We never got a satisfactory answer for why they disappeared in the first place, but it seems the majority of the Columbia Pictures' movies on Netflix Instant Watch lists suddenly switched to "not available on Xbox 360" are once again open for streaming to all devices. The Karate Kid series, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and others now stream to Microsoft's box, however Columbia Pictures movies tagged with the "available through Starz Play" logo -- including Bad Boys and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story -- are still out. Hopefully the remaining relevant parties are contacted soon, as Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett have work to do, but this is a great start.

[Thanks, Hunter!]

You probably recall that two days ago, when the new Xbox Experience launched, sadly, about 300 Sony Pictures films were unavailable for Netflix Watch Instantly on NXE, thus quashing your hopes of streaming The Karate Kid series. At the time, it seemed possible that missing titles were due to the fact that Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft and Sony are direct competitors. Well, according to a Sony spokesperson, the problem isn't specific to the Xbox, nor is their beef competition-related in any way. Sony also says it is in talks with the several "relevant parties" to work out these vague licensing issues, though there was no word on when the issue would be resolved. We really do hope it's soon because we're dying to see how everything turns out with the Cobra Kai.

[Via Joystiq]

Not that this curious scenario hasn't happened before with 007 films, but a full month and change before Daniel Craig wows audiences again as James Bond, we already know when said film will be waiting for us on store shelves. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Spain has reportedly confirmed that the DVD and Blu-ray release of Quantum of Solace will happen in March of 2009, though an exact date has yet to be chosen. Oh, and there's all those other Bond BDs hitting in just over a week -- fun, fun!

[Via MI6]

Similar to Walt Disney Studios' Disney Movie Rewards Live program -- which will launch alongside Sleeping Beauty on October 7th -- Sony Pictures is crafting its very own rewards program. The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club will supposedly encourage purchases of BD-Live-enabled titles by giving owners "points" that they can redeem toward "sweepstakes entries and other added values featured in the existing Sony Rewards program." Obviously, it costs nothing to actually join the loyalty program, and while we can't help but announce this news with our heads pointed decidedly downward, at least Sony gives users the ability to register each new disc via their Blu-ray player should they choose. Launch date? October 7th, with Sandler's You Don't Mess With the Zohan driving the sure to be widespread momentum.

[Via VideoBusiness]

Good news for DISH Network VOD fans -- you'll soon be seeing a few more options in the programming guide. Announced this week, the satcaster has inked a deal with Sony Pictures Television that will enable it to host the studio's films and other programming content on its video-on-demand platform (DISH On Demand) as well as its pay-per-view services. Best of all, the agreement covers SD and HD content, and if we're reading this correctly, it sounds as if some future films will be made available day-and-date with the DVD release.

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]

Never afraid to hedge its bets on high definition content distribution, Sony Pictures Television International has joined its counterpart in the U.S. by enabling online retailers to sell its feature films and TV shows in DivX format. With even more DivX Certified hardware in homes and hitting the shelves soon, we just want to see who will put this content on the market, and how.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

Ok, we know the PlayStation 3 is getting a movie download service this year - but apparently much work remains to be done. Variety checked into the situation and sees the number of movie studios signed on at present stands at exactly one: Sony Pictures. Never fear, because being late to the party could benefit Sony as it negotiates deals with other studios similar to the ones already in place for Xbox Live Video Marketplace and iTunes. Also on board is the possibility of transferring flicks to PSP, although that and any other features that expand on the functionality already seen on other services could slow down a deal. We're torn, while having another competitor in digital downloads (and another way to enjoy movies on our PS3) as soon as possible sounds good, we might be willing to wait if it means Sony's leverage can swing more features (or at least some leeway to the DRM currently in place on other services).

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Vietnam is finally getting some love from Hollywood, as Sony Pictures is the first studio to release DVDs in the country. Blu-ray discs are expected to come ashore sometime after the initial package of 15 movies (including Casino Royale) as SPHE expands its worldwide reach in partnership with Galaxy Studio. Variety indicates Vietnam's home video market has been almost all pirated content until recently, but it remains to be seen how legitimate releases and next-gen DRM schemes work out.

We've known Sony would bring Men in Black to Blu-ray for a while, but thanks to an ad in the latest Home Media Magazine, we now know the date is June 17. High Def Digest points out the ad mentions the long-awaiting BD-Live extra will include a trivia game, although hopefully it will be more interesting than War's disappointing Yakuza Fighter. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones blasting aliens in 1080p sounds good to us, but throwing the latest tech on top doesn't hurt a bit.

Now that the PlayStation 3 will be BD-Live capable, Sony Pictures also announced this morning it's releasing its first two Blu-ray discs with the technology. On April 8, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day will both be released with exclusive downloadable content that will not be available on disc. According to the press release, this is just a preview of what's possible with Blu-ray technology, although any non-PS3 Blu-ray owners might wonder what's so good it couldn't fit on the 2-disc Dewey Cox set.

Feeling as if Starz's offerings are a bit stale of late? Apparently, so did its management team, as it went out and landed deals with five major studios with the sole purpose of bulking up its movie lineup. Reportedly, the network inked "exclusive first run output deals with Sony Pictures Television and Disney-ABC Domestic Television" that are set to last "well into the next decade," and just in case that wasn't enough to keep your clicker on the counter, it also picked up a number of library acquisitions from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, MGM Worldwide Television Group and Universal Pictures. More specifically, Starz should receive some 1,200 top movie titles and TV series from the latter three's film vaults, and the content can be distributed across Starz HD, Starz On Demand and even Vongo. For more details and a glimpse at what's on the horizon, hit up the read link below.

[Via MultiChannel News]

250,000. nearly 1 million. 69%. Those are Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Blu-ray sales in Europe, the U.S. and Blu-ray's share of the total HD market in Europe. Apparently someone knows the PlayStation 3 plays Blu-ray discs, as the company touted weekly Blu-ray sales of two to five times that of its competitor, HD DVD since the console made its European debut in March. Sony Pictures was first to carry the Blu-ray banner in Europe and plans on bringing Spider Man 3 and Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind this fall to join the #1 best selling HD title in Europe, Casino Royale (no word on if that includes all those PS3 pack-ins). With or without StudioCanal, Sony's moving forward in Europe and around the world, hardware, software and all.

[Thanks, Tom]

After the somewhat disappointing Talladega Nights pack-in with the U.S. release of the PlayStation 3, Sony has announced that the first 500,000 people to buy a European PS3 and register it on the PlayStation Network will get a free copy of the James Bond flick Casino Royale. Sony's been pimping Blu-ray synergy with the movie from the start, as it prominently features a Blu-ray player in one scene, and is headlining Sony Pictures 2007 lineup of releases. Casino Royale is slated for U.S. release on March 13th while the PS3 hits Europe on March 23rd.


[Via Joystiq]

The studios in the Blu-ray camp aren't letting up just because Universal refuses to let everyone know when they can expect more movies on HD DVD, well other than it will be during 2007. Disney, Fox and Sony have all announced release dates for Blu-ray titles previously announced at CES including; Turistas (April 17), Chicken Little (March 20), Finding Neverland (March 20), King Arthur (April 3), G.I. Jane (April 3), and The Pursuit of Happyness (March 27). High-Def Digest has already updated their release page which is shows that Blu-ray has more titles with dates for February than HD DVD has for all of 2007.

Read: Fox to Skewer 'Turistas' on Blu-ray This April
Read: Disney Officially Announces Winter Wave of Blu-ray Catalog
Read: 'Pursuit of Happyness' To Make Blu-ray Debut in March