Post-Oscar Forecast: Bumps In DVD For ‘Hurt Locker’

Big post-Oscar revenue bumps at the box office probably aren’t in the envelopes this year, studio distribution executives say. But with the bulk of the major contenders having moved onto their DVD window, home entertainment sales should get a sizable lift. By The Wrap

Low-metal star suggests Milky Way grew by gobbling dwarfs

An unresolved question in astronomy is how the Milky Way reached its current state. One theory is that the Milky Way grew, at least in part, by cannibalizing smaller dwarf galaxies that happened to get too close. If this was the case, then it would follow that there should be stars in the Milky Way that are similar in chemical makeup to those in the dwarf galaxies that exist throughout our neighborhood of the Universe.

Since it is known that metal-poor stars—stars having up to 100,000 times less metal than our Sun—exist in the Milky Way's halo, similar stars should be found in dwarf galaxies. "The Milky Way seemed to have stars that were much more primitive than any of the stars in any of the dwarf galaxies," says co-author Josh Simon of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution. "If dwarf galaxies were the original components of the Milky Way, then it's hard to understand why they wouldn't have similar stars."

As described in this week's edition of Nature, researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution have found an extremely metal-poor star in the dwarf galaxy Sculptor. Located 290,000 light-years away, the star, S1020549, has a remarkably similar chemical make-up to the Milky Way's oldest stars. Using spectroscopic measurements of the faint light from S1020549, they observed metal levels about 6000 times lower than that seen in the Sun. The value is also five times lower than the levels seen in a star during any previous survey of dwarf galaxies.

While this is only a single data point, it bolsters the idea that the Milky Way has grown by absorbing old dwarf galaxies. The authors suggest that future optical telescopes that are currently under construction will expand our ability to find these faint stars that will shed further light on the origins of galaxies in general, the Milky Way included.

Nature, 2010. DOI: 10.1038/nature08772

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Billboard Analysis: Streaming’s Impact On Music Downloads

Streaming’s impact on consumer behavior has been discussed -- and doubted by some -- since NPD Group’s Russ Crupnick gave a presentation at last weeks’ Digital Music Forum in New York. As has been reported, Crupnick said free, on-demand music services result in 13% fewer digital download purchases, while non-interactive webcasts and other services result in 41% more digital download purchases. By Billboard

Prosecutor Says He Will Not Go After Kiosks

Earlier this week, reports had surfaced that video store owners had convinced a county prosecutor in Indiana to send warning letters to retailers who gave space to Redboxes and other DVD kiosks. The letters reportedly stated that the kiosks’ offering of PG-13 and R rated movies could put the retailers in violation of criminal statutes as the kiosks gave minors easy access to harmful material. The prosecutor, Stan Levco, had been weighing whether to file suit. But as Evansville, IN-based newscaster WFIE reports, Levco now says that a trial against kiosk companies “would be a waste of his resources and that a non-guilty verdict would be returned.” By WFIE

Cinram Launches CDSA Content Protection & Security Initiative

Cinram International has announced the initiation of the CDSA Content Protection and Security certification process, which for over ten years has assisted content holders and their service providers in maintaining the most responsible practices and policies for secure handling of intellectual property for home video, music, video games and business software. CDSA, the international content protection association, and Cinram will begin this comprehensive certification process this year at Cinram’s European operations. “We believe that CDSA will provide an independent, industry-endorsed validation of the systems that we have already in place for the protection of our customers’ content,” says Kenny Aldridge, Cinram Corporate Compliance Officer. Supported by major content holders including Universal Home Entertainment and Electronic Arts, CDSA’s latest Content Protection and Security (CPS) standards were developed by a worldwide consortium of anti-piracy and security experts to address the evolving needs of today’s physical and digital content delivery supply chains – from content creation to post production, replication through distribution. The CDSA standard is a result of over ten years of in-the-field development; its programs are administered by ISO 9001-trained, entertainment industry professionals in North America, Europe and Asia. Linda Dyson, CDSA Worldwide Director of Anti-Piracy and Compliance Programs noted, “The secure handling and protection of intellectual property is the highest priority for the entertainment industry. Cinram’s pursuit of CDSA’s high standards in the Content Protection and Security certification program demonstrates its strong commitment to this crucial industry need.” CDSA

Cinram Begins Worldwide Roll-out of Program With European Sites

LONDON, UK — Cinram International, Inc. has announced the initiation of the CDSA Content Protection and Security certification process, which for over ten years has assisted content holders and their service providers in maintaining the most responsible practices and policies for secure handling of intellectual property for home video, music, video games and business software.

CDSA, the international content protection association, and Cinram will begin this comprehensive certification process this year at Cinram’s European operations. Read more

Video Stores Behind Indiana Prosecutor’s Legal Salvo

Paul Black, an Evansville, Ind. attorney representing the owner of several area video stores, convinced the Vanderburgh County prosecuting attorney to send letters to roughly a dozen retailers with DVD kiosks earlier this year, telling them to stop providing access to movies that contain an ‘R’ or ‘PG’ rating or are unrated. The Video Buyers Group (VBG), which represents more than 1,700 independent rentailers nationwide, is working with the attorney’s client. By Home Media Magazine

Technicolor Signs First Theater Chain For Film-Based 3D Projection

Technicolor has reached an agreement with Bow Tie Cinemas to install its Technicolor 3D system on 25 screens across the New York-based theater chain’s 18 locations. Technicolor says its new 3D lens system for 35mm film projectors enables exhibitors to upgrade their theaters at a fraction of the cost of installing digital 3D projection systems. Mitigating exhibitors' upgrade costs is a key issue in ensuring that the number of 3D screens continues to grow as studios beef up their 3D film slates. The Technicolor system requires studio support on the film production side as well. To this end, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Overture Films, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and The Weinstein Company have all announced support for Technicolor 3D. The studios represent 13 of the 19 3D films already announced for 2010 release. Via MarketWatch

IT jobs market surges but double-dip feared

The IT jobs market is on the rebound ...

Research Firm Forrester On Apple And Paid Content’s ‘Demographic Fault Line’

“Apple’s music and app stores straddle paid content’s demographic fault line,” writes Forrester Research’s Mark Mulligan on paidContent March 1. “Apps, a fundamentally interactive experience, are tailor-made for the digital natives, whereas the static 99-cent music download remains wedded to a bygone era. Of course, the kids still like music, but the current digital-music product doesn’t compel them to part with their cash in the way an app does.” Via paidContent

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