When marketers discuss social TV and growing trends involving second screens, they are often thinking Twitter, which has become synonymous with the sharing of TV-related content. Last week we reported that Twitter had acquired social TV tracking service Trendrr in a deal that further consolidates the social TV monitoring market. Understanding social TV is rapidly becoming vital to marketers. Earlier this year, Twitter purchased social analytics firm Bluefin Labs, and Nielsen acquired SocialGuide. Continue reading Despite Growing Competition, Twitter Leads Social TV Wave

Kodak emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week and has a plan to keep its product in Hollywood, despite a market that favors digital imaging. While more than 75 percent of the world’s cinema screens currently support digital projection, Kodak has commitments to provide film to the major studios for production needs and distribution, deals that run through 2014 or 2015 (depending on the studio). Filmmakers such as J.J. Abrams and Christopher Nolan are using celluloid for their movie projects. Continue reading Kodak Exec Unveils Plans to Keep Film Product in Hollywood

Vimeo is providing filmmakers with movies at the Toronto International Film Festival the opportunity to have their films viewed by larger audiences through online streaming. Vimeo is offering a $10,000 advance to filmmakers who agree to feature their movies exclusively on the site for 30 days. With consumers increasingly turning to their mobile devices for viewing movies, the partnership may prove profitable for emerging filmmakers. Continue reading Vimeo Partners with Toronto Film Festival in Streaming Deal

The Acxiom Corporation, a marketing technology firm based in Little Rock, Arkansas, announced on Wednesday a new website that will offer consumers a chance to view some of the data that the company has collected about them. While the site is a step toward addressing the government’s push for increased transparency from the data brokerage industry, critics believe it actually presents a rather sanitized look at data mining and marketing. Continue reading Transparency: Acxiom Shows Consumers What Data it Collects

Amazon unveiled its latest Kindle e-reader this week, an updated Paperwhite with improved front-screen lighting, greater contrast, more responsive touch panel and faster processor. Software updates will include integration of book recommendation site Goodreads, which the company purchased earlier this year. The new device is available for preorder for $119 — or $139 without ads — and will ship later this month. The $189 3G version will be released on November 5th. The online retailer also announced a program for buying discounted e-books. Continue reading Amazon Updates Kindle E-Reader Line with New Paperwhite

Santa Clara, CA-based Assimilate has launched a free media player for visual effects artists, cinematographers and prosumers that supports Raw footage from digital cinematography and DSLR cameras. The new Scratch Play also supports formats such as OpenEXR and ProRes, providing digital imaging professionals and DSLR enthusiasts with the ability to review shots, pull stills, export CDLs or LUTs, and review animation at full resolution. Continue reading Scratch Play: Assimilate Launches Universal Media Player

Acer announced that its Liquid S2 smartphone will offer 4K video recording capability. While offering 4K video recording on a smartphone may currently seem unnecessary, it may become a more widely adopted feature of upcoming handsets. Meanwhile, Acer will also be including a touchscreen option for its low-end E1 laptop. The option of touchscreen for the Acer laptop may help overcome some of the initial confusion faced by Windows 8 users. Continue reading Acer Announces 4K for Phone and Touch for Low-End Laptop

Brooklyn-based VHX is developing a service that enables video makers to sell their videos to consumers. The company launched last year with a video from comedian Aziz Ansari, and since then has picked up 60 videos to sell from a wide variety of people, some famous and some not. While YouTube is a popular platform for uploading videos, VHX hopes to stand out by allowing anyone the opportunity to upload and sell their content. Continue reading VHX Enables Video Makers to Sell Their Videos to Consumers

The Getty Museum announced that its former policy banning access to digital images has been amended. Digital images are now available for free on the Getty website for anyone who is interested. Previously, the Getty granted access to an image for a fee and with special terms and conditions. While the Getty still asks for the reason an individual is requesting an image, the process of obtaining a digital image is now made simple for everyone. Continue reading New Getty Policy Allows Everyone to Access Digital Images

The AMC movie chain filed an IPO last Friday. Through its filing, the company reveals new plans to deal with ticket sales declines. AMC plans to develop its food concessions by expanding its alcohol and food service to more theaters. It also plans to offer assigned seating. The company was purchased by the Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group for $2.6 billion, and AMC had a $41.1 million profit on $2.69 billion in revenue ending on June 30. Continue reading AMC Theaters Bring Changes to the Movie Going Experience

Taylor Alexander, a robotics engineer, has developed a work-in-progress project called Flutter as a Wi-Fi alternative. This “second network” can cover 100 times as great an area, with a range of 3,200 feet, with little power used. The project came about after Alexander attempted to connect sensors to one another during an app redesign on a project and found that Flutter could expand the potential of the Internet of Things, where all devices despite their size are connected to the Internet. Continue reading Wi-Fi Alternative Could Help Build The Internet of Things

Project Spark enables game fans to create their own games. Gamers can create any type of game world they desire, from rugged mountains to scorching deserts to beautifully lush jungles. They can also design opponents, monsters and other characters to inhabit their world. While this may be similar to a “sim” game, it is essentially the Xbox One features, specifically motion tracking and facial recognition, that truly set Project Spark apart as a creative tool. Continue reading Project Spark Lets Users Build Their Own Games Using Kinect

Book publisher Penguin Random House has announced its media diversification with planned film and television projects, an effort that first began when Random House created a movie unit. The company hopes that this expansion will help generate revenue and promote its authors. The company’s first TV co-production, “Heartland Table,” will debut September 14 on the Food Network and star chef Amy Thielen, whose new book will be released shortly after. Continue reading Publishing Giant Expands into Film and Television Projects

Glass is Google’s attempt to bring a wearable device that integrates with other Google devices and services. Although wearable technology is not entirely new, users are still deciding if its purpose is to replace phones, tablets and laptops, serve as an extension of those devices, or become something completely different. Many also wonder what the long-term effects will be of wearable computing. As is the case with the introduction of many new technologies, Glass is drawing both criticism and praise. Continue reading Google Glass: The Evolving Future of Wearable Technology

Microsoft is paying $7.17 billion in a deal to acquire Nokia’s devices-and-services business and license its mapping services. By purchasing Nokia’s core cellphone business, Microsoft is hoping to better compete with Apple, Google and Samsung in the fast-growing mobile business. The move follows the announcement of Steve Ballmer’s planned retirement as Microsoft CEO. Several Nokia executives will transition to Microsoft as part of the deal and could become contenders for Ballmer’s position. Continue reading Microsoft to Pay $7 Billion in Deal for Nokia Phone Business