Its Money All the Way With True Blood

By Joseph Archibald

Pay cable TV network Home Box Office (HBO) has hit gold with its first showing of True Blood Season 2, based on the books by Charlaine Harris, having drawn in the largest amount of viewers for any show since the finale of the Sopranos some two years ago.

Almost three quarters of a million copies of the Season 1 DVD of True Blood were sold within its first 2 weeks of being on sale, which equated to a total of around $26 million and at the same time it was to become one of the most popular of iTunes downloads, so the potential for the show is without doubt.

Further to this though, HBO are in the enviable position of producing and owning the series and as such all profits will line their pockets along with Time Warner " HBO being a subsidiary company.

The average episode to be screened on HBO of any serial amounts to costs of around $2 million. For an average episode of True Blood to be screened however, we are talking of costs between $3 and $4 million, which is a huge increase. That said, if the viewing figures continue as they have begun, there will be profits soon enough regardless of the costs involved.

With only around 1.4 million viewers at the beginning of Season 1 it was looking at one time like the plug was going to be pulled on the hit show. Fortunately, this was not the case.

As time goes on it looks like its going to join the same league as The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Six Feet Under, all of which were screened by HBO.

The total viewing figures for the night of 14th June stack up to have been over 5 million " 3.7 million for the first screening and a further 1.4 million for the second which was shown later the same night. I suspect many of those viewers would have been die-hard Sookie Stackhouse and Charlaine Harris fans. Charlaine Harris is the author of the series of books that True Blood has been adapted from.

This also beckons good things for a new series to be shown at the end of June which goes by the unusual name of Hung and tells the story of a school teacher who tries his hand at becoming a gigolo. Sounds interesting!

Although in recent times Showtime took over as the main cable network provider from HBO, despite recent shows such as Californication, Weeds and Nurse Jackie pulling in some decent viewing figures on Showtime, with the showing of Sookie Stackhouse and True Blood it looks to be that HBO is going to re-gain its former crown and glory.

Yearly profits for HBO are in the range of between $1.3 and $1.4 billion. This is mainly due to its US base of 38 million subscribers. However, they also have branded joint ventures in a further 50 countries throughout the world which includes Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and BT Vision all in the UK. - 23815

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Want to keep up to date with Sookie Stackhouse? Click on this link now: Charlaine Harris for all the goings on in Bon Temps.

Stream Online Movies - Watch Stream Online Movies Review

By Chris Jensen

Watching movies from your computer has never been easier with the advent of streaming technology. Basically streaming is watching a movie from your web browser directly instead of having to download a file. There are tons of websites that stream movies and TV shows online, however, it can be a challenge to find websites that stream online movies in high quality formats.

The reason for this is that streaming a video actually takes up bandwidth on the website, and as such, high quality videos will take up more bandwidth than low quality ones. The .divx format is typically used to stream online movies in high quality; however, this format requires a special DivX player to be downloaded.

Many sites that stream online movies offer the movies in standard video formats, such as .avi, .mov, and .mpg. These are your typical video formats that can be found on almost any website that offers movies to be streamed. These standard formats are so common that it can be difficult to find a video that is not one of these formats.

Being able to watch a movie without downloading anything reduces the risk of getting a virus or other malicious piece of software. It also saves hard drive space because downloaded movies tend to take up to multiple gigabytes of storage capacity. Some websites that stream online movies may also put up a download link to allow a person to download the movie to his or her hard drive to watch whenever he or she wants. This is useful for people who use laptops for their entertainment and want to be able to access the movie on the go without an Internet connection.

Websites that stream online movies are a stepping stone to the future. As more and more computers, and people, gain access to the Internet, the popularity of movies that can be streamed online will rise. No longer will people need to go to the theater to watch a movie. Indeed, they can now get on their computers to find and stream the movie that they want to watch. - 23815

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This author only writes articles with topics related to Stream Online Movies and Stream Online Movies Review.

Special Effects Used In Transformers 2

By Michael Nielsen

The Transformers is coming back in all its grandeur and brilliance with its sequel, which is going to be released in the UK on June 19th, 2009. The film is one of the kinds and is a mega budget film. It is record breaking in more than one ways, without counting the box office records that it is expected to make.

The designs of the robots are more extensive this time; a lot of attention has been paid to each and every small detail of the robots. Other than this, the special effects used in the movie are mind-blowing and would amaze you. Scott Farrar has supervised the visual effects for the Revenge of the Fallen once again.

The animations have been created with tremendous budgets and efforts that can be seen clearly by the way, the robots sweating, snorting and doing other gestures and giving expressions. Due to the high quality of animation and special effects used in the movie, Transformers 2 has become the first movie in terms of occupying the largest disk space. While the first movie occupied only fifteen terabytes of disk space, its new sequel did one hundred and forty terabytes.

Majority of the Decepticons have been formed exclusively with the help of computers for both the robots as well as alternate modes. In this latest sequel, the movie shows lots of things that would keep you happy for days. There are a ton of robots, several of which are innovative additions.

The special effects are remarkable and great sum of budgets have been utilised in the production of the film. The expressions of the robots are as real as they can get and you should certainly prepare yourself to watch the effects to the point of seeing Bumblebee crying.

For those of you who have seen the promos of the film, in high definition, they possibly have had a taste of the type of special effects that have been applied in the film. On the other hand, there is much more to come and there is going to be a great deal of surprises in a variety of regards.

The settings used in the movie are superb and the sets have been remarkably worked at in many places of the world. Approximately sixty robots in the movie have played in setting around the world and the visual performance has been vastly enhanced in the movie, somewhat because of the extent of the giant robots as well. IMAX has also been used for gunfire portions of the movie, consequently making the movie incredible and a treat for the action thirsty, adventure loving Transformers' fans.

With Transformers 2, Michael Bay has done it yet again and increased his credit as a remarkable director. This is because with everything from the large group of characters, the special effects bought into play and the budget, Once more proved himself as an awesome director, who is like a whirlwind to keep up with. He has always made movies that are nothing if not incredible. - 23815

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See this Transformer and all the other characters in the new Transformers movie showing at all Odeon cinemas

What Makes Blu Ray What It Is?

By Frank Gomes

Blu ray technology, according to Wikipedia, is the name given to the Blu-ray discs because a blue laser is used to read and write on these particular types of discs. The wavelength of the Blu-ray beam is much shorter than the red laser used on DVDs. This allows more data to be stored on Blu-ray discs.

A Blu-ray disc can store a significant amount of data. It can store 6 times the amount of a two-layer DVD. It can also hold as much as ten and a half times the data of a standard DVD. You can see why more information can be loaded on a Blu-ray allowing for clearer pictures and better audio. Blu-ray is a superior technology.

Blu-ray discs will not play on standard DVD players. Blu-ray discs that are created with a blue or violet beam of light cannot be read by the red laser on a DVD player. Don't even try it.

This means that you will have to upgrade your DVD player to a Blu-ray player. This is the only way you will be able to buy and watch 1080P high definition movies the way that they are meant to be viewed. It is an amazing experience of sight and sound.

Don't be confused by Blu-ray and HD-DVD. HD-DVD players use a different type of blue laser that cannot read Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs cannot read HD-DVD's either. The technology for each type of disc is completely different, and Blu-ray offers the highest quality audio and video.

If you are setting up a home theater, or re-outfitting an older home theater, there really is no need to buy a DVD player. The good news is that Blu-ray can play standard DVDs, just not HD-DVD's. This means your DVD collection can still be viewed on a new Blu-ray disc player.

Standard DVD's will look better when played on a Blu-ray. They will not have the same quality as a Blu-ray, but the picture quality should be improved. You will most enjoy viewing high definition Blu-ray movies in your Blu-ray disc player. - 23815

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Are you looking for a cheap blu ray disc player? Visit blurayplayerhome.com to get a great price on discount blu ray disc player online.

Enjoy Sonic Sound with the Crest Audio Pro 9200 Professional Power Amplifier

By Neil Bethtodd

If you want an amplifier that has real professional power coupled with the kind of sonic integrity that is the standard of Crest, then you will be pleased with the Crest Audio Pro 9200 Professional Power Amplifier.

It is hard to believe that an amplifier with so much professional power comes in a compact, 2U package and weighs less than twenty five pounds " and at a lower cost. The Crest Audio Pro 9200 comes with automatic clip limiting that is designed to protect connected drivers.

The 2100 Watts per channel makes it easy to blast listeners out of the room and has similar specifications of its predecessors in the Pro 200 series. The amplifiers in the Pro series boast a frequency response that is within 0, -3 dB from 10 to 100 kHz, with hum and noise better than -110 dB, "A" weighted. The input impedance is 15 k Ohms, balanced.

The gain is automatically modified to accommodate any impedence outputs that are connected with IGM sensing. The beauty of the IGM is the short circuit protection coupled with loads as low as 2 Ohms and very efficient operation.

The high efficiency heat sinks are another of the special features found in the Audio Pro 9200. These heat sinks are tunnel cooled with variable speed DC fans. This feature effectively extends the amplifiers life by limiting its operating temperature. It will take no time at all for you to see that this amplifier has enough professional power to really crank up the sound. The latest generation of high speed, the width of the output devices, along with many other features all enhances the sonic integrity that Crest is known for.

The air temperature of the Audio Pro 9200 is automatically measured with a temperature sensing system. The air is the funneled to the exhaust on the front panel with rear mounted fans. If the temperature were to exceed the safe operating limits, one on the channels will automatically shut down. When sound is blasting at these levels, everyone and everything will be affected the by products of the heat.

Input connections on the rear panel are via XLR and actively balanced. There are binding post and Speak on output connections per channel to connect to the loudspeaker. The input attenuators and combination AC power switch/circuit breaker are located on the front panel of the amplifier.

There are 5 LEDs for each channel on the front panel that indicate ACL, temperature and signal protect, DC protect, and Active. The rear panel mode switch is used to choose, stereo, bridged mono, or parallel mode. The gain select switch on the rear panel will determine the amps structure of x40 or x20. The Crest Audi Pro 9200 has very impressive professional power. You will definitely be able to blast the neighbors out of bed in the middle of the night. You will want to be careful though; it would be a shame to blow a speaker on a kit that runs about $2000. - 23815

About the Author:

Neil Bethtodd has been a professional musician and DJ for 15 years. He is knowledgeable on all things that are about music! Neil's articles about power amplifiers are in magazines and blogs around the world. To find out more information about the Crest Pro 9200, click here.