By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer 7 minutes ago
BitTorrent Inc., makers of a technology often used to trade pirated copies of Hollywood movies, is launching a Web site that will sell downloads of films and TV shows licensed from the studios.
The BitTorrent Entertainment Network was set to launch Monday with films from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate and episodes of TV shows such as "24" and "Punk'd."
The service is squarely aimed at young men and boys who regularly use BitTorrent to trade pirated versions of the same films and who more often watch such files on their computer instead of on a big screen TV in the living room.
The San Francisco-based company is betting that at least one-third of the 135 million people who have downloaded the BitTorrent software will be willing to pay for high-quality legitimate content rather than take their chances with pirated fare.
"The vast majority of our audience just loves digital content," Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent, told The Associated Press. "Now we have to program for that audience and create a better experience for that content so the audience converts to the service that makes the studios money."
To help wean users to paying for content, BitTorrent is featuring content and pricing that appeals to its target demographic — males between the ages of 15 and 35.
TV episodes are $1.99 to download to own, which is typical for competitor sites such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes.
The new site will rent movies for a 24-hour viewing period for $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for older films, but the site has decided not to sell films for now because the prices demanded by the studios were too high.
"We're really hammering the studios to say, 'Go easy on this audience,'" Navin said. "We need to give them a price that feels like a good value relative to what they were getting for free."
The service also will offer Japanese anime and high-definition video, which is popular with its users. Individuals will be able to publish their works to the site, which will compete for attention beside studio content.
The BitTorrent technology pioneered by Bram Cohen assembles digital movies and other computer files from separate bits of data downloaded from other computer users across the Internet. Its decentralized nature makes downloading more efficient, meaning that a full-length movie should download in about a half hour, about twice as fast as some other sites.
Navin said TV episodes should download in about one-third that time.
BitTorrent's decentralized structure also frustrated the entertainment industry's efforts to find and identify movie pirates.
In 2005, after the studios won a key legal decision against another pirate software company, Grokster, Cohen agreed to remove links to pirated files and start talks to license legitimate content.
Studios also got more comfortable with the idea of distributing content over peer-to-peer networks after they adopted strong digital rights management safeguards created by Microsoft Corp.
BitTorrent's content is protected by Windows Media DRM and will only play back using Windows Media Player.
Studios striking deals with peer-to-peer networks is a good first step toward allowing users to more freely distribute films and TV shows on the Internet, but it may take another five years or more for Hollywood to become completely comfortable with that, one analyst said.
"Their biggest concern is that an anonymous person passes it to an anonymous person," said Les Ottolenghi, chairman and president of Intent Mediaworks Inc., a company that helps content owners protect their works on peer-to-peer networks.
Ottolenghi recently chaired a task force that looked at digital watermarking, a technology that helps content owners track the route of its files as they make they way around the Internet.
"Their greatest hope is that someone at home passes it on to someone at home, from one device to the next, and that becomes a value to the consumer," he said.
26 fevereiro, 2007
19 fevereiro, 2007
Wireless Codependency
Atenção pessoas como "eu" rsssss Podemos estar sofrendo deste mal...
By PAUL B. BROWN
Constantly talking on your cellphone is doing more than annoying the people around you. Calling someone whenever you are in a bad mood, or have a question, may be making you less independent and less able to experience your life as fully as you should.
That is the conclusion of Hans Geser of the University of Zurich, reported in Psychology Today. Mr. Geser reviewed “more than 100 papers on the psychology, sociology and history of cellphone use.”
The problem may actually be worse than that. “The superconnected may develop a dual-dependency,” Robert Bornstein, a psychologist at Adelphi University, told the author of the article, Carlin Flora. “They’re not only counting on other people too much, they’re also hooked on the devices themselves, sometimes to the point where they feel utterly disconnected, isolated and detached without them.”
Exactly how bad is the problem? Extreme, writes Cosmopolitan: “Hand-held e-mailing devices are so addictive, some work experts warn, that soon compulsive users will need to be weaned off them using treatment programs similar to the ones drug addicts attend.”
WIRELESS WOUNDS It was inevitable. Our increasing use of wireless devices is causing all kinds of physical ailments, Kathryn Matthews writes in O, The Oprah Magazine. Among the maladies identified:
BlackBerry thumb: a pain or numbness in your thumbs caused by constant e-mailing, messaging or Internet surfing on hand-held devices.
Cellphone elbow: “No kidding. Cubital tunnel syndrome can result from constantly holding a cellphone to the ear. In severe cases, it can cause permanent nerve damage.”
P.D.A. hunch: neck pain caused by looking straight down at your minimonitor.
OUT OF TIME? “Now that people look at their cellphones, iPods or BlackBerrys to tell time, watches may be going the way of cassette tapes and pagers,” Peter Robison writes in Bloomberg Markets. Spending on watches has fallen 17 percent over the last five years; the only market segment reporting that they bought watches more frequently “than they did in 2001 were those older than 50,” according to a survey conducted by Experian Simmons.
One 24-year-old quoted in the article said, “Watches look weird on your wrist.”
All this may augur that the tradition of giving someone a gold watch upon retirement won’t last much longer.
THE SKINNY Obesity can be, at least in part, a problem of personal responsibility. But corporations that leave the issue there are being remarkably shortsighted, two business professors argue. Writing in Sloan Management Review, Kathleen Seiders of Boston College and Leonard L. Berry of Texas A&M list four reasons business needs to be doing something about the rising rate of obesity.
The first two have to do with corporate self-preservation. While class-action suits against restaurants and food companies over their menus have not gained traction, they certainly might. And concerns about things like supersize portions and trans fats could cause consumers to boycott the companies that offer them.
Third, “companies will not be able to function efficiently if a significant proportion of their current and future employees suffer from obesity,” they write. “The likelihood of more absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’ (when workers are on the job but unable to perform optimally), as well as rising health care costs associated with obesity, make it imperative for business leaders to get involved.”
Fourth, opportunities exist for companies to develop new products that address the need to slim down the population, allowing those that create them to “fatten the corporate bottom line.”
FINAL TAKE “Excess weight could be sapping your brainpower,” Heather Lee writes in Prevention, reporting on a study by French researchers who found that healthy slimmer people had better memories than equally healthy people who were heavier. And “when they were retested five years later, the heavier group had lost more memory than the slimmer group.” That argues for going on a diet — if you can remember to do so.
By PAUL B. BROWN
Constantly talking on your cellphone is doing more than annoying the people around you. Calling someone whenever you are in a bad mood, or have a question, may be making you less independent and less able to experience your life as fully as you should.
That is the conclusion of Hans Geser of the University of Zurich, reported in Psychology Today. Mr. Geser reviewed “more than 100 papers on the psychology, sociology and history of cellphone use.”
The problem may actually be worse than that. “The superconnected may develop a dual-dependency,” Robert Bornstein, a psychologist at Adelphi University, told the author of the article, Carlin Flora. “They’re not only counting on other people too much, they’re also hooked on the devices themselves, sometimes to the point where they feel utterly disconnected, isolated and detached without them.”
Exactly how bad is the problem? Extreme, writes Cosmopolitan: “Hand-held e-mailing devices are so addictive, some work experts warn, that soon compulsive users will need to be weaned off them using treatment programs similar to the ones drug addicts attend.”
WIRELESS WOUNDS It was inevitable. Our increasing use of wireless devices is causing all kinds of physical ailments, Kathryn Matthews writes in O, The Oprah Magazine. Among the maladies identified:
BlackBerry thumb: a pain or numbness in your thumbs caused by constant e-mailing, messaging or Internet surfing on hand-held devices.
Cellphone elbow: “No kidding. Cubital tunnel syndrome can result from constantly holding a cellphone to the ear. In severe cases, it can cause permanent nerve damage.”
P.D.A. hunch: neck pain caused by looking straight down at your minimonitor.
OUT OF TIME? “Now that people look at their cellphones, iPods or BlackBerrys to tell time, watches may be going the way of cassette tapes and pagers,” Peter Robison writes in Bloomberg Markets. Spending on watches has fallen 17 percent over the last five years; the only market segment reporting that they bought watches more frequently “than they did in 2001 were those older than 50,” according to a survey conducted by Experian Simmons.
One 24-year-old quoted in the article said, “Watches look weird on your wrist.”
All this may augur that the tradition of giving someone a gold watch upon retirement won’t last much longer.
THE SKINNY Obesity can be, at least in part, a problem of personal responsibility. But corporations that leave the issue there are being remarkably shortsighted, two business professors argue. Writing in Sloan Management Review, Kathleen Seiders of Boston College and Leonard L. Berry of Texas A&M list four reasons business needs to be doing something about the rising rate of obesity.
The first two have to do with corporate self-preservation. While class-action suits against restaurants and food companies over their menus have not gained traction, they certainly might. And concerns about things like supersize portions and trans fats could cause consumers to boycott the companies that offer them.
Third, “companies will not be able to function efficiently if a significant proportion of their current and future employees suffer from obesity,” they write. “The likelihood of more absenteeism and ‘presenteeism’ (when workers are on the job but unable to perform optimally), as well as rising health care costs associated with obesity, make it imperative for business leaders to get involved.”
Fourth, opportunities exist for companies to develop new products that address the need to slim down the population, allowing those that create them to “fatten the corporate bottom line.”
FINAL TAKE “Excess weight could be sapping your brainpower,” Heather Lee writes in Prevention, reporting on a study by French researchers who found that healthy slimmer people had better memories than equally healthy people who were heavier. And “when they were retested five years later, the heavier group had lost more memory than the slimmer group.” That argues for going on a diet — if you can remember to do so.
18 fevereiro, 2007
Yahoo! lança plataforma de anúncios para celular
Uma Nova Mídia? Uma Mídia Alternativa? :
Novidade, válida também no mercado brasileiro, estará disponível no portal Yahoo!Mobile Web
12/02 - 17:25
O Yahoo! - de acordo com nota publicada no IDG Now! nesta segunda-feira, 12 - anunciou o lançamento de uma plataforma de anúncios em seu portal móvel Yahoo! Mobile Web. A novidade estará disponível no mercado brasileiro, e também na Argentina, Austrália, Canadá, França, Alemanha, Índia, Indonésia, Itália, Malásia, México, Filipinas, Cingapura, Espanha, Taiwan, Tailândia, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Vietnã.
Os anúncios ficarão perto do logo da página principal do Yahoo! Mobile Web, disponibilizando também informações e contato direto com o anunciante. Empresas como Hilton, Intel, Nissan, Pepsi e Procter & Gamble utilizarão a plataforma em suas campanhas.
Novidade, válida também no mercado brasileiro, estará disponível no portal Yahoo!Mobile Web
12/02 - 17:25
O Yahoo! - de acordo com nota publicada no IDG Now! nesta segunda-feira, 12 - anunciou o lançamento de uma plataforma de anúncios em seu portal móvel Yahoo! Mobile Web. A novidade estará disponível no mercado brasileiro, e também na Argentina, Austrália, Canadá, França, Alemanha, Índia, Indonésia, Itália, Malásia, México, Filipinas, Cingapura, Espanha, Taiwan, Tailândia, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Vietnã.
Os anúncios ficarão perto do logo da página principal do Yahoo! Mobile Web, disponibilizando também informações e contato direto com o anunciante. Empresas como Hilton, Intel, Nissan, Pepsi e Procter & Gamble utilizarão a plataforma em suas campanhas.
03 fevereiro, 2007
TST obriga PUC a enquadrar funcionário como radialista
Essa notícia é importante para os colegas técnicos de áudio que estão trabalhando em faculadades de comunicação...
TST obriga PUC a enquadrar funcionário como radialista
É comum nas universidades que ministram cursos de comunicação social a instalação de estúdios de rádio e tv para assessoramento e prática dos alunos. Nem todas respeitam a Lei dos Radialistas, apesar de empregarem profissionais para o desempenho destas funções. Agora, o Tribunal Superior do Trabalho obrigou a Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul a reconhecer como radialista um funcionário de seu quadro.
De acordo com nota publicada no site do TST em 8 de janeiro, todo funcionário que exercer funções características de radialista deve ser enquadrado na profissão, mesmo que a empresa para a qual trabalha não ofereça serviços de radiodifusão como atividade preponderante. O entendimento foi adotado pela 6ª Turma do Tribunal Superior do Trabalho, que confirmou o enquadramento de um trabalhador como radialista além de seu direito ao pagamento de horas extras. De acordo com a assessoria do TST, a decisão negou agravo de instrumento à PUC do Rio Grande do Sul.
O posicionamento do TST resultou na manutenção de acórdão firmado pelo Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 4ª Região. Com base na lei que regulamenta a profissão de radialista, o tribunal gaúcho assegurou o enquadramento do trabalhador e, diante da constatação de jornada diária superior a seis horas, reconheceu o direito às horas extras. A PUC foi condenada também ao pagamento de um adicional de 40% pelo acúmulo das funções de operador de vídeo e diretor de imagens.
Os dados do processo indicaram que havia produção de vídeos para veiculação tanto em rede interna quanto em canal externo (UNITV). Os programas eram produzidos em estúdios próprios da instituição. O radialista acumulava a função de diretor de imagens, ligada ao setor de produção, com as funções de supervisor de operação e de operador de vídeo, pertencentes ao setor técnico. A empregadora foi enquadrada pelo órgão regional no artigo 3º da Lei 6.615/78; de acordo com o dispositivo, "considera-se empresa de radiodifusão, para os efeitos desta lei, aquela que explora serviços de transmissão de programas e mensagens, destinada a ser recebida livre e gratuitamente pelo público em geral, compreendendo a radiodifusão sonora (rádio) e radiodifusão de sons e imagens (televisão)".
A defesa da PUC sustentou a inviabilidade da aplicação da lei dos radialistas, uma vez que sua atividade institucional liga-se ao ensino superior. Entretanto, o relator do caso, juiz Luiz Antonio Lazarim, observou que a universidade produz e veicula programas em rede interna e externa. Quanto às horas extras, Lazarim ressaltou que o enquadramento do profissional na jornada de menor duração (seis horas), diante do acúmulo de funções, tem respaldo no artigo 18, parágrafo único, da Lei 6.615 de 1978.
TST obriga PUC a enquadrar funcionário como radialista
É comum nas universidades que ministram cursos de comunicação social a instalação de estúdios de rádio e tv para assessoramento e prática dos alunos. Nem todas respeitam a Lei dos Radialistas, apesar de empregarem profissionais para o desempenho destas funções. Agora, o Tribunal Superior do Trabalho obrigou a Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul a reconhecer como radialista um funcionário de seu quadro.
De acordo com nota publicada no site do TST em 8 de janeiro, todo funcionário que exercer funções características de radialista deve ser enquadrado na profissão, mesmo que a empresa para a qual trabalha não ofereça serviços de radiodifusão como atividade preponderante. O entendimento foi adotado pela 6ª Turma do Tribunal Superior do Trabalho, que confirmou o enquadramento de um trabalhador como radialista além de seu direito ao pagamento de horas extras. De acordo com a assessoria do TST, a decisão negou agravo de instrumento à PUC do Rio Grande do Sul.
O posicionamento do TST resultou na manutenção de acórdão firmado pelo Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 4ª Região. Com base na lei que regulamenta a profissão de radialista, o tribunal gaúcho assegurou o enquadramento do trabalhador e, diante da constatação de jornada diária superior a seis horas, reconheceu o direito às horas extras. A PUC foi condenada também ao pagamento de um adicional de 40% pelo acúmulo das funções de operador de vídeo e diretor de imagens.
Os dados do processo indicaram que havia produção de vídeos para veiculação tanto em rede interna quanto em canal externo (UNITV). Os programas eram produzidos em estúdios próprios da instituição. O radialista acumulava a função de diretor de imagens, ligada ao setor de produção, com as funções de supervisor de operação e de operador de vídeo, pertencentes ao setor técnico. A empregadora foi enquadrada pelo órgão regional no artigo 3º da Lei 6.615/78; de acordo com o dispositivo, "considera-se empresa de radiodifusão, para os efeitos desta lei, aquela que explora serviços de transmissão de programas e mensagens, destinada a ser recebida livre e gratuitamente pelo público em geral, compreendendo a radiodifusão sonora (rádio) e radiodifusão de sons e imagens (televisão)".
A defesa da PUC sustentou a inviabilidade da aplicação da lei dos radialistas, uma vez que sua atividade institucional liga-se ao ensino superior. Entretanto, o relator do caso, juiz Luiz Antonio Lazarim, observou que a universidade produz e veicula programas em rede interna e externa. Quanto às horas extras, Lazarim ressaltou que o enquadramento do profissional na jornada de menor duração (seis horas), diante do acúmulo de funções, tem respaldo no artigo 18, parágrafo único, da Lei 6.615 de 1978.
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