Wednesday Media Digest

DISTRIBUTION:
* Download: Lovefilm (online rental, 120k subs) intros download service in UK (3 GBP/movie; 500 movies from Warner); Spitzer subpoenas Warner Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music for price fixing
* P2P: France parliament legalises (if private and non-commercial), uploading is illegal
* Place-shifting:
- Slingbox production cost $84 (iSuppli)
- Akimbo pre-announces 06Q1 deal with ‘major US telco’
- Orb launches V4S (voice messaging)
- Video Without Boundaries launches portable ‘Flyboy HD’ (LCD, 20GB harddisk, MPEG-4; plays uploads through USB of video, tv, podcasts, MP3, photos)

MSO:
* CableCard: Thomson licenses CableLabs technology for 2-way card