New Theatrical Movies in Your Home After 30 Days – Hollywood studios and cable services are in advanced discussions about beginning to offer new movie releases on home cable pay-per-view 30 days after the theatrical release date for $20 to $30 per view. Some authorities feel this makes sense from a pricing standpoint, especially for larger families with a big screen. Home viewers have been found to be willing to pay far more than $1 to watch a movie on DVD. Pay-per-view is an alternative for studios to reap profits from a key home viewer segment. When you consider going to a movie downtown, spending $10 per ticket ($20 now in Manhattan!), your transportation costs, parking (if any), refreshments or possible dinner out, a baby sitter – $20-$30 starts to sound like a “value justified” price. There is also the enhanced value in seeing a brand new release and being able to join in the water cooler discussions of the latest movies. The move may not be so good for theaters, but it is suggested that studios could compensate by increasing the percentage paid to the theaters, and increased profits would enable studios to spend more on marketing, thus increasing overall demand for those who want to go to the theater in the first 30 days.
Phone Companies View Skype as a Big Threat – Skype’s new group-calling service, coupled with a electronic brands such as Samsung, Panasonic and LG incorporating Skype into a new generation of TVs is regarded as a major threat to phone companies. A new research report calls on carriers like Telstra and Optus to embrace VoIP (voice calls over the Internet) in order to neutralize the threat. The report came days after Skype announced plans to expand their video and audio service with a range of new subscription services, with promises of cheaper calls and video calling via a home or office TV. The report said that when implemented well, VoIP can attract new users, reduce churn, and even encourage data plan uptake. Many mobile operators still cling to high-margin traditional voice service income that is being gradually eroded. But Verizon Wireless recently announced it will offer Skype access to its mobile customers. Operators should be able to offer their own VoIP services at a cost far below today’s circuit-switched phone networks.
Hearing Loss From E.D. Drugs? – In 2007 the FDA warned about a possible side effect of increased hearing loss in men taking Viagra and similar drugs, and a new U.S. study suggests those taking E.D. drugs may double their chances of hearing impairment. The study was based on a national sample of American men over 40. In the sample, slightly more than one in six who did not take Viagra-like drugs had hearing impairment; yet among those who took the drugs almost one in three had hearing loss. An ear doctor said more research is needed to confirm the findings, but he would advise patients with hearing loss now not to take the drugs. For those with normal hearing and E.D. it could be a very tough decision.
Greenpeace Consumer Electronics Rankings – Greenpeace demonstrators launched a protest at the global headquarters of computer giant Dell, for the company’s backtracking on its public commitment to eliminate key toxic chemicals in its products by 2009. Greenpeace demands that Dell end its use of PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) by next year. A Greenpeace representative said “Dell can’t fulfill its aim to be the greenest technology company on the planet until it follows the lead of Apple, HP and Indian brands HCL and Wipro, [who] are phasing out the use of these toxic chemicals.” The top five ranking companies in the Greenpeace Guide are Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Philips, Motorola and Apple. The bottom five are Toshiba, Fujitsu, Microsoft, Lenovo, and Nintendo.
