing the key players in the space (in priority order):

• Price
• Quality of Content (new releases vs. classic titles vs. niche titles)
• Quantity of Content
• Download vs. Rent
• Availability of HD titles in addition to SD
• Path to the TV
• Portability

I didn’t discuss quality of content or portability in the chart above.

Please feel free to debate me on any of these.  I love a good deathmatch.  Makes me want to go re-watch 300. . .

* Xbox Live Quantity of Content Includes Additional Titles From Netflix

** Amazon’s New Video on Demand Product (Not Unbox)

*** Netflix Watch Instantly

Related articles by Zemanta

• Amazon opens video on demand shop
• Amazon To Debut Streaming Movie/TV Service Today

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Google’s on and off negotiations with Digg have been back on in a big way for the last six weeks, we’ve heard from multiple sources inside and outside of Google. The two companies have reportedly signed a letter of intent and are close to a deal that will bring Digg under the Google News property. The acquisition price is in the $200 million range, says one source. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/22/google-in-final-negotiations-to-acquire-digg-for-around-200-million 7/22)

Google’s Wikipedia competitor, Knol, is opening to the public, at knol.google.com. So-called knols are articles about specific topics written by experts on that subject. Google is partnering with The New Yorker to allow any author to add a cartoon from the magazine to their knol. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9997426-93.html 7/23)

News Corp.’s MySpace Internet social network will join the OpenID alliance to begin letting its users take their online identity to other sites and social networks without having to register again. Users will be able to log onto other sites by using their MySpace accounts. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2226219920080722 7/22)

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman says that the Internet and mobile media are expanding his company’s reach worldwide. Also: Google didn’t do anything to stop piracy on YouTube because it helped build a massive audience, Dauman claims. Google must learn the value of “making friends.” (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9996614-93.html 7/22)

Google’s YouTube is said to be shedding its reputation as a clearinghouse for pirated content and could soon be home to legally obtained clips from movies and television shows. Google is adopting “a more accommodating approach” to its video-sharing site. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9996905-93.html 7/23)

Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, preparing to spin off four of its operating units, says it plans to take about $170 million in charges because the housing crisis has diminished the value of its mortgage and real estate businesses, which include LendingTree.com. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_hi_te/iac_spinoffs_charges 7/23)

WIRELESS

Sony Ericsson is expanding its line of Walkman phones with the addition of three new models designed to provide a high-quality sound. The W902 top-of-the-line Walkman features a 2.2-inch screen and the ability to hook into a carrier’s 3G network to browse the Web at speeds advertised at up to 3.6 Mbps, the handset maker said. InformationWeek (7/22)

GAMING

Looking to stay one step ahead of competitors, such as Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, Microsoft has inked a deal with Safran Digital Group to produce original short-form films for the company’s Xbox Live. Safran produced the “Saw” films as well as “Dawn of the Dead” and “The Amityville Horror.” Financial Times (7/23)

In a season of Hollywood blockbusters, it’s no wonder why Electronic Arts would want to sink its teeth into the movie industry’s delicious celluloid pie. This morning the company announced that it signed with talent and literary agency, UTA, to help catapult its properties onto the silver screen. (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/23/ea-inks-talent-agency-deal-more-game-movies-coming 7/23)

TECHNOLOGY

Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Sharp and Hitachi are scheduled today to announce a major consortium to create a standard involving the technology of Israeli firm Amimon called Wireless Home Digital Interface, which is designed to enable all wireless devices in a home through a single set-top box. “If you have a TV in the home, that TV will be able to access any source in the home, whether it’s a set-top box in the living room, or the PlayStation in the bedroom, or a DVD player in another bedroom. That’s the message of WHDI,” said Amimon co-founder Noam Geri. The Washington Post/Associated Press (7/23)

Onkyo has come out with a pair of midprice home-theater receivers as well as two home-theater-in-a-box systems. Among the new offerings is the TX-SR806 receiver, which retails for about $1,100 and is the company’s first A/V receiver to earn THX’s new Ultra2Plus certification. ElectronicHouse.com (7/22)