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'MLB 2K12' and 'NBA 2K12' $69.99 Combo Pack Coming to Xbox 360

Thu Feb 09, 2012 at 12:30 PM ET
Tags: MLB 2K12, NBA 2K12, 2K Games, Industry Trends, Xbox 360 (all tags)

You'll get both games for just $10 more than the cost buying MLB.

The folks at 2K Sports have just announced what has to be one of the best deals going right now. The company will be launching a combo pack consisting of 'MLB 2K12' and 'NBA 2K12' for just $69. Considering that 'MLB 2K12' on its own retails for $59, this is a crazy big discount.

The really odd thing about this, though, is that the combo pack is only coming to the Xbox 360. PS3 owners will, unless more information comes out, be paying full price if they want both. Perhaps it's a way to offload some extra copies of 'NBA 2K12' or simply a way to get more baseball games sold. Whatever the reason, 360 owners are winning out on this one.

You'll be able to pick up 'MLB 2K12' and the combo pack with 'NBA 2K12' when the game launches on March 6th.

Source: Gamespot

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'MLB 2K12' and 'NBA 2K12' $69.99 Combo Pack Coming to Xbox 360

Thu Feb 09, 2012 at 12:30 PM ET
Tags: MLB 2K12, NBA 2K12, 2K Games, Industry Trends, Xbox 360 (all tags)

You'll get both games for just $10 more than the cost buying MLB.

The folks at 2K Sports have just announced what has to be one of the best deals going right now. The company will be launching a combo pack consisting of 'MLB 2K12' and 'NBA 2K12' for just $69. Considering that 'MLB 2K12' on its own retails for $59, this is a crazy big discount.

The really odd thing about this, though, is that the combo pack is only coming to the Xbox 360. PS3 owners will, unless more information comes out, be paying full price if they want both. Perhaps it's a way to offload some extra copies of 'NBA 2K12' or simply a way to get more baseball games sold. Whatever the reason, 360 owners are winning out on this one.

You'll be able to pick up 'MLB 2K12' and the combo pack with 'NBA 2K12' when the game launches on March 6th.

Source: Gamespot

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.


Redbox Ignores Warner Demands – Will Rent Movies Day and Date

Thu Feb 02, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Redbox, Warner, Industry Trends (all tags)

Warner attempted to push Redbox's rental delay to eight weeks, but Redbox says no.

Warner Home Entertainment isn’t cool with Redbox and Netflix renting movies as early as they do. Initially, the company offered these renters a nice discount for pushing their rental window to 28 days. This means that Redbox and Netflix were unable to rent movies to customers until four weeks after they were released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Redbox went along with the demand, albeit not happily. Warner’s new request pushed the window even further, to 56 days. Redbox says that this won’t stand, and will be going back to its old practice of buying movies at retail and renting them to customers on the day that they’re released.

The fallout from this should be interesting to see. Warner certainly won’t be pleased with the way Redbox is doing things, but there’s no telling what the fallout will be.

Source: Engadget

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Element Sets Up New Production Facility in Michigan

Wed Feb 01, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Industry Trends (all tags)

They're not known for high quality sets, but Element will soon be the only American-owned TV maker producing sets in the US.

Element is a name you've heard of and one that likely make the lists of what not to buy. They're a company that imports inexpensive China made TVs and sells them at stores like Walmart. Things are about to change though, as Element is about to start manufacturing in the US.

The company's new production facility in Canton, Michigan, will be set up to produce sets that are 46 inches and larger. The sets will still be the sort of budget sets the company is known for, and according to president and owner Michael O'Shaughnessy, they're not going to get any more expensive.

O'Shaughnessy says that production costs are rising in China and considering shipping costs it's actually cheaper to manufacture large sets in the US. The company will be employing 100 workers in both assembly and in a new call center. Production will begin in March.

Source: Detroit Free Press

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Sharp is Cutting Osaka Plant's LCD Production in Half

Wed Feb 01, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Sharp, Industry Trends (all tags)

The LCD panel industry hasn't been doing well as of late and that's resulted in quite a few companies having to scale back production in their plants, switch to something else, or shut down entirely. Sharp is no stranger to this, and is cutting LCD production in its Sakai, Osaka plant in half.

The cut is expected to be temporary, though no timeline is given for a return to full production. This will be the second time Sharp has altered production in the last year, though not quite as severe as April's production stoppage.

Sharp's plant has been running at between 80 and 90 percent of capacity, but even then is producing too many panels to sell.

Source: Reuters

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Unused TV Frequencies Become Free Wi-Fi in North Carolina

Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: Wi-Fi, Industry Trends (all tags)

The TV White Space network has gone live in Wilmington, providing citizens with Wi-Fi, and law enforcement with broadband.

When television made the switch to digital, we were left with a pressing question - what do we do with all those unused frequencies? The folks in Wilmington, North Carolina are now getting to take advantage of the first commercial TV White Space (TVWS) network.

The new tech gives people Wi-Fi in city parks, which is certainly a well received improvement. No need to use your 3G service when you can connect up with your phone, laptop or tablet to proper Wi-Fi.

The biggest benefit, at least at this point, goes to law enforcement. The freed up space allows for better video surveillance, traffic surveillance and mitigation as well as security for both people and property.

"This technology has proven to be an unobtrusive, environmentally friendly way to offer services to our citizens and the visitors at our parks and to give our staff more efficient ways to manage these locations," says New Hanover County chairman Ted Davis. "We are extremely pleased with the installations of the white spaces systems."

Source: Engadget

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2011 Was a Record Setting Year for Projectors

Tue Jan 31, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Projectors, Sales Figures, Industry Trends (all tags)

Nearly 10 million projectors shipped last year, with strong gains in both the US and Canada

2011 was a good year for home theater projectors. Nearly 10 million were shipped and a good chunk of that came from "New Era" projectors - those below 500 lumens.

In 2010, 1.1 million of these New Era projectors shipped out - not a bad number, but small compared to the 1.8 million that hit shelves in 2011. Ultra-short throw and interactive projectors also increased by nearly 50% thanks to growth in the US and Western Europe.

High-end projectors outperformed the mainstream market - nothing surprising there. Digital cinema projectors hit 30,000 shipped in the fourth quarter of 2011, which brought the total for the year to 70,000.

Mainstream projectors, meanwhile, did fine overseas. France, Spain and Russia were among the leading buyers in this category.

Source: Big Picture Big Sound

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Analyst Attacks Paramount for High Prices for UltraViolet Movies

Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 02:00 PM ET
Tags: Paramount, Ultraviolet, Industry Trends (all tags)

When the studio launched UltraViolet, there seemed to be a bit of potential in the idea. Based on pricing though, it seems like Paramount doesn’t actually want to sell anything. Frost & Sullivan analyst Dan Rayburn says that Paramount’s way of doing things is completely wrong.

“What studio executive thinks consumers are going to pay $22.99 to stream a movie when we can buy the DVD for $7 or rent it for less than $2?” he writes. “The economics don't make sense.”

A fine example is the 2010 movie ‘The Fighter,’ which sells for $22.99 for an HD version and $16.99 for standard definition. For just a dollar more than the SD UltraViolet version costs, you can order the Blu-ray and enjoy special features and a better picture. For $7.99 you can watch ‘The Fighter’ on Netflix in HD and have an entire month worth of other movies.

“At some point, the studios are going to get burned just like the music industry did,” says Rayburn. “They need to wake up and realize that consumers are demanding digital content for a fair price.”

Source: Home Media Magazine

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Disc Replicators Survive by Adapting to the Digital Market

Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Tags: Sony, Technicolor, Industry Trends (all tags)

Companies that once provided services for disc based media have made the transition to the digital age.

Replicators – the folks that turn data into a fully pressed Blu-ray disc – aren’t getting the business they once used to. While some are feeling the pinch, others are finding a great deal of success by adapting to the new environment and embracing digital needs.

Sony DADC was one of the early adapters. They formed a New Media Solutions group which works to create content, automate digital distribution and more. Cinram has similarly adapted and now creates bonus features and works in the gaming, mobile, digital and 3D fields.

Technicolor hasn’t been left in the dust – they’ve expanded to solutions that ensure that all your devices play nice when used together. They’ve been working on applications for laptops, tablets and even a 3D certification program.

Read more about the path that replicators have taken in the new landscape at ‘Home Media Magazine.

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Samsung Pulls in $4.7 Billion Profit in 2011

Mon Jan 30, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
Tags: Samsung, Industry Trends, Sales Figures (all tags)

That’s $1.8 billion more than 2010.

It’s no secret that Samsung’s been doing well, but as it turns out, the company is on a steep incline. They pulled in $42 billion in sales, $4.7 of which was pure profit. That’s a huge step over last year when they brought in $2.9 billion in profit.

Leading the charge was the cell phone division. Over 300 million phones were sold for a whopping $2.3 billion profit. The semiconductor business was no slouch either, bringing in $2 billion in profit. That’s $4.3 between the two, leaving TVs to make up much of the remainder.

Samsung’s LED sets boosted the company’s sales considerably and helped the division to increase numbers by 20 percent. They boasted $7.6 million in sales in 2011.

Source: Engadget

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