Tag Archives: netflix

Game for a fee hike

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The cost of playing “Modern Warfare 2” with friends on the Xbox 360 is about to go up. Microsoft announced Monday it would raise annual subscription rates for its Xbox Live service from $50 to $60 starting Nov. 1.

That’s the first price increase in Xbox Live’s eight-year history — and it’s a move that will affect more than just gamers in households. Microsoft has steadily added adding non-gaming functionality to the service in a bid to lure consumers who are looking for other entertainment options, including streaming of films and music.

Read more at Daily Variety

Forget 3D, Internet-enabled TVs are where it’s at

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While 3D TV is getting the lion’s share of the media spotlight these days, consumers are showing considerably more interest in Internet-enabled sets, according to new research from iSuppli.

Global shipments of IETVs (TVs with built-in Internet capability) will hit 27.7 million this year, says analyst Riddhi Patel. That’s nearly seven times the number of 3D sets expected to ship – and a 125 percent increase over the 2009 numbers.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Sony’s Trojan Horse Sneaks up on Microsoft

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Microsoft has known for a while that the trick to getting the Xbox 360 integrated into people’s living rooms is to load it with non-gaming features.

It’s a strategy that was worked well for the company. Family members that don’t like video games can still find plenty of other entertainment options on the console. Now, though, Sony is quickly following suit – and expanding on those features – which could give it an advantage as the industry prepares for a crucial holiday season.

Read more at CNBC.com

Netflix heads north

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Netflix is taking the first steps to expanding globally. The online film rental service has announced plans to offer its streaming service to Canada beginning this fall.

The company will not offer rentals-via-mail to Canadians, as it does in the U.S. Instead, it is dubbing this expansion its “first streaming-only service.” Netflix, in recent years, has been focusing much more extensively on its online streaming services, striking U.S. partnerships with television and Blu-ray player manufacturers as well as video game consoles, Tivos and other devices.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog