Audio/Video

Movie piracy is a very widespread phenomenon, especially in areas of the world where authorities have not yet set up any sort of rules on how people should be held accountable for their online activity. With the advent of 3D productions, more and more of which are beginning to make their way in movie theaters around the globe, pirates are currently having a difficult time copying and illegally distributing them to the general public. Movie studios therefore have a few more years before the phenomenon picks up for these productions as well, LiveScience reports.

Want all your downloads, streaming video, and other techie media stuff on your TV? Wondering which media center works best for you? Here's a look at the biggies in chart and Venn diagram form, followed by some lengthy breakdowns of each.

New to the idea of TV-connected computers? Head down below the charts for some explainers and deeper comparisons of each system. If you're already familiar with the HTPC scene, we'll give you the good stuff first.

An Italian decree that would require the vetting of videos with sexual or violent content could take effect as soon as February 4, according to reports.

The government decree, which affects sites such as Google's YouTube, would also require sites that regularly upload videos to obtain a license to operate in Italy, the Associated Press reported Friday.

YouTube is to start broadcasting live sport matches for the first time after agreeing a deal to show Indian Premier League cricket.

The Google-owned site is in talks with agencies regarding a sponsorship package for the coverage and will show 60 matches from the league.

This further moves YouTube into the arena of live coverage. Recent live streaming events broadcast on YouTube include a gig fom U2’s 360 tour from LA, achieving nearly 10m views. The site also broadcast the live premier of James Cameron’s Avatar, sponsored by electronics company LG.

The man who stole Wolverine opened the door to his Bronx apartment with a grunt, his thin frame hunched over at the waist, an unlikely villain with a bad back and pajama pants. “I’m a scapegoat for this,” said Gilberto Sanchez, 47, after flopping down at his desk — the crime scene — and dragging on a cigarette. “I’m gonna get crucified.”

If you’re tired of always having to boot up your computer to view an online video, you’ll love what DivX has just announced – DivX TV. Promoted as a comprehensive embedded Internet TV platform, it will provide access to a line-up of online media content, streamed directly to any connected device. It will support almost any kind of Internet-connected consumer electronics device, such as digital televisions, Blu-ray plays, gaming consoles, mobile phones and similar devices.

Sometimes terrible movies -- the ones with such bad acting, dumb dialogue and cheesy special effects that they're unintentionally hilarious -- are the ones we remember the most. No genre is immune, but movies about technology -- ominous Web sites, evil hackers and so on -- seem to fail more often than not. Maybe that's because it's hard to dramatize someone sitting at a computer. Maybe it's because Hollywood doesn't understand tech.

US District Judge John F Walter issued a preliminary injunction against BlueBeat.com and Basebeat.com at the request of music company EMI Group.

The injunction prohibits the sites and their owner, Hank Risan, from streaming or selling songs by the Beatles and other popular artists, including Lily Allen and Coldplay.

A hearing in the case had been scheduled for Friday, but Mr Walter decided the issue based on pleadings by attorneys for Mr Risan and the music label. EMI Group sued Mr Risan and the sites earlier this month to stop them from streaming or selling its music.

50 CENT’s hotly anticipated new album has been leaked on to the internet - a month before its release date.

The In Da Club hitmaker was originally set to unveil his upcoming disc Before I Self Destruct in the summer (09), but it was pushed back until 23 November (09). But the record hit the web on Wednesday (28Oct09), and fans of the star - real name Curtis Jackson - have been clamouring to download the tracks, according to MTV News.

Internet radio service Last.fm is set to launch an online video service based around music festivals, according to a news report.

Music Week reports the last.tv service is slated to launch in January 2010 based around existing European music festivals and the company’s own bespoke events. The service will be available both online and offline, although initially it will be available via the main Last.fm site.