DVD filmmakers Dwight Marcus and Charles Barth of Chamber of Poets will appear in an innovative multimedia in-store that takes DVD technology to new heights! Appearing at Tower Records/Video on Sunset Boulevard on Saturday, May 12 and Tower Records/Video in Long Beach on Saturday, May 13, they will perform songs from their critically-acclaimed SlingShot Home Video DVD, News From The West.

In addition to a unique multi-media performance, they will discuss their vision of music-driven short film as an art form. Fans could win a Denon DVD player (value $499.00), DVD singles of News From The West and other exciting DVDs at the in-store (must be present to win). For more information please log onto Tower Video's e-commerce sight, www.towerrecords.com .

It is undeniably the art form that opens the 21st Century -- THIS IS PULSE. What the ``beat'' movement was to the free-spirited artists of the 1950's, PULSE is to the sound bite-driven millennium. Chamber of Poets' DVD release News From The West is the embodiment of PULSE. It is both culmination and antidote. It is sweetness and chaos. It is a window on our future.

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Frank LoVerme, chief operating officer of Greenleaf Technologies Corp., in an address to the attendees of DVD Summit III, said that the future success of the DVD-ROM lies in the ability to form a direct relationship between the consumer and the software vendor.

He went on to say that this can be done by capitalizing on the greater capacity of the DVD-18 disc to carry numerous software titles and Greenleaf's encryption technology, which allows the content to be purchased online or via touch-tone phone. He concluded by saying that the business model will result in increased profit margins for software developers and publishers.

LoVerme cited the success of the WIG DVD Keeper Series, a DVD-ROM property containing Infogrames' game content, Greenleaf's encryption technology and Warner Advanced Media Operations' proprietary DVD-18 memory capacity, as an example of how software vendors reach consumers directly. The WIG DVD Keeper Series is a product of WIG, a joint venture comprising Warner Media Advanced Operations, Infogrames and Greenleaf.

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Showgirls

“Sleek seductiveness…a world of exoticism and danger!”

Seduction, passion and power struggles unfold when the creators of Basic Instinct, director Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers) and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Original Sin), blow the lid off the seemingly glamorous world of Las Vegas showdancing to create one of the most controversial – and shocking – films of all time.

Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) has what it takes to make it as a Las Vegas showgirl – what she doesn’t have is a way in. To survive, she accepts the only job available: lap-dancing at a seedy club. And when she meets Cristal (Gina Gershon), Vegas’ reigning showgirl, Nomi wants everything she has – including her boyfriend (Kyle MacLachlan). And as Nomi dives deeper into the world she so desperately desires, a rivalry between the two women heats up. The battle for the spotlight becomes so fiercely competitive that it drives Nomi to desperate lengths – and devious heights – for fame in Sin City.

"Showgirls" is rated "NC-17" and has a running time of 131 minutes.

Spaceballs

May the farce be with you in this hysterically funny space oddity, created by comic genius Mel Brooks, that will send you into hyperspace with fits of laughter! Lampooning everything from Star Wars to Star Trek, this outrageous send-up of epic sci-fi movies is full of cosmic crazies.

Fearless – and clueless – space heroes Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man/half-dog sidekick Barf (John Candy) wage interstellar warfare to free Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil clutches of Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). On the way to the rescue – in their Winnebago – they confront the huge, gooey Pizza The Hutt (voice of Dom De Luise), sassy robot Dot Matrix (voice of Joan Rivers) and a wise little creature named Yogurt (Mel Brooks), who teaches them the mystical power of “The Schwartz” in order to bring peace – and merchandising rights – to the entire galaxy!

"Spaceballs" is rated "PG" and has a running time of 96 minutes.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Admiral Kirk’s defeat of Khan and the creation of the Genesis planet are empty victories. Spock is dead and McCoy is inexplicably being driven insane. Then a surprise visit from Sarek, Spock’s father, provides a startling revelation. McCoy is harboring Spock’s living essence.

With one friend alive and one not, but both in pain, Kirk attempts to help his friends by stealing the U.S.S. Enterprise and defying Starfleet’s Genesis planet quarantine. But the Klingons have also learned of Genesis and race to meet Kirk in a deadly rendezvous.

"Star Trek III: The Search For Spock" is rated "PG" and has a running time of 105 minutes.

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The slam-dunk release of the century has arrived! On July 25, superstar Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the world's favorite Looney Tunes characters score big with the newly enhanced ``Space Jam'' DVD.

For the first time ever, viewers will experience the behind-the-scenes magic, cool music videos and other kid-friendly features that make ``Space Jam'' a ``must-have'' classic. Additionally, fans will get an inside peek at fun film facts including what the Looney Tunes characters ate to gear up for the ``Space Jam'' game plus the story behind the college shorts Michael Jordan wears under his NBA uniform.

Special features on this all-new DVD include:

• Feature-length audio commentary by director Joe Pytka, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck
• Jammin' with Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan "making-of-featurette"
• Three smash hit music videos: R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly," Seal's "Fly Like an Eagle" and the Monstars' "Monster Anthem: Hit `em High"
• Original theatrical trailer
• Alternate music-only track

Enhanced features for DVD-ROM PCs include:

• Links to Warner Bros., Looney Tunes and family-related Web sites
• Updated original theatrical Web site, including games, chat rooms, live event links, Web cards and screensavers
• Theatrical trailer sampling featuring other WHV DVD family titles

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RAVISENT Technologies Inc., a software and IP licensing company, today announces that Vestel® Electronics, a premier European consumer electronic manufacturing company, is including RAVISENT's Software CineMaster decoder with the ST Microelectronics STi5505 single-chip DVD solution, in a consumer electronic DVD player.

The new Vestel DVD player, marketed in Europe under the Universum brand name, combines RAVISENT's Software CineMaster® DVD decoder with the ST Microelectronics STi5505 single-chip DVD solution, enabling playback of theater-quality video and audio from DVDs to a television set. The Vestel DVD player uses the advanced features of Software CineMaster to deliver advanced audio and video capabilities at nearly half the cost of competitive products.

The award-winning Software CineMaster® DVD decoder, originally developed for PC based systems, has been ported by RAVISENT to volume consumer electronic device architectures, allowing OEMs to develop DVD players with advanced functionality at a fraction of the cost of internally developed alternatives.

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Newly enhanced DVD & VHS versions of ``Interview with the Vampire'' and ``Twister'' plus DVD Director's Cut premieres from the ``Lethal Weapon'' series are featured in the Warner Home Video (WHV) ``Big Action'' line-up debuting June 6.

• The DVD ``Interview with the Vampire'' will contains an all-new introduction by novelist Anne Rice, director Neil Jordan and Antonio Banderas; an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary ``In The Shadow of the Vampire'' featuring new interviews from Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Rice, Neil Jordan and more; the original theatrical trailer; and a limited edition collector's card, plus feature-length audio commentary by director Neil Jordan; production notes and filmographies; subtitles and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
• The DVD ``Director's Cut'' editions of the first three ``Lethal Weapon'' films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover will each feature an all-new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix; several minutes of previously unavailable footage; widescreen presentation; subtitles; and original theatrical trailer.
• The DVD ``Twister''' will also debut in an enhanced version. Special features include: new behind-the-scenes documentaries ``The Making of Twister'' and ``Anatomy of the Twister''; Van Halen's music video, ``Humans Being''; feature-length audio commentary by director Jan De Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefen Fangmeier; production notes and filmographies; two original theatrical trailers; expanded motion menu; subtitles and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

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Sonic Solutions announced today a major enhancement to its high-end DVD Creator MPEG-2 encoding systems which allows direct 24P digital video input from Avid Symphony Universal, Avid's high-end editorial finishing and 24P Universal mastering system.

With Sonic's new Direct-24 input capability, DVD Creator can encode film content directly from a 24 FPS (frame-per-second) film source, making it possible to encode film material at speeds faster than real time and at the same time deliver higher quality.

``Sonic is a recognized leader in bringing new DVD production technology to the professional market,'' said Michael Phillips, Senior Product Designer at Avid Technology. ``Using Avid Symphony Universal, our users can edit, color correct and master a film-based project in a totally digital, uncompressed, 24 frame progressive environment. Sonic's new 24P support in DVD Creator makes it possible to directly transfer content to MPEG-2 without having to re-insert 2:3 pulldown (a telecine process), speeding production and improving quality.''

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Samsung, the company that has brought you the best in Consumer Electronics and Telecommunications, proudly introduces a new and innovative product, COMBO.

Samsung's COMBO combines the best technologies to provide the simplicity of viewing your favorite high-resolution DVD movies to backing up valuable data on CDs all in one drive. In one unique package, COMBO (SM-304) provides speeds such as 4X CD-Recording, 4X CD-Rewriting, 24X CD-ROM Reading, and 4X DVD-ROM reading. With competitive seek times in the industry, Samsung's COMBO offers Average Access Times of 120ms for DVD and 110ms for CD. COMBO also has added features such as Annular Mask Lens (na 0.6 and 0.5), which is a patented on core pick-up component, and Acoustic-Noise Reduction System (ARS), a technology that Samsung prides itself in. The COMBO drive package is bundled with Adaptec's Easy & Direct CD, Power DVD, and CD-R/RW media. The retail bundle price for Samsung's COMBO is $349. COMBO begins shipping May 1st, 2000.

SPECS:

• 4X CD-R, 4X CD-RW, 4X DVD-ROM, 24X CD-ROM
• 2MB Buffer Memory
• EIDE/ATAPI Interface
• Recording Capacity: CD-RW Disc 650MB (Type 74)
• CD-R Disc 700/650/550 MB (Type 80/74/63)

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Released This Week: Flawless

Walter Koontz (De Niro) - once a hero cop, now a security guard - lives in a rundown Hell's kitchen tenement. One fateful night, after hearing the cries of a neighbor in trouble, his attempt to help turns into a nightmare when he suffers a stroke.

Paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak clearly, Koontz, on the advice of his doctor, seeks voice lessons. But with winter holding him hostage to his apartment, he has no choice but to seek help from a musically inclined neighbor whom he vehemently dislikes...an outspoken guy named Rusty (Hoffman)!

"Flawless" is rated "R" and has a running time of 111 minutes.

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Vivid Interactive, the leader in adult DVD technology, is bringing Vivid Girl Kira Kener to Times Square to launch its ``Interactive Body Parts'' on Thursday, May 11th, starting at 4:00 EDT at Virgin Megastore Times Square at 45th and Broadway.

The in-store promotion featuring the acclaimed adult film star will introduce New Yorkers to ``Interactive Body Parts'' and ``Interactive Mind Teazzer''-- an award winning series by Dyanna Lauren (The DVD, which won the AVN Award Winner for Best Interactive DVD in January,) -- is the very best that true interactive DVD has to offer. Both DVDs in the series allow the player to participate in a digitally decadent game of mix and match, where floating body parts must be arranged by using the DVD remote control to create the ideal girl. After completion, the player is rewarded with a special fantasy segment.

``These are a couple of the only interactive Adult DVD games in the entire world that can be played on DVD video, DVD-Rom, Playstation 2, and Microsoft X Box,'' said Vivid Interactive VP Jim Monroe. ``Furthermore these discs are compatible with PAL, NTSC, & SECAM with no regional coding.''

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DVant Digital, an award winning DVD authoring facility, and MVC Productions, a San Francisco based video company, announce the release of Windsurfing Encyclopedia -- Volume 1, an interactive DVD-Video featuring Internet connectivity, multiple languages, multiple angles, looping music tracks and the most exciting windsurfing footage seen anywhere.

``I am really excited about DVD-Video as a media because of the interactivity possibilities,'' said Dobri Kiprov, president, MVC Productions, ``which allows a presentation that is much more interesting then a straight linear film. The viewer actually becomes part of the creative process since he or she can control what they watch. In addition, the ability to have multiple language sound tracks makes DVD a universal product. In addition, not only can a DVD-Video product play on a standard DVD player, but it is also fully functional in PC or Mac computer equipped with a DVD drive. In fact,'' continued Kiprov, ``we took advantage of DVDs multi-platform capability and included Internet connectivity in Windsurfing Encyclopedia, which allows the user to access windsurfing related web sites directly from the DVD disc.''

``DVD-Video is moving in a very exciting direction with the ability to provide Internet connectivity,'' said Gabriel Murano, DVant Digital's CEO. Not only do our clients have the ability to tell their stories and feature their products with high quality audio and hours of broadcast quality video, but now DVant can include the unlimited possibilities of Internet access and E-commerce on the same disc.``

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Released This Week: Fortress 2: Re-entry

In the not-so-distant future, Earth is controlled by a giant corporation called Men-Tel. After escaping from a maximum security prison known as The Fortress, renegade John Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife and son are fugitives on the run. But Brennick is soon apprehended again and placed in a futuristic state-of-the-art maximum security prison recently completed by Men-Tel.

Orbiting 26,000 miles from Earth, the prison houses the planet's most fierce criminals, forcing them to perform dreaded space labor amidst meteor showers and other harsh elements. Here, Brennick is locked down by hi-tech security jail cells and surrounded by an elaborate system of computer surveillance devices, including a camera placed inside his body. If Brennick ever wants to be re-united with his wife and son, he has no hope but to try to escape - an idea that was never thought possible...until now!

"Fortress 2: Re-entry " is rated "R" and has a running time of 92 minutes.

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Steven Spielberg has finally relented and will begin introducing his library of blockbuster movies on DVD, beginning this summer with ``Jaws.''

Universal Home Video is expected to announce Tuesday a special 25th anniversary collector's edition of the 1975 monster hit to be released July 11. It will include deleted scenes, outtakes, a trivia game and a new digital widescreen view with a choice of Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 Surround-sound.

The rest of the hits Spielberg made for Universal, including ``E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'' and ``Jurassic Park '' -- ranked as the fourth- and fifth-biggest moneymakers of all time, respectively -- are expected to be introduced later, as will ''Schindler's List'' and ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park '' on a staggered basis.

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A new version of DVD Genie is out with support for NVIDIA GeForce motion compensation acceleration, Matrox Sun-Picture acceleration, smoother panning settings, and better Windows 2000 support. DVD Genie allows you to modify the region code for popular software-based DVD Players such as Software Cinemaster, PowerDVD and WinDVD (among a few). It also allows you to tweak these programs with undocumented features to better fit your system. DVD Genie will also allow you to select which program runs when a DVD Disc is inserted into the drive and contains support for fullscreen Zooming on widescreen movies with certain players.

You can download DVD Genie v3.43 here.

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We have updated our DVD Easter Egg section. Easter Eggs are added hidden features added to a DVD which usually contain extra trailers, music, games, production credits, and more. The trick is to find them.

If you know of any hidden features then drop me an e-mail and we will get them posted.

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The STAR WARS buzz-o-meter has been on overdrive the past few days, following a surprise radio appearance by George Lucas last Friday morning on Los Angeles' modern rock station KROQ. Lucas, who is currently prepping EPISODE II, due to begin filming in Australia this June, took a break from his current race car duties to phone in and chat with "Kevin and Bean". And of course, the inevitable question "So when's STAR WARS coming to DVD?" was asked. While Lucas did mention that a DVD of THE PHANTOM MENACE would be coming, the exact transcript of Lucas' quotes was never revealed, but that didn't stop the excitement from building at a fast and furious pace on the web. Where the DVDs really, finally coming, and what would be on them?

We spoke with Lucasfilm representative Jeannie Cole, who was able to share the current state of the progress on STAR WARS DVDs, the rumors on possible content of the discs, as well as any known timetables for their release. "Yes, Lucasfilm has officially begun work on DVDs for the STAR WARS films," Ms. Cole explained, but it is still far too soon to know which film(s) will be released when and what the content will be. "It is up to George (Lucas) to decide the content of the discs," and "they will not be released in 2000, nor is there any firm date beyond this year." However, Cole did dispel some of the notions of further alternations or extensive new footage appearing on any upcoming DVD releases: "Any rumors of new digitally-created scenes or other extensive digital alterations are false."

Read more

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Walt Disney's Tarzan: Collector's Edition

From Walt Disney Home Entertainment comes the critically acclaimed Tarzan, in a Collector's Edition DVD you won't want to miss. Entertainment buffs and DVD enthusiasts will want to go behind the scenes with the filmmakers and learn about the deep canvas animation that captures the allure of the jungle as never before. This two-disc set will take you on an extraordinary journey from Tarzan's inception all the way through its theatrical release. See the characters leap to life, hear the music of Phil Collins and experience Tarzan as never before.

Tarzan is the extraordinary tale of an orphaned infant raised by a family of gorillas who accept him as one of their own. As Tarzan matures into a young man--with the instincts of a jungle animal and the physical prowess of an athletic superstar--his life changes forever when he finally meets other humans. Combining humor, breathtaking jungle action and sensational music with powerful emotional themes, Tarzan provides a timeless yet contemporary take on the popular story.

"Tarzan: Collector's Edition" is rated "G" and has a running time of 88 minutes.

The Bachelor

One thousand brides. One hundred million dollars. Jimmie Shannon is about to discover the true value of love. Faced with the choice of getting married within 24 hours or losing a $100 million inheritance, Jimmie, the unrepentant bachelor, is suddenly desperate to get to the alter.

The problem is his adorable and independent girlfriend, Anne, has seen through his act and won't touch him with a ten-foot pole. With the priest waiting in the wings and the minutes counting down, Jimmie will soon discover the true meaning of love.

"The Bachelor" is rated "PG-13" and has a running time of 102 minutes.

Happy, Texas

Popular stars Steven Zahn (Forces Of Nature, You’ve Got Mail, Out Of Sight), Jeremy Northam (An Ideal Husband, Mimic) and William H. Macy (Mystery Men, A Civil Action, Fargo) enliven a hilarious comedy where a case of mistaken identity leads to a beauty of a con game! When escaped convicts Harry Sawyer (Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne, Jr. (Zahn) are pulled over in the town of Happy, Texas…while driving a stolen Winnebago… they think they’re being arrested.

Rather, they’re immediately welcomed as the vehicle’s owners: a gay couple who’ve come to orchestrate the “Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pre-Teen” beauty pageant! Not ones to let a good con pass them by, the pair don’t hesitate to adopt flamboyant new personalities…and quickly meet with outrageously unpredictable consequences! With a great cast of stars playing an unusually offbeat collection of characters – you’ll be more than happy you picked up this laugh-out-loud comedy treat!

"Happy Texas" is rated "PG-13" and has a running time of 98 minutes.

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Through an innovative film Web site, New Line Cinema is giving Internet surfers the opportunity to send audio, photos, and text messages 30 years into the future. By traveling to www.frequencymovie.com , Web visitors can send time-delayed communiques that will not be released until the year 2030. The message can only be cracked with a secret password generated by the site and kept safe by the message originator. In the year 2030, the friends or family members can return to www.frequencymovie.com and enter their secret password to access the virtual time capsule.

The concept of communicating across 30 years of time is thematically married to New Line's upcoming thriller, ``Frequency,'' which will be released nationwide on April 28.

For those who can't wait 30 years to view or hear the message, Internet aficionados have the option to make their messages public now. Selected e-mails will be culled from this group by New Line Cinema and included on the DVD release of ``Frequency.''

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Image Entertainment Inc., a leading licensee and distributor of DVDs in North America, has announced a May 23, 2000, release date for the DVD and VHS videocassette of William Wellman's ``The Story of G.I. Joe.''

Never before available on home video, this classic World War II drama has been hailed as an influential masterpiece and was proclaimed by Dwight D. Eisenhower as ``the greatest war picture I've ever seen.''

``The Story of G.I. Joe'' portrays the experiences of Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Ernie Pyle with the men of Company C in the 18th Infantry during the invasion of Italy. The story begins in North Africa as Pyle joins Captain Bill Walker and his men, then follows these gallant soldiers as they fight their way from the beaches of Sicily to the hills of southern Italy. Pyle's frequent dispatches to American newspapers depicted for the first time the G.I. as the common man and as an individual with a loving family back home.

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Up to 70 per cent of DVD players sold in Europe are "chipped", making a mockery of industry attempts to control the market through hardware-embedded copyright restrictions.

And by the next year, multi-region DVD players made in China and retailing for under £100, will be widely available, Jim Bottoms, of Understandings and Solutions, told delegates at this week's DVD Summit.

Held in Dublin, Convergence was the buzzword at the conference, now in its third year, but integration of DVD-dependent technologies into a single DEB (digital entertainment box) is still some way off.

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Image Entertainment, Inc., a leading licensee and distributor of DVD programming in North America, today announced that it had acquired international home video and broadcast rights to the filmed concert, ``A Supernatural Evening with Santana.''

Music legend Carlos Santana swept the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards with a total of nine wins, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. The Supernatural Album has been certified Dectillion Platinum (Diamond) by the Recording Industry Association of America and the single, ``Smooth,'' was the No. 1 record on Billboard's ``Hot 100'' for 12 consecutive weeks; the longest running No. 1 single of 1999.

The concert was filmed on April 8, 2000 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Southern California. A number of artists who played on the Supernatural album made guest appearances at the concert, including Lauryn Hill, Rob Thomas, Sarah McLachlan, Dave Matthews, Everlast, The Product G & B, Cee-Lo and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The Supernatural tour will continue through August, including a set of European and Japanese dates.

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DVD Player Helper is now available from Bare Bones Software, according to MacTech magazine . And developers who want to watch DVDs with MacsBugs installed will rejoice.

Beginning with the Power Mac G4 AGP ("Sawtooth") machines, Apple introduced version 2.0 of the Apple DVD Player software. This version (and subsequent releases) of the Apple DVD Player don't require DVD decoding and playback hardware in order to play DVD video disks. However, at the same time, Apple introduced a limitation into the DVD player: if you have MacsBug (Apple's machine-level debugger) installed, the Apple DVD Player will display an error message, and then exit.

If you're a developer, and you use your machine for both software development and recreation, the error message is probably frustratingly familiar. Until now, the only way to watch DVDs using the Apple DVD Player has been to remove MacsBug from your system folder, restart the machine, watch your DVD video(s), put MacsBug back in the system folder, and restart the machine again.

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Released This Week: Boys Don't Cry

Based on a true story, this drama was adapted from the life of Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, a woman who chose to live her life as a man and suffered tragic consequences as a result. In 1993, 20-year-old Brandon (Oscar-winner Hilary Swank) leaves Lincoln, Nebraska, for the nearby community of Falls City, where she sports a crew cut, favors jeans and boots, and is regarded as a man by most of the people in town.

Brandon develops a reputation for being something of a ladies' man and falls in love with Lana, a teenage girl. Eventually her secret is revealed and Brandon's new friend's anger soon boils over into violence.

"Boys Don't Cry" is rated "R" and has a running time of 116 minutes.

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TTR Technologies, Inc. a leading developer of digital anti-piracy technologies, today announced the commencement of a project to develop the first technology designed for copy protection of digital DVD to DVD piracy.

TTR's development effort will include in-house research based on the technology developed for TTR's MusicGuard, which protects against the illegal replication of audio content on compact discs (CDs). TTR has already successfully leveraged its copy protection technology originally developed for CD-ROM software piracy to develop protection for CDs. As part of a joint development and marketing venture, TTR's audio content protection technology has been licensed to Macrovision Corporation, the leading marketer of video and CD-ROM software copyright protection products.

Mr. Marc Tokayer, Chairman of TTR Technologies, Inc. said, ``Developing copy protection for DVDs is a natural progression for TTR. We've already successfully developed copy protection technologies for every physical content delivery medium since diskettes. Given the phenomenal growth of the DVD video player market, digital piracy of DVD content will be a key issue for producers, just as it has become a key concern for audio content producers.''

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Japan's Trade Ministry has simplified export procedures for Sony Corp's flagship PlayStation2 video game after earlier imposing controls amid concerns that parts could be used for military purposes.

``It is, after all, a general-purpose product and we have simplified the procedures,'' Minister of Trade and Industry Takashi Fukaya was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying on Tuesday.

The most profitable product of Sony Computer Entertainment, a subsidiary of electronic giant Sony, faced export restrictions because the machine and its eight-megabyte memory card were so sophisticated they could be used in missile guidance systems.

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Daikin U.S. Comtec Laboratories, the developer of the industry-leading DVD authoring system, Scenarist, and InterActual Technologies Inc., the leading solutions provider for Internet-enabled DVDs, announced today that Daikin's Enhanced DVD Kit (EDK) will incorporate InterActual's next generation technology for Internet-enabled DVDs, including support for both computers and Internet-connected set-top DVD players.

``One year ago, our collaboration with Daikin led to the co-development of the industry's first complete tool solution for enhanced/hybrid DVD software production,'' said Todd R. Collart, President and CEO of InterActual Technologies. ``Daikin's EDK will now be expanded with InterActual's next generation of software and DVD-ROM tools to offer an integrated turnkey web solution for Hollywood as well as the corporate and educational markets.''

Daikin's EDK merges the very successful DVD-Video format with web applications, creating new business opportunities for DVD and Web publishers alike. Users of Daikin's renowned series of DVD tools such as Scenarist, Informer, ROM Formatter and ReelDVD can utilize the EDK to associate URLs with menu buttons and other portions of the DVD-Video. InterActual's technology is automatically combined with DVD Video during formatting, providing a consistent playback environment that offers the broadest level of compatibility between major industry DVD playback systems on both computers and Internet-connected set-top DVD players.

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Released This Week: End Of Days: Collector's Edition

All hell breaks loose when Arnold Schwarzenegger battles the ultimate evil in this chilling supernatural action thriller. When a burned-out former New York City cop named Jericho (Schwarzenegger) is assigned to security detail for a mysterious and foreboding stranger (Gabriel Byrne), Jericho thwarts an incredible assassination attempt.

During the ensuing investigation, he and his partner (Kevin Pollak) save the life of the beautiful and terrified Christine York (Robin Tunney), whose destiny involves death, the devil and the fate of mankind. Now it's up to Jericho to save the girl, the world and his own soul as he comes face to face with his most powerful enemy ever!

"End Of Days" is rated "R" and has a running time of 123 minutes.

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May Releases Feature Beloved Icons of Song and Dance. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Rosalind Russell and Ava Gardner Sparkle With DVD Quality. Six fun-filled comedies also debut on DVD

Warner Home Video announced its DVD lineup for May featuring timeless musical classics such as ``Anchors Aweigh,'' ``Gypsy,'' ``On the Town'' and ``Little Shop of Horrors.''

The May DVD roster also features laugh-packed hits including Tim Burton's directorial debut in ``Pee Wee's Big Adventure,'' plus ``Major League II,'' ``Major League: Back to the Minors,'' ``Big Bully,'' ``Stay Tuned'' and the classic conspiracy tale ``Seven Days in May.''

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Sonic Solutions announced today a technology partnership with RAVISENT Technologies Inc. to bring High-Definition DVD to content developers and consumers for the first time.

Called hDVD(TM), the new format expands DVD beyond standard definition video to include any of the 18 ATSC video formats, including 1080i and 720p. RAVISENT's software-based High Definition MPEG encoding and decoding technology will provide secure generation and display of the high-definition content with an internet-enabled user interface, while Sonic's DVD Creator, DVD Fusion and DVDit! authoring applications will be extended to support the high-resolution video streams.

``hDVD represents a major breakthrough for studios looking to begin deploying High-Definition content today,'' said Christopher Kryzan, senior vice president of Marketing and Engineering at Sonic Solutions. ``Working with RAVISENT we have extended the DVD format to include the exceptional video quality of 1080i or 720p MPEG-2 HDTV content in our extensive line of authoring tools.''

``This jointly-developed technology will enable exciting new forms of entertainment for consumers,'' said Alan McCann, senior vice president and general manager, RAVISENT Digital Media Division. ``And basing hDVD on existing industry standards protects the digital investments of content producers and offers tremendous new business opportunities for programming distributors.''

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Japan electronics giant Sony Corp. played down Monday the risk to its business from export restrictions imposed on its flagship PlayStation2 video game due to concerns it could be used for military purposes.

The company could not compromise the technology for its most profitable product just to escape a government control when it needed to stay ahead in a highly competitive market, said an official for Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), a subsidiary of Sony Corp.

``We need PlayStation2 to remain competitive for the next five years and given the rapid developments in technology, we could not afford to compromise,'' the official said.

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It is a boring day for most news so I thought I would post the best bit of news I have heard today. George Lucas has announced that ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) are working on The Phantom Menace DVD. Here is the blurb from The Force.net

-ILM is working on the DVD version of Ep1 with extra footage, scenes, etc, but no specific date when it will be out. When Lucas was asked about how he has time to go and race here in L.A when it sounds like he's working 24/7 on Star Wars

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Do you have a favorite DVD Movie you would like to see posted here? Drop me an e-mail and we will get it posted.

Superstar