Over the last seven months, MSN Video Player has been developed both in terms of content and features to enhance the overall user experience. Further content deals have been signed with Endemol, Digital Rights Group, RDF Rights (part of the RDF Media Group), Shed Media, Raw Cut and ContentFilm in addition to the launch partnerships with ALL3MEDIA and BBC Worldwide.

Making the coming together of MSN Video and MSN Video Player to form one single offering: MSN Video Player will enable viewers to watch both TV shows and movies along with music videos, movie trailers, news and TV clips. The service will provide over 1,000 hours of free long-form video content with the number of titles and hours continuing to grow over time. New titles include: Skins, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Embarrassing Bodies, Waterloo Road, Doc Martin, Secret Millionaire, Wife Swap, Faking It, Bad Girls, Footballers’ Wives and Kingdom.

The new MSN Video Player also sees the addition of new features added to strengthen the quality of the user experience. These include:

• HD with Silverlight Smooth Streaming – users will be able to watch video at the highest quality their broadband capability will allow – this can be right up to 720p HD. Smooth Streaming leads to less buffering and enhances the viewing experience

• Personalised Playlist – users can be created and queued to automatically play

• Social media integration – users can point friends and followers to MSN Video Player videos via Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live, MySpace, Diggit and other social media tools

MSN is continuing its long heritage of innovation to create engaging services that connect with often hard-to-reach audiences of strong appeal to advertisers. As the UK’s most popular news and entertainment portal, MSN attracts 23 million unique users every month (comScore, December 2009) making MSN, alongside bbc.co.uk, one of the UK’s favourite web portals.

Ashley Highfield, MD of Consumer & Online, Microsoft UK said: “MSN Video Player has been developed with rapidly changing consumer media behaviours in mind. The continuing rise in demand for online professionally produced video has enabled MSN to launch a service that has strong appeal to our users and advertisers. The latest comScore figures show that we are averaging at 25 minutes per viewer, per month on MSN Video Player, a figure that is significantly higher than many of the UK’s existing online TV services which suggests we are hitting the mark with our choice of content for the service.

“MSN Video Player will evolve and grow as a premium online destination for high quality video content over the coming months. We will continue to innovate in this space and work with advertisers, content owners and distributors alike to deliver a service that is highly valued.”

Mark Lesbirel, Director of Publishing at RDF Rights (part of the RDF Media Group) commented:

“It is exciting to be part of this next stage in the MSN Video Player story. Since the launch of the pilot it has gone from strength to strength with a clearly captivated audience. We are committed to producing popular and innovative programmes across various entertainment genres and partnering with an innovative service like MSN Video Player provides us with a platform best suited to consumer demands and advertising needs.”

MSN Video Player is available from here: www.msn.co.uk/video

The LaCinema Classic HD offers a timeless and sleek design making it a great addition to any TV setup. Providing the widest media format compatibility, LaCinema Classic HD will play all your files without concern – from the most popular DivX format to high-quality MKV H.264 video format via its HDMI 1.3 connection. Uncompromising support for Dolby Digital audio quality enhances the LaCinema Classic HD, as well as your entertainment viewing experience.

The LaCinema Classic HD keeps it easy – use it as an external hard drive to load media from your Mac or PC. Then, simply connect the LaCinema Classic HD to your HDTV for instant playback.

Acting as a DLNA media player, LaCinema Classic HD can conveniently play movies, music, and photos from your computer or network storage. LaCinema Classic HD even offers network access to easily transfer files from your Mac and PC, while keeping it connected to the TV.

Its unique DLNA server function ensures the LaCinema Classic HD works in tandem with your home network, acting as a media server to stream content to compatible players, such as PlayStation®3 or Xbox®.

The LaCinema Classic HD boosts capacities that include up to 2TB of media storage. By using the included remote control and easy navigation interface, you have quick and convenient access to your media libraries. Additionally, the front USB port allows you to connect a USB drive or digital camera to instantly share your photos on your HDTV with friends and family.

“LaCinema Classic HD is all you need to store, play and share your movies, music and photos at home. We believe organising and playing should be simple for everyone, without concern for media compatibility or how to access media, no matter where it’s stored in your home,” said Salem Tirane, Digital Home Product Manager.

At no premium, LaCinema Classic HD surpasses the usual media player experience by including a high-quality HDMI cable, Ethernet cable and the renowned DLNA Twonky Media Server for Mac and Windows. Users will be able to get the most of their multimedia contents out of the box!

The LaCinema Classic HD also features the option of connecting a USB Wi-Fi 802.11N adapter (sold separately) for wireless access to the home network.

LaCinema Classic HD is available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of £199. For more information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.

Building on Sony Ericsson’s entertainment heritage and combining rich graphics with intelligence capabilities, the XPERIA™ X10 introduces a new UX platform that will evolve across the product portfolio and expand over time continuously introducing new features and capabilities.

The UX platform builds on top of the Open OS and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, unrivalled integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The XPERIA™ X10 is the first mobile phone to truly humanise the way people interact with their phones.

Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson said, “The XPERIA™ X10 and the family of phones launching in the first half of 2010 underpin our commitment to an open and multi-platform strategy that maximises choice for the consumer and delivers the best possible consumer experience. The reaction from our global operator partners to the XPERIA X10 has been extremely positive and we will be rolling out across the world including Japan from the first half of 2010.”

Rikko Sakaguchi, EVP and Chief Creation Officer, Sony Ericsson said, “The XPERIA™ X10 is a fantastic example of our make.believe philosophy because we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible and demonstrating that anything consumers can imagine, we can make possible. With the X10, we are raising the bar we have set ourselves with entertainment-rich phones like Aino and Satio by making communication more fun and playful, multiplying and enriching opportunities to connect.”

Introducing signature applications like Mediascape and Timescape™, the XPERIA™ X10 lets consumers organise everything in their phone in an intuitive way:

• Sony Ericsson Timescape™ manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations the bright way to check out your Facebook™, Twitter™, photos, emails, and texts all in one go

• Sony Ericsson Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere – your phone, YouTube™, PlayNow™ – and presents everything for you

Intelligence capabilities, integrated into Mediascape and Timescape™, can automatically recognise connections between contacts, content and media. By recommending alternative ways to communicate or guiding to new media experiences, consumers can discover more in a truly open way. For example:

• Pressing the new “infinite button” guides you through the connected world, aggregating all your interactions with one person into one view

• Intelligent face recognition features recognise up to five faces in any picture, automatically connecting them with your social phonebook and all other related communications with that person

Sony Ericsson’s open approach gives consumers maximum choice and with the XPERIA™ X10, users can download any application that they want direct from a wide variety of stores including PlayNow™ and the Android Market™, co-creating an experience that is entirely unique to them.

Sony Ericsson is also introducing the new Wireless Stereo Headset with FM Radio – WM600. Featuring advanced Bluetooth™ technology and a built-in FM radio, WM600 lets you stream music to your headset in high fidelity through sound-enhancing ear-buds. With a crystal clear OLED display, easy access controls and RDS radio station information, you don’t even need to take your phone with you to tune in to your favourite radio station.

The XPERIA™ X10 supports GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100 and UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900/2100

The XPERIA™ X10 will be available in selected markets from Q1 in the colours Sensuous Black and Luster White.

Log on to The Sony Ericsson Product Blog for more information: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products

The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes.

“The launch of Windows 7 marks the start of an exciting new era for PC users in the UK,” said Ashley Highfield, MD and VP of Consumer and Online, Microsoft UK. “Windows 7 brings to consumers more choice and value than any previous Microsoft operating system. We’ve worked with partners and consumers alike to deliver an improved user experience with enhanced performance and functionality that promote ease and simplicity in everyday tasks.”

Building Windows 7 has been a collaborative process from the beginning, with Microsoft’s engineers and designers working with customers and partners to build an operating system that delivers on the vision of the PC, simplified.

“The development of Windows 7 was a huge collaborative project that involved listening to the feedback from millions of people around the world,” said Leila Martine, Windows Consumer Business Group Lead, Microsoft UK. “We are grateful to all the customers, partners and developers who helped make Windows 7 what we believe is the best Microsoft operating system ever.”

On Sale Worldwide Today

The global availability of Windows 7 is joined by an unprecedented array of new PCs and software programs. With more PC options available for customers today at a wide range of price points starting from under £230, customers can choose the PC that fits their personality, style, and needs: from netbooks and ultra-thin notebooks, to highly interactive multi-touch laptops and all-in-one desktops as well as water-cooled gaming machines.

For information on product offers, visit:

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/win7offers