money.cnnWarner Music the Remix
CEO Edgar Bronfman's effort to adapt a storied label for the digital age could provide a blueprint for the salvation of the recording industry--and of the reputation of one of America's most intriguing moguls.
heiseThe portal in2movies focuses on movie fans and power downloaders
On Wednesday, movie actors Jasmin Tabatabai and Herbert Knaup helped two board members from the German Film Academy officially inaugurate the beta version of the new movie portal in2movies at the Ludwig-Erhard-Haus in Berlin. In a joint venture between Warner Brothers Entertainment GmbH and technical service provider arvato mobile, a member of the Bertelsmann Group, the two companies will be addressing new target groups via the Internet. Movies that are purchased are stored on the customer's hard drive and are permanently playable.
More than 300 movies and TV series were already available for purchase at the launch of in2movies. They include such recent releases as "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," which is being offered online in addition to DVD marketing. An older installment of Harry Potter ("Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone") can even be downloaded for free until Easter Monday as a special offerNormally, current Hollywood blockbusters cost 14.99 euros, roughly as much as a DVD. But these video downloads do not yet have all of the extras that DVDs offer; the providers have not yet decided what to do here. Apparently, the movies can only be downloaded with the German soundtrack in the Dolby digital format (up to 5.1 EX). Older movies such as "Sophie Scholl" or "Batman Begins" are available for 7.99 euros, while "Goodbye Lenin" is available for 6.99. Warner Bros. plans to charge between 99 cents and 1.99 euros for episodes from TV series.