Internet Video X News

  On Demand In Demand ...

   

Adult films dominate download market

From X Biz

Adult entertainment accounts for the lion's share of the burgeoning video download market, according to a recent report by market research firm NPD Group published in Forbes magazine.

According to the report, 1.2 million U.S. households purchased at least one video download from an online store during the third quarter of this year. But, the report said, five times as many households may have illegally downloaded video content from free file-sharing sites, with nearly 60% of the free content classified as adult material.

NDP analyst Crupnick said the video download model would continue to appeal to consumers in 2007: [Legal downloads] could double or triple within the next year as more content comes online, consumers acquire more video-enabled players and movies are offered that consumers can actually burn to DVD, he said.

XX on Demand ...

   

Softcore 'cable versions' squeezed out from US cable TV

Full article at Cable 360

Last year Americans spent more on adult entertainment than they did to go out to the movies. So adult content and cable's on-demand service have been making sweet music together in the US, with the niche raking in more than half of the VOD revenue pie. But VOD is also disrupting the relatively stable economics and content of the adult category.

Cable has been pressured to strip away its inhibitions and now offers much more explicit programming. The old 'cable version' softcore has now been replaced by an XX version where real straight sex is shown but anal and cum shots are edited out.

It is worth reading the full article at Cable 360

    Time to Burn

  Time Warner to offer download to burn movies

From AVN

Time Warner Inc. says it plans to offer download-to-burn movies over the Internet beginning next year.

Company Chief Executive and Chairman, Richard Parsons said that the company is moving forward with plans to allow Internet users to download and burn its movies onto DVD disks by consumers.

In July, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Metro Goldwyn Mayer signed a deal with CinemaNow Inc. which will offer more than 100 movies that can be copied onto a DVD disc for about $9 a movie.

The deal was a precursor to another deal worked out between the studios and Apple Computer Inc. which also provides Hollywood movies for downloading through its iTunes online shop.

These agreements mark a significant shift in the way Hollywood studios distribute its movies by giving consumers a chance to make their own DVD versions of popular mainstream titles.

    BT IPTV

  BT to launch IPTV service in December

From Silicon

BT is yet to detail how the service will be priced but users are likely to need a set-top box as well as a broadband subscription from BT. Users will be able to browse all the Freeview channels as well as pick up on-demand programming from BT's suppliers. Customers won't, however, have to pay an additional subscription for TV services.

Among those who have signed content deals with the telco are MTV, Paramount, Sony and Universal. BT has also won the rights to show Premiership football.

However, on-demand content from the BBC will not be available at launch, as the BBC has yet to agree terms.

From The Telegraph

BT is poised to clinch a deal with Hollywood's Warner Brothers that will allow British consumers to access the studio's vast catalogue of films and television shows through internet downloads to their TV sets.

The agreement, which could be announced as early as tomorrow, would be BT's biggest content deal yet and would form the cornerstone of a new line-up of products that the group will offer on its new combined television and broadband service.

BT is also due to announce that it has lined up EMI to offer customers access to recorded artists such as Lily Allen, Kylie Minogue and Coldplay. The new service, BT Vision, combines 40 free-to-air TV channels, a phone line, broadband and a digital video recorder, and an initial library of 1,000 hours of on-demand programming available for viewing on television screens rather than computers.

BT's on-demand content will be available either for a monthly subscription or on a pay-per-view basis. The company plans to significantly undercut rivals with the cost of its pay-per-view films. The price for new releases will be lower than the £3.50 per film charged by NTL and will also undercut high street chains such as Blockbuster.

Update: Limp Offering from BT

  No adult content to start, eventually softcore rubbish

From X Biz

The new BT Vision broadband service will not initially carry adult content due to age verification difficulties.

BT is still working on secure age verification technology in order to provide 18-certificate content rather than anything more top shelf, a BT spokesman said

Once BT Vision solves its age verification problems, adult content will be offered on its pay-TV tier, where customers can purchase programming by both "one-off" and subscription billing formats.

    Xstatic

  InXtc hardcore channel starts Internet streaming and online billing

From AVN See also www.inxtc.at

The InXtc adult satellite channel has begun offering online billing for its customers.

The company said this week that more than 300,000 dish owners throughout Europe and the Middle East will now be able to log in and renew their membership satellite cards through its new online billing system.

The channel is now expanding into several cable networks around Europe to accommodate the growing demand for adult channels via cable.

InXtc also has been launched on the Internet, running live as a simultaneously stream offering programming identical to that seen by dish users, the company said.

    Unwanted Regulation

From Easy Bourse

Ofcom recently criticized a proposed European Union law regulating the Internet, warning that it could devastate the continent's Internet TV, mobile multimedia and online gaming industries.

Under the E.U. proposal, many Internet "broadcasts" would face the same requirements on advertising content and production quotas as traditional television.

There are major uncertainties about the future "trajectory" of Internet TV, the regulator said in a note accompanying the study: Creators will simply distribute their own material via the open internet, bypassing the need for any form of commercial relationship with other distributors, the regulator said, adding that Internet broadcasters simply would move offshore to escape the regulation.

The U.K. position is crucial. When the E.U. proposal first was floated last year, London opposed all extension of broadcasting rules to new media. Ofcom spokesman Simon Bates said the U.K. has realized that some new services will fall under the regulation. The key is to gain exemptions for particularly vulnerable services.

We understand that some TV-like services that look like TV and feel like TV warrant some protection, he said, adding that fledgling services should remain exempt: Our worst fear would be if blogs are required to be regulated like mass media television services, with rules for example about offensive content.

If infant industries are regulated, Ofcom says they risk being pushed offshore. The regulation could devastate Europe's online games industry, the report added. RAND Europe finds that this industry is global, and that the added value activity of creating and developing games is highly 'portable. This industry is therefore highly susceptible to increases in regulation in one territory, however small, especially when that regulation does not have parallels in other territories."

As a result, the regulator recommends "excluding online games altogether from the scope" of the E.U. regulation.

The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the proposal before the end of the year. E.U. governments meeting in the Brussels-based Council of Ministers also must approve it. The contested proposal is designed to update the E.U.'s 1989 Television Without Frontiers directive.

  Update: eKeep Your Hands Off My Spac

From The Times

The Government is seeking to prevent an EU directive that could extend broadcasting regulations to the internet, hitting popular video-sharing websites such as YouTube.

The European Commission proposal would require websites and mobile phone services that feature video images to conform to standards laid down in Brussels.

Ministers fear that the directive would hit not only successful sites such as YouTube but also amateur "video bloggers" who post material on their own sites. Personal websites would have to be licensed as a "television-like service".

Viviane Reding, the Media Commissioner, argues that the purpose is simply to set minimum standards on areas such as advertising, hate speech and the protection of children.

But Shaun Woodward, the Broadcasting Minister, described the draft proposal as catastrophic. He said: Supposing you set up a website for your amateur rugby club, uploaded some images and added a link advertising your local sports shop. You would then be a supplier of moving images and need to be licensed and comply with the regulations."

Woodward is proposing a compromise that requires EU states to agree a new definition of what constitutes "television". He said: It's common sense. If it looks like a TV programme and sounds like one then it probably is. A programme transmitted by a broadcaster over the net could be covered by extending existing legislation. But video clips uploaded by someone is not television. YouTube and MySpace should not be regulated.

British criminal law already covers material that might incite hate or cause harm to children,  Woodward added. The Government's definition of online broadcasting covers feature films, sports events, situation comedy, documentary, children's programmes and original drama. It excludes personal websites and sites where people upload and exchange video images.

Woodward is seeking EU member state support for the British compromise. So far only Slovakia has pledged support, but Woodward believes that other nations will come onboard before a key EU Council meeting on November 13.

  Update: EU Internet Content Consultation Responses

From OfcomWatch
See also consultation responses

The European Commission is asking some important questions about Internet content regulation: How should EU policy be designed so as to stimulate the creation and legal distribution of creative online content and services in Europe? What are the obstacles to the implementation of successful new business models? How can public policy promote a satisfactory degree of cultural and linguistic diversity in online content creation and circulation? How can European technologies and devices be successful in creative online content markets?'

In its recently closed public consultation entitled Content Online in the Single Market (which sounds a bit like an internet dating service), the Commission sought answers. There are a total of 96 responses, covering a wide range of issues. Reading through them basically provides a snapshot of how many of the important European and global players view policy matters dealing with everything from copyright licensing, cultural policy, DRM, and net neutrality. I thought I would quote directly from a few of the more notable responses:

  Update: EU Backs off From YouTube

From The Guardian

The British government is set to fight off proposed European rules that would make it responsible for overseeing taste and decency in video clips on sites such as YouTube and MySpace.

Ofcom, backed by the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, argued that the plan was unworkable and would stifle creativity and investment in new media across Europe.

Ofcom said internet users should be left to police themselves within the bounds of the law. Because internet technology does not respect borders, it argued, users would simply turn instead to websites in the US and elsewhere.

In a statement of "general approach" before a vote in the EU assembly, the council of ministers yesterday bowed to pressure to limit government oversight to "TV-like" services on the web. That means Ofcom will regulate TV-style video downloads from major broadcasters, but not video clips on social networking websites.

When it first objected, Ofcom had the support of only a handful of other EU member states, but it has since won them over.

Britain also won majority support for its line on the "country of origin" principle, which makes national regulators responsible for broadcasters operating from within their borders.

  Update: Ominous

  Ofcon to get their repressive hands on Video on Demand

From The Guardian

The European parliament has softened its stance on new broadcasting regulations in its first full vote on the controversial Television Without Frontiers directive.

The scope of the directive has also narrowed so that online companies, such as video-sharing websites like YouTube, will remain unregulated in the short term.

However, media that are considered "TV-like" - directly comparable to a TV broadcast - will be regulated, as will video-on-demand services.

Syed Kamall, Conservative MEP for London said that the "country of origin" principle - under which governments can only regulate broadcasts that originate in their country - had been "reinforced".

A number of states, such as Sweden, wanted countries to have the right to regulate broadcasts from anywhere in the EU. But the EU parliament voted that a member state could circumvent the principle only in the case of fraud and abuse.

However, the Broadband Stakeholders Group, which represents organisations from the telecoms, advertising, broadcasting, internet and mobile sectors, said the vote has created "uncertainty and confusion" for the industry. The parliament has done much to improve the draft directive by limiting the scope, but the weak text on country of origin undermines this progress, said Antony Walker, the chief executive of the BSG.

The commission will issue a second draft of the directive early next year.

    Regulation On Demand !

The police have also been sniffing around the concept of somehow enforcing the repressive Video Recordings Act on download material. There is an article about this in the Adult Industry trade paper, ETO. But really I cannot even guess where they are coming from to suggest that the Act applies to computer communications.

From Hansard See the full (uncorrected) transcript of the Session

David Cooke, the director of the BBFC, and Peter Johnson, Head of Policy had a session in the House of Commons with the Culture, Media And Sport Committee: New Media And The Creative Industries.

David Cooke

Our fundamental concern is about what might happen in the future, starting right now when things could be very different and we would face not so much a loophole but possibly a bypassing of the Video Recordings Act in quite a major way. Let me just try and explain this. Last year 17,000 titles were classified by the BBFC and 13,000 of those were DVDs, so that is very much the bulk of our business at the moment. In principle, all of those titles could at some point in the future migrate to distribution by download rather than in physical format.

Lawyers disagree about what precisely the impact of the Video Recordings Act is in that situation, but I think that the general view is that the Video Recordings Act probably would not bite. That has not been tested in the courts yet.

That could produce a situation in which our current, we believe, quite well respected and trusted system of age ratings and consumer advice would cease to apply and we know from our workload at the moment that there would be some very abusive material included in that content, and we have given some examples of some of that in our evidence. Self-regulation would obviously apply in that context but the question is really do we believe that that would be adequate or would we be in the kind of situation that we faced in the early 1980s with the concerns on video nasties.

We think that there are probably two broad approaches to tackling this problem.

We are certainly not pitching to trespass on anybody else's patch or to rub up against other regulators and we are certainly not pitching to try and regulate all downloads, which will constitute a huge and variegated mass of material, but we do think it would be possible to look quite carefully to seek to identify that part of the download market which would be very similar to DVD retail and DVD rental and to seek to bring that within the Video Recordings Act. That would be one approach. We can well see that that would be controversial and would be against the tenor of some of the other discussions you have had in the Committee.

Another approach which could be considered, either in conjunction or separately, would be to look at what kind of co-regulatory offerings were possible in this new environment. We believe that our expertise and the trust which BBFC ratings and consumer advice have and the high recognition factor that our ratings have, are the kinds of things that would enable us to play a part.

See the full (uncorrected) transcript of the Session

    Four Catch Up

From The Times

Channel 4 unveiled plans to start selling its entire programme output over the internet from next month.

The broadcaster is allowing viewers to watch programmes broadcast in the past 30 days for 99p from December 6, and download them to own for £1.99.

Andy Duncan, Channel 4's chief executive, predicted that in five years around a third to a half of all viewing would be time-shifted whether through its internet television service or other catch-up offerings.

The company said that it hoped to start making a profit from its foray into internet pay-television from the third year of operation. Duncan said that Channel 4 was making an investment "equivalent to a new channel launch" — implying a spend in the low tens of millions.

All the broadcaster's UK content and a handful of American material will be available for purchase, although there will also be some free material to woo viewers.

From February, viewers will also be able to buy a £3.99-a- month subscription to all of Channel 4's output. Rod Henwood, the channel's new business director, said that this would help to "turn viewers into customers". A film subscription service priced at £4.99 a month will also be on offer.

At typical broadband speeds, a one-hour programme will take between 90 minutes and two hours to download, but connections are speeding up.

No advertising will be carried on the programmes or on the special website initially, but Channel 4 says that it hopes to generate ad income from April.

    Free Internet Hardcore TV

Thanks to Cappy on  The Melon Farmers' Forum

I don't think we are ever going to see Hardcore porn on the so called Adult channels . All we are asking for is close up genital shots in order to spice up our own sex lives . A right deprived to all the sane adults in this country. If you are French German and all the other Europeans then it is freely available to you as they are more of an adult then we are, or so as our powers that be see it.

The progress of the internet and now widely available broadband and internet TV should start to spell the death knell for adult TV providers and more importantly for mainstream TV too with diverse cultures in this country. This further divides the sane from the insane.

In the meantime enjoy the following site: www.live-online-tv.com/television/

    Rushing Into Regulating the Internet

Oh dear, do I detect a change of emphasis from not sticking their repressive hook into the Internet to unbelievable promises of a light touch

From IT Pro

Ofcom say they aren't going to rush into regulating web-based TV in the same way as broadcast

The regulator's head of telecoms technology, Chinyelu Onwurah, used a panel debate on emerging internet issues this week as an opportunity to reassure the industry that the regulation of web-based TV is something it won't be tackling lightly: It shouldn't be a matter of the wholesale rolling over one set of regulation into another world , My natural reaction is hold on because I don't want to see another huge wave of regulation unleashed. We are looking to avoid any knee jerk reaction which says the internet must stay the way it has always been or it says that broadcast television is the right model for regulating the internet.

Onwurah said that Ofcom's role is to protect consumers. But, in the case of TV on the net, to do so it must first understand the potential pitfalls and how to guard against them: If regulation is required on the internet in the interest of end users and consumers, that regulation will develop as part of the normal process.

The internet has thus far evolved using a somewhat self regulatory model and Ofcom plans to use the current debate as an opportunity for some self assessment.

We need to concern ourselves with the potential harm for consumers by education as well as self or co regulatory measures, said Onwurah. [This] makes us reconsider our approach to regulation and the reasons for maintaining regulation in certain areas. So, as part of that we need to understand where regulation is necessary and where it may be less necessary. In Ofcom, we are certainly reviewing what we are looking to achieve by existing regulation.

    Hitting the Fast Forward

From X Biz

Believing that not all users watch all parts of an adult entertainment title, pay-per-minute site Hot Movies.Com has launched Clips.com, which allows users to download selected clips from their favorite films.

James Seibert of HotMovies.com, said: It's a perfect match. Customers can now own the scenes they love and content providers can display portions of their content with the knowledge that many of the customers who will purchase clips will have greater incentive to watch the complete movie using any of the billing models HotMovies.com now offers.

Studios and content producers who distribute through Clips.com have the ability to create and customize their own online stores, which means they can describe the clip and set the price.

    Finally Hard-core to your TV

From the bgafd forum

Take a look at www.xstreamheat.com The consumers set-top boxes arrive in 5 weeks although we have some here already on test, Hi-def 720i with wi-fi. Price will be around £150 ish and the box will have 900 plus channels at day 1 with channels added every day. There will be around 20 Porn Channels from everywhere in world the content will be around BBFC 18R strength although they do not require certification.

.......Finally Hard-core to your TV...

    Downloads Down

From Silicon

Broadcaster Sky has suspended its broadband movie download service after a Microsoft security patch on Windows Media's digital rights management (DRM) was cracked.

The service's homepage currently reads: In order to make an essential update to the Sky by broadband security system, we are sorry that access to all movies and some sports content has been temporarily suspended.

The patch had been rushed out by Microsoft after the appearance of a utility called FreeUse4WM to circumvent the media player's DRM - a move that could have jeopardised the business models of several subscription services that rely on the technology.

Days later, the creator of FreeUse4WM released a new version that cracked Microsoft's patch. However, while this version allowed individual files to be stripped of DRM, it did not enable users to download and strip subscription services' entire catalogues.

A spokesperson for BSkyB said on Monday: The issue is a Microsoft issue obviously - at the end of the day we're using Windows Media as the application and therefore we need Microsoft to ensure that the service is secure.

    Lost up the Amazon

From Film Fodder

Amazon Debuts DRM-Crippled Movie Downloads

Amazon.com has taken the lid off their anticipated online movie download service, and we have to say, well, we're a bit underwhelmed. First off let's take a look at the good news:

• Buy and download DVD-quality and portable-version movies and TV shows. OK, they got the basics down.
• Rent movies and TV shows. Once downloaded, you have 30 days to begin watching them before they are deleted. Once you have started watching, you have 24 hours to finish watching, upon which time the file is auto-deleted from your system.
• Watch videos as you download with the progressive download feature.
• Store your downloads on two different PC's. Each computer can transfer the videos to one portable device.
• You can re-download files you have purchased. No more hard drive crash worries!

Now for the bad:

• Digital Rights Management! Encoded with this crippling WMV copy-protection, files are only viewable in Amazon's proprietary player (or Windows Media Center), or on a supported PlaysForSure portable device (sorry iPod owners).
• Don't try to install the Amazon Unbox player on Macs or Linux boxes. It won't work.
• No burn-to-DVD support, except for backups. This means you won't be able to watch them in your living room's DVD player.
• Prices start at $2 (for TV shows), and then anywhere from around $9 up to $20 for movies, way too much to ask for the lack of hard copy and other features you get from DVD.

We are fairly certain that all these limitations can be laid solely at the feet of the movie studios and MPAA, who are fumbling around in the technological dark trying to figure out how best to bother the hell out of consumers (and wondering why their services are floundering).

    Private on Demand in Germany

From Yahoo News

Private Media Group noted for  premium-quality adult films, and erotic media ag announced a multi-year agreement for the supply of Private and erotic media ag content to the VOD  platform "nightclub.de" in Germany.

The deal includes access to 130 titles, at any point in time during the term, from each of Private's and erotic media's movie libraries and it includes new releases as well as classic titles and represents the first extensive video-on-demand package available to adult subscribers in Germany.

"nightclub.de" is a separate section for adult entertainment of the recently launched video-on-demand platform "maxdome". Additionally the adult service is also available via dedicated "maxdome" ready, plug and play TV set top boxes,

erotic media ag is a Swiss company specializing in marketing erotic movies both through its own TV channels and third party channels. The company is the market leader in Germany and operates the only German XXX 24hr Satellite and Cable TV Pay-TV channels in the country. The channels are transmitted in both Germany and Austria and they are branded "Blue Movie", "Blue Movie Extra" and "Blue Movie Gay".

    Euro Comms Failure

From The Inquirer

The chances of there being a pan-European telecoms regulator has diminished after Brussels found widespread resistance among companies
.
A survey by consultancy Analysys for the EC will put pressure on the Commission to drop the idea, The Times suggests.

Although some experts believe that only a cross-border regulator will get around tricky areas such as roaming and licensing, there is always the suggestion – this being the EC, after all – that the role could dissolve into faceless bureaucracy that slows down progress rather than knocks heads together across member states.

    Free Hardcore

Thanks to Rainman on  The Melon Farmers' Forum

All this talk of alternative ways to view/download R18 material, to bypass the current repressive Christian legislation and ripoff merchants, I thought I`d share a couple of sites that stream R18 content for free:

• www.live-online-tv.com/television/
• www.romaniainedit.3x.ro/playboytv.htm

    Live Babes Desert their Station

From Paul

Just a little note informing you that LiveXXX.tv is ripping us off on their site by having no one at all on the live cameras and charging £19 per month for the privilege.

The site should be pulled!

From the bgafd forum, spotted by Rustinn Mann

Regarding SexStation Website: have they given up the ghost already?

The last few nights none of the girls seem to have bothered to do anything on the webcams. Mind you, the majority of the time they just sit there looking bored seemingly unaware that what subscribers are left are watching. The only girl to seem any idea of the fact that some of us actually paid is Karina who put on a fine show the other night but she now turns up so rarely.

Also noted that an advertised link to a `live show` actually redirects you to the Babestation website .

We`ve had the `technical problems` excuses but it now seems they are past caring although we are still being encouraged to sign up but for what? Maybe we might get a token effor to keep people interested but how long will that last? Try complaining to the website or billing company and you will get no help if you get a reply at all.

Oh well, we live and learn

By the way, you left the telly on in the webcam studio last night.

And then in the same thread:

Although it is accessible via sextationtv.com it merely redirects you to the sadly neglected livexxx site.

It`s main attraction is that during the TV broadcast one of the girls would disappear off to the room nextdoor (the old LiveXXX studio) and supposedly get down to some `hot filthy action` on a live feed via the website. More often than not, they would just sit there looking bored doing nothing. Some of the girls made an effort but only if they got a phone call. So you pay to subscribe to the channel but somebody had to pay more with a call for them to perform.
Now they don`t seem to bother going in there at all.

There`s a few galleries of the girls (with a great numbre of the pictures showing the girls clothed!) and a handful of recordings of old shows.

The fact that they have an active link off to a `rival`, Babestation, suggests that SexStation is now affiliated to them.

As I said, the concern is the website is plugged, then you find you have to pay, then - as has happened of late - there`s nothing there.

    Not Broad Enough

From Blog Maverick

The expectation that broadband video delivered over the internet is going to be a viable alternative, or as some future gonzos are suggesting, a future replacement for traditional delivery of TV is crazy!

The first problem for broadband is bandwidth. DVD quality at 1Mb/sec is fine today, but have you noticed you cant do live consistently for any size audience at even this minimum bandwidth level?

If someday the internet can support live delivery of 1Mb/sec unicast streams, the cost will be prohibitive (every live stream requires a direct stream from source to end viewer), It adds up very fast. 1 stream per person. X number of streams per server. All the routing and internal backbone equipment to get it on the net. All the monitoring equipment to make sure it gets to the viewer in some semblance of decent quality. All the people to make sure that all works. That's big bandwidth and overhead and hosting costs. Which is why 350k simultaneous streams at 300k quality for march madness and a concert were considered huge events in 2006. Every single incremental user for a 300k stream of a 2 hour event can cost more than $1 PER USER. (Don't think so? call a broadband video provider and ask them how much they will charge to stream a live 300k stream to 350k simultaneous viewers with TV level quality of service).

Compare that with the cost of delivering TV today.

Then of course there is the consideration that if broadband will replace TV, what happens when we go High Def? Lets see we can get by with the lowest quality and only 6Mb/s of bandwidth.

It aint gonna happen anytime soon. Not this year. Not next. Not 5 years. Not 10 years.

Want to deliver the SuperBowl or American Idol in HD in realtime to 10s of millions of simultaneous viewers ? Not in this lifetime without some breakthrough technology that hasnt been invented yet.

Its feasible of course to do on demand, in a netflix type model. Let it download over night (equal to postal overnight). But it does tie up your PC, so shipping on a hard or optical drive is much more efficient, and that's not the internet.

But wait there's more. You still have to pay for that bandwidth somewhere. Yes peer to peer helps save bandwidth at the originating end. But it doesn't help at the destination end. 100 peers on a network segment will still use the same amount of bandwidth on that segment as 1 destination with no peers. Net Neutrality will pretty much guarantee that this is a problem forever and ever.

You can hook any HDTV today up to pretty much any recent PC and use it as a conduit to get internet content to your HD set. You know how many people are doing it? Not many at all. I don't know of any families gathering around their brand new HDTV to watch internet content they just grabbed from Youtube.

The reward for connecting a PC to an HDTV isn't worth the hassle and that wont change for years. Dare I say, not even in 10 years, if ever.

    Cutting Out the Censor Man

From AVN

JM Productions has launched new Burn-to-Own purchase options for its DivX-based video-on-demand. The company has maintained a strong Internet presence for the past six years via its Web site, JerkOffZone.com

Now consumers with a DVD burner on their PC and a DivX certified DVD player (which are now commonly available at retailers everywhere) can download a full-length JM DVD with perfect video and audio quality and watch them any time on their home entertainment system.

JM webmaster Tony Malice said: Version 6.5 of the DivX player is available for free download from our website,The software contains integrated DVD burning functionality that lets you transfer your downloaded movie to disc in a very short time.

JM's Burn-to-Own service has gone online with selections from the popular Gag Factor and Tough Love series and more titles will be added each week

    Searching for Video

So how long would it take the BBFC to pre-vet the 10,000 videos?

From The Guardian

A UK variant of Google Video was launched  yesterday along with seven other countries, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Canada. . As with the US version, which launched in January this year, Google Video UK features tens of thousands of videos showing everything from the latest glossy dramas to serious documentaries to teens goofing around in front of their webcams. Like its close cousin YouTube, fans say it is revolutionising broadcasting while critics claim it could unleash a torrent of unregulated material in dubious taste.

Google relies on users rating and recommending their favourite videos to allow the most popular to rise to the fore. Yesterday they all closely mirrored the American version but Google hopes they will quickly evolve to reflect local viewing habits and cultural mores.

The company has also signed deals with various media companies to distribute their content through Google Video. ITN, Disney, Barcelona FC, the Cousteau Society, the rights holders to Wimbledon tennis, English Test cricket and the Football League and Talkback Thames, the independent production company behind Green Wing and Smack the Pony, are among the first European content providers to sign up.

Google's European director of partnerships, Joanna Shields, said she believed it was well placed to succeed against the competition because of its scale, with 469 million users worldwide, and because it did not attempt to tie down broadcasters and contributors to particular formats or pricing structures.

Contributors can choose whether or not to charge for their content. Film trailers and pop videos may be provided for nothing in order to promote new releases while episodes of cult TV hits such as Star Trek carry a charge, typically around $1.99 (£1.08) in the US. Google makes money by charging advertisers to reach users in a specific context and in the US has already begun trialling video adverts.

While most media companies have been largely satisfied with Google's attempts to strip out material that breaches their copyright, some remain worried that it will become all-powerful. But Patrick Walker, head of content partnerships outside the US, said: Disaggregation of content isn't driven by Google, it's happening anyway. We're helping people find the needles in this giant haystack of content.

Others remain concerned that Google will find it increasingly hard to police the millions of videos on its servers for porn, violence and offensive material. Walker said no system was "bullet-proof" but believed Google had the human and technical resources to screen every video and stay on top of the problem.

    Playboy On Demand Excites Bankers

From AVN , from a report in Variety

Playboy has landed the biggest fish in the cable stream. Comcast has begun rolling out Playboy's on-demand service to its 9 million digital subscribers (out of 21.5 million, which is more than any other operator), and Wall Street is taking notice.

Jim Griffiths, president of the Playboy Entertainment Group said that 30 hours of sexually oriented programming every month is the most likely programming to challenge the most popular VOD service, HBO on Demand showing The Sopranos and Deadwood.

Variety reported that Bank of America's Michael Savner has upgraded his recommendation of Playboy from neutral to buy, convinced that the Comcast deal could funnel an extra 25% to Playboy TV's operating income by the end of the decade.

Most cable systems already deliver Playboy TV via pay per view. Playboy wants to change that blueprint because the PPV service is much more unpredictable in harvesting revenue; customers are not locked into a monthly subscription fee but buy programming each time they want it. Playboy also faces serious competition in pay per view.

Griffith is having a drive to persuade other cable operators to follow Comcast's lead and take the dual package: Playboy TV and Playboy on Demand.

However, some cable operators may hesitate because they like the Playboy deal they have now. On Time Warner Cable in New York City, for example, a four-hour block of programming on Playboy TV costs $7.95, according to the report. Time Warner doesn't give any indication that its customers can buy a monthly Playboy subscription for just $11,

    Broader Broadband

From Sky

Sky is planning to launch new broadband on-demand TV services for entertainment, lifestyle and kids programming within the next few months. Up to now Sky's broadband service has offered only movies and sport but it plans to extend the service to other genres. The new services are due to launch at the end of August or early September.

    Total Softcore Bollox

Why would anyone pay for softcore rubbish when there is so much decent hardcore available on the Internet.

From X Biz

British Telecom confirmed plans to begin offering adult entertainment alongside its regular TV, sports and music content starting this autumn.

Through its BT Vision subsidiary, the telecommunications giant will offer customers what it calls softcore content on demand. According to a company spokesman, all content would have to comply with standards established by regulators and the company for taste and decency. BT added that only movies with an 18 rating would be available on BT Vision, and not films with an R18 rating.

In common with many U.K. entertainment providers and in response to anticipated customer demand, we expect BT Vision will carry some adult entertainment services , a company spokesman said.

Analysis from British telecommunications research firm Enders claims BT's decision to begin offering adult content is driven by the company's desire to retain its broadband customer base.

According to analysts at Enders, the lion's share of PPV revenue comes from sports and adult content. Sports, which accounts for 60% of all PPV revenue and adult content, which account for an additional 25%, seem to be the only types of content consumers are willing to pay for, according to the research firm. Cable operators typically offer all other types of content free of charge to encourage consumers to incorporate VOD into their viewing habits, a spokesman for Enders said.

    Inappropriate Regulation

From Ofcom

The regulation of internet services is the subject of significant international debate. Consumers expect to be protected from fraud or other forms of harm; and their children protected from inappropriate content. To date, this protection has been provided largely through a framework of domestic and international statutory regulation which has been evolving for decades. However, the global reach and open nature of the internet gives rise to some well-known problems, which cannot be addressed by a translation of existing powers and structures. These problems include the ubiquitous availability of pornography and increased availability of illegal imagery (e.g. violent pornography, child abuse), and easier access to products and services otherwise tightly-controlled like gambling or prescription drugs.

As the UK communications regulator, Ofcom has oversight of the wholesale and retail markets for internet connectivity. We also have a statutory duty to promote media literacy, a role in encouraging audiences to connect to the internet, and in helping them learn how to manage the risks to which they are exposed when online. We therefore have a clear interest in the protection of consumers from harm when they use the internet. Furthermore, the current draft of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive proposed an extension of a broadcast-like regulatory framework to audiovisual content delivered in other ways – and might therefore require statutory content regulation to be applied to a broad range of internet services.

This document is a research report intended to inform the debate about the most appropriate ways to address the consumer protection challenges raised by the internet, such as those identified above. It is a broad survey of the key internet consumer protection issues and the national and international approaches taken to tackling those issues across the world. It does not include policy recommendations, though we do comment on the varying success of some of the initiatives adopted.

We can also draw some general lessons from the survey. There is no doubt that consumers will need to bear a greater degree of responsibility when they engage with internet services. Secondly, the broad range of internet services – from e-commerce to VoD to email – will require a broad and flexible set of regulatory solutions. There is no single answer to the issues to which the internet gives rise. However, there are already many factors contributing to consumer protection online, from the application of general law through to initiatives from individual internet players and collective industry bodies like the Internet Watch Foundation. We believe that such self-regulatory initiatives, allied to effective media literacy initiatives and supported by general law, will continue to be the most effective way to deliver consumer protection.

The full report can be downloaded from Ofcom

    Carry On State Censorship

Press release from the BBFC

BBFC President Calls For Forum To Consider New Media Regulation

In light of the rapidly growing range of audio visual content on offer via a range of media, the President of the BBFC, Sir Quentin Thomas, has called on the Government to bring together commercial and creative interests along with those operating the regulatory regimes to consider how best to provide the public with the information they need to choose which content they wish to consume and how to protect children and vulnerable people from harm.

Writing in his introduction to the BBFC's Annual Report Sir Quentin said:
As the audio visual content on offer to the public grows rapidly, with a marked diversity in the nature of the medium and in the means of delivery or access, it is perhaps not surprising that some observers of this dynamic but confusing scene conclude that there is little future for regulation and the attempt to maintain it seems like attempting to shut the stable door when the horse has bolted. At the BBFC we do not share this view.

The BBFC's Director David Cooke said:
We are putting a good deal of effort into researching, and speaking to others about, the implications of the growth of new media for our system of regulation. We do not argue for regulation except where it is genuinely needed. But effective regulation has clear benefits: the prevention of harm; enabling informed choices; creating a safe environment within which to enjoy creative content. We regularly see and deal with material, whether so-called 'extreme reality', abusive pornography, or simply content which is unsuitable for the age group to whom it is addressed, where our intervention is clearly necessary. No-one should assume that such material will be confined to established platforms such as film and DVD. Whether in a regulatory or an advisory capacity, we believe we have unique expertise and experience to offer.

Sir Quentin said:
There is no doubt that regulation must serve a relevant social purpose, and not needlessly be an impediment between the customer and the services available. Regulatory regimes must command and sustain public confidence and be fit for purpose. There is good reason for thinking that because of the nature of audio visual product and its potential impact the public is likely to expect some oversight, particularly with a view to the protection of children. We believe that there is also a strong commercial interest in demonstrating that product in this field meets accepted standards. Nonetheless, the rapidly shifting nature of the media scene, with new technological possibilities means that these issues need to be kept under review. We welcome the enquiry by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee into new media and the creative industries and would welcome the establishment of a forum perhaps under the auspices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to advance consideration of these issues.

The BBFC 2005 Annual Report includes the accounts for the year along with information about the work of the Board during the year. Copies of the Annual Report can be obtained from the BBFC, 3 Soho Square, London W1D 3HD or can be downloaded from the BBFC main website, www.bbfc.co.uk (select 'downloads' option on home page)

  Update: Stupid Intervention

From The Times

The Times has picked up the above story and added a couple of comments:

Simon Davies, of Privacy International, which campaigns for freedom of expression said It sounds like the most stupid intervention since the registration of fax machines and photocopiers in communist China.

Sue Clark, a spokeswoman for the board, said that people should be able to make informed choices about what to watch. Regulation, in this case, doesn't mean banning or cutting. It is about providing information.

  Update: BBFC Wackos

Based on an article from The Guardian

Video content on the internet could receive certificate 18-style classifications from film censors under plans submitted to the government today. The proposals could see web videos rated for language, violence, sex and themes in the same way as films, videos and DVDs.

The BBFC said the huge growth of online video content risked making the regulation of old media redundant as more and more people get access to video over the internet.

Internet video has mushroomed in recent years, with the spread of broadband and content-streaming technologies making downloading high-quality footage easier. The video site YouTube sees 35,000 new clips added and 30m clips downloaded every day, while it would take almost 500 years to watch all the content currently indexed by Blinkx, which claims to be the largest online video search engine.

Sue Clark, a spokeswoman for the BBFC, said the government should be looking at ways of providing information to online viewers about the sort of material they were being exposed to: If there's some sort of standardised labelling system that people understand, then they know that it's material they can trust.

And shamefully added: We don't want to go down the route of cutting and banning things and blocking sites... BUT... a lot of the content that's out there on the internet is not something the majority of people would want to view. [...Which they WILL of course cut and ban...] She cited the example of Terrorists, Killers and Middle East Wackos , a compilation of video clips of actual killings and terrorist attacks. The compilation is banned on video or DVD in the UK because the BBFC believed it to contravene the Obscene Publications Act, but it is freely available on the internet through file-sharing sites.

And for an organisation that doesn't want to go down the route of cutting and banning things, it has been reported that 27% of softcore 18 certificate video works have been censored in 2006, along with 23% of hardcore R18's.

The BBFC wrote to the department of culture, media and sport last month, asking the government to consider a system of classification. It said that the most likely scenario would see them advising companies providing video content on what material would be acceptable to viewers. [BOLLOX BBFC, you mean acceptable to the Government and to people who like to impose their views on others about what they should be watching. Eg spanking videos are obviously acceptable to informed viewers that choose to watch them, they are only not acceptable to people who would rather you did not watch them. ie the Government, nutters and censors!]

  Update: More from the BBFC Wackos

Based on an article from IT Week

Sue Clark, a spokeswoman for the shameful BBFC said that people recognised that the internet may not be regulated, ...BUT... expected certain types of content such as films to have passed through a classification process.

The BBFC knew of at least one distributor who sees video-on-demand as a way of getting around its controls on pornography: This guy has stated that he will be putting stuff out which the BBFC will not classify. He has to be prosecuted to stop that. [It should be pointed out that BBFC are censoring and cutting hardcore porn for a whole load of nonsensical reasons such as the the vague possibility that ice or a dildo may possibly cause harm if used in a whacky way by complete imbeciles. The BBFC view on what should be cut is proving near worthless and surely does not automatically infer that the cut material is obscene and liable to prosecution].

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has set up an inquiry into new media and the creative industries, which Clark hoped would lead to legislation or the introduction of a voluntary industry agreement: We have not asked the government to consider this because we think that it necessarily needs legislation. It may be that the industry signs up to a voluntary system. [As far as I can see the creative industries committee is unsurprisingly more concerned with licensing, IPR, DRM, piracy etc rather than worrying about censorship concerns of nutters and film censors facing redundancy]

Opinion: Soho Square has got it Wrong

From The Guardian at Bobbie Johnson's Blog which also includes a lively dicussion

According to reports this morning, the BBFC says it envisages being able to censor what is on the net.

In its annual report, the BBFC says it may be worth having a voluntary system of rating - spinning off from its rankings of U, PG, 12A, 15 and 18 - that can help people surf the web safely.

According to the Times, it says: No one should assume that such material will be confined to established platforms such as film and DVD. Whether in a regulatory or an advisory capacity, we believe we have unique expertise and experience to offer.

Outrageous, cry the web's hordes. Freedom is our watchword, and we will not bow to censors.

It's a laudable position, of course, but one that's not entirely true. Censorship already abounds on the net - just ask Google in China or go back to Yahoo's continental court case about the sale of Nazi memorabilia. We accept some forms of censorship, where appropriate, and in many ways the BBFC recommendations are in this mould.

Web pages and content have the ability to contain tags that promote an age rating. Parents can already employ web monitors like NetNanny to shepherd their children online and block unsavoury or unwanted information. Why not just crank up the regulation and make sure that every site has a rating?

The problem with such schemes, of course, is that the internet is a global phenomenon. How do you enforce censorship across nations? If you force any material hosted on British servers to carry advisory ratings, then some people would just move elsewhere (it's very easy to do). And if you don't enforce the rules, then those who do want to exploit them will just plough ahead and lie, or avoid the ratings altogether.

The ultimate problem, though, is how to regulate what people do in their own homes; how parents interact with technology and with their kids. While it's clear that an 18 certificate for a movie in a cinema stops a seven-year-old child watching the movie on the big screen, the private situation is far from clear. How effective, after all, is the 9pm watershed? How many pre-teens have watched 18-rated DVDs at home? How many kids play Grand Theft Auto with their parents' consent?

Even recent attempts to solve the conundrum have fallen foul of the very people who would welcome the BBFC's comments. When the porn industry suggested a .xxx domain name to house adult material (easily spotted by nanny programmes and blocked by parents), it seemed like a fair idea, but it was shot down by the Christian right - the same people who would no doubt welcome the BBFC's proposals. Why? Because pornography should never be legitimised, and creating a .xxx suffix would do exactly that.

So we're stuck in a world where the veto goes to those who want to have their cake and eat it while ideas are flung about for forcing new rules on producers and consumers alike. Any net censorship would be expensive and almost certainly unsuccessful - and in any case, it would be far easier and cheaper to teach people how to use the tools that already exist. But that would just be too simple, wouldn't it?

    BBC Put Rights to Rights

From the Television Point

The BBC and the film makers trade association, Pact, have finalised amendments to their existing Terms of Trade agreement, giving the BBC and  independent production companies greater freedom to exploit new media rights.

The new deal is the first to be struck on new media rights by Pact and a major UK broadcaster and has been achieved within the 31 May deadline for agreement set by Ofcom as part of its TV Production Sector Review.

Commercial video-on-demand rights will be available to exploit in the UK for the first time. Independents will also have greater freedom to exploit other new media rights and enjoy an improved share of revenue from commercial exploitation in the UK.

In addition the BBC will simplify and streamline its procedures in relation to its holdback policy – making the use of independent programmes in the UK much easier and more straightforward.

Jana Bennett, BBC Director of Television, said: This deal has improved what was a fairly narrow public service new media window to view programmes. It creates the possibility - subject to the necessary approvals - for audiences to catch up with their favourite BBC programmes at their convenience. It's great news for viewer choice and for anyone who wants flexibility as to when and how they watch our output.

Alex Graham, Chief Executive of Wall to Wall and Chair of Pact, said, "The word that best captures the spirit of this deal and the negotiations that led up to it is 'partnership'. The old 'them and us' attitudes have gone and the deal is a sign of what can be achieved when a strong, confident BBC and a dynamic independent sector work together."

John McVay, Chief Executive of Pact, said, "This is not only a good deal for the BBC and indies, it is a good deal for the whole market. A ruling of the Communications Act was for the intellectual property rights of independent programmes to reside with the producer."

    Disneyland

From the BBC

Disney is to start selling films over the internet via CinemaNow, including new films on the day they come out.
Disney's home video arm, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, will make the films available on a download-to-own basis.

The service, which is scheduled to start on 6 June, comes after five Hollywood rivals launched similar services in April.

Until April, major studios in Hollywood had been reluctant to offer their films on the internet for fear that this would encourage illegal copying of their films and dent revenue from box office and video rental sales.

Films downloaded from Disney's new service will be protected to prevent copying.

    BBC Film Network

From DTG

The BBC has partnered with two digital specialists for the debut of its interactive showcase for new British moviemakers, the BBC Film Network.

The corporation has been joined by on-demand media expert ioko and Kontiki, a provider of infrastructure services for internet and telecoms networks.

BBC Film Network's web site gives viewers access to short high-resolution British film downloads, which can be viewed repeatedly on a user's PC for 28 days—after which time files are automatically removed from the hard drive.

The service is free to the first 10,000 subscribers, and it allows emerging British filmmakers to showcase their work online as well as giving viewers up-to-the-minute access to the latest short-movie releases.

    For Hardcore Big Brother Fans

From www.StrictlyBroadband.com

If you're in the UK, you'll almost certainly have noticed that Big Brother fever has yet again swept the nation. One of the housemates this year is Lea Walker, a model who claims the largest boobs in Britain.
Lea has appeared in exactly one hardcore porn scene, and Strictly Broadband have obtained the exclusive online rights.

See www.strictlybroadband.com/sb/media/2368.html

    Private On Demand

From Yahoo News

Private Media Group, provider of premium-quality adult entertainment, and Erotic Media AG today announced the signing of a Pay-TV license and a VOD (Video-on-Demand) agreement for the use of the Company's content in the territory of German-speaking Europe.

Under the terms of the five-year Pay-TV Content Licensing Agreement, Private Media Group will receive 6 million euro, including 3 million euro in 2006 and 1.5 million euro in 2007, in exchange for Erotic Media's immediate and future access to a specified quantity of titles in Private's content library.

Additionally the two companies have also signed a five-year VOD agreement where Erotic Media will become Private's VOD content agent in German-speaking Europe whereby Erotic Media will have an unparalleled content offer in terms of both quantity and quality while obtaining maximum returns.

Berth Milton, CEO, President and Chairman of Private Media Group stated: These two highly profitable agreements are important steps in the Company's video-on-demand and broadcasting activities, which today, among others, include the cooperation with Playboy TV International and the Portland Television Group.

Milton continued, With the impending IPTV/cable VOD explosion expected in Germany, we have selected to work with Erotic Media to benefit from their solid experience and true understanding of the German-speaking broadcasting market in Europe. This provides the best opportunity for both companies to maximize on actual and future market share and have the weight to best defend our interests at every stage.

Erotic Media AG is a Swiss company specializing in marketing erotic movies both through its own TV channels and third party channels. The company is the market leader in Germany and operates the only German XXX 24hr Satellite and Cable TV Pay-TV channels in the country. The channels are transmitted in both Germany and Austria and they are branded "Blue Movie", "Blue Movie Extra" and "Blue Movie Gay." The company also delivers content to On Demand Services throughout Europe. In addition Erotic Media is a major shareholder in Beate Uhse TV.

With its 40 year track record, Private Media Group is a world leading adult lifestyle company which distributes a wide range of erotic and semi-erotic multimedia content over several platforms, including wireless and broadcasting technologies, Internet, DVD and Magazines.

    A Hot Amp

From The Melon Farmers' Forum

More online adult stuff:

Download and install WinAmp 5 from www.winamp.com

Once installed goto menu->options->preferences->media_library (in general preferences)

Press the specify ratings button and check all the boxes.

Then click "view" in the menu and select "Media Library"
In the left hand list look for "online services" click on that, and a subtree will appear. Select "shoutCast TV"

Try "real female orgasms" and others.

You might get "server full" so keep trying.

There might be an ad to watch first, and some have onscreen text ads.

The only problem with this is that they have a tendency to replay the same scenes over and over again, and recently when I have looked they have vastly reduced the selection. I think this may be due to the constant reminders for me to update my player, so I have lost a lot of the variety. Whereas those with the newest player will get the full selection.

But a lot of the stuff on there would raise a few eyebrows at the BBFC, so it is worth looking at.

    Free Hardcore on Demand

From The Melon Farmers' Forum

Can you add Channel Chooser to your links of streaming TV channels on the internet.

Adult 1 is softcore and Adult 2 is hardcore, Adult 3/4 do not work at present....and it's all free!

Plenty of other material on this site from BBC news to Films and sport channels.

  Update: Limited Choice

Thanks to Shaun

Channel Chooser has now been replaced by an ominous message

This account has been suspended.
Either the domain has been overused, or the reseller ran out of resources.

A little later the domain was restored

    Lost Opportunity

From Yahoo News

Channel 4 has launched a video-on-demand service offering the hit shows Lost and Desperate Housewives , but a broader service is still tied up in the broadcaster's conflict with independent UK producers.

The service offers streaming video to a computer from the Channel 4 Web site or viewing on cable company NTL's platform for 99 pence per episode. The shows must be watched with a day of downloading.

Publicly-owned Channel 4 said this week that it plans to launch a broader video-on-demand (VOD) service this autumn which could include shows like Big Brother. But the roll-out might be impeded by the deadlocked negotiations with independent producers' group Pact over how the rights to new media services like video-on-demand will be split.

Media regulator Ofcom has given the parties a deadline by the end of May to reach a deal, after which it will impose its own settlement.

Episodes from the second seasons of Desperate Housewives and Lost will be available on demand two weeks after they are first broadcast on TV, because Channel 4 broadcasts the shows several times across its family of channels.

  Update: Free Four

From Yahoo News

Channel 4 has unveiled plans to launch a broadband simulcast of its commissioned output.

The channel will be available to users registered at channel4.com/livetv - for free - from June 27.

Only commissioned programmes will be available at launch, although the broadcaster is in talks to include acquired shows and films in future. A loop of C4 promos will air whenever programming cannot be broadcast online.

The web stream will initially feature the same commercials as the broadcast version, but future plans will see the introduction of tailored advertising spots.

    Live XXX Not So XXX Even on the Internet

From Grawth on the bgafd forum

Antonia, hate to tell you this but I am a subscriber to the Live XXX site. In the two weeks I have been a member I have suffered major access problems to large parts of the site, but I have always been able to watch the live shows.

They are HUGELY disappointing.

I have watched most nights in the last two weeks and I have not seen one single full insertion shot. I have tried all 5 of the camera angles on offer to regular subscribers, at times from 10ish through to well past midnight, and nothing remotely like penetration has been shown.

Now, maybe I`m just unlucky, or maybe to actually see anything you have to watch using the "Robocam", which you have to pay extra for, which I think is a rip off.

    Vivid Burnable Downloads

From Silicon

Adult entertainment giant Vivid Entertainment Group said on Wednesday it will start next month selling downloadable movies that viewers can burn to DVD and watch on their TVs.

Vivid said it will start selling burnable movies on 8 May through online movie service CinemaNow, an internet provider of on-demand movies, which had previously agreed to distribute Vivid films.

The site will allow consumers to copy digital movies for back-up use. Those copies will be software protected so they cannot be burned onto DVD discs and replayed on DVD players.

Vivid's move to enable viewers to burn the films onto a DVD for about $19.95 apiece and then be able to watch them on the TV marks a first for Hollywood.

Bill Asher, co-chief executive officer and co-owner of Vivid, said: With this, we're giving users the ability to download and burn a movie. And not just a movie but all the things that come along with a standard DVD, like menus, graphics, art.

    ITV Online

From The Guardian

ITV is aiming to distribute shows such as The Bill and Coronation Street over the internet by the end of the year. The service could see the broadcaster return to pay-TV for the first time since the ITV Digital debacle as it considers charging for Champions League matches live on the internet. Jeff Henry, chief executive of ITV's new consumer division, said the company had a "strong ambition" to make programmes available online by Christmas.

In an interview with the Guardian, Henry said ITV's internet strategy would combine a mixture of free and paid-for services, with the Champions League one of the ITV mainstays that might become a pay-TV product online. I am convinced that the mix of free and pay is the best way to get something that's sustainable.

Henry said ITV's plans include live streaming of programmes, such as Champions League matches and other "event" programming such as the X-Factor , along with a download-based catch-up service. Both services will combine paid-for and free programmes. Henry added that ITV was still in discussions over running advertisements on its internet services.

Channel 4 is also keen to launch a video-on-demand service, which will also be available online.

ITV and Channel 4's online plans are conditional on both broadcasters reaching agreement with independent producers over programme rights. Some producers want to retain ownership of their programmes once they have been screened on TV or after they have been made available for a week on a broadcaster's catch-up service. This has raised the hackles of Channel 4, which wants control over programmes for more than a seven-day video-on-demand window. Henry added to the debate, saying that the rights issue was the biggest single problem facing ITV's online plans.

    US Cable Migrating from XX to XXX via VOD

From AVN

Aquarius Broadcasting Corporation has announced the launch of its adult Video On Demand service, Sizzling Sex On Demand.

We pushed our initial launches up to May and June into 1,000,000 VOD households , said Robert Herrera, CEO of Aquarius. [That's] a significant achievement, considering we've only been operational two months."

Herrera then touched on Aquarius' June launch of a new XXX rated service, Sizzling XXX Sex. The migration from XX to XXX has begun in cable-delivered VOD, and we intend to very quickly become a dominant force in this new delivery arena."

    European Commission to be Told to Blog Off

From The Times

Popular video blogs will be subject to new European regulations if Brussels's proposals to update television regulation are adopted by Europe's member states.

The threat, confirmed by European officials yesterday, has prompted Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, to say that the European Commission plans are misguided.

The Commission said that "blogs could be caught" by the new rules if they had a commercial purpose, where video was the main element . A blog also has to be popular enough to count as "mass media".

The European Commission wants to update the Television Without Frontiers Directive and include for the first time rules to govern "non-linear audio visual services" — video on demand and internet broadcasting.

The proposed rules for new media are intended to be light-touch, but would require commercial video bloggers and other video website owners to respect rules governing incitement to hatred and child protection. Ofcom, though, said that bringing video blogs into a regulatory net originally designed for traditional television broadcasters was excessive. Both the UK regulator and British ministers believe that Europe's plans should not include internet content in their scope.

Next week James Purnell, the Broadcasting Minister, plans to lobby his counterparts in Germany and other member states in an attempt to convince them to help him to force amendments to the Commission's draft directive.

  Update: Internet With Barriers

From Silicon

The UK's IT and telecoms industry has launched a scathing attack on a proposed new EU directive that would extend TV regulation to online broadcasting.

Brussels is proposing major changes to the existing Television without Frontiers (TVWF) directive. The changes would extend regulation to cover a broad range of new and emerging audiovisual media services including internet broadcasts.

An alliance of broadcasting, telecoms, technology, new media and advertising bodies led by UK IT industry body Intellect and the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) claims the changes will be damaging for players in the emerging online broadcasting market.

The alliance claims there is already enough existing legislation and self-regulation and that the proposed changes to the TVWF directive will deter new and existing new media players from the market and divert investment and innovation away from the EU.

Antony Walker, CEO of the BSG, said in a statement: As currently drafted, this directive is likely to confuse businesses, overwhelm regulators and let down consumers. The proposed scope is too broad and the definitions used too vague. The result could be an all-encompassing regulatory framework that takes five years to implement, undermines existing safeguards and proves largely unenforceable.

  Update: UK Out on a European Limb

From OfcomWatch

Reuters is reporting that the European Commission is not budging on its proposed Audiovisual Media Services Directive - which includes provisions to regulate (non-linear) internet based services.

The DCMS, supported by Ofcom and other bodies, argue  that the Commission's proposals would stifle innovation and place a disproportionate regulatory burden on new technology.

Reuters claim to have seen the Commission's response to its latest consultation document ahead of publication, which indicates that Britain has few allies on this issue. Quoting from it, they say: The basic approach of the Commission was received on the whole favourably by the (member states' audiovisual working) group. [There was] only one delegation -- with some support from another delegation -- clearly indicating opposition to the extension of the directive's scope to non-linear services.

The final shape of the new rules will be decided jointly by the EU's 25 member states and the European Parliament later in the year.

  Update: Consultation Starts about Adding New Frontiers

From OfcomWatch

The UK public consultation on the European Commission's proposals to amend the Television without Frontiers Directive - now to be known as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS) - opened today. The consultation documents and full details on how to respond are available on the DCMS website here. The consultation documents include:

• a partial regulatory impact assessment of the Commission's proposals
• an issues grid which details the changes to the regulation of audiovisual services which would appear to result from the Commission's proposals
• a list of consultation questions
• an unofficial 'consolidated version' of the amended Directive.

Shaun Woodward, the new Minister for Broadcasting, has commented on the consultation in a press notice available here. The consultation will run until Friday 8 September 2006.

  Update: I Don't Believe in Internet Censorship... BUT

From CNET News

The European Commission has defended its proposal to revise online broadcasting legislation called Television Without Frontiers, saying Internet businesses would benefit from the changes.

The existing TWF regulations, which cover traditional broadcasters, set minimum standards for advertising and the protection of minors. The EC wants to extend them to cover online audio-visual content, including new media broadcasting and emerging technological platforms.

This has alarmed some in the business and Internet community, and led the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to claim last month that the directive would stifle economic growth, inhibit job creation and hamper the development of digital content and services across the EU.

But Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, pledged not to intervene in business: There will be no regulation of the Internet. I'm not going to intervene in business--I am technology neutral.

The commissioner, said there should be basic rules to protect minors online and to prohibit incitement of hatred and overly repetitive advertising.

Reding rejected the CBI's claims that the TVWF revisions were an attempt to shoehorn digital content providers into rules designed for traditional broadcasters, undermining high-value, high-tech economic growth when it should be stimulating it. When consumers have control and choice, you do not need heavy rules. There are only basic tier rules. The provider has to obey basic rules, but it's for the parents to choose (how to filter content). I don't want to do that top down.

Reding claimed that instead of limiting business, the legislation would enable Internet businesses and content providers to expand in Europe. If you have 25 conflicting regulations in 25 countries, you can't take advantage of the internal market. When the new rules are applied, (content providers) can get authorization in Britain and spread into 25 countries. I see a big chance for European content to travel.

  Update: EU On Demand Bollox Demands Strong Words

Strange that the Government are so happy for all online sales of adult DVD to be driven offshore. Presumably a much wider range of Video on Demand is more of a threat to revenue.

From ZDNet

The British Government has launched a fierce attack on the European Commission over proposed legislation that seeks to regulate online content.

Existing Television without Frontiers (TWF) regulations cover traditional broadcasters, and set minimum standards for advertising and the protection of minors. The EC wants to extend them to cover online audio-visual content, including new media broadcasting and emerging technological platforms.

The UK Government called the proposals ill thought-through and ill-conceived and said that the proposals would inhibit economic growth.

We are completely negative about it , said Shaun Woodward MP, Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism. The more we look at it, it seems a really bad idea. The fundamental flaw is that it probably won't work. I see it doing huge damage to our growth, Woodward continued. The problem is the absolute lack of clarity.

If implemented, the directive would set minimum standards on areas such as advertising, hate speech and the protection of minors. Opponents claim this would force content providers to regulate Internet content.

Woodward said that the exact scope of the legislation the European Commission is proposing is "unclear", as it could cover a range of Internet services and mobile content providers.

We have serious concerns over the inclusion of non-linear services [such as video-on-demand] in the Directive. This is neither desirable nor practical, as there is nothing to stop companies relocating outside the EU to bypass regulations. Companies may relocate, taking jobs and services elsewhere, while the content is still consumed here, said Woodward, speaking at a Westminster Media Forum seminar in London.

This is a good example of where the EU goes wrong. Viviane Reding has got it wrong , Woodward claimed. Reding is the EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, who is pushing through the proposals.

The Government warned that one of the "huge problems" with the amendments to the legislation is that it could regulate "absolutely anything" online, including Weblogs, video Weblogs, and online gaming content. Because of the amount of content, this could create "huge enforcement difficulties," said Woodward.

  Update: A Right to Reply about Crazy Euro-Politicians

From Linx Public Affairs

Jean-Marie Cavada, Rapporteur for the European Parliament's Committee on Justice, Liberty and Security (i.e. Home Affairs) has produced a report on the revision of the Television Without Frontiers Directive ("TVwF") which calls for extending a much greater level of government controls over non-linear (i.e. Internet) content.

Cavada states: It is regrettable that the Commission has confined itself to minimal common rules for nonlinear services, even as regards the combating of discrimination and the protection of minors, on the grounds of a difficult or impossible technological implementation. In order to protect freedoms, the rights and obligations recognised in this field for linear services should be extended insofar as possible to non-linear services, which are becoming an increasingly important part of the audiovisual landscape by the day.

To this end he calls for

• Each Member State to establish a content regulator with authority over non-linear content;
• A right of reply over Internet content
• Requiring Internet services to contribute to cultural diversity and proposes that the [regulatory] implementing arrangements for this be specified.

The rapporteur also feels that it would be a good idea to add to Article 3e respect for human dignity and for the integrity of the person, in order to ensure that, in particular, certain reality television programmes which show participants in humiliating situations are banned.

In other words, he wants to ban Big Brother , which might be a victory for good taste, but hardly one for freedom of expression.

  Update: Demanding Compromise

From The Times

UK rejects proposal to regulate online video.

UK ministers tried to propose a compromise yesterday in an attempt to prevent the European Union extending television regulation to encompass internet video.

Writing to all European Union member states, the Government said that it "was strongly of the view" that the scope of the directive should be confined just to television broadcasting.

However, the letter did concede that if Europe wanted to widen the scope of regulation, it should draw in only video on demand because it is "closely similar to traditional television".

    Disney on Demand

From The Telegraph

Walt Disney is to show its most popular TV programmes free on the internet. For a two-month trial period, viewers will be able to download programmes like Desperate Housewives and Lost just a day after they are first broadcast on Disney-owned network ABC.

The trial will be supported by advertising, with companies such as AT&T, Procter & Gamble and Ford already signed up. Viewers will be able to fast forward and pause the programmes but will not be able to skip the adverts.

All media companies have been forced to experiment with different ways of delivering content and maintain their revenues as viewing figures for their prime time schedules slowly decline.

In the future, consumers will rely more on strong brands to help them navigate the digital world, and we have some of the strongest brands in entertainment, said Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC television group.

Some retailers fear that offering content online could severely dent DVD sales, while others believe it could spark a battle with Hollywood unions over how artists are compensated as different business models evolve

    AOL on Demand

From The Independent

In March AOL launched In2TV, a joint venture with its sister Time Warner company that Warner Bros designed to put its back catalogue online. AOL is also developing other on-demand services that feature video, and has commissioned content from Mark Burnett Productions (run by the British-born producer who made Survivor and the US version of The Apprentice ) and Katalyst Films (creator of Punk'd and Beauty and the Geek ), with an investment fund for "premium content" to launch in the UK this month.

Industry watchers have questioned launching In2TV with mainly older fare, but the company says the additional packaging each show gets should help In2TV appeal to a younger, web-savvy audience.

AOL chairman and CEO Jonathan Miller's belief is that the world is close, once again, to an internet-delivered media Nirvana. Speaking in Cannes last week at MipTV, Miller warned Europe's media business that internet protocol television (IPTV), harnessing the power of video search, will displace prime-time TV within the next few years, heralding the end of television viewing as we know it: video consumption online is exploding. In the US, video streams were up more than 40 per cent last year, and in Europe, 61 per cent use their computers to watch videos.

    Looking Down at Download Customers

From After Dawn

MovieLink and CinemaNow have become the first two sources for legal movie downloads (not rental-based) in the United States. Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Warner Brothers are backing MovieLink. CinemaNow will be carrying Sony studio films. This experiment is being done very close to the studios, so it is not surprising that the prices seem ridiculously high.

To ensure that legal movie downloads pose little or no threat to retail DVDs, the prices have been set similar, or in many cases, higher. For example, classic movies would be priced around $13.99 (some will go for $9.99). Newer movies will sell for around the same price as retail DVDs. King Kong will be sold for $19.99 as a download while Amazon offers the retail DVD for $14.99. The pricing is not the only problem however.

The movies are protected by Microsoft's Windows Media DRM software. They will not be compatible with iPods or PSPs and consumers will also "not" be able to create a DVD-Video from these files to play back in a regular DVD player. Additionally, most downloads will not feature any additional "extras" like retail DVDs to. With all these facts in mind, it is hard to see the benefit of actually using either of these services.

    Download to Burn

From Wired

If you could buy a porn video, download it in about an hour and burn it to a DVD that will play in any standard drive, would you do it? What if it had built-in digital rights management (DRM) code that only let you burn the file to disk one time, and one time only?

Vivid, arguably the most tech-savvy of the big adult entertainment studios, is launching a new Burn to DVD service on April 3 with the expectation that you, and millions like you, will.

We expect the service to be extremely popular , says Hirsch. Just hit the button, download and burn.

The prices for a DVD by download are the same as a traditional DVD, about $25 per feature, and your homemade DVD sports the same menu system, chapter navigation and any interactive features included with the original. Print the jacket art, add a jewel case and it's just like the real thing, without  a trip to the store.

The catch is that you'll only be able to burn the file to a DVD once, thanks to the proprietary burn software included with your purchase.

Burn to DVD will be offered through All Adult Channel (NSFW), which developed the application that enforces the one-burn limit. Vivid already offers content through All Adult Channel's pay-per-minute streaming.

Obviously we wanted to protect the copyright, says Vivid CEO Steven Hirsch. As soon as (All Adult Channel) was able to get the DRM in place, they had something that really interested us.

Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson discussed DRM on a recent episode of Security Now. Why is DRM so easy to crack when 128-bit public key crypto is so tough? Because the key to unlocking the DRM is right there in front of you, they say, although in much more detail. Regardless, no studio is going to release its content without some sort of confidence in a DRM system

Yet again -- an adult studio is the one willing to take the first steps ahead of mainstream Hollywood companies. We're the first studio offering a complete DVD that you can download and own, says Hirsch.

Vivid's adoption of All Adult Channel's system will carry weight with both adult and mainstream execs. Whether consumers will accept this as a viable alternative to storing porn on their hard drives or buying DVDs the old-fashioned way remains to be seen. Hirsch, of course, is optimistic.

For now, Vivid is selling 30 titles through Burn to DVD, all in standard-definition DVD quality. Hirsch says high-definition videos will become available in the future, as the company shoots about 80 percent of its new content in HD.

    Niche on Demand

From the New York Times

Andy Steward became exasperated when trying to watch his favorite sport on television. There were a few half-hour recaps of some major sailing races, but they were always shown late at night.

Steward looked into creating a sailing channel on the Sky satellite service in Britain, but his idea was soon dead in the water. He would have had to pay £85,000 (nearly $150,000) to start the channel and £40,000 a month (nearly $70,000), as well as the production costs. That was a lot of money for an untested concept.

But in January, he did introduce a sailing channel, one that is rapidly filling with sailing talk shows, product reviews, programs on sailing techniques and, most important, intense coverage of the sort of smaller races that don't make it onto traditional television.

His new channel, however, will not be available over the air. And it won't be found on cable or even on satellite, at least not yet. The channel, called Sail.tv, is broadcast only on the Internet, which enables video to reach a much larger worldwide audience at a much lower initial cost than a satellite channel. Because we didn't have any idea how big the audience would be, Steward said, he wanted to keep his expenses as low as possible: Internet television is an investment we can grow into.

It is interesting that there  are the thousands of producers whose programming would never make it into prime time but who have very dedicated small audiences. It's a phenomenon that could be called slivercasting.

In 2004, Wired magazine popularized the phrase "the long tail" to refer to the large number of specialized offerings that in themselves appeal to a small number of people, but cumulatively represent a large market that can be easily aggregated on the Internet. Plotted on a graph along with best sellers, these specialized products trail off like a long tail that never reaches zero.

The next wave of media is to unleash the power of serving people's special interests, said John Hendricks, the chief executive of Discovery Communications, which is developing a series of specialized video services.

Already, there are specialized video services serving hundreds of specialties, including poker, bicycling, lacrosse, photography, vegetarian cooking, fine wine, horror films, obscure sitcoms and Japanese anime. There is also a growing market for Webcasts of local news and entertainment from every country and in every language, aimed at expatriates.

We're adding two or three new channels a week, said Iolo Jones, the chief executive of NarrowStep, a company in London that provides technology and support for specialized Webcasts. Among his clients is Sail.tv, which says it attracted 70,000 viewers in its first month.

    Korean Lesson

Perhaps a few of our regulators and broadcasters should take note. Surely this will be the of Ofcoms human rights abusing ban on hardcore. And who wants to watch Sky's mandatory PIN protected films when one can skip the whole bollox of control freakery.

From the Korea  Herald

The start of Web-based television in Korea may still take some time with the confrontation between the nation's IT regulator and broadcasting sector over the service's legal boundaries showing no signs of ceasing.

The Korean Broadcasting Commission and the Korean Cable TV Association on Friday lashed out against Information Minister Chin Dae-je's comments earlier in the week that he is willing to approve cable TV system operators to engage in internet phone service business in return for a prompt launch of internet protocol television, or IPTV.

Though technically ready, commercialization of IPTV has been delayed for more than a year in Korea amid a turf war between the nation's telecommunication companies and broadcasting sector.

The nation's broadcasting sector has called for an "industry restructuring" as business domains of the telecommunication and broadcasting industries increasingly overlap with advancements in the IT field. The broadcasting industry says related laws must first be refurbished to ensure a fair business environment before IPTV is introduced.

IPTV, which distributes television contents over the high-speed internet, is considered a killer application for the future internet industry, however, with countries around the world racing to introduce it.

Chin has argued IPTV should be subject to minimum red-tape and quickly introduced because of national interests. The trade-off solution from Chin, however, has drawn heavy criticism from the broadcasting sector, which accuses the minister of favoritism: Chin keeps making comments favoring certain telecom operators like KT and hampering fair competition environment between operators of telecommunications and broadcasting, the Korean Broadcasting Commission said in a statement.

Meanwhile, analysts see the broadcasting sector eventually giving into the information ministry.

It is a global trend (to encourage the introduction of IPTV), said Kim Kyeong-mo, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities Co.

    Warner Brothers on Demand

From the BBC

Warner Bros to sell movies on the Internet. Films such as Batman Begins and TV series The OC are to be made available over the internet via peer-to-peer (P2P) networks by studio Warner Bros.

The firm will sell movies and TV shows over the internet in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from March. Its In2Movies service will use existing file-sharing technology. Warner Bros did not reveal price details but said it planned to widen its international use of P2P networks.

One of the most effective weapons for defeating online piracy is providing legal, easy-to-use alternatives, said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group.

New films will be made available to registered users of the service from the day they are released on DVD in the German language. Our initial efforts will focus on the German market, but in the months ahead we will leverage this technology to better serve markets around the world, Tsujihara added.

A later version of In2Movies will also enable viewers to store movies and TV shows on portable devices. The BBC is currently testing a similar service called iMP, which will enable viewers to watch BBC programmes up to seven days after they have been broadcast on TV.

    Searching for Attonement

From The Telegraph

Google, the giant internet search company, is to lead industry opposition to new proposals from the European Commission to regulate online content.

The company, which last week said it would self-censor its Chinese search engine to appease the country's government, objects to the commission's proposals to extend regulations in the Television Without Frontiers directive (TWFD) to cover video content shown on the internet.

James Purnell, the minister for creative industries, has backed Google's stance. He said: There is no benefit to the consumer that justifies this move. This increased scope could mean significant regulation of the internet and stifle the growth of new media services. That would raise prices for consumers and deprive them of potential new services.

Existing national laws that regulate TV broadcasting - for example, the British ban on tobacco advertising and child porn - were sufficient, he added.

If the proposals became part of European law, Purnell said: in 10 years our successors will bemoan the handicaps we gave to European industry and the restraints we put on free speech. For example, the proposals suggest that member states should ensure that media service providers. . . do not offer material which contains incitement to hatred on grounds of, for example, disability or age. I'm the last person to say that issues like this are not important and of course we have been discussing race and religious hatred in our own Parliament only recently.

But what that debate showed was that these are wide-ranging issues on which there are different, strongly and legitimately held opinions and where intervention must have the strongest justification. Some member states - and I don't just mean the UK - will have serious difficulties with such an approach on grounds of freedom of speech.

The plan to extend the scope of the TWFD is set to go before the European Parliament later this year. The new proposals, if implemented, will govern material shown on the internet which originates in EU member states. The internet industry fears that some content providers will move outside the trading bloc rather than submit to regulation.

The TV and internet industries are moving closer together as new technologies and faster download speeds make it easier to broadcast video on the web.

    Self Regulation (Except for Extreme Porn?)

From The Times

Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, said yesterday that a European Union plan to introduce Internet regulation was unwelcome, arguing that new media were best left to themselves. If we want further regulation, then I believe the best approach is to rely as far as possible on self-regulation. She said that existing EU proposals in a draft directive were "as a whole … still unacceptable."

The European Union is trying to overhaul the 1989 Television Without Frontiers directive, which sets out a baseline for broadcast regulation across Europe. Although Brussels insists it is producing a light-touch approach, it still wants to introduce new rules on the protection of children and the incitement to hatred. It is the first time that the Culture Secretary has taken a position on the subject, although her stance is in line with a speech made by Lord Currie of Marylebone, the chairman of Ofcom, in Liverpool last autumn. He argued that ordinary criminal law was a sufficient way to regulate the Internet.

    Sky by Broadband

From Digital Spy (More on their website)

Digital Spy's Alan Jay reviews Sky's new broadband and mobile services.

This is a project that Sky has been working on for almost a year, according to Sky's developers. The service is available to those with two premium channels: a Sky Sports subscription gets you access to the sports streams, a Sky Movies subscription gets you access to the movie streams, and a Sky World subscription offers access to both.

To access the service, you log on to skybybroadband.com and input your address and Sky Card number. Each household may then download, onto a single PC, a copy of the Sky by Broadband software. The application looks very easy to use and it is a clean and simple interface that certainly looks very "Sky." Browsing the application is intuitive. Sky have built an interesting "recommendation" system to tailor the choices it recommends to you; it isn't anything sophisticated but, it provides some way to focus your attention and with move movies and sports clips coming this will be useful.

According to Sky, 30,000 people have already downloaded it. They are pitching it as another bonus content delivery platform similar to the positioning of Sky+ as a "loyalty bonus" for subscribers who take a minimum of two premium channels.

Currently, hundreds of titles are available on the service. Sky plans to expand this to thousands of titles of movies and sport content as the service develops. In the future Sky hopes to have some content from Sky One available, probably in the next 6 months and probably starting with their US imports. Live coverage of the UEFA Champions League is also expected to eventually join the service.

Once the software is downloaded and configured you select a film or sports clip to download. The program then does so in the background, with Sky estimating an hour for a 2 hour movie on a 2Mbps downstream connection. The files are between 800MB and 1GB in size and are compressed using Windows Media 9 Series codecs. In terms of resolution, the clips have around 540 lines although they plan to increase this by 20% for the next set of movies. In terms of bitrates, the movies are encoded with variable bitrates (running at around 800kbps), with sports running at a fixed 900kbps.

There are restrictions on what can be done with downloaded content. Burning it to a DVD is not permitted, and movies are automatically deleted after 30 days.

    Enticed by Cathy Barry

From AVN

Entice.TV will feature Pumpkin Pictures, the United Kingdom's largest producer of adult video and home of Cathy Barry, one of the country's top adult stars, on its adult broadband Internet protocol television service.

Entice.TV delivers DVD-quality video and high definition video via a broadband connection to a TV and PC, without the need for a set-top box.

Pumpkin's titles are consistently top sellers in the UK, and have featured some of England's most recognizable performers, including AVN Award-winner Angel Long, Jane Whitehouse and Michelle Thorne.

Barry, a busty female performer, appears in many of Pumpkin's videos.

    Pie in the Sky

But will the service feature real porn?

No doubt a tie up between two leading control freak companies will result in a service where the customers has no rights whatsoever.

From The Times

BSKYB has forged a deal with Microsoft allowing it to launch a video-on-demand service for personal computers next week, extending its push into broadband and giving millions of its subscribers access to films and sports highlights on a new format.

From Tuesday BSkyB subscribers who own PCs with Microsoft's Media Centre software, a user-friendly version of Windows, will be able to access video-on-demand features through the recently announced Sky By Broadband service. The service will be available to BSkyB's premium movies and sports subscribers.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, said the tie-up with BSkyB, in which News Corporation, parent company of The Times was in preparation for the arrival of the much talked about "digital lifestyle".

As Britain's take-up of high-speed broadband internet connections has increased, media and telecoms groups are preparing for the internet to become the main source for television, music and telecoms services. Video-on-demand technology will allow viewers to watch what they want when they want.

Gates said that content from MTV, the US music channel, will also be made available through a similar partnership: We're working with BSkyB and they'll be setting up through our alliance a video-on-demand capability — they have got over eight million subscribers in the UK who will be able to do those downloads.

The announcement reiterates BSkyB's interest in expanding its broadband offering. BSkyB has said that nearly half its satellite TV customers have broadband access.

In October, the company announced a £211 million takeover of Easynet, the broadband telecoms specialist. The Easynet deal enables BSkyB to offer "triple-play" services — a combination of broadband, television and telephony. This will help the group to compete with NTL and Telewest, currently in the process of merging, which both offer triple play.

    Searching for Video On Demand

But will the service feature real porn?

From CNET News

Google plans to sell television shows and sports programming that customers can download from its Web site, a source familiar with the deal told CNET News.com.

Users will pay an undisclosed fee to download content supplied by partners that Google has lined up. These include TV broadcasters and the National Basketball Association.

Mountain View.-based Google is expected to debut the new service at the Consumer Electronics Show Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story. A Google representative responded to an interview request by saying that the company anticipates "many exciting announcements" on Friday.

A slew of companies, including Apple Computer, are trying to seize turf in the tiny video-on-demand market, even though studies indicate that the public has remained cool on the idea of replacing their TVs with a PC.

According to a Jupiter Research survey, only one in four people were interested in downloading video via the Internet. Just 28% of poll participants between the ages of 18 and 24 had ever watched a video online.

It's safe to say that only a small minority of the population are doing anything with downloadable video, said Todd Chanko, a media analyst at Jupiter, adding that he had no reason to believe a surge of interest in downloadable video is just around the corner.

Nitin Gupta, a media analyst for research firm Yankee Group, said the surging interest in mobile products will spur sales of downloadable video and the market is too new to gauge public opinion: Services like this are the foundation for innovation. Companies here will find new ways to package video content, make interfaces more active...I don't know the economics of Google's model for this, but with their track record, I'm betting they have found a way to make money on this.

    Gay Content In Demand

From TV Predictions

Entice.tv is taking its IPTV (Internet protocol television) to adult gay producers through a customized version of the company's new on-demand adult entertainment service.

Entice.tv delivers DVD-quality video and high-definition video via a broadband connection to a PC and then to TV without the need for a set-top box. The player is customizable by video preference: gay, lesbian, straight, or any combination.

Users who select gay content will receive software for a player devoted to all-gay videos and images. The on-screen, remote-controlled guide is based on the chosen preference and includes such categories as twink, uniforms, muscle men, and "str8 bait."

We are enthusiastic to add gay studios to our innovative service. Entice.tv offers gay producers a way to have their own studio-branded TV channels, much different than broadcast, but just as user-friendly , says Susan Keil, president of Entice.tv. Gay producers who've looked to distribute their titles through a venue with the video quality and ease of use of cable and satellite have been out of luck, until now. Hardcore gay adult titles can now be offered discreetly and conveniently, there's no need to go out to an adult video store, wait for a brown paper package to arrive, or watch poor quality video on a tiny computer screen.