Entertechment: 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012

Is Hulu About to Bite the Dust?

Hulu, a name infamous for helping bring an end to traditional TV viewing and for those Alec Baldwin commercials, seems to be facing some trouble as of late. A recent internal memo leaked to various press outlets reports that Hulu might be in for some big (and not so viewer-pleasent) changes.

The online streaming company has been vary touch and go in the press for years now, with industry experts seeming to predict its demise every other month. But up to this point, Hulu has hung on based probably on its cult-like viewers scrambling to watch their favorite shows.

So what is the problem over at Hulu?
After Hulu got noticed around 2009, News Corp. (parent of Fox), Disney, and NBC Universal invested in the company. The main reason for the investment being supplemental income from next day viewers and a way do legally distribute content online. Fast forward to today... NBC, Fox, and ABC (of whom Disney is the parent company) now all have their own online viewing platforms and apps for tablets and smartphones. But Hulu is still hanging in their based on the contracts they already have and the fact that another major investment party, Providence Equity Partners. Some of the stipulations that Hulu still retains from the networks include next day airing of major shows, back catalogs of entire series, etc.

But coming soon in September, Providence Equity Partners is being bought out by the remaining investors. This translates to all the networks owning the major share in Hulu. This also means big changes are most likely coming to Hulu created by the networks.
Examples include:

Allowing the networks to license content to other parties. No more content exclusivity.

Content Filtering. Networks can now pick and choose which content to distinguish their own sites from Hulu.

Fox wants at least 4 commercials per break online.

NBC cannot vote or participate in any changes to the site as part of the agreement made by Comcast to buy the network.

Only time will tell if Hulu will continue to evolve into the new form of television, but in my opinion, this is one huge step backward, making the .com more like regular television, which already sucks.

Networks! Please leave our internet alone!

Read More @ Variety
Read More @ Gizmodo

Friday, August 10, 2012

Album Title Goes Here

The new title of the upcoming album from Deadmau5, aka Joel Zimmerman. Deadmau5 has been incredibly busy in his short career from DJing the Grammy's, to launching Skrillex's quick rise to fame, to becoming one of the highest paid DJ's in the world. Deadmau5 has done it all, even playing the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, his native Canada.

Deadmau5 playing to a large crowd after the closing ceremonies.

Deadmau5 is known for being very transparent to his fans. He often broadcasts his recording sessions and does live Q&A on his website for dedicated followers. Deadmau5 is also known for getting into trouble. Several times over his career, he has stood up and told the truth about the Electronic Dance Music DJs and has come under fire for admitting that 'anyone can do it' and that it doesn't take much talent to do what most DJs do.

Deadmau5 unmasked

To his fans, Deadmau5 is known for rocking the geek culture. In fact, his trademark name comes from the tech world. The story goes that Joel took a broken computer into a repair shop. When the techs opened up the computer to repair it, there was a dead mouse in the housing. The name stuck. "Hey, it's that dead mouse guy!"

Deadmau5' live shows are something unique. His light show and live production style are known to be highlights of the festival season. Why? His ingenious use of self written software for live performance and teaming up with the same show designers who have worked with Daft Punk back when they were still touring.

Deadmau5' signature LED cube

Deadmau5' LED "Mau5 Head"

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Google Ventures, Investing in Business.

Bill Maris and Kevin Rose are just two of the members of Google’s Investing arm, Google Ventures.

Bill Maris, managing partner of Google Ventures, started out as a portfolio manager for Swedish biomedical firm, AB. Maris also founded the web-hosting site Burlee.com recently purchased by Web.com.

Kevin Rose, venture partner at Google Ventures, focuses on early stage business development and seed investing. Rose was a founding member of Digg.com, a famous internet review site.

When it comes to business plan development and investing, these men are major players. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Maris explained what he looks for in business plans that makes him want to invest. Maris explained that he looks for companies that are going to be challenging. He likes companies that are trying to accomplish the impossible.

This sheds light on an interesting concept. Investors who are passionate about business, look for people who are just that… Passionate about business. I think that when it comes to meetings with investors, you should probably realize what that person is like, whether its from articles, bios, or past investments.

Another thing Maris mentioned was the fact that it comes down to the personal preference of the investor when they make their decision. This is a very helpful tip when writing and pitching business plans. You can either generalize the business plan and pitch which would allow for the most possible investors to be intrigued by it, or focus it very heavily and go out on the investor hunt and find the right one to invest multiple millions!

Kevin Rose, interviewed by TechCrunch, explains that as an investor, he needs to see a business plan that sparks his interest. He needs to find a business concept that mixes the pot with the competition. For example, if a business plan outlined a search engine company, but had no unique quality to separate it from the competition, Rose would pass on the investment.

The main point of both investors, is to find a business plan that makes them excited about business. When developing a business, find a niche or that unique element that will make you different and stand out. That is what will attract investors.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Apple Re-defines the MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Holy Cow. Apple… They just… I’m speechless. Apple just had a huge major unbelievably beautiful update to their MacBook Pro line. And let me just say, it’s a game changer. First it was the iPhone, then the iPad, now the MacBook Pro comes with a Retina Display. 5.1 million beautifully tiny pixels double the resolution of the standard 15” display from 1440x900 pixels to 2880x1880. This is one of the highest resolution screens available on a laptop computer. Look at the example below, the picture is at MacBook Pro resolution.

(Full Size Below)
Retina Size

Apple has also taken steps in pushing the computer industry to upgrade the tech installed in machines. The new Retina MacBook Pro doesn’t have a disc drive. This loss caught some off guard, but when you realize that most major softwares used by the masses are already available for digital download, the disc drive is a thing of the past, and we just didn’t realize it. Another item that has been removed from the MacBook Pro with Retina display (side note: This is the second Apple product to not have a model number in the official title. The previous product was ‘the New iPad’) is the ethernet port. This is the first major laptop to come without an internet connection port since networking began in the late 80s. What does this mean for Apple and the consumer? Apple has built in WiFi in all of it’s products and has included so since the introduction of the iPhone. The push to wireless connectivity has long been implemented by many companies, but they have left the old tech attached to products to allow customers the option to chose which technology to use. Apple, on the other hand, is a company that likes to tell consumers what they want and need. And at this point, they feel that the consumer no longer needs traditional connectivity options and is pushing consumers to become reliant on the newer WiFi technology. This is going to create a push in all consumer electronics to abandon older tech and implement the newer tech as standard, thus further progressing the abilities and evolution of electronics. See the ports on the new MacBook Pro below.

from Apple.com/macbook-pro/

Hurry up and buy the MacBook Pro with Retina Display before the shipping estimate increases dramatically. It is already up to 2-3 weeks and will increase with the demand almost daily. This is not a buy you will regret.

Watch the video:

Sunday, June 3, 2012

It's iPhone 5 Time!

It’s that time of year again, rumors of the next iteration of the iPhone seem to be endless. Apple has quickly become one of the most popular tech device companies, and the flagship of their product line is the iPhone. So, without further delay, here is a compilation of everything about iPhone 5 that I think to be true.

With the unveiling of the retina display technology in the recent iPhone, Apple started a trend in tech that ups resolution on all screens. But one thing about the screen of the iPhone that people have been wondering about for a long time is “Will it get any bigger?” Turns out Apple might just make the screen a whopping 0.5 inches bigger. Sounds ridiculous, but there is a reason behind this minimal increase. First, creating a retina display is very difficult. Making the screen bigger means packing more pixels into the screen, thus increasing price and Apple is key about keeping its products priced as competitively as possible. Second, Apple wants to keep the design aspects of the iPhone as agronomical as possible. The typical human thumb cannot reach the top corners of a screen if it is larger than 4 inches. See the picture below to see the comparison.

iPhone 5 parts

Next, a lot of people wonder every year if the iPhone will be completely new, or just internally new and branded with that famous Apple ‘S’. A recent part leak shows that Apple is totally redesigning the next iPhone. Now with aluminum instead of glass on the back case, the iPhone matches Apple’s MacBook Pro line. See the new iPhone casing below.

One very interesting thing about this case redesign is the introduction of a new dock connector. Apple has not changed its dock connector, ever. Some rumors even suggest that the new dock connector will feature Apple’s patented MagSafe technology like the power ports on their laptops. The next noticeable change, is the headphone jack that is now located on the bottom of the phone.

Look for the iPhone 5 either in late June, or closer to October. Stay tuned to this new technology blog for more rumors and new technology reviews.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Bob Moog Immortalized on Google

Bob Moog's Google Doodle:

On Wednesday the 23rd, Google's homepage doodle was a fully functioning version of a Moog Synthesizer. Bob Moog is considered by many electronic musicians to be the father of electronic music. He started making Theremin's in his spare time after college and then invented the analog synthesizer. Moog Music is still in business today, even though the man behind it all, Bob Moog, passed away a few years ago. The 23rd would have been his 78th birthday.

Amazingly, some dedicated fans and artists alike have created several tributes to the man by crafting entire songs out of the digital-analog synth.

Daft Punk's 'Aerodynamic'

Moog's Chief Engineer talking about the google doodle project.

Read More @ Gizmodo
Read More about Bob Mood @ Wikipedia

GI Joe Retaliation Pushed 9 Months

The Paramount Pictures title was set to debut late June until yesterday. Paramount is now delaying the release of the film until next March.

The reason for this? Paramount says that it is going to convert the film into 3D. There has been fan backlash for this, as 3D is still considered gimmicky by the hardcore fans. 3D also has a higher ticket price, so paramount might want to try and capitalize and maximize it's profits for this film.

Another puzzling aspect recently uncovered was a tweet from one of the films stars, The Rock. The Rock tweeted "Designing new scenes to enhance 3D." Sounds normal, but if one takes a moment, it sounds like they are doing reshoots. Maybe the film is just bad? Maybe after the mild success of the first film, Paramount realized it needs to do everything possible to keep this franchise alive.

Finally, in my opinion, I think Paramount realized the huge losses that might come from this film after the recent debut of Universal's Battleship. Battleship is another one of the franchises based off of toys and boardgames. Battleship sunk at the box office, earning in it's best weekend, only 25 million dollars.

Watch the Trailer here:

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Video Game Lawsuits: Past & Present

I know nothing about the history or situation that the video game industry has gotten itself into. So I went hunting on the net to find out. I started with an article I saw called "Not Playing Around: 8 Lawsuits Involving Video Games" that is a basic crash-course overview of the bigger lawsuits involving video games.

The Past

There are a few major cases in the video game's past that have time and again shown, in my opinion, that the industry is growing much faster than people realize. Most other entertainment industries have their bases covered when it comes to IP issues (intellectual property for those of you not in a law class). But being a relatively new breed of entertainment, especially in the 80s and 90s, the gaming industry was still full of amateurs.

Mortal Komabt (Read More @ Mental Floss)
Mortal Kombat is well known as one of the premiere fighting games in the world. It has had over half a dozen iterations and spawned 2 hollywood movies. Back when Midway (Mortal Kombat's Developer) ported their infamous fighting game from arcade machines to the home consoles, Ho Sung Pak sued for using his likeness. Pak was paid for his original work in the development of the character Liu Kang. Pak however was not happy that Midway changed the character and then ported the character to a new device. The case eventually settled.
This shows how delicate it can be when dealing with 'actors' and talent in the realm of video games. It is still a baby industry quickly becoming an adult and learning its lessons quickly. Anyone who develops games needs to have their backs covered when it comes to IP and securing the rights to actors as more and more games are incorporating actors into the performances.

The Present

Because of cases like the one above, the game industry has learned to cover their past mistakes pretty well and avoid them from happening again. However it seems that new genres of lawsuits pop up all the time.

Lineage II (Read More @ Wired)
Lineage II is an online virtual world game, much like the more popular Second Life. There is no end to the game. Craig Smallwood, a man who was a frequent user (and maybe an addict), sued the makers of Lineage II for destroying his ability to control his life. Smallwood claimed that the game became so addictive that he could not function with day-to-day activities. Sounds frivolous, but a judge was unable to dismiss some of the claims made by Smallwood, allowing it to proceed further into the trial process.
The fact that a lawsuit like this could actually have a chance in the game developer losing money for creating a game that is 'too addictive' seems so crazy. But the courts have already ruled in favor of the patrons. Game companies need to figure out a way to protect themselves from issues like this without compromising the content and creativity of their games.

In Favor

Finally, a lawsuit that has been in favor of the gaming companies. It seems that the types of lawsuits that get the most press are the ones that tend to be 'David v. Goliath.' But I found one that benefits the developers.

California recently agreed to pay upwards of $900,000 to various game developers for trying to ban the sale of violent video games. The developers fought for their first amendment right, but the parties settled out of court. (Read More @ LA Times)
It is nice to see that the developers do get a win here and there especially when it comes to first amendment rights and free speech. This is super important when it comes to protecting the creative and storytelling aspects of video games.

I think it is important to learn from the past of video games, while also protecting the now and future when it comes to story and the rights of a developer.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The New iPad

Not a seemingly special device and right on schedule with Apple’s year refresh cycle. But boy… This new iPad is about to change the world. Apple has long been at the forefront of techno-social movements with their invention of iTunes, the original iPad, and the iPhone, and now they are doing it again. But wait, you say, “The iPad has been around for almost 3 years. What’s Apple changing with the new one?” Well first off, Apple is putting their ‘Retina’ branded displays on the newest model. And this screen is a real beauty. 2048 pixels by 1536 pixels. Better resolution than a 60’’ TV set. This is a revolution in media.

Currently, most movie theaters are switching to digital projection. This digital format has a resolution of 4k (there currently is no standard for this format but 4k resolution is a picture format about 4,000 pixel lines of horizontal resolution). The new iPad is half of that. The iPad is the first mainstream device designed for media that has a resolution higher that 1080p (the current HD standard). What does this mean for consumers? This is the first big push for higher than HD consumer products ever. HD television will soon be the lower standard.

But that alone is not so revolutionary. It was inevitable. The amazing part about the new iPad is it’s power. Apple has designed it’s new proprietary A5X chip, including more power and quad-core graphics. Techno-Mumbo-Jumbo aside, experts predict that when the new iPad is released this Friday it will outperform console game devices in video game performance. The Xbox 360 and PS3 are later in their life cycle and now tablets are going to out perform them. Is this the end of the gaming console and the birth of the tablet gamer?

Apple’s app store is already the quickest growing game distribution system in the last 5 years. This product has hit the market in a stale console cycle and a booming mobile app market. Apple’s release of this product puts it in the position to conquer the market all over again. But this time change the way that people play video games. Apple’s product development cycles seem to be from the future. They have a handle on most markets, and now they are going to take over console gaming. Meet the new console………. The iPad.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

GAME Over for Highly Anticipated Mass Effect 3!

Calm Down! I didn't mean to imply that anything with the game is canceled. Thank God it isn't. Mass Effect 3 is the most anticipated game of 2012. Releasing on March 6th in the US and a few days later (March 9th in Europe) everywhere else, Mass Effect has garnered incredible pre-sale numbers. Several retailers have sold out of the 'Collector's Edition' copies of the game, and most of the retailers have been sold out since the game went on pre-sale months ago.

UK equivalent of GameStop and retailer, GAME, has announced today that they are no longer carrying new titles from video game publisher EA.

The whole mess of a situation some say is attributed to the recent economic difficulties and the switch to digital distribution of online stores like Amazon.com. GAME is refunding the mass of preorders and also issuing £5 worth of credit towards customers. This has many fans of the Mass Effect franchise in an outrage!

The news of this undoing came from a leaked internal memo:

"We committed to only stocking products on which we could get the right credit terms, regardless of the title or the supplier. We will not stock products if the terms are not right for our business - a position we believe is critical to our long term health as a business - we have taken the very difficult decision to not stock EA's March releases, including Mass Effect 3."

(Quote from Kotaku)

Will this move hurt the ever loved Mass Effect title? Well it already has. Reports on several social sites have fans and purchasers of the 'Collector's Edition' in an uproar. Their reserved copies of the extremely rare copies of the 'Collector's Edition' have been voided. The copies of the game have been redistributed to other retailers and now they are being reserved on a first come first served basis. Many dedicated fans to the franchise have lost out on the opportunity to own the 'Collector's Edition' of the final title in the BioWare space trilogy.

This however has also, in favor of BioWare and EA, created huge buzz and an extremely large demand for the 'Collector's Edition' title in the European Market. Avid gamers who missed out on the chance to reserve their limited edition copies are now rushing to reserve the newly freed copies. This will ultimately help the sales of Mass Effect 3, proving that any publicity is good publicity.

Read More @ Kotaku
Read More @ EuroGamer

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Joshua Butt: Working Hard, But Hardly Working

Joshua is a resident of Los Angeles, and like most of the denizens of southern California, Joshua works in the film industry. Josh works as a freelance… well everything really. I recently had the opportunity to FaceTime with my old friend and I asked him some questions about the industry. Since Josh works freelance, he has to negotiate every time he wants to work. He has to negotiate all the terms of each of his contracts. I asked him about how he tries to separate the person from the problem when it comes to his dealings. He told me that it is absolutely necessary to do everything you can to separate the person from the issues, that way you can get down to brass tax and accomplish work much more quickly and speed is everything in the film business.

He says it is difficult to do this sometimes, especially when dealing with the more famous people that he comes across. I also talked to Josh about role. He said that when it comes to role, the hierarchal structure of the film business plays a major part. The higher or more prestigious a persons role is on the crew, the more respect you give to them, or receive from them. “This is important because dealing with the major players properly is a great way to get ahead in the film business.” He said. Josh has first hand experience with this. He negotiated to stay onboard a project which has since been screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Josh uses many negotiation principals in his professional life. He needs to use these skills to make any idea of success in the film business become reality. Thanks again to my good friend Josh for talking to me about this and for taking time out of your busy schedule to do so.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Review: The New Greatest App of All Time

Action Movie FX, one of the most ground breaking apps I have ever seen, is now available for download for iPhone and Android. The idea behind the app is super simple, yet it’s a wonder why no one has done something like this until now.

Simply film your friends, strangers, or even cars and planes, choose your weapon of choice, then watch the CARNAGE! (See Videos linked at bottom for examples)

The child like feelings one gets when using this app to ‘destroy’ the world are incredible. It allows you to create your own action movie sequences.

Developed by Bad Robot, the studio run by Hollywood’s most mysterious man, JJ Abrams, this is the first time (to my knowledge, which we all know is vast) that a movie studio has released an app for a phone that doesn’t directly relate to a film being released concurrently. And we all know how much those simple apps suck. The only good one, and it wasn’t that good either, was the Tron Legacy app.

Action movie FX has taken users by storm. And the best part is, it’s FREE!!! With the free package, you get two different types of FX to choose from, and other effects can be purchased in two packs for only $.99.

Not only is it a great value, but it is also super fun and a great time waster.

My tip for you dare devils out there is to take this app and run it in airports or hospitals or churches to maximize the comedic effect.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Kodak................... We Kinda Saw This Coming...............

Well, it’s (basically) official. Kodak is on the down and out after rumors abounded this week claiming the company, a staple in the film industry, is getting its pieces together in order to file bankruptcy. Kodak has been in a near literal tailspin ever since the age of digital filmmaking began. Once the largest provider of filmmaking medium, Kodak was overtaken by the newest generation of 4k (or higher resolution) cameras like the Red, or Arri Alexa. Kodak has been going down for a few years now, but most recently it has been trading at under 50 cents a share. The NYSE threatened to remove its listing if the company cannot get its stock price back up within six months. Another disheartening blow for the celluloid maker, was the loss of half of its capital in 2011. Now it only has $862 million dollars to it’s name, down from when it had double that amount in 2010. To try and avoid bankruptcy, Kodak has been trying to sell of or license it’s famous and valuable patents for digital film processing, among other patents. Also, the company has been quick to shift from film to printing (both commercial and home) in order to try and restructure it’s business model to something that can once again create income like Kodak was used to. Kodak hans’t technically filed any papers yet, but people close to the company estimate the filling to come through anytime, but no later than February. The real question is, what impact will this have on the film industry? Most movies are still shot on film cameras and require processing. Both are led in the industry by Kodak. But what happens when the industry leader film supplier is out of business? Most Cinematographers favor Kodak film over the less known Fuji Film. Could one or more of the major studios jump in and save Kodak (or at least it’s film department)?