Skip to Content

Survive the holidays with Holidash!
Holidash Blog
AOL Tech

Posts with tag bootleg

Pirates Love Blu-Ray


Ok, so Blu-ray won the format war and sent HD-DVD home with its tail between its legs, but ol' Blu still hasn't really won over the hearts and minds of consumers. One group, however, has really fallen in love with Blu-ray: Pirates.

Asian bootleggers are buying up Blu-rays and ripping them in AVCHD, a video format that can display a 720p HD image (compared to Blu-ray's 1080p), but can also be burned to a standard DVD (which normally top out at 480p). The pirates are able to save some cash by burning the HD videos to standard DVDs and consumers are able to get upgraded image quality without shelling out the cash for a Blu-ray disc.

The pirates are probably making a bigger profit on their $7 bootleg copies than the movie studios are on their $30 Blu-rays. Looks like the HD revolution is working out for somebody, at least. [From: Techdirt via Engadget]

Pearl Jam Offering Free 'Bootleg' Downloads on Verizon Phones


Back in the day, bootleg recordings were poor-quality reproductions of live concerts captured on crummy tape systems that were then passed around (usually illegally) between rabid fans. These days, it seems, that concept has gone a little....commercial. Verizon has announced a partnership with former grunge mavens Pearl Jam to release a trio of 'bootleg' tracks after each concert on their 2008 tour, which kicks off tonight in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Three songs will be captured each night, mixed by a Verizon engineer, then posted to Verizon's V CAST network for download on Verizon Wireless phone the the desktops of Verizon Wireless customers. One of the three will be free for 24 hours after posting, while the other two will cost $.99 each. After 24 hours, that free track will be replaced with another, though the old one will still be available for purchase along with all the others for the duration of the tour.

Underground it ain't -- after all these arent's really bootlegs, are they? -- but if you want to get in on the action, you'll have to download the V CAST Music Manager software. You certainly can't beat the price -- so long as you're quick with the downloading and don't mind one measly track per night. If, on the other hand, you're willing to pay for the full show, head over to PearlJam.com, where pretty much anyone can download MP3 versions of shows for $9.99 (and those will work on any player or phone!). [Source: Pearl Jam Summer Tour 2008]

Chinese Authorities Find 88 Types of Fake Samsung Phones in Beijing


In China, the Samsung cell phone has become the new Louis Vuitton handbag. Which is starting to piss some people off -- first and foremost, the folks at a little company called...Samsung. So in cooperation with Beijing's Haidian and Fengtai Industry and Commerce Departments, the Korean electronics giant has identified 88 fake varieties of its mobile phones floating around Beijing.

The fake phones used such misspelled names as Samsumg, Samsong, and, uh, "Amycall" -- which, apparently, those with a rather undeveloped understanding of the English language often confuse for the real thing.

Try saying "Samsumg" 10 times fast. Impossible, right?

From China Tech News


Related links:

    Switched Video

     



    Featured Galleries

    AOL Tech Network


    Latest Reviews from CNET.com

    CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

    Top Product Reviews

    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: