Looks like Movie Gallery finally got something for the assortment of PBS bandwidth and spare parts remaining from the now-defunct MovieBeam service. The new owner is Indian conglomerate The Valuable Group, headed by Sanjay Gaikwad who apparently thinks serving up a remarkably limited assortment of heavily compressed HD and SD movies on demand is an idea that deserves to fail all over the world, instead of just in the U.S. Since $100 million burned up by Disney and others wasn't enough to make things work, he plans to invest a similar amount over the next two years to relaunch the service in North America, the U.K. and "other overseas markets". Variety notes The Valuable Group already delivers movies digitally to India and South Asian theaters via satellite so maybe they know something we don't about this business model, and with plans to roll out service in three markets with "new, cutting edge features" by year end we'll get to find out soon.

We've known that individuals were turning to the internet to catch their favorite shows for some time now, but we aren't living in the future just yet. According to new research conducted by Nielsen and CTAM, most adults (94%) who "subscribe to cable or satellite television services prefer to watch television on traditional TV sets." Still, over a third of those surveyed who had a broadband connection admitted to watching at least one television program originally shown on TV via the internet, and nearly 40% of online TV viewers also use the world wide web to "get the scoop on actors and upcoming episodes." For numbers galore on this very topic, head on down to the read link and have a look.

[Image courtesy of BebeReviews]

Forget YouTube over Bravia Internet Video Link, Sony plans on making the dongle relevant this winter by releasing the blockbuster Hancock for viewing to anyone who has the device hooked up to their Sony HDTV. This debut will happen before the flick hits shelves as a DVD and makes for an interesting end-around VOD services, competing movie delivery boxes or any thorny MPAA proposals. Unfortunately its exposure is limited to those with Bravia TVs, a good Internet connection and the $299 device, and willing to pay an as-yet-unspecified amount for the privilege. We're also still waiting to hear the details of Sony's PlayStation 3 based movie network, but we wouldn't be surprised if Hancock -- like Click, James Bond and Talladega Nights before it -- pushes multiple Sony platforms at once.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Matrixstream's been pushing its high definition IPTV box for the last couple of years, and now its show is going on the road. The MX-Drive system is a touchscreen platform that uses the company's MatrixCast technology to stream either video on-demand or live TV in standard or high definition, using h.264 compression, even over a low bandwidth connection. Unfortunately no manufacturers to use the tech have been named yet, and we've no idea if their content partnerships have improved over the sparse offering available last time we checked. With more ways to get HD hitting the home every day, in-car systems (even on tiny screens) is inevitable, but we'll wait and see if this system is the first to make a major impact.

[Via TVOver.net]

While Motorola and friends had a field day at The Cable Show, Amino is looking out for you IPTV users at NXTcomm08. Presented today in Las Vegas, the AmiNET130M is hailed as the market's first 100% digital HD IPTV set-top-box, and you can bet it stands out in the crowd. The atypically designed unit measures just 4.48-inches wide by 1.37-inches high and packs an HDMI output and MPEG-4 support. You'll also find a USB 2.0 peripheral port, IR remote functionality, an optical S/PDIF audio jack and Smartfoot compatibility, but what you won't find is a price or release date. Sigh.

Okay, so maybe this deal is going down a little later than we would have liked (considering the NHL season is over and all), but there's always next year, right? Not quite two months after the NFL Network landed on IP-PRIME's IPTV network, NHL Network has followed suit. For hardcore fans using this service, you can look forward to blowout coverage of the NHL Entry Draft on June 20 - 21, and better still, 75 games during the 2008 - 2009 season will be broadcast in high-definition. The recently inked agreement ensures that each and every IP-PRIME operator in the United States will have access to the SD and HD feeds, and it sounds like the channel should be live as we speak.

When people think of FiOS, they think of super high speed Internet and IPTV, but in actuality FiOS only uses IPTV for VOD and the rest of the channels are distributed the old fashion way; via QAM. We're sure many of you are scratching your head right now and you might be thinking, yeah but eventually FiOS is going IPTV and if Verizon had it to do all over again, surely IPTV would be use now, right? Evidently not, as two new companies have announced a similar GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) deployment to FiOS and guess what, both are using a QAM overlay system just like Verizon. Both D&P Communications and PBT Communications, both realize that QAM can't be beat, thanks to all the current hardware that is available. Sure, IPTV could take over eventually, but at this point we wouldn't dare to guess when.

Sick of seeing nothing but upconverted SD feeds on the brand new LCDs that seem to be finding their way into every new hotel room these days? Tangerine Global's package of HD channels are on their way to more hotels in North America, Europe and the Middle East courtesy of a deal with Swisscom Hospitality Service to add them to its new IPTV system. Swisscom is switching hotels over to a URL-based delivery system to feed guests their HD, as this new programming debuts in rious locations beginning in the third quarter of this year. Among its five channels Tangerine Global counts the NFL Network as part of its HD offerings, so football fans have one more thing to look for during a jaunt out of town next season.

As the media streaming game heats up, quite a bit of focus is being placed on the software side. Take Boxee, for example -- this open-source application is designed to enable users to "control their media from a PC-connected TV," but in due time, it hopes to spread the program to set-top-boxes, cable company-issued HD DVRs, etc. Operating in quite the inverse manner, the system is slated to hit alpha next Monday, but it will only support Mac and Linux operating systems. Of course, a Windows-friendly version is due out soon, and given that it is based on XBMC, we have all ideas that it will be at least decently useful. As it stands, Boxee can support 1080p content, but DRM-laced material is still a no-go. The startup is hoping to round up a few alpha testers to get things moving in the right direction, and if you think you're the perfect candidate, tap the read link and get involved.

News flash: Poland has gone absolutely berserk here lately, with a slew of carriers introducing HD channels / services all within the last few weeks. Keeping the trend alive is Telekomunikacja Polska S.A., which we'll refer to from here on out as TP. Judging by local reports and the image above, said telco is currently testing out HD IPTV. As you can see, an HD set-top-box is connected to an ADSL router in order to beam Filmbox HD to the set. Unfortunately, a go-live date is still unknown, and the biggest hurdle yet to be overcome is the purported dearth of ADSL availability (or possibly just affordability) in the region. Baby steps, baby steps.

[Thanks, Arsenal]

As the admittedly light adoption of HD continues on continents not named North America, we see Austria's own aonTV hopping on the HD bandwagon. The Vienna-based IPTV carrier has just launched HD-Videothek -- which will carry a mix of hit movies, documentaries and music videos -- and ORF HD, which will be used to carry the upcoming Euro 2008 in high-definition. The cost for picking up the tier is €4.90 on top of the basic €34.90 subscription, though a new service dubbed Timeshift TV is being made available gratis. As the title implies, the feature enables viewers to "replay content from the previous 90 minutes" on 11 different channels. Not exactly a DVR, but we suppose it's better than nothing.

Would you look at that? Poland nets another. Amidst the flurry of high-def news (not to mention the launch of Engadget's Polish branch) originating in Poland comes word that yet another provider is vying for local business, and it's using HD as a primary selling point. IPTV carrier Inotel has just launched a tier that contains National Geographic HD and Polsat Sport HD to complement the 41 basic channels and host of other packages. Reportedly, the stations are now live in Poznan and other parts of the Wielkopolska region, though there's no word on future expansion.

Good news, Portugal. Two of the nation's most prominent DTH providers have just upped their respective antes, so we'll dig right into the former. PT's Meo service already features National Geographic HD, and as of just a few days ago, Eurosport HD. Now, however, the carrier will be offering up TVI to its IPTV / satellite customers in order to broadcast Euro 2008 to its customers. Oddly enough, we're told the addition of TVI (in HD / SD) will be only for Euro 2008, though it should become a regular part of the lineup in 2009. Moving on to ZON, it's planning to launch Mov HD and National Geographic HD on June 1st, and just to make sure Euro 2008 is shown in HD, it'll add Sport TV HD here shortly. In September, you can look forward to seeing Cine 1/2/3/4 in HD, and it's expected that these four could end up on PT's Meo service as well.

[Thanks, Orlando]

Read - Portugal Telecom expansion
Read - ZON expansion [PDF]

After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic's PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer. The 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions should all be available in mid-June, with the 65-incher rolling out in August. Other than the IP features (Picasa access is also part of the package) the THX-certified PZ850s support h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and a variety of display modes and settings to get the picture just the way the director intended, the way you like it, or anywhere in between. Check after the break for a list of prices, and our video hands on from CES 2008.

While most are just dipping their toe into the BD-Live pond so far, Dreamer is thinking bigger. With its middleware Biddle software (based on the same DVB-GEM spec as OCAP, and also available to cable operators) included on a Blu-ray disc, the company claims its ready to deliver an "interactive TV service" consisting of VOD, web browsing, e-mail, social networking access or nearly anything else you can imagine. The upshot is that any internet-connected PS3 (or any other BD-Live capable hardware on the way). By downloading only what's necessary at the moment, the client overcomes the Blu-ray program size restriction and delivers what customers have already come to expect from leading Korean IPTV and cable companies using the software in their STBs. The first titles with the software included are planned with KD Media this month in Korea, but the company is still showing its software off to domestic providers, with an eye towards hopping on expected $299 Blu-ray players (not yet) and into American homes.

[Via Multichannel News]