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News in Brief

TOSHIBA has unveiled the first 3D laptop that doesn't need 3D glasses for watching movies or playing 3D games. The Qosmio F750, which will go on sale next month, has a 120Hz, 15.6-inch screen that uses "a lenticular lens sheet to send different images to the left and right eyes." The effect varies somewhat depending on how close you are to the screen, but it gives a more pronounced effect than, for example, the Nintendo 3DS. Toshiba has already used the technology in its glasses-free 3D TV, the Regza GL1. Price of the top-end system is expected to be around £1,300.

NETFLIX is planning to expand its online video service into two European countries in the first quarter of 2012, reporting closing deals in both Spain and the United Kingdom, according Variety. Netflix was unavailable for comment about entering into Europe.

WITH digital cinema projectors becoming ubiquitous in North America and film volumes declining, Technicolor will subcontract its 35mm bulk release printing business to Deluxe in North America and Deluxe will subcontract its 35mm print distribution business in the US to Technicolor. In London, as a result of digital image capture overtaking film capture, Deluxe will subcontract its 35mm/16mm original color negative processing business to Technicolor. Deluxe will provide 35mm bulk release printing at its Denham and other European facilities.

OPTICAL disc replication line manufacturer Anwell Technologies announced it received CNY700m ($108.3m) in local government funding to boost the capacity of its thin-film panel factory in Henan Province, China. Executive chairman and CEO Franky Fan said the company planned to increase its solar panel production capacity to 1.5GW in five years with government backing. Anwell added that it would also enter talks with the local government of another Chinese city to finance its second thin-film solar panels plant.

RECEIVING live TV on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer is a popular feature throughout Western Europe, with 30% of broadband households highly interested in these TV Everywhere services, according to Parks Associates’ recent consumer survey. The research firm found UK broadband households the most interested in receiving live TV on an Internet-connected device, with 36% highly positive on this feature. German broadband households showed the lowest interest, with only 24% selecting multiscreen services as a top feature.

DIRECT Brands Inc, the parent company of book clubs such as Book-of-the-Month Club, Doubleday Book Club and Columbia House, has announced what it says is the first-ever Blu-ray-specific club under the Columbia House division. The Blu-ray Club launched 1 July and kicks off with a ‘Red, White and Blu-ray Summer’ whereby members who enrol in the club this month will receive an opening offer of two Blu-ray titles for only $5.99 each.

HELSINKI-based Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre struck a major coup on its home turf against music file-sharers this week. A Finnish judge this week approved the group’s request to force ISPs to cut off three alleged pirates’ internet connections. Earlier this year a Finnish court fined a couple 820,000 Euros for "creating an illicit file-sharing hub which contained nearly 50 terabytes of infringing content.

NIGERIAN Copyright Commission (NCC) has in the last four months, impounded products worth N22 million ($150,000) suspected to be pirated during various anti-piracy raids carried out across the country. Copyright Inspectors also arrested 27 suspected pirates during enforcement operations executed in four subsectors of the copyright industries, namely the publishing, software, broadcast and optical disc (music and movie) industries.