VCX target Mac users with DivX download-to-own classics

From AVN see full article

VCX is re-encoding its library of adult classics to make the content available to Mac and PC users via the DivX download-to-own software.

The entire VCX library is expected to be available for download-to-own by the end of August.

"The VCX website now hosts 97 titles for DivX download, including the original Debbie Does Dallas, the Fred Lincoln/Jean Jennings classic Defiance, and actor Vincent Gallo's favorite porn movie, 800 Fantasy Lane.

Once customers download the title, they can play it at their convenience forever, just as if they have a DVD in their player. Mac users have not been served well in the past by streaming companies, since the standard Windows Media Players using DRM [Digital Rights Management] are not supported by the Mac. DivX now has a new player that can be downloaded by Mac users that works with their proprietary DRM.

 
Vivid start new download service

From Contact Music see full article

While the major film studios have been reluctant to allow their movies to be downloaded online and burned onto a DVD, the porn industry appears ready to make that leap at once.

Vivid Entertainment plans to offer its films via the online CinemaNow movie service beginning Monday.

Other studios' reluctance to do the same thing is largely based on their unwillingness to risk the wrath of big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy who currently are the largest sellers of DVDs. But Vivid's Bill Asher told USA Today that his company doesn't have to be concerned about any of its retailers: We sell in smaller stores, mainstream chains, but no one dominant component where we're going to get that phone call.

 
Internet TV package with a hardcore movie channel

Promotional material from Play TV

Play TV UK is a British Broadcaster of IPTV delivering the very best content available via broadband to any room in your home and viewed on your TV (NOT your PC) via our Hybrid set top box that includes IPTV, Freeview Digital Tuner, High Definition Up-scalar and a 80G DVR (Digital video recorder).

Our aim is to give you the viewer a far greater choice than Freeview, satellite or cable. Flexibility so you can watch what you want when you want. Give you the viewer the control over the content you want and when you want it. Continue improving upon our team of professionals delivering a top class service always looking at can we/could we do it better. To provide a secure and safe viewing platform for your whole family’s home entertainments.

• Play Movies > 9 Movie channels constantly streaming the very latest Blockbusters plus some great classics, 1 Adult channel (with real adult content), Age pin protection/on-line classification to protect your family from unwanted content.
• Play Sport > Launching with 10 premium sports channels (with more channels to follow)
• Play Entertainment > Local TV - local news – events and entertainment from your town not region, Entertainment all the Freeview channels plus Comedy - Sci-Fi - Living – Gold and more, Kids Boomerang, Nickelodeon, CBBC, Cbeebies, C-ITV and many more, Music from all Genres plus PPV & VOD music, News, Local – Regional – National and International news, Documentaries, Discovery – History – People – Animals and more, Teletext, HD, High Definition video library, Shopping, Religion, Gaming, over 400 Games, Lifestyle including Food – Style - Fashion and more
• Play Radio > Current listings include Play Radio UK, Play Rock, Play Classical, Play Top 40, Play Dance, Play Jazz, Play Reggae, Play R&B, Play Country, Play Love, Play Talk and Play Sussex, Future Genres will include Indie, Scar, Xmas, Hip Hop, Chill, 30’s to 50’s, 60’s & 70’s, Latin, Africa, India, Asia, Disco and Soundtracks.
• Play World > Local TV your TV from around the world including Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, North & Central America, South America, Australia & Oceania.
• Freeview > All your current Freeview channels.

   
Vivid's first VOD only release

From AVN see full article

Vivid recently announced plans to release a new title only on their video on demand services. The film, My Ex-Girlfriend, will not be available to buy on dvd, but will be distributed through sites like Strictly Broadband and similar Video On Demand services.

The title, starring Brea Lynn, will be the first adult title released in this way and show Vivid's faith in the future of Video on Demand. Earlier this year the studio began releasing films simultaneously into stores and on VOD.

Whilst many may say this signals the end for the good old porno DVD, Vivid Co-Chairman Steve Hirsh is quick to reassure customers that Vivid will continue to release DVD products whilst making more title available for streaming and download online.

He said: While we plan to release our first title exclusively on VOD, we don't plan to reduce the number of titles that we also sell to brick and mortar retailers. According to our research, there are distinct and separate audiences for our movies via either DVD or VOD, and we'll continue to tailor our marketing programs to reach each group.

   
The 'alt-themed' Taboo series

I don't think the BBFC would very impressed by incest themes in hardcore.

From AVN see full article
See also the Taboo Film Channel

VCX and Standard Digital have announced the launch of a new VOD website dedicated to Kirdy Stevens' award-winning Taboo movies.

The Taboo Film Channel allows members to stream or buy the remastered, uncut versions of all six Taboo movies, as well as Stevens' golden age porn classics Daisy Chain, Playing With Fire and The Animal in Me.

VCX president David Sutton told AVN: A lot of companies won't touch this material because of the theme. We're calling it 'alt-themed' – nobody wants to use the word incest. You can't make one of those today – after '95 it's pretty much one of the 3 strike rules. They're still great titles; it's going to really pay dividends going forward, and the viewing public is really going to appreciate it as well.

   
R18s on demand

From SexCube.TV

SexQube.TV was established by a former Sky TV Creative Director & National Geographic Head of Interactive and ex-Penthouse UK MD & Television X New Media Director.

It is a broadband TV channel with a free video stream advertising its subscription and video-on-demand areas, giving monthly and pay-per-view access to R18 content, on demand, across all genres. Films cost £5 for 2 weeks of viewing.

In the UK SexQube.TV is targeting 11.2 million broadband enabled homes, with 27% of those customers already using broadband TV. The Nielsen Net Ratings survey of February 2006 reports that 9.1 million men and 1.5 million women (growing at 14% p.a.) used adult websites in the UK. Adult websites also enjoy the fastest growing online spend, with an average spend of $310 per person per year.

   
The trend is a shift from DVDs to new media

From AVN see full article

In its first-quarter results, Private Media Group announced that wireless, internet and VOD accounted for 50% of the company's total net sales for the period ending March 31.

Private reported a loss of 100,000 EU with first-quarter sales totaling $5.4 million EU. The figure represents a 15% decrease in net sales compared to last year's results for the same period, a drop attributed to lower DVD and magazine sales.

All of the company's new media divisions showed growth, with wireless up 65%, broadcast gaining 18% and internet rising by 5%. Of these revenue sources, the internet netted the highest sales at $1.1 million EU.

While restructuring its DVD and magazine distribution to adjust to the changing marketplace, Private is "aggressively" targeting IPTV as the wave of the future.

According to the report, Private has contracted with 14 cable operators to offer its content through IPTV-based services in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

   
Internet video up and magazines down

From AVN see full article

Playboy Enterprises is boasting that it has doubled its first-quarter profits compared to 2006.

With the help of a 77% increase in licensing revenues and a reduction in some expenses, Playboy posted a net first-quarter income of $1.5 million, up from $0.8 million during this period a year ago.

Despite the rapid jumps in both its licensing business — mainly due to the new Playboy club in the Palms casino in Las Vegas — and its "new" media, such as mobile and online services, analysts had thought these gains would fail to compensate for sluggish prospects in the company's publishing and TV divisions.

As predicted, the company's flagship magazine continued its decline, posting an operating loss of $2.4 million. Playboy's domestic TV revenues fell 12% compared to 2006, a loss the company attributed in part to growing competition from VOD.

   
Internet delivery out sells DVD for Ben Dover

From Strictly News see full article

Ben Dover has been in this business for a long time. He was one of the most successful sellers of hardcore porn on the new format of VHS in the 1980s, and was early to exploit the new technologies of DVD and the web when they came along.

Now he has exclusively revealed to Strictly News that in the first quarter of 2007, web sales of his videos (in download and streaming form) overtook DVD sales for the first time. This marks a big step for the porn industry, as new technology overtakes the old.

Part of the reason for the change is the decline in the DVD market caused by legal changes and widespread piracy. The Video Recordings Act prevents British companies from selling adult DVDs by mail order, which has pushed many customers to using broadband, or to legal imports from Europe & the US, or to buying porn DVDs from pirates at car boot sales.

One of the leading sellers of Ben Dover titles is Strictly Broadband; Managing Director Jerry Barnett says: Ben Dover's titles are among the most popular we sell, providing very hardcore sex combined with typically British humour. As DVD sales have declined, our sales have risen, and without a doubt we benefit from the difficult legal environment which was designed to restrict the porn industry.

All of Ben Dover's movies can be watched online by broadband users at Strictly Broadband.

   
Real UK Dogging available for download

From All Amateurs DVD See further details

All Amateurs DVD have started the UK High Definition ball rolling with their amateur production Real UK Dogging

The film was produced using "massively high spec videos for true High Definition not
what most internet companies call HD".

The video is available as an unrestricted High Definition DivX download (1280 x 720 pixels progressive @ 5,000 KB/s)

   
US TV to be made available for official sharing

From The Telegraph see full article

Some of America's best loved television shows, including The Simpsons, House and 24, are to be made available for free on a new video-sharing website that threatens to challenge the might of YouTube.

The as-yet unnamed service, due to be launched this summer, is the creation of NBC Universal and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Funded by advertising, it will let users watch clips, entire programmes and films owned by the two media giants for free. Users will also be able to post video playlists and create "mash-ups" - clips of films, songs and TV shows edited by the public.

The new service is designed to challenge the popularity of YouTube, the Google-owned do-it-yourself video site used by millions of people every day to post and watch videos. Although YouTube is intended as an outlet for amateur videos, it has become an unofficial archive of television shows, films and pop concerts.

Last week, Viacom, which owns MTV, sued Google for more than one billion dollars, claiming "massive intentional copyright infringement" for allowing programmes to be posted on the YouTube site.

Because of existing licensing agreements with broadcasters outside America, the service is initially being targeted at American audiences. Last night it was unclear when the service would be available to Britain and rest of the world.

The site will be funded by advertising, with Cadbury Schwepps, Cisco Systems and General Motors among the companies to have signed up. The site's owners have struck a deal with AOL, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo! to distribute the service available to most US internet users.

A spokesman for News Corporation confirmed that the service could come to Britain. However, British broadcasters such as Channel 4 and ITV have exclusive deals to show many of the programmes owned by News Corporation and NBC Universal. Making them available for free online could cause problems.

   
First download to burn service for Britain

From The Times see full article
See also Lovefilm.com

One of the last barriers to convenient film distribution via the internet fell yesterday with the launch of the first legal “download-to-burn” service in Britain.

Customers will be able to sign up with Lovefilm.com to create high-quality DVDs direct from their computers.

Previously, customers could rent or buy films digitally but could not then transfer them to the DVD format.

The Lovefilm service, which will be available from next month, will open with a range of about 100 titles from the back catalogues of two major studios. Prices start from £9.99 per film.

   
New draft of Television Without Frontiers

From ZDNet see full article

The European Commission has released a new draft of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (previously known as Television Without Frontiers)

The amendments have not pleased the UK government who say that European plans to regulate online audiovisual content remain a threat despite modifications.

Warning that continental Europe had a "stronger predilection for state intervention" than the UK, Shaun Woodward, the minister for creative industries and tourism, told a conference on Tuesday that the UK had nearly lost its battle to change the Television Without Frontiers (TVWF) directive, now renamed the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) directive.

Woodward went on to plead with the media industry to help him in the continuing fight against the directive, saying that it had not done enough to combat what he said was a measure which would have damaged [the creative] industry beyond belief.

The original purpose of the directive was to create a "level playing-field" across Europe for audiovisual services, whether on television or online. In effect, however, this meant that each country would have had to regulate all audiovisual online content put up in that country, with little distinction being made between, for example, what a television station put on normal TV screens and what it put online.

In November a European Council vote was held that forced a rephrasing of the directive, itself soon to be renamed. The latest draft of what is now the AVMS directive, published last week, makes a much clearer distinction between "linear" (ie scheduled, as on television) and "non-linear" (ie on-demand) content — a modification designed to exempt services such as YouTube from the regulation.

Critics are still unhappy with the wording of the directive, however, which some say remains open to interpretation.

Woodward maintained that a self-regulatory approach, with occasional requests that inappropriate or illegal content be removed, was the way to go: The industry in the UK has been achieving spectacular growth in new media… without the need for state controls, Woodward added, while repeating his claim that imposing regulation on the new media industry would only drive production outside EU jurisdiction while failing to protect consumers from accessing "bad" content.

Tim Suter, the Ofcom partner responsible for content and standards, agreed that self-regulation was desirable, and suggested that an organisation for online media, along the lines of the Press Complaints Commission, might be the best option. Describing the AVMS directive as "wrongheaded", he said the best way to protect audiences from inappropriate content was to educate them.

   
Joost make a deal for Viacom content

From the BBC

Entertainment giant Viacom is to provide TV programmes and films to much-hyped online video service Joost. The deal includes programming from MTV Networks, BET Networks and film studio Paramount Pictures.

Joost was founded by Niklas Zennstroem and Janus Friis, the men behind Skype, and is pitching itself as a broadband video network.

The content Joost will receive from Viacom is aimed at a younger demographic, with programmes such as Laguna Beach, Beavis and Butthead, Real World and Punk'd on offer.

   
BT Vision to carry HBO programming

From BT

BT is to provide Home Box Office programming on its TV service, BT Vision. The agreement will provide BT Vision viewers with award-winning series, mini-series, documentaries and comedy specials not shown in the UK before.

BT Vision customers will be able to choose whether they wish to pay for shows individually or as part of a monthly subscription package. The programming line-up will be available from May and will be updated on a weekly basis. Over time the library will build to include, on demand, all episodes of series such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Entertainment on Demand:VOD
	From	To
Film	£1.99	£2.99
TV Replay	£0.99	£1.49
TV	£0.79	£0.99
Kids		£0.49
Music
Premium Concerts		£2.99
Library Concerts		£1.99
Premium Documentaries		£1.49
Library Documentaries		£0.99
Individual Music Videos		£0.29
Video playlists (10 videos)		£1.79

Entertainment on Demand: Monthly Subscriptions
TV	£6
TV Replay	£3
Kids	£6
Music Videos	£6
Value Pack (all of above)	£14

   
Very restrictive conditions on BBC download service

From the BBC

TV shows like Doctor Who are expected to be temporarily available for download later this year after the BBC Trust gave initial approval to the BBC's on-demand plans. Full approval of the on-demand plans will follow a two-month consultation until May 2nd 2007.

Under the proposals, viewers will be able to watch popular programmes online or download them to a home computer up to a week after they are broadcast.

But the trust imposed tough conditions on classical music, which could stop a repeat of the BBC's Beethoven podcasts.

The BBC will be able to launch its long-awaited iPlayer, a computer application which allows audiences to watch or download any programme from the last seven days. A programme will remain playable for 30 days after being downloaded or seven days after being watched.

The BBC Trust, an independent body that replaced the corporation's governors at the beginning of 2007, said the on-demand plans, which also cover cable TV, were likely to deliver significant public value.

But it agreed with broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which said earlier this month that the iPlayer could have a "negative effect" on commercial rivals. As a result, the trust has imposed several conditions on the BBC. It wants the corporation to scale back plans to let downloaded "catch-up" episodes remain on users' hard drives for 13 weeks, suggesting that 30 days is enough.

Some shows will be able to remain on a viewer's computer beyond the standard seven-day window using a feature called series stacking. Every episode of a "stacked" series would be made available until a week after transmission of the final installment.

Trustees said the BBC needed to be clearer about which programmes would be offered on this service - but suggested "landmark" series "with a beginning and end", like Planet Earth or Doctor Who, should be eligible.

The trust also asked the BBC to explore ways of introducing parental controls to its on-demand services, as it is worried at the heightened risk of children being exposed to post-watershed material.

Podcasts also came under scrutiny, with the Trust recommending that audio books and classical music be excluded from the BBC's download services. There is a potential negative market impact if the BBC allows listeners to build an extensive library of classical music that will serve as a close substitute for commercially available downloads or CDs, it said.

In a blow to Microsoft, the Trust also insists the service be platform agnostic. As proposed by the BBC, the service would have relied on Microsoft's digital rights management framework. The Trust requires the BBC to adopt a platform-agnostic approach within "a reasonable timeframe" to enable users of other platforms such Apple and Linux to access the on-demand services.

   
ie Europe muscling into Internet TV

From the BBC

An EU bid to make internet broadcasters subject to the same laws as traditional television is "seriously misguided", a House of Lords committee has said.

Proposals risk damaging the new media industry, pushing broadcasters to set up outside Europe, the committee said.

The committee was discussing European Commission plans to update the 1989 TV without Frontiers EU directive. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive aims to reflect huge changes in broadcasting in recent years.

It has proved controversial as the EU attempts to increase regulation of video content on the internet, and create a "level playing field" between traditional TV-based and online broadcasts. The EC argues that new broadcasters are effectively competing for viewers and advertising and should be subject to the same rules.

But the all-party Lords European Union Committee rejected this, saying it was not the role of regulation to protect established broadcasters from new competition operating under different business models.

Committee chairman Lord Freeman said: We believe that this attempt was seriously misguided and any future efforts to do the same would be in grave error. Such an attempt risks damaging the new media industry, which is a vibrant and important sector of the UK's economy.

The committee said enforcing the new directive would be difficult, as the pace of change in new media was so quick the definition of services covered may not offer enough legal certainty.

There was also particular concern about attempts to water down the "country of origin principle", which allows broadcasters to offer pan-European services, while complying with the laws of the country they are based in.

Lord Freeman added: Most of our concerns on the proposed directive rest on whether the country of origin principle, which we see as essential to the proper operation of single market legislation, will be maintained. We are firmly convinced that it should be.

   
Ofcom criticise BBC plan for time shift downloads

From the BBC

The BBC's plans to offer all its TV and radio shows on-demand via the internet and cable TV have been criticised by Ofcom.

Ofcom said that certain aspects of the BBC's on-demand service, which is due to start later this year, could have a "negative effect" on commercial rivals.

It added that while the BBC's plans would boost interest in rival services, it would likely limit their investment. Ofcom said such an outcome would not be in the long-term public interest.

Under the BBC's proposals, viewers would be able to watch any BBC programme from the previous seven days via the internet, using a tool called iPlayer, or through NTL-Telewest's cable television service at a time of their choosing.

Ofcom estimates that the BBC's on-demand service could account for almost four billion viewer and listener hours by 2011. In addition to limiting investment by commercial rivals, Ofcom said it was also concerned about the impact on related markets such as DVD rentals and sales. For this reason it has recommended that the BBC's on-demand service reduces from 13 weeks the planned amount of time that users could keep downloaded programmes.

   
BBFC move into the censorship of Internet video

From Strictly Broadband posting on the Beer and Bollocks webmasters forum
Also see notes from NOC Meeting on a similar subject

I had a meeting with the BBFC last week to discuss their plans, and get their views on where the law is going. Note that the BBFC don't set the law, but they need to interpret it. Below are the points that came out of the meeting, most of them known already to some degree. A follow-up meeting will be held next week to look in more detail at how they intend to enforce the use of their online certificates specifically for streaming content.

• The BBFC will shortly (well before the end of this year) be introducing a VoD certificate. This will be issued free of charge to companies that submit content for distribution on DVD/video. It will cover downloads for sure, and possibly streaming. The certificate will allow companies to display BBFC certificate logos on their web sites.
   
• For companies that do not certificate for the time being, the BBFC will soon be publishing a set of guidelines for adult web companies laying out in more details what they do/don't consider legal content. I see this as a good step forward, as it will allow adult webmasters a clearer view of what may be likely to get them prosecuted under the OPA.
   
• Certification will for now be voluntary for online use.
   
• Online certificates will have three parts:
  1. A visible logo to display online
  2. A video "card" to put at the start of a certificated video
  3. A paper certificate to file away
   
• The BBFC will be making content submission possible online - currently you need to submit on physical media.
   
• By 2010, the UK will have to sign up to the EU's Television Without Frontiers framework - this means that laws will be introduced to regulate online content - my interpretation of this is that within a couple of years, all adult content online will fall within regulation.
   
• The BBFC expect that their certification of online content will be a key part in enforcing the new legislation.
   
• People within the BBFC scheme will be fairly well protected from prosecution - those outside the scheme have no protection.
   
• In the longer term, the BBFC are investigating content labelling schemes, especially for adult material - this will be technically similar to existing ICRA content labelling.
   
• The timescales are fluid, but will be forced by the implementation of the EU legislation.
   
• I raised the specific issue of watersports; many webmasters are unaware that this is illegal in the UK. the BBFC have no role in deciding what is classed as obscene, they are simply guided by the police. I was informed that the police have made prosecutions of web sites for this content - the problem being that webmasters tend to plead guilty to avoid a prison sentence, and so the guideline hasn't been challenged in court.

   
High definition downloads

From X Biz

The Adult erotica director Andrew Blake has embraced online distribution and made clips from his newest film, X, available for download at www.AndrewBlakeHD.com.

While Blake said he has long been a proponent of high-definition content, he hasn’t always had the ability to show fans his work in what he calls true HD: I have been producing all of my feature films in the HD format for years. However, only now, has the opportunity arisen to present these films the way they were meant to be seen, in true HD.

In addition to clips from X, Blake said he intends to make his earlier works available for download on the site soon.

   
Broadcast quality internet TV

From the BBC

The founders of the Skype internet telephony service are launching what they describe as the world's first broadcast quality internet TV service.

Following speculation about a service dubbed The Venice Project, the online television software is now being unveiled under the name Joost.

The chief executive, Frederik de Wahl said: It's full-screen, broadcast quality, you've got instant channel flipping, and interactivity - a viewer can come to us and get all their TV needs.

The service is still undergoing trials, but thousands of people have taken up an invitation to download the software and try it out.

There is a line-up of sports, documentaries and music programming, but nothing that is going to tempt many away from their existing television diet.

De Wahl insists this is just trial programming and when the full launch takes place in the next few months there will be much more impressive content on offer.

   
Porn downloaders only watch a few minutes

From Nine MSN

Rather than aiming to download high-quality movies either permanently or temporarily, it seems that the majority of adult viewers are quite happy with short spurts of viewing, using relatively low-resolution streaming protocols.

Richard Cohen, CEO of Hotmovies.com, a prominent pay-per-minute adult site network which charges its customers US 10 cents per minute to watch the skin flick of their choice. Apparently, it's a fairly quick process.

Customers do not want to watch entire movies, Cohen said. They want to watch scenes. They might watch a scene once or twice, then they move on - but they come back to the site over and over again.

Most porn viewers don't want to watch an adult movie in its entirety, since their functional purpose is unlikely to stretch to 90 minutes or more. With rare exceptions, most mainstream viewers do want to watch movies in their entirety. Nonetheless, the trend seems worth noting.

According to Cohen, porn is a particularly transient business. They don't want to own it, they don't want to see it more than once, he told a seminar on delivery technologies at last week's Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. A lot of them don't want it on their hard drive, if they're doing it at home.

That might explain why permanent options don't seem popular with porn consumers. We have iPod downloads, but they don't really sell, Cohen said. The same applies to Amazon-style sell-through schemes. We have links on thousands of titles saying 'buy this movie' and it's unbelievable how little people click on them. And download-to-own is the same. People don't use it.

Cohen predicts a rapid demise for 'conventional' adult sites which aim to achieve a recurring monthly subscription for a particular set of content: Membership sites for adult content are dying. The consumer is sick and tired of having to pay every month.

He concedes more competition is likely if that happens, but doesn't seem worried. It's like Las Vegas: they keep building more hotels, and people keep coming. Pay-per-minute is going to grow the entire market.