Microsoft Release XBox 360 'Arcade' Console

XBox 360 Arcade can't only just be for the Arcade games and must also allow you to buy their £120 hard drive to herald forth the online download service which is already up and running elsewhere in the world. If you can't do this and it doesn't have an HD DVD drive attached then maybe it's not worth the money. More specs hopefully to come.

Official release:
Microsoft today released a new Xbox 360 console for an estimated retail price of £199.99. Available in stores in the United Kingdom from this Friday, Xbox 360 ‘Arcade’ is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games.

Xbox 360 Arcade also includes a wireless controller, an HDMI connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256MB of memory, useful for storing games and other entertainment content.

Xbox 360 Arcade console will include the full versions of the five best-selling games from the Xbox LIVE Arcade including “PAC-MAN Championship Edition,” (NAMCO BANDAI Games), “Uno,” “Luxor 2,” “Boom Boom Rocket™” (Electronic Arts), and “Feeding Frenzy.”

HD Magazine Launch Digital Edition

HD Magazine has launched their Digital Edition which has unique editorial content including video content and links to other content.

The Digital Edition will be monthly and offer a true multimedia experience with audio, video and interactivity.

Go here for the Launch issue.

Go here to sign up for future issues.

We hope you enjoy it!

Batman Stunt Kills SFX Technician

From Yahoo News - :

A special effects technician involved in the filming of the new Batman movie has died in a car accident, the film's producers said on Tuesday.

An investigation has been launched after the man was killed when his 4x4 vehicle crashed into a tree during a dummy film run, Warner Brothers said in a statement.

The studio said that none of the cast, which includes several Hollywood stars, was involved in the accident that occurred at a special effects facility.

It added the fatal crash did not happen on the set or during filming for "Batman: The Dark Knight."

Media reports said the vehicle was following a stunt car, believed to be the Batmobile, at a property near Chertsey, Surrey.

"There was a fatal accident ... at a special effects facility for "The Dark Knight," the studio said in a statement. "A special effects technician on the film was in a truck that struck a tree at the end of a test run-through."

The name of the deceased has not been released.

An HSE spokesman added: "There was filming of some sort involving a vehicle stunt and there was an accident. It appears one vehicle was undertaking some stunt driving and another 4x4 provided the camera platform. The second vehicle and a camera operator were involved in a collision with a tree."

"Batman: The Dark Knight," starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine as his butler, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman, is due for release in the United Kingdom next year.

Most of the film, British director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "Batman Begins," has been shot in Chicago, with other scenes from London and Hong Kong.

Tom Cruise's Film Gets Damaged

From bbc.co.uk

A major scene from Tom Cruise's World War II thriller Valkyrie will have to be re-shot after footage was damaged at a film processing plant in Germany.

Production company United Artists (UA) has already been given permission to return there to reshoot the ruined scenes.

UA said it did not suspect sabotage was to blame for the chemical mishap at the Arri Munich processing plant.

Virgin Media lines up further HD entertainment

Virgin Media has struck a deal with Channel 4 that enables them to offer a selection of Channel 4 programming in HD via their TV on demand service.

Virgin customers can already catch up on Channel 4 shows free of charge for up to seven days post transmission, plus access to a library of hundreds of hours of their best library programmes and watch the latest US dramas and comedies on a pay per view basis, via the 4oD service. Now a selection of these shows will also be available in HD format.

The deal also gives Virgin Media the option of carrying the soon-to-be-launched C4HD linear channel.

The company’s on-demand library already includes HD assets from content partners including FilmFlex, the BBC and History Channel.

Malcolm Wall, Virgin Media’s CEO for Content, said: “We are delighted to be adding Channel 4 content to our growing line up of high definition programming. Virgin Media is at the forefront of technology advances in television and is not only offering its customers higher quality pictures in HD, but also the ability to watch what they want when they want it via the on demand service."

“Demand for HD is increasing, and befitting our ambition for viewers to be able to access our programming when they want it and in a format of their choice, it’s important for us to be meeting this demand wherever we can. We are delighted that HD versions of some of our shows will be available to Virgin TV on demand users and look forward to increasing the amount of HD programming in our schedule over time” added Sarah Rose, Head of Video on Demand and Channel Development, Channel 4.

Australia Pushes Forward With HDTV

From The Age in Australia

The digital TV revolution is finally gaining momentum with networks Seven and Ten set to offer new digital channels in December.

The new channels will be only available in high-definition (HD) digital format, offering a picture quality sharper than DVD. The downside is that most digital TV equipment sold in Australia is only standard definition (SD). As such, most households will need to upgrade to a HD digital set-top box or a television with a built-in HD tuner to watch the new channels. A HD television is not essential because most HD set-top boxes will convert HD broadcasts to SD when connected to an old TV.

Currently Australia's commercial networks broadcast the same programs on their analog, SD digital and HD digital channels. If the program screening on the main SD channel isn't available in HD, such as an old film, the HD channel still broadcasts the film but in SD.

From December, Seven's and Ten's HD channels (70 and 12, respectively) will plan to "multi-channel" - breaking synchronisation with the main SD channel for several hours a day, most likely when the program on the main SD channel isn't available in HD.

The ABC and SBS already have multiple SD channels and both major political parties have committed to launching another ABC channel for children if they win the upcoming election.

The commercial networks aren't allowed to multi-channel in SD until 2009.

As of December Ten plans to offer 50 hours a week of programming, including sport, entertainment, films, documentaries and science fiction on its HD channel that viewers won't see on the main SD channel. It will also screen 11 hours of time-shifted programming a week, including the 5pm news. And Ten also plans to broadcast all of its AFL matches in HD next year after only broadcasting the Saturday night games in HD this year.

Ten has been simulcasting its SD signal on channels 1 and 10 but from December channel 1 will mirror Ten's HD signal on channel 12.

Seven will also begin HD multi-channelling in December but the network has been less forthcoming with details.

Nine is yet to commit to HD multi-channelling.

While the new channels are unlikely to show first-run programs from overseas, Ten intends to screen spin-off programs based on local shows suchas Biggest Loser and Australian Idol.

Industry figures from Digital Broadcasting Australia show that in March, 28 per cent of Australia's almost 8 million homes had free-to-air digital television. But of these, only 39 per cent are high definition.

MEGAPIXEL Conference

Megapixel is a conference on the impact of High Definition technologies on the Screen
Arts and Education. The Conference will be in Cambridge, UK, October 10/11th.

The Conference is multi-disciplinary in nature, with academics, technologists and film, TV and games professionals.

Presentations include:

*Author and international media theorist Lev Manovich.
* EMMY and BAFTA winning computer animator Mike Milne (Framestore CFC) on a
decade of CGI and new HD challenges.
* Experimental film maker Malcolm Le Grice on subverting the HD agenda.
* Exclusive Preview of "Earth"- BBCs cinema release of Planet earth- shot
entirely in HD.
* Ryan Stevenson, creator of Viva Piñata on Next Generation Games.
* HD Cinematographer and author Paul Wheeler on Film vs. HD.
* BBC HD Research: What exacly is HD?
* Interactive artist Grahame Weinbren unveils new artist HD technology.
* HD Creative issues by games artists from Sony Games (SCEE).
* The world of Visual Effects with Paul Franklin (Double Negative), VFX Supervisor on Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
......and more!

For full details of programme, speakers and booking details visit
www.megapixelconference.co.uk

Tickets £10 per day for students, £25 per day for others Alternatively contact the Arts Picturehouse box office on 0871 704 2050 Arts Picturehouse, 38-39 St Andrew's Street, Cambridge CB2 3AR

Woolie Rolls Out HD DVD Formats

All 820 Woolworths stores will sell major release HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray discs from today (Monday 1st October).

Woolies is the first major retailer to roll out high definition DVD formats to all stores and will become the biggest high definition retailer as a result.

The first release to be sold on all three formats (DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray) will be the Jack Snyder film 300, released today.

Up-and-coming releases that will be sold in high definition include Fantastic Four (Blu-Ray), Spiderman 3 (Blu-Ray), Transformers (HD-DVD) and Planet Earth (both formats).

Prices will depend on the title but retail prices are expected to be between £20 and £25. 300 will cost £22.97 for both high definition formats and £14.97 on DVD.

Steven McGunigel, DVD buyer at Woolworths, says: “DVD is far from finished and will remain the dominant format for some time. But high definition will start to grow rapidly in the next twelve months and it is important for us and our customers that we lead in the format.

“Currently Blu-Ray discs are outselling HD-DVDs four-to-one, but, with the studios split on which format to back, it’s really important for us to offer both. If we don’t, our customers will not have the chance to buy big titles on high definition like Transformers, which is only being released on HD-DVD.”

“We were the first retailer to offer pre-recorded videos nationwide back in the mid-1980s, we were amongst the leaders in the DVD retail revolution in the mid-90s and now we’re pioneers of high definition DVDs.”

Blu-Ray, backed by Sony, versus HD-DVD, backed by Toshiba, has been likened by commentators to the battle between Toshiba’s VHS and Sony’s Beta-Max in the 1980s.

The new format war has split the electronics and entertainment industries. Blu-Ray has been backed by Samsung, Dell, Apple, Disney and 20th Century Fox. HD-DVD has been backed by NEC, Microsoft, Paramount and Universal.

The real winner will, of course, be decided at the tills.

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs offer much better quality audio and video than DVD and the additional storage means that more time and extras can be packed into one disc.

Larger Woolworths stores will offer a back catalogue section for high definition formats before Christmas and www.woolworths.co.uk already offers all high definition DVDs on UK release. These can also be ordered in any Woolworths store for free delivery to home or to the store.