Mail-order video game rental service Gamefly is now giving subscribers 5 DRM-free tracks each month. I assume this is nothing more than a marketing gimmick (plus they’ve added commissioned iTunes affiliate links), but it’s worth keeping an eye on. FYI The first five bands (that I’ve never heard of) are: RJD2, Little Brother, OK Go, Shadows Fall, and Thievery Corporation.

Canadians looking for alternative ways to consume their media are having a pretty good month… Though much later than their southern US neighbors, in the last three weeks TiVo, Xbox 360 movie downloads, and now iTunes television downloads have been made available. iTunes TV purchases run $1.99 CAD which closely mirrors the US dollar. (For comparison, not everyone is pleased with Microsoft’s Points exchange rate.)

In other digital TV news, dedicated video download STB Vudu ($399) is also offering show purchases for $1.99 USD. However, until they significantly drop that hardware fee they won’t have many takers.

iPhone Canada by Rogers

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs:

• The Hulu HD Bandwidth Equation: Connected Home 2 Go
• Twas The Night Before DivX: Davis Freeberg’s Digital Connection
• A Look Back at CES 2007: Connected Home 2 Go
• On the Blog Council: Connected Home 2 Go

Sony has announced that Japanese PSP owners will be getting an update (3.80) next week that includes Internet radio streaming. Interestingly, the screenshot (below) says “Powered by SHOUTcast”… which is produced by an AOL subsidiary. The software also includes enhanced RSS support for OPML and images. I assume these features will make it to the US in the near future, though we obviously won’t be receiving (or utilizing) the ability to schedule video recordings via digital tuner.

Additionally, rumors have surfaced that the PSP may be getting directing downloads. Though, as Gizmodo points out: downloadable content isn’t worth a damn unless there is something good to download. Given the limited selection of games (and no movies) in the recently launched PSP online store, I can’t say that I’m feeling too hopeful. But I haven’t dumped my (second) PSP yet.. (more…)

Not that we need an excuse to give things away, but it is the holiday season… Our second raffle this week is for the SageTV HD Media Extender and SageTV software license (MSRP $249), courtesy our friends at SageTV. Check out Brent’s review for the product details.

If you want in, please leave one comment on this post. The catch is that you must provide a link to another comment you’ve left on ZNF (excluding contests) OR Brent Evans Geek Tonic. And if you’ve never left a comment, you now have an incentive.

Hulu (still in beta) has introduced select HD streaming:

Today we’re excited to launch an HD Gallery featuring a selection of High Definition video clips at 1280 x 720 resolution. Those of you with a fast internet connection of 2,400 Kbps or higher, the latest build of Adobe Flash Player 9, and a fast computer can stream these High Definition clips and preview the future.

Right now, the content is pretty weak - just movie trailers. The Hulu blog indicates this is due to technical reasons as they ramp up:

We’ve limited the bitrates on these HD streams to allow as many users as possible to sample high definition streaming.

While that’s probably partially true, I’m also betting they haven’t yet determined if this H.264 content can be grabbed in whole (”buffer the stream by clicking pause”) - so they’re restricting it to advertising (aka movie previews) that can be freely swiped and shared.

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Two weeks after ramping up hardware pre-orders for their Portable Radio Player, internet radio provider Slacker has delayed product delivery from this week until late January. While delays are pretty common, it’s a bit unusual to pull back so close to shipment. (I’d call this manuveur a ‘Foleo‘, but I was actually looking forward to that device. As Asus has proven with the Eee PC, there’s a market for small Linux notebooks.) Back to Slacker, Walt Mossberg has previewed the device - summarized over at Orbitcast:

I’ve been testing a prototype of the chunky, black plastic Slacker player, which is dominated by a four-inch color screen. It has two redundant navigation systems: a touch-sensitive strip at the side of the screen and a wheel on one edge. It provides a rich listening experience, including album art and other photos, artist bios and album reviews. The sound is good, and the Wi-Fi wireless connection worked in both my home and office.

I’ve been in touch with the PR people trying to get my hands on a unit. The pre-programmed “stations” populated during WiFi connectivity appeal to me, though I couldn’t get a straight answer on how many songs are copied over with each sync. (Important to know when taking long flights.)