Archive for March, 2010

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The Hurt Locker on BT Vision

Monday, March 29th, 2010

big_hurtThere’s a bomb buried in the dirt – if it explodes it’ll destroy everything within 100 yards, the blast-wave alone could kill you.

What would you do? If you are Staff Sergeant William James you walk towards it, wire-cutters in hand, knowing you could die any second.

Welcome to the Hurt Locker.

The Hurt Locker is the 6 time Oscar winning drama about a military bomb disposal squad working in Iraq. It is one of the most gripping, daring and compelling movies ever created, and well deserves the Oscar for Best Motion Picture.

re:fine have ensured it is now available in stunning HD on BT vision – the perfect movie to view in High Definition.

Posted in IPTV and VOD, Main | No Comments »

re:fine signs Off the Fence

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

202_113_cityThe worldwide distributor of factual prgramming  has relocated their entire catalogue  to re:fine.   OTF owns over 4000 hours of natural history, science, health, adventure history and social documentaries.

re:fine will provide a range of services including tape duplication, QC,  storing and managing the library, sending screeners, encoding  and metadata requirements.

We will also look into exploiting content for packaged media [DVD and Blu-ray] and digital media platforms and also to fulfill international tape dubbing and HD requirements.

OTF was looking for an integrated approach to tape and digital workflows whilst taking advantage of re:fine’s ability to offer economies of scale and pricing and training to OTF staff and clients in tape and digital workflow.

Sam Neil, Operations Manager, Off the Fence, explained the partnership:

“Off the Fence has grown rapidly over the past three years and, as we evolve into the future, this deal with re:fine will enable us to use new technologies being developed.  re:fine are experts in their field and our aim is to work closely with them on digital delivery, which will enable a faster delivery and ultimately reduce costs for our clients.”

The venture is also designed to allow a ongoing relationship with the producer/distributor to plan the most effective and practical way to digitise the library, both catalogue and new titles, ready for commercial exploitation across established and emerging VOD platforms.

Posted in IPTV and VOD | No Comments »

How clean is your house?

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

202_113_KNAThis month we have encoded over 100 episodes of hit series ‘How clean is your house?’ for international distribution.    How clean is your house features Kim and Aggie, Britain’s most famous dust-busting, mildew-murdering divas as they swiffer their way through some of the world’s most repulsive homes.

The series was first broadcast in 2003 and is in it’s eighth season.  It has been successfully aired in 17 countries and is number one in it’s time slot in Denmark, New Zealand, Finland and the Netherlands.   The girls have also crossed the Atlantic and have made two series in the USA.

Once encoded the required to MPEG2  format, the files pass though quality control and are delivered to a secure site. Once there, the files can be accessed globally for future use.

Posted in IPTV and VOD, Main | No Comments »

Summerton Mill – now on iTunes

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

202_113_STownThe second series of children’s favourite Summerton Mill will be available on iTunes from 5th April.   The release follows the UK success of the first series on CBeebies and BBC2.  The show is also popular in several European and Middle Eastern Countries.

Summerton Mill stars Dan, his sidekick Fluffa the dog and the Naybur family who live up the Hill.   It is a delightful world inspired by creator Pete Bryden’s own secluded 17th century mill, (Somerton Mill) in rural Oxfordshire.

re:fine created the DVDs of the first series which are available on Amazon, the DVDs were a tremendous success and led  the iTunes release is ideal for babies on the move!

Posted in IPTV and VOD, Main | No Comments »

Balls of steel goes to Hulu

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

202_113_ballsThe latest addition to American platform Hulu is British comedy ‘Balls of Steel’

For those not in the loop, Mark Dolan’s Balls of Steel challenges a team of comedians and performers to a range of stupid stunts, undercover set-ups and loads more hilarious things to prove that they have ‘Balls of steel’.

Episodes uploaded to the platform feature the characters ‘Scummy Mummy’,(the worst mother in the world), ‘Mr Inappropriate’ and ‘The Annoying Devil’.

Posted in IPTV and VOD | No Comments »

Thinking of putting your content online?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

itunesre:fine can help you expand your reach and connect with new audiences.

As a starting point, why not talk to us about making your content available on iTunes.  We offer the complete iTunes package from pitching, negotiation & processing to delivery, revenue collection & royalty payments.  We also have relationships in place with many of the top digital platforms around the globe.

It really works – one of our clients, an independent UK film producer, spent £300 on content processing for a new release onto iTunes, and grossed over £3,000 in the first month.

For our rate card and a get started guide email info @ refine-group.com or call your contact at re:fine.

Posted in IPTV and VOD, iTunes | No Comments »

Blu-ray sales up 167%

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

blurayBlu-ray disc unit sales rocketed 167% last year, helping to steady the falling DVD market in Europe, according to the Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) quoted by the UK Press Association.

2009 sales of Blu-ray discs – worth nearly £400 million – partially offset last year’s 9% decline in DVD sales, which decline 2% by volume. Indeed, Europe’s overall home entertainment market was worth £5.5 billion in the last 12 months – a fall of 7% on 2008.

DEGE chairman Yves Caillaud, speaking at the annual general meeting in London, said: “Blu-ray is gaining further momentum in Europe thanks to a concerted cross-industry promotional effort, near universal penetration of high-definition TVs, increased consumer awareness and greater player affordability.”

He added: “Last year was never going to be easy, but in comparison to many other similar sized industries, the European home entertainment businesses in 2009 held up well.”

Despite last year’s sales drop, the industry is hopeful that the introduction of 3D TV will give the market a fresh injection.

Source DVD Intelligence – reproduced with permission

Posted in DVD and Blu-ray News | No Comments »

New BioBox – a truly green solution

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

bio_smallThis month we are incredibly proud to introduce AGI Amaray’s Biobox. The case that is not only recyclable and made from recycled materials but it is 100 times more biodegradeable than other plastic cases.

The market-leading brand have researched and launched a truly green solution on three levels:

1. The case is made from recycled plastic The materials used are free from the heavy metals sometimes found in recycled plastics and adhere to EN71 Toy standards so are fit for use by children.

2. The case is easy to recycle as it is made from a single type of recyclable plastic clearly marked with the correct recycling symbols.

3. The case it biodegradeable when placed landfill or in the soil. If a proprietary mixture is added to the cases in landfill conditions the complex polymer chains can be broken down by bacteria.

It’s an impressive product and the future of recycled packaging.

Posted in Packaging | No Comments »

Baby TV – Digibook showreels

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

big_sheepsThis month we created some gorgeous Digibooks for Baby TV.

Baby TV is a global channel that reaches parents and children through major television platforms worldwide, providing 24 hour high quality programming for TV’s youngest viewers.  Free from advertising and full of high quality series, Baby TV is designed to promote learning, activity and interaction in a fun environment.

The Digibooks are designed to help promote baby TV globally and contain a  52 page alphabet booklet featuring stills from some of baby TV’s most popular series.

The booklet is full colour throughout with a matt finish and features the cute characters of Baby TV’s most popular shows as well as the characters from the channel’s idents.  The accompanying DVD contains a trailer, showreel and a sing along activity.

See more on Sky channel 623, Virgin channel 703 on BT Vision or online

Posted in DVD Duplication and Replication, Main, Packaging | No Comments »

Spring summer store strategy

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

dottys_bigReady for the Spring/Summer 10 season we authored Dorothy Perkins ‘Model Store’ DVDs.  The DVDs are a one stop information centre for store managers and retail assistants and takes them through the seasons trends and dressing techniques, store layout and strategy.

The discs contain an easy-to-follow menu system that leads shop staff through the season, ensuring each store is set up perfectly to maximize the forthcoming sales opportunities.  Staff are further engaged with competitions that test their recollection of each new trend preparing everyone for what will hopefully be a successful and sunny Spring and Summer!

Posted in DVD Authoring, DVD Duplication and Replication | No Comments »

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