The funny thing is, Universal attempted this exact same thing a while back when the company still supported the now-defunct HD-DVD format. So it’s not too surprising that they’d resurrect the idea now that they’ve thrown their weight behind Blu-ray.

These “flipper” discs, as they’re called, allow consumers to not have to choose between old-school and high-def, since you’ll get both on a single disc. The first release on the flipper format will be the three films in Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne trilogy — The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum — all of which arrive January 19, 2010.

If the idea catches on, additional “flipper” discs for other films are a sure bet.

Post from: EveryJoe

DVD & Blu-ray on a single disc

Netflix and iTunes already offer streaming movie rentals to computers and game consoles, and more and more DVD and Blu-ray players are coming equipped with the ability to stream video from online services. Today, Best Buy announced that it’s adding CinemaNow’s DVD streaming service to “every Web-connected device” the retail chain sells.

So I have to ask the inevitable question: How long will it be until physical media goes away forever, in favor of entirely digital media?

There’s a report going around that Apple has been courting major TV networks to create a $30-a-month subscription service within iTunes that could replace monthly cable bills in consumers’ homes. Everyone pundit out there seems to agree that in the near future, no longer will we buy physical DVDs or Blu-ray discs or anything else to be held in our hands. “Cloud computing” will be brought to the masses for all of our entertainment needs, with movies and TV shows available for instant, on-demand viewing via the Internet or some kind of intranet service.

All this digital media will still come at a price, of course, but the videos already available on services like  iTunes and Netflix demonstrate that the lack of disc production equates to reduced prices for the consumer. Put simply: digital media costs less to produce than its physical counterpart, because nothing tangible has to be made.

We’ve been following the ebook trend a lot lately, and this digital media revolution strikes me as something very similar. Instead of physical books or magazines or newspapers made of paper, we’re starting to buy electronic books to be read on special devices, and we’re reading our magazines and newspapers on the Internet. And soon, instead of buying discs or tapes or anything else, we’ll purchase electronic videos that will be stored on a hard drive or streamed to a special media device and pumped straight to our high-def television sets.

And there are signs that other forms of entertainment media are shifting in this same direction. Video game download/subscription services already exist, though haven’t widely caught on beyond simpler games like those found on Xbox Live Arcade. The music industry is already feeling the crunch of the digital revolution, thanks largely to iTunes — it’s growing increasingly rare that consumers buy actual CDs anymore, preferring the cheaper and easier-to-manipulate digital tracks. Heck, even comic books have started migrating to the digital realm.

What do you think of this trending digitalization of media, across all mediums? Will you miss owning physical media you can touch with your hands? Or will be the near-infinite choices offered by cloud computing make it all worthwhile?

DVD image: Wikimedia Commons. Apple TV image: Apple, Inc.

Post from: EveryJoe

How long until video hardware is obsolete?

With the recent changes software companies are being told they can’t produce software that would let consumers make copies of the DVD’s they’ve already purchased. You might think that makes sense, but have you ever copied a CD so you and your spouse, or kids could listen to the same CD in each of your cars or one for the car, one for the house?

If I had an easy way to do it, I’d make copies of all of my DVD’s and keep the originals stored on a bookshelf like I keep books. When the kids wanted to watch a DVD, they’d pull out the copy of the DVD to use. Then, when they forgot to put it back in the case and it got kicked under the entertainment center, I wouldn’t worry about it getting scratched.

My real dream would be to somewhat of a media jukebox distributed throughout my house. I’d love to burn all of our music and DVD’s into a single computer and storage network and be able to access the files from any TV, audio device or computer from anywhere in the house.

With these recent changes I’d be breaking the law. It seems to me that once I purchase a DVD or CD, that I should be able to do pretty much whatever I want with it except for distributing it outside of my own home or personal property. Nope. I’m a felon instead.

Post from: EveryJoe

Fair Use Just Isn’t Fair Anymore

Swaptree allows you to post PC games you want to get rid of and you can also post the list of games you want. The algorithm of Swaptree would do all the calculations and make recommendations on the swapping of PC games. Not only can you swap games, you can also do this with your console games, DVDs, & CDs.

The service is free and you only pay for the shipping cost.

Go ahead and try Swaptree.

Image from Swaptree.

Post from: EveryJoe

Introducing Swaptree

Image: Xbox.com Website Product Review

Microsoft and Xbox have finally taken advantage of what a game console in the living room can mean to a family that enjoys spending time together and using technology.

A few months ago I was thinking about how gaming consoles could really be taking advantage of an area that to me seems obvious. You’ve got the ability to have four controllers, why not make more games that let 4 people play games together, specifically families?

Screenlife Games has finally released a version of their addictively fun game Scene It? for the Xbox 360. I don’t know if you’ve ever played the normal DVD versions of these games, but they’re perfect for families, or perhaps even more so for group games when you’ve got a lot of friends over and everyone’s ready for some good competition and rivalry.

The challenge for these types of games is for the content to get stale. Although this version of has almost 2,000 different questions, if you played it enough you’re eventually going to get repeats or the movies and questions themselves just get old. This is where having it integrated with a console like the Xbox 360 is genius, especially with the added infrastructure of the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Hopefully they’re already thinking about allowing the ability for owners to purchase and increase the game question base by grabbing expansion packs off of LIVE.

The common concern for replay value among trivia gamers is the depth of available questions and categories, but with nearly two thousand questions and over twenty distinct categories, Scene It? is brimming with content right out of the box. The game tracks every question as it is asked, ensuring that repeat questions are few and far between. There’s also some obvious potential for downloadable expansion packs courtesy of Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, so there’s no need to concern yourself over replayability.

Similar to how you can download new maps for Halo or new song packs for Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero III, being able to download expansion packs like "Blockbusters of 2008", "AFI Classics" and "Disney Favorites" makes the purchase of this game almost a guarantee for me this holiday season for my family.

Scene It? from Screenlife Games

Post from: EveryJoe

Xbox Finally Takes Advantage of Need for Family Fun

If I am correct, and you are like that, then you’re probably really looking forward to the final release of Vista aren’t you? Although, you’re guess is as good as mine as to when that day will actually occur.

So, with all that knowledge of the variety of reincarnations of the operating system, why don’t you share that one great nugget of joy with the rest of the world and win yourself a copy of the Windows Vista Beta DVD! Yep, that’s the one, the one no longer available to download.

That’s right, share your tip with Lifehacker and you just might win your own shrink-wrapped copy!

So here’s the deal: you post your most useful Windows tip in the comments. We’ll pick a handful of the best ones, and tomorrow readers will vote which is most deserving of the prize. Dazzle us with your Windows expertise, make us swoon in awe at your mighty knowledge of ’softie dialogs and wizards. Your tip should be something clever and handy, like getting rid of the Windows Update nag, renaming a batch of files in Explorer or getting rid of Thumbs.db, but it won’t be considered if it was published here on Lifehacker already.

And even if you’re not interested in playing along, there’s already a great collection of tips in the comments already available, even the humor relief tips of “Install Linux”. Obviously copying something already there would be a little looney, so be sure and read what’s there before you submit your own tip.

Post from: EveryJoe

So, you think you know Windows?

The article on Xbox Circle pushes the point by stating how much Sony is poised to lose if their PlayStation3 is as successful as they’re expecting. The challenge though, is that the more successful they are at launching and selling, the more money they lose.

PS3 production pricing at this point has been laid out to be anywhere from $850 – $956 per unit, meaning there will be a loss on each machine of approx $250 – $350 per console sold. If one million consoles sell in the first day of availability Sony will have wiped their entire fiscal gain for all of 2005 in under 24 hours.

For anyone that needs some quick math help, that’s a LOT of zeros to the negative. On the low end $250M loss in the FIRST DAY!

eHomeUpgrade’s article focused more on the aspect of Sony being a great purchase for Microsoft to really get them spread a little further than just software. Purchasing Sony would launch them into not only the hardward market with PC’s, but also consumer electronics and digital photography and video as well. This is turning out to be a really intriguing idea to me. I’m a HUGE Sony fan, and have oddly never really been excited about the PlayStation console. This would give me the best of both worlds. I think if there’s any company that comes close (or even exceeds sometimes in my mind) matching Apple’s style and design, it’s Sony.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think Microsoft is going to make a run at Sony. There are cultural issues and integration issues that would be difficult to overcome. It is interesting, however, to think through the possibilities of a merged entity and the potential synergies between the two companies. I think the whole issue speaks more to the innovation of Apple and Steve Jobs who have changed the competitive landscape and forced a whole new way of thinking about the PC business in recent months. The release of the Intel architecture and now the support of XP on Mac hardware are significant events. It creates real hardware competition for Apple and gives them another avenue to cause PC users to ‘Switch’.

What if Microsoft didn’t go after Sony to absorb them and make them “Microsoft”. What if, instead they just purchased the company and ran it as a wholly owned subsidiary that’s got the financial backing and resources of Microsoft? I really think that’s a possibility. It will be interesting to see what comes of it.

Source: What if Microsoft Bought Sony? Blame Apple!
Source: Microsoft To Buy Sony?

Post from: EveryJoe

Microsoft Buys Sony