| Redbox refuses to push Warner movie delay to 56 days, will rent flicks as they go on sale Feb 1st 2012, 13:44 Two years after bending to Warner's demands and delaying its kiosk rentals 28 days in exchange for lower acquisition costs and a steady supply of Blu-ray discs, Redbox announced the agreement has expired. This comes as a result of Warner's desire to extend the delay between the time movies are available for purchase to the time they can be rented in kiosks or by subscription to 56 days, and instead Redbox will go back to buying the studio's movies at retail -- coincidentally, it has renewed its lease agreement with Walmart for 3,700 retail locations for three more years. While that means more expense and possibly unsure supply for Redbox -- we'll wait and see if retailer interference is an issue again -- the good news for consumers is that for the time being, they'll have the choice of renting as soon as movies go on sale. The first flick affected by the new reality is A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, so until Warner backs off, or Redbox blinks once its streaming service comes into play, then go forth and enjoy those $1.10 rentals freely. [Thanks, Stephen] Continue reading Redbox refuses to push Warner movie delay to 56 days, will rent flicks as they go on sale Redbox refuses to push Warner movie delay to 56 days, will rent flicks as they go on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Variety, Company Town, Redbox / Walmart agreement | Email this | Comments | | Nikon Coolpix P310 hands-on preview (video) Feb 1st 2012, 13:28 Of all the new Nikons announced today, the P310 is likely to be one of the most popular. Its 4.2x (24-100mm) focal length may not deliver the big bad zoom of the P510, and it can't do RAW like the P7100, but it compensates with some serious optical features instead. Among them is improved image stabilization, which Nikon says will let you take blur-free handheld shots at four stops below what would otherwise be possible. There's also a "market leading" f/1.8 maximum aperture, which further aid low-light shooting as well shallow depth-of-field shots. Finally, the form factor is really important. This camera is a lot smaller than either the P510 or the P7100 and it feels great in the hand: not quite pocketable, perhaps, but certainly portable, discreet and sturdy. We only had access to a very early pre-production sample, so we couldn't check out the menu system or take shots, but we give the camera a good looking over in the hands-on video right after the break. Continue reading Nikon Coolpix P310 hands-on preview (video) Nikon Coolpix P310 hands-on preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Nikon Coolpix P510 arrives in London, we get a preview hands-on (video) Feb 1st 2012, 13:08 You may have heard that Nikon's revealed a few -- well, a lot of -- new cameras this week. Fortunately it wasn't long until we were able to get to grips with some of the more interesting models. Unfortunately both the super-zooming Coolpix P510 (seen here) and the super-zooming P310 arrived sans battery, unwilling to be coaxed into working, but more than happy to show off how the finished unit would feel in the hand. We were able to get a hardware tour from Nikon's James Loader, who gave us a brief overview of the new Coolpix P series and talked up how that 42x zoom interacts with that 16.1-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor. You'll find that right after the gallery, alongside our own impressions on the hardware. We hope to grab a working sample ahead of the bridge camera's March 22nd launch, priced at £400 ( $630) in the UK. Update: We've corrected the pricing. As previously reported, the camera will reach US shores at a more wallet-friendly $430. Continue reading Nikon Coolpix P510 arrives in London, we get a preview hands-on (video) Nikon Coolpix P510 arrives in London, we get a preview hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Pirate Bay founders lose final appeal in Sweden, prison looms on the horizon Feb 1st 2012, 12:11 It looks like Pirate Bay's legal drama has finally come to a close in Sweden, where the Supreme Court today turned down the site's final appeal. At the center of the case are the file sharing site's founders -- Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundström -- who have been battling Swedish prosecutors for quite a few years now. After being convicted of facilitating copyright infringement, the trio was initially sentenced to prison. They appealed the ruling in 2010 and, though they failed to overturn it, managed to see their 12-month sentences reduced by between two and eight months. Today, though, their final attempts were shot down, with the Court's dismissal. The fines and prison terms remain the same: ten months for Neij, eight months for Sunde and four for Lundström. There's also a fourth co-founder involved, Gottfrid Svartholm, who has been absent from several hearings. Under today's ruling, his original 12-month sentence will stand, and the four men will have to pay a total of $6.8 million in damages. Because the case has dragged on for at least five years, however, there's a chance that the sentences could be reduced by 12 months (bringing them down to zero), as is common in the Swedish legal system. The decision on this matter, however, remains with the court. TorrentFreak reports that at least one defendant intends to appeal to the European Court of Justice, though the results wouldn't have any effect on Sweden's decision. Pirate Bay founders lose final appeal in Sweden, prison looms on the horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  SlashGear | TorrentFreak | Email this | Comments | |
