Technology News: Multimedia

Record-Shattering Opening Expected for Video War Game
November 06, 2009

This holiday season's biggest entertainment blockbuster likely will be a sequel to a popular franchise, with jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil. It could easily rake in more than last year's record $155 million opening weekend for "The Dark Knight." But this blockbuster is not a movie. It is "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," a video game.

'Dragon Age' Puts a Little GTA in the RPG
November 04, 2009

The role-playing fantasy has been a staple of electronic gaming since the 1970s, when students cobbled together interactive quests on university mainframes. However, the genre has fallen out of favor in recent years, overtaken by grittier dramas like the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty" franchises. "Dragon Age: Origins" tries to bring some of that grit to the fantasy role-playing game.

Rumored Deals Could Give New Meaning to 'Apple TV'
November 03, 2009

Apple reportedly is eyeing a new service to be launched as part of its iTunes ecosystem: a TV subscription service with a fee of $30 per month. While the site already has numerous TV series episodes and seasons for rent or purchase, this service would represent a different go-to-market strategy for Apple. The service would be similar to cable TV offers but delivered through iTunes.

'DJ Hero' Puts a Great New Spin on Music Gaming
November 03, 2009

I was never much one for "Guitar Hero." Playing "Smoke on the Water" 50 times while holding a pint-sized plastic guitar just never really got the blood flowing. I've been waiting for something better, and now it's here. Activision's new "DJ Hero" has solved my music video game plight. It's got better music, better action and is frankly just a lot less goofy feeling than "Guitar Hero."

MainGear Warms Up New Line of Personal Supercomputers
November 02, 2009

Boutique gaming PC maker MainGear on Monday announced a new line of what it describes as "personal supercomputers." The Shift, a large desktop built to user specifications, runs at up to 4 GHz and features its a liquid cooling system. Prices begin at $2,199. MainGear has designed the Shift line to exploit the natural behavior of heat, according to the company.

Print Pubs, Meet Moving Pictures
October 31, 2009

Hold Esquire's December issue in front of a webcam, and an on-screen image of the magazine pops to life, letters flying off the cover. Shift and tilt the magazine, and the animation on the screen moves accordingly. Robert Downey Jr. emerges out of the on-screen page in 3-D, offering half-improvised shtick on Esquire's latest high-tech experiment for keeping print magazines relevant.

Epix Launches One-Two Punch With TV-Web Movie Channel
October 30, 2009

It's enough of a challenge to launch a new subscription movie channel in an industry segment dominated by the likes of HBO and Showtime. However, Epix, which begins life Friday, starts its adventure with a double feature of sorts: It will also offer a Web streaming version of its channel.

The Audacity of Droid
October 30, 2009

The Android mobile operating system is graduating soon to 2.0 status, and Google gave it a pretty nice present to celebrate: a free turn-by-turn navigation app called "Google Maps Navigation." It'll run on Android 2.0 phones with GPS, and it'll use the phone's cellular Internet connection to get live map information.

Google Breaks Into Song With New Music Search
October 29, 2009

Google's new music search service, announced Wednesday, is in tune with that company's overall goal to make every last bit of information searchable on the Web. After all, "two of our top 10 queries of all time are music-related," according to an introductory video on Google's Discover Music landing page.

Wii's Glory Days May Be Over
October 29, 2009

Nintendo's first-half profit plunged as sales of its hit Wii home console fizzled, forcing it to forecast annual earnings would fall for the first time in six years. The recent global price cut for the Wii also hurt Nintendo, which Thursday reported its profit for the April-September period was down 52 percent from a year earlier.

Game Makers Go for Shock Value With Simulated Terrorist Scenario
October 29, 2009

Footage leaked from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" reveals that players of the upcoming video game can shoot innocent civilians in an airport in a realistic rendering of a terrorist attack. The game, which has an "M" rating for mature audiences, comes out next month in what its publisher hopes may be the most lucrative launch in the history of entertainment.

Microsoft a Little Slow on the Uptake in 'Family Guy' Brouhaha
October 28, 2009

Fans of "Family Guy" are chortling about Microsoft's belated discovery that a "Family Guy" special might not jibe with the software giant's corporate image. On Monday, Microsoft said it's pulling out as sponsor of a "Family Guy" variety show, just two weeks after announcing its sole sponsorship of the special, "Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show," scheduled to air Nov. 8.

Lala Plans to Open Music-Streaming Dime Store on iPhone
October 28, 2009

Online music retailer Lala is preparing to launch an iPhone application that its cofounder says paves the way for the end of downloading songs in the MP3 format. The app allows users to buy the right to stream songs from a digital locker forever for just 10 US cents each. The song quality is lower than what Apple's iTunes offers, but "intelligent caching" lets the tracks load and play in seconds.

Studios See Big 3-D Bucks in 2010
October 27, 2009

Fans scrambled to see 3-D movies such as "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" in theaters this year, and new 3-D televisions could soon have home viewers feeling as if they're surrounded by a spaghetti hurricane on their couches. Next year, major electronics manufacturers Sony and Panasonic plan to introduce 3-D-capable high-definition televisions for the mass market.

Chinese Paper Accuses Google of Stonewalling Searchers
October 27, 2009

Google faces a new controversy in China after a Web site run by the Communist Party's main newspaper accused the U.S. search giant of trying to keep Internet users away following its reports on a copyright dispute. The online People's Daily book section said the three-day disruption began last Wednesday.

PS3 Gets Power-Up From Netflix
October 26, 2009

Coming soon to a Sony PlayStation 3 near you: the ability to shoot aliens and bad guys in a video game, then watch your favorite action movie star shoot aliens and bad guys in a videogame-like blockbuster film streamed via Netflix. The movie rental service announced Monday that it had partnered with Sony to allow PS3 users the chance to rent movies online via their gaming console.