This is sort of a strange news post that also gives you better insight into how one of the greatest content resellers on earth, Netflix, operates.

Thanks to Microsoft and Google, it’s very, VERY, easy to see that it’s pretty simple to make huge pots of cash when you don’t have to make and ship a product.  Digital download is the way things are moving, and with them, the need for warehousing, storage, and production costs are falling through the floor.

But, as Netflix has shown us in a development the Motley Fool refers to as “The Netflix Law”, it’s extremely difficult to improve on software.

Sure, we’ve all seen new versions of Windows come out every few years reliably–but how many of us are rushing to upgrade?  My laptop and my backup desktop BOTH run Windows XP.  I’m two versions behind–is that stopping me from computing?  Not hardly, kids.  I’ve tried Vista, and I’m not terribly happy with it.  I’m not hugely upset with it, but I’m not falling all over myself to change.  Netflix ran into this exact problem when it offered its million dollar Netflix Prize, a chance for users to improve the recommendation system.  The best they could get was really only an incremental improvement over the original, and that took three years to generate about a ten percent improvement.

So while hardware will be running under Moore’s Law (performance doubles every eighteen months on average), software will be lucky if it gets eighteen percent better every two years.  Software has to take an early lead and hope to hold it, just like Netflix has done so far.

Hey everybody, this’ll kill you.  Apparently, all this time, you’ve been reading a media expert!

See, I was reading this article about a new kind of download service that’s being started over in Australia, possibly as a way to replace the DVD.  And of course, every time I see that phrase I snort derisively (the last time I did that I learned never to read media articles while drinking milkshakes) and launch into my standard schtick about how it’s NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN until a whole bunch of problems are fixed.

I get midway down the article and, sure enough, I SEE THIS:

But media experts warn there will be plenty of hurdles to overcome before movie downloads become a part of everyday life, including internet download speeds, unrealistic download caps, data costs and the price of movies.

That’s almost exactly my schtick.  In order, almost.

So then I read on about how Microsoft thinks it’s got the first two of those beat by offering a kind of streaming technology that tailors its content to your bandwidth capability, starting out with a really light stream and working its way up.

The problem with this, of course, is that even its minimum is still out of reach for a lot of people.  You have to have a three meg connection in order to watch in 720p.  Satellite and most wireless internet service providers generally offer a top speed of about one and a half.

So it’s still got a way to go yet before it can kill DVD.

Microsoft, world’s leader in software, services and solution, recently unveiled its thinnest keyboard ever, the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000, designed exclusively for Bluetooth computers. Just a few millimeters thicker than an AAA battery, the keyboard has been created to address the need for comfortable and portable computing accessories of consumers.

The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 includes a stand-alone Bluetooth Number Pad that can be used with the keyboard or by itself. The compact and sophisticated keyboard tapers down toward the front that makes it light and easy to pick up.

The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 and the Bluetooth Number Pad will be available in October 2009 for an estimated retail price of $89.95 and $44.95, respectively, backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty from Microsoft.

As of right now, it’d be crazy to think of a home theater without it being able to recieve traditional TV broadcasts, right? According to Microsft UK’s Ashley Highfield, that may all change soon enough. Just how soon, you ask? Well, according to Highfield, TV has about 2-3 years to get its act together before its going to die off and be succeded by digital distribution.

Don’t go throwing out your cable boxes just yet because chances are, someone said this same exact thing about print media, and that hasn’t gone anywhere yet now has it?

via electronista

For the people who are pretty much fascinated with touch screen technology, here is a device that can save you a bundle from buying a touch screen enabled display. Rather than buy a new LCD monitor or screen, one device can change all that. The device is DUO, a USB device that makes use of Ultrasonic waves and infrared rays that will instantly turn your laptop screen into a writing tablet.

The Duo is compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7 tablet software. This enables you to either capture characters in your own handwriting or automatically turn them to ASCII characters for clear, easy reading.

DUO also integrates with Microsoft Office ink annotator to allow writing, such as signatures, directly on the document. The easy USB “plug ‘n play” set up allows even the most novice user to install the system in minutes.

The DUO is available at the DUO website with a starting price of $119.95.

(Source) Press

For the people who have been eagerly waiting to get their hands on Microsoft’s latest Zune HD portable media player, you can do so by casting in your pre-orders today. The official release date is set for September 15 but you can beat the rush by availing of this pre-order deal.

The Zune HD player will be out in 16GB and 32GB capacities and will be the first touch-screen Zune. Among the highlights include a powerful playback technology to give you a different way to experience media on the go.

For pricing, the Zune HD 16GB will retail for $219.99 while the Zune HD 32GB will retail at $289.99.

(Source) Press

In a recent announcement, Microsoft has said that their Windows 7 Media Center Edition will be getting built-in compatibility with Netflix Watch Instantly.

If you’re not familiar with this service it essentially allows you to stream Netflix movies with little to no wait time. Of course, this feature was included with Windows Vista all the way back in May but only now this announcement comes out about Windows 7.

Furthermore, Windows 7’s version of Netflix Watch Instantly will feature a full touchscreen interface for you luxurious folk out there.

Read (AppScout)

The idea is not far-fetched. Imagine Microsoft offering an external Blu-Ray drive? Through the years, most CD formats would require a special drive and now that the blu-ray era is upon is, you may say that it is one of the eagerly awaited devices and peripherals that techies are waiting for. And which company would be better to offer this other than Microsoft.

Of course there are the middle-class players who find ways of introducing drives that can read the new formats in the industry. But as far as Microsoft is concerned, the focus is really more on its gaming console, the Xbox 360.

If we look back at history, Microsoft had always come out with something to accommodate new games for its prized game console. So as far as reports are concerned, there is no doubt that they are reliable. There will definitely be one in the market soon and after that, expect a new game console that can read it.

It is just like a preparatory thing and an alternative so that game consoles can accommodate the fast paced change in CD, DVD and now Blu-ray compatibility issues which are only normal at the start.

(Source) Ubergizmo

For the people who love to make the most out of their PCs, here is a new TV tuner in the market you can place under consideration. The new TV tuner is the Averatec 25.5-inch PC/TV combo, a device that can play videos at 1080p resolution and features a built-in hybrid digital/analog TV tuner.

Now you may find it a bit pricey compared to other tuners in the market but look at the fine print. You are practically getting something nearer to the technology of HDTV. Also, put into consideration that this is an all-in-one device which you can integrate with your PC thus providing a multi-functional option for people who want to expand the use of the traditional PC.

The new 25.5-inch Averatec D1200 AIO features a 2.5GHz Intel Pentium dual-core E5200 processor, 320GB hard drive, 4GB of memory, the 64-bit version of Microsoft Vista Home Premium and integrated wireless keyboard and mouse.

The Averatec 25.5-inch D1200 is priced at $999 and is already available in the market.

(Source) Press

Microsoft has announced that the highly popular Xbox 360 video game platform, that is also now an effective movie download system, will be able to download 1080p video by this Fall. 1080p movies are bigger in file size  than the present standard for HD downloads set by Apple’s successful iTunes and Apple TV products which are currently 720p.

Some argue 720p is enough resolution for most consumers using smaller HDTV sets, but genuine movie fans note the much better looking 1080p video resolution is a great step forward. No word on whether the Xbox 360 will also offer Dolby TrueHD and or DTS Master Audio as part of their 1080p download service. Home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles will surely want this feature for their HDMI enabled theater.

A new option will be available soon to Microsoft Vista Media Center PC users. Netflix’ Watch Instantly has been added to the interface and the new streaming service will just one touch away. Unfortunately the software upgrade will be not be available to Media Center Extenders. The update should be available in the following days and once installed it won’t get you any HD shows yet. Everything else though should be available.

via The Green Button

Microsoft is pleased to launch its new Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000, Wireless Mouse 5000, Sleek Mouse and Keyboard Combo Wireless Desktop 3000. The new Wireless Mobile Mouse 5000 features Microsoft’s first nano transceiver.

All the new Microsoft Wireless Mice incorporate the Award-Winning BlueTrack Technology that let them work on any type of surface. This new technology has already received the Popular Science Best of What’s New Award and the CNET Editors’ Choice Award. Due to their efficiency to work on any surface, these computer mouse are considered to have the most reliable mouse tracking.

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Now that Microsoft has unveiled its latest operating system, chances are other Windows-based applications will follow. And for their part, Roxio has unveiled the Roxio Burn for Windows 7, an intelligently styled, lightweight software application that addresses the primary burning needs of Windows 7 and Vista users.

With its unique ‘Desktop Icon’ user interface, Roxio Burn enables consumers to efficiently and effectively perform frequent burning activities, such as copying a data or audio CD and backing up files to optical disc, with simple drag, drop, and click actions.

Roxio Burn is part of a new generation of applications and services from Roxio that are the result of a design-led development initiative. The elegantly designed products, which are based on extensive usability testing, make digital media tasks extremely accessible and provide consumers a fun and intuitive environment in which to work.

Roxio Burn is expected to be available shortly on PCs from major manufacturers. The application is part of a new range of products from Roxio for Windows 7 and the emerging Touch-Screen and Netbook PC segments.

(Source) Press

Multi-touch LCDs are the next big thing because Microsoft says so. The company has announced that its new OS will come with multi-touch support. Therefore manufacturers listened carefully and they started to make those multi-touch displays. Now we have lots of them popping up here and there, just waiting to be purchased by buyers who adopt the new Windows 7 operating system.

Albatron is one of those manufacturers! It has announced its multi-touch panel about seven months ago and now it’s ready to deliver. I am talking about a 21.5 LCD monitor scheduled for a March release. It comes with multi-touch and it will support 120Hz, DVI and VGA inputs and USB connectivity. No prices have been announced yet.

via hardwarezone

Netflix sure seems thrilled about the quality of Microsoft’s Silverlight. In fact it is so happy with Silverlight over Windows Media Player that it has fired 50 support specialists. The company has decided to go with Silverlight in their movie playing and streaming business while giving up Windows Media Player.

That’s a mighty move from Netflix. In the battle of the giants, it has chosen Silverlight over Adobe Flash.

A Netflix representative said:

Silverlight makes it easier to connect to watching on the PC and Mac. There isn’t the need for highly specialized technical folk.

via The Register