Before you rush off to theaters to catch Quantum of Solace this November, MGM and Fox are planning to keep you squarely planted on the couch for at least a few days in October. Announced today, the two studios have agreed to push out a half dozen Bond classics on Blu-ray this October (20th internationally; 21st in North America), each of which will be "restored and re-mastered." The films in question are Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia With Love and Thunderball. There's no mention of a price just yet, but judging by how extraordinarily well Casino Royale did, we're sure these will do just fine.

[Image courtesy of OriginalProp]

While we knew both FOX and TNT were destined to land in Germany at some point, the latter won't be arriving until January of 2009. For those unaware, FOX has actually already launched in Deutschland, but you can bet your bottom dollar, er, Euro, that TNT is hoping to be a formidable competitor. TNT Serie, as it will be dubbed, will unfortunately be aired in 16:9 24 / 7, which likely means at least some content will be shown in stretch-o-vision. Still, we're hearing that the programming lineup will be quite robust, with re-runs of US favorites 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Everybody Loves Raymond, Monk, King of Queens and quite a few others. As for carriers, it seems as if discussions are ongoing with a number of cable and IPTV providers, but nothing definitive has been uttered just yet.

[Thanks, Chris]

Wow, how long have we been waiting for this? The Tiffany Network that practically invented football in HD, has been making way too many HD fans who follow the lower ranked teams in the NFL -- poor Browns' fans -- suffer through SD football just about every Sunday for as long as we can remember. Meanwhile the last broadcast network to go HD, would deliver almost every game in HD, every week. Well enough is enough, and the very credible Ken H from the AVS Forum has brought out his Magic 8 Ball -- which has a much track record then the one on our desk -- and confirmed that CBS is going to live up to its promise that for the 2008-2009 season every single NFL game on CBS will be presented in HD. All we can say is, about time.

Thanks to a little TWC slippage, we already knew good and well that Fox News HD was on the way, but now it seems that the channel will be launching in more places than just Brooklyn and Queens. Starting on May 1st, Time Warner Cable subscribers in "select areas" will be graced with the station, and not surprisingly, the metro New York systems will be the first to pick it up. We're also told that agreements are in place to bring Fox News HD to San Antonio, but it seems that other cities (and those on other carriers) will be forced to wait for an indefinite amount of time. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Though it's been an uphill battle for Germans looking to acquire fresh new content, it seems as if two blockbuster stations could be headed their way, and soon. According to a pair of German-language sites, both FOX and TNT will be arriving in short order, with the former going live on May 19th via pay-TV provider Arena. We're also told that Premiere (another carrier) will be picking up FOX shortly thereafter. As for TNT, there's been no specific air date listed, but word on the street has it pegged for a launch on Premiere in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, the biggest detail (to us, anyway) was left out, so we'll just have to wait and see if HD versions show up alongside the SD counterparts.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - Details on FOX launch
Read - Details on TNT launch

Considering the prohibitively high costs associated with D-BOX's admittedly intriguing Motion Code system, it's no real shock that we haven't heard much about the product since 2006. Fast forward a year and change, and The Man Room's Dan Bradley was able to sit down with the firm's Marketing Director and find out a good bit more about the technology. Essentially, the firm encodes films (over 750 are currently in its database) frame by frame with Motion Effects (MFX) that enable at-home movie viewers to actually feel as if they're a part of the action. Interestingly, the shakes aren't created from sound, but rather by a sophisticated actuator system which comes built-in to its own line of seats or can be retrofitted into furniture you already own. Currently, D-BOX has partnerships with Disney, Fox and Sony, and it's hoping to ink deals with a few other studios in the not-too-distant future. In the end, the tech is still too pricey / niche for most, but if you're curious, the full interview awaits you in the read link.

Apparently a number of Canadians who have purchased Juno in hopes of downloading a Digital Copy and hauling it around on the go are coming up empty handed. We're seeing reports of failed attempts to redeem the packaged code, resulting in error messages indicating that "This product is not available in the Canadian store." Initially, users were generally assuming the blame needed to be placed on Fox, but according to an e-mail reply from the Fox Digital Copy Support team, it indicated that "Apple [was] working" to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Any of you in the Great North dealing with the same issue? Have you seen this on more than just one occasion?

[Thanks, Nick]

The cat-and-mouse game of DRM is probably never going to end, but 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has signed up with USVO's MediaEscort technology to add watermarking to its arsenal. MediaEscort is suited for the growing internet streaming market, and embeds watermarks during content delivery. Thus, if either the legitimate recipient or an online interloper decides to "share the wealth," there's forensic evidence that can be used to figure out both where the leak occurred and how big it is. While we aren't big fans of DRM, it's really because of all the problems it inevitably causes legitimate end-users; watermarking is a different story. As watermarking grows in popularity, we'll see if efforts to strip watermarks grow to the level we currently see in DRM removal.

The title pretty much says it all here, folks. Just a few months after SlySoft revealed a beta of its AnyDVD HD software which obliterated BD+, v6.4.0.0 has finally arrived and proudly possesses the ability to "remove BD+ protection from Blu-ray Discs." Among the other changes is an option to enable / disable BD+ removal, a fix for seeing a black display with some BD discs and other minor DVD-related tweaks. Brimming with excitement? Hit up the read link below -- your next download awaits.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

When a program nets some 97.5 million viewers, the last thing you want as a broadcaster is trouble with your transmission. Nevertheless, reports are already starting to flow in from towns in which their local FOX affiliate or cable provider somehow bungled what's likely to go down as the biggest night in US sports for 2008. One report out of Kinston, North Carolina, noted that multiple disruptions during kickoff and most of the third quarter had customers at a local restaurant "cursing at the television." As for a particular family near Springfield, Missouri, it's actually considering "canceling the cable service" after SuddenLink's mishandling of the game forced them to watch it via "rabbit ears." Any of you experience unforeseen outages during Sunday's matchup? If so, are you planning a revolt at your carrier's doorstep, or have cooler heads prevailed?

[Image courtesy of WiredVision]
Read - Television reception leaves many Super Bowl viewers in the dark
Read - WYDO Explains Fox Fumble During Super Bowl XLII
Read - Family upset about cable loss during Super Bowl

NFL fans calling Lufkin, Nacogdoches or a surrounding locale home may be thrilled to know that SuddenLink and the Longview, Texas FOX affiliate (KFXK) have finally decided to put their differences aside and shake hands. Merely days before Super Bowl XLII kicks off from nearby Arizona, the station has apparently landed an agreement with SuddenLink (cash very likely involved, by the way) that will enable the cable company's subscribers to finally receive FOX in HD on channel 705. Better still, these very customers will also be able to tune into Fox Sports Network HD on channel 750 if they decide to plunk down $7.95 per month for the SuddenLink HD Plus package. According to Gene Regan, director of corporate communications at SuddenLink, the firm still plans on juicing up its lineup with additional high-def options in the near future, but unfortunately for Austin-area folks, there's still no end in sight to the drama keeping NBC HD off of your EPG.

Sure, it's been known for some time that FOX 23 out of Portland, Maine didn't beam out its signal in HD over-the-air, and based on a response from the station received by tipster Jay, it doesn't seem as if anything will be changing in the near future. Apparently, the station was purchased (in 2003) after the time period when "stations could file with the FCC for an additional digital channel position had expired." Due to this, FOX 23 is left with the option of switching channel 23 over to digital (and HD) now -- leaving hordes of analog-only viewers out in the proverbial cold -- or waiting things out until February 2009. Needless to say, the station is choosing the latter option, but to its credit, it has made its HD feed available on Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and most recently, Comcast. So yeah, it looks like those in the Portland area will indeed have to point their bank account in the direction of one of the aforementioned providers to catch Super Bowl XLII in HD, but hey, it could be worse. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

With the Super Bowl quickly approaching, some are still making last minute preparations to ensure they get a chance to check out the big game in HD, but we wonder how many will be left in the 20th Century watching in SD. We think it's really sad that although you might've picked up a new HDTV, done all your homework to ensure it's connected properly, and you may still be left in the cold. So tell us, will you be able to watch the game in HD, or is your provider the weakest link?

Shortly after hearing that Central Texas would be getting a helping of new HD channels later this month, we've now learned that KWKT-TV (a local FOX affiliate) will begin airing its own newscast tonight. Debuting on the same day as the 2008 State of the Union address, Fox News Central Texas will get its first show underway this evening at 9:30PM local time, but will move to 9:00PM going forward. Tonight's show will mark the station's first foray into local news since it began broadcasting in 1988, and while it won't yet be shown in high-definition, the entire newsroom is already HD-capable. So, what's the holdup, you ask? Just a digital switcher, which is "presently on order."

For those shacked up in Knoxville, Tennessee and relying on DirecTV for their tube service, we've excellent news. Starting today, you can catch the Big 4 -- ABC (WATE), CBS (WVLT), FOX (WTNZ) and NBC (WBIR) -- in high-definition without resorting to an OTA antenna. The addition of Knoxville brings the satellite provider's grand total of markets with HD locals up to 72, reportedly "representing more than 74.3-percent of US TV households." 'Tis a shame all that SEC football on CBS is so many months away, but hey, at least you've got March Madness to look forward to, right?