MicroTechXP

The Internet rumour mill has been in full swing again today, with reports coming in that online rental company Netflix may be bringing its service to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Reports originate from a survey supposedly distributed by the company, which presents consumers with the following question: “If as part of your Netflix membership you could instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your TV with your PS/3 or XBOX 360, how likely would you/anyone in your household be to do that?”
The survey reveals that users will be able to play streaming media on their console by utilizing a “special Netflix disc.” Furthermore, aside from paying USD 3 for the disc itself, consumers would not be charged any additional fees.

No mention was given to how the PS3 will handle the Microsoft-based DRM.
Regardless what the survey may indicate, readers should file this one under speculation for the time being, at least until we hear otherwise. [Engadget]

In what could just as easily be an honest mistake but is causing lots of discussion among Blu-ray fans — Amazon.co.uk has three Paramount titles available for pre-order. All three titles have a expected ship date of March 10th and all those hopeful for a sin gle format to get behind, want to believe this is another slip by our friends at Amazon that would confirm the rumor that Paramount is using its exit clause to go Blu. We’re sure if we asked Paramount it’d be denied ’til the cows come home, but even though these titles were previously available on Blu-ray, we’d still put our money on this being just like the third generation HD DVD player situation. [EngadgetHD]

[Via FormatWarCentral]
View - Trading Spaces
View - Coming to America
View - Anchorman

Daily Variety has confirmed that Universal’s commitment to backing HD DVD exclusively has ended. And Paramount has an escape clause in its HD DVD contract allowing it to release pics on Blu-ray after Warner Bros.’ decision to back that format exclusively.
Neither studio is ready to throw in the towel immediately, however. Universal is committed to a series of promotions for the high-def format in coming months, and Par has said its current plans are to keep supporting HD DVD, which it backed exclusively in August. [Variety]

Following Warner’s lead, sister company New Line has confirmed that it will support Blu-ray Disc high def releases exclusively. New Line has previously delayed their day-and-date new releases on HD DVD due to the format’s lack of region c oding, effectively making titles such as Shoot ‘em Up, Hairspray, and Rush Hour 3 exclusive to Blu-ray. Although a 2008 release slate for the studio has not been released, an announcement may be possible at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. [Blu-Ray]

Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros studio on Friday said it would exclusively release high-definition DVDs in Sony Corp’s  Blu-ray format, dealing a big blow to Toshiba Corp’s  rival HD DVD technology.
Warner Bros, Hollywood’s biggest seller of DVDs, representing about 18 to 20 percent of sales in the United States, was one of the few studios that backed both formats.
All sides of the format war had agreed it was confusing to consumers and a stumbling block for a potential multibillion-dollar industry.
Total DVD unit sales fell 4.5 percent in 2007, the first major year-over-year decline since the disc format debuted in 1997, according to Adams Media Research. Sales fell 4.8 percent to $15.7 billion.
“The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers,” Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.
News Corp’s 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Co, and Lionsgate are among studios backing the Blu-ray format. Viacom Inc’s Paramount studios and General Electric’s NBC Universal release movies in HD DVD format.
Warner said it would continue releasing in the HD DVD format until the end of May, although those releases would follow the standard DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Samsung Electronics, a leading maker of various equipment, has quietly started to sell its BD-P1400 Blu-ray disc (BD) player for $299 in certain locations. The decision moves Blu-ray format into the same price range as HD D VD players from Toshiba that support 1080p output and may pose a serious threat to the standard pushed by Microsoft and Toshiba.
At press time Amazon.com, Best Buy, Circuit City and Costco offered Samsung BD-P1400 players for $299, which is tangibly below the official manufacturer suggested retail price of $499 for the device, reports HighDefDigest web-site. Unfortunately, it is still not completely clear whether the price slash is temporary, or end-users will be able to get the BD-P1400 for $299 going forward too.

View: The full story @ Xbit-Labs

Polyphony Digital today announced that the company has signed a deal with BBC Worldwide to allow users to view episodes of the popular motoring show Top Gear through the PlayStation 3.

 
Gamers can watch up to 40 episodes of the popular Television series, run by the ever exuberant trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, via the new Gran Turismo TV Channel, which is set to launch next year.
The BBC also revealed that the infamous test-track featured in the programme would be included in Gran Turismo 5, allowing players to race a variety of machines around the course in a similar mould to Top Gear’s very own motoring legend, ‘The Stig’.
Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamauchi commented, "We’re sure that players will be as thrilled as we are when they get the chance to put their own driving skills to the test on the Top Gear Test Track in GT5, as well as enjoying classic episodes of Top Gear via GT TV.”
Gran Turismo 5 will be released in North America and Europe sometime in 2008. [PSU]

It seems a new service was announced by Sony called MegaTV, here is a rough translation:
"SCEK and KT introduced the new "Mega TV for PLAYSTATION ® 3" service. This service was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) software using a "Broadcasting Engine" based on the enabling technologies. "Broadcasting Engine" is the quality of HD PS3 ™ streaming software that enables playback. The "MegaTV for PLAYSTATION ® 3" service to the world’s first commercialized in the United States.
The Cell / Broadband Engine ™ is used for optimal operation of the power and graphics capabilities, such as the PS3 RSX ™ to take advantage of the excellent performance of the hardware. Full-HD IPTV even responds. Using "MegaTV for PLAYSTATION ® 3" at the same time to use a Web surfing is also possible, such as top points you can not enjoy the Zone feature enables set-top boxes."
Video upload coming soon. [onaxis]

One of the largest retail chains in the United States is taking a stance that could possibly push the industry into choosing a winner between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Target, a well respected retail chain and a fierce competitor with the Wal-Mart franchise, has recently made some moves that favor the Blu-ray format.

When Target first started to carry the high def formats last year, they were pretty neutral in terms of which was the better format as they reserved 12 title slots for each. However, recently it has been noted that at a few Target locations in the Los Angeles area carry 24 title slots for Blu-ray while HD-DVD remains at the original 12. At a Philadelphia Target, there was four times the space for Blu-ray titles as there were for HD-DVD.
Furthermore, beginning in October, Target will offer Sony’s $499 Blu-ray player as their chief high def set top box. Andy Parsons, chair of the promotion committee for Blu-ray had this to say, “The message to the consumer is that one of these [formats] is dominating. You’ll go with the masses and pick titles from the one that is likely to win.” Target had no comment.
This can only mean great things for Blu-ray as it continues to establish itself as the future HD format for consumers. The holiday season is just around the corner and it is going to be interesting to see how the battle between the Sony’s format and HD-DVD turns out. [Video Business]

Our mole has a great track record: both the Xbox 360 HDMI story and the wired Xbox 360 Rock Band controllers have since been confirmed. Whoever our friendly inside source is, he’s got some great contacts. Now he’s ready to tell us what Sony’s console pricing plans may soon look like. Here’s how Sony’s platform pricing will shape up by the holiday shopping season:
* 80GB PlayStation 3: $499.99
* 40GB PlayStation 3: $399.99
* Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray movie pack in with one, or both
* PlayStation 2: $99.99
The 80GB price drop isn’t that shocking, but a new $400 40GB system would be huge news. Would people be willing to part with 40GB to save $100? I think so, and having a $400 PlayStation 3 option would be a great weapon this holiday season. If they get to show off the Blu-ray capabilities of the system with Spider-Man 3 bundled? That’s a nice package.
The $99.99 PlayStation 2 would ensure that the venerable system will continue to sell well. This is rumor for now, but when Sony makes some announcements at the Tokyo Game Show, I would not be shocked if these were among them. You heard it here first. [arstechnica.com]