Despite the fact that we are well into summer and the temperature here in Barcelona has been routinely exceeding 35ºC, the Moovida team has been far from siesta mode (siestas are only a Spanish myth). The latest release of Moovida (2.0.0.15.) is now available for download and includes important new features and performance tweaks, which might just help ease your World Cup comedown.

New Features

• DVD Disc Support
• Partial support for Audio CD playback and ripping

User Interface

• Drag & drop to add files to playlist
• Error messages appear in case GStreamer fails
• New widget for audio stream switching in the main UI: select from various audio tracks imbedded in your video file (as seen in top right of screenshot below)

Tweaks

• Optimized run time (quicker start)
• Resolved issues for video playback on Windows XP
• Support for .NET 2.0

Beat the heat and cure your World Cup hangover with Moovida and these football documentary DVDs.

One of the limitations with currently available players is that they can only reproduce a few file formats, a real source of frustration when you want to play all your mpeg, mp4, mov, avi, ogg, divx movie files from a simple app that neatly organizes your media library.

Moovida Core does all this and more. It will play most file formats, with the exception of DRM protected files that are impossible for us to support. If you’re annoyed that you can’t play DRM files with Moovida, check out this site which promotes a DRM-free lifestyle. You’ll get all the tips to avoid DRM media, giving you more power over your music downloads. It’s a bit tricky to find as many resources for free and legal video, however the Entertainment Magazine has a good selection of classics that are now part of the public domain.

Here are some other noteworthy sources you should check out to load Moovida up with free and legal downloads:

• Mashable lists a bunch of different free and legal download sites
• Sitepoint goes over a long list of creative common sources for media, including Jamendo
• Creative Commons is also a great place to find the latest CC-licensed films

Playing all your DRM-free formats has never been easier with Moovida.

The goods are in just in time for the weekend, Moovida 2.0 is available for download. Remember, we have a new concept for Moovida 2.0, you can read all about it here.

Here’s the run down on the newest features:

• Create playlists or shuffle at random
• Import the exact folders you want in your media library
• Hook up with your Last.fm account
• Moovida’s interface is available in 20 + languages

Moovida still allows you to play music and video in nearly any format – if there’s a format you can’t play, we want to know about it!

Coming soon is our media center extension called Moovida Immersed, ideal for tv navigation with a remote control. The extension will appear with a simple software update from Moovida Core, so hang tight. We’re very excited to introduce you to this innovative, more visually engaging way to connect with your media.

The best way to discover Moovida 2.0 is by downloading it, so what are you waiting for?

Don’t forget to give us your feedback:

• on our Forum
• by email: info@moovida.com
• in the comments below.

As the release of Moovida 2.0 draws near, we decided it was time to share the details of what’s to come with our community.

The next Moovida release is a completely innovative concept, and actually consists in 2 applications in one.

When first running the software, you’ll get Moovida Core, the flexible application ideal for desktop use. Most of you will be familiar with its features, which are based on the popular open source project Banshee. When ready to access your media via tv, the Moovida Immersed media center extension can be opened from the Core app, introducing a more visually engaging experience, optimized for HDTV navigation with remote control. In other words, Moovida Immersed will be the substitute for Moovida 1.0.

The software is still free to download and intends to provide users with a full scope media solution, bridging the gap between desktop and connected tvs. As we transition from project to commercial software with Moovida 2.0, our desktop app will be ad supported and initially compatible under Windows, with a Linux and Mac version to follow shortly. We also plan to offer a variety of premium content through the Moovida Immersed media center.

Moovida Core 2.0 is now being distributed under limited release for testing, and the complete solution will be available publicly this summer.

Moovida’s next phase of development focusses on working closely with Banshee, upon which our backend is now based. We highly encourage those who want to contribute to Moovida Core to participate in the Banshee project. We also plan to open our UI to encourage developers to keep playing with the software and adding new features.

Got questions or comments? Check out this FAQ page, or contact us any of the following ways:

• post a comment below
• email us: info@moovida.com
• post on our Forum

We’re very excited about this next release, and we very much look forward to presenting you with the finished product.

Moovida’s team is growing, and we’re always on the look out for fresh new talent. We now have an opening for the web developer position.

Moovida Web Developer – Job Description

If this is a position that interests you, please send your credentials to hr@fluendo.com.

In relation to my recent post about piracy, I just HAD to comment on the shocker that was just announced about the latest James Bond film being suspended indefinitely. This is the first real tell-tale sign of Hollywood running out of steam after the digital revolution in film. What hasn’t helped is the fact that MGM has been slow keeping up with the times, and now the latest Bond Film is paying for it dearly.

I just had to point out that this is probably the first blatant illustration of the vicious circle that is piracy, and how some movie goers (Bond fans in this case) are finally paying for this vice. I, for one, won’t be crying over it, especially since I had the misfortune of paying to see Quantum of Solace in theaters.

I’m curious to see what lessons the Hollywood industry will take away from this, and whether the next owners of MGM’s film library will embrace the online VOD model. Can we hope to see some MGM films on Moovida any time soon, or more specifically the next Bond?

We often spur debates around the office by sharing ‘controversial’ articles related to what we do here at Moovida. Last week it started with the TorrentFreak article U.S. Government Recognizes Benefits of Piracy passed on by resident media scanner guru Fernando.

‘Building a Digital Economy’ [1] was quickly fired back by another colleague, this time from the industry’s point of view. The report highlights the important loss of European jobs in entertainment at the hand of piracy. He then went on to counterbalance his argument by saying that piracy could be acknowledged as an economic impulse for the Internet sector, but at the copyright owners’ expense (I’m sure there are a quite a few of us that can be thankful for piracy’s economic impulse factor).

Needless to say, TorrentFreak is biased with their interpretation of the Governmental report. I’d declare something more along the lines of ‘U.S. Government recognizes that there may be some benefits to piracy, and cannot prove its negative effect on the economy as a whole due to lack of evidence, nevertheless Hollywood is still taking a big hit’, which somewhat weakens their position. One thing is certain, piracy is becoming synonymous with cultural values in Spain, and its movie industry is suffering for it.

I think the conclusion I’m trying to come to, in layman’s terms, is that piracy rocks for some, sucks for others, and for those who haven’t felt the sting yet, may well feel it soon enough. Unless that is, we all start substituting piracy for a sustainable media consumption model that benefits everyone.

And where does Moovida stand? Are we a product of piracy, a catalyzer for content freedom, or a combination of both?

[1] You can easily find the article ‘Building a Digital Economy: The importance of Saving Job’s in the EU’s Creative Industries’ by searching it online.

Some of you may have noticed a certain “slow down” of Moovida 1.0, with less Launchpad activity and no new plugins. A few of Moovida’s most active community members have been recently informed that there are many changes in the works for the next release, which will radically change the product (for the better, IMHO). Indeed some questions have been popping up, so let me try to clarify some of your concerns:

• Our current focus is on our next version, which is a complete overhaul of Moovida as you know it (different architecture and development language, UI revamp)
• Because of this, we currently have very little time to review requests, bug fixes and the like on Launchpad for 1.0, and we won’t  be able to merge any changes in the short term, so please bare with us in the meantime
• The next release will remain open, but not to the same extent as Moovida 1.0. We understand this may be upsetting to some of you who vow allegiance to 100% open source solutions, but we have followed this direction for specific reasons. We wanted to keep developing a great media center that could prosper in a highly competitive and evolving industry, and this is what made most sense given our objectives.
• Moovida will remain free, but will also offer premium content on demand
• Please be patient for another 1-2 months before experiencing our next release, after which we hope to blow your socks off (make sure to be wearing socks, otherwise your toes could suffer)

We’ll keep you posted as new info becomes available. Hang in there and please keep the feedback coming in the comments section and in our Forum, we’re doing our best to incorporate your valuable suggestions.

For those of you confused about the recent launch of the Fluendo Media Center, and how it oddly resembles Moovida, here’s the low down:

Fluendo Media Center, which was recently released by fellow company Fluendo, is a proprietary version of Moovida 1.0, including codec pack and DVD player. You can purchase it for €39.99 from Fluendo’s website. This is a great option for those looking for software support for their Media Center (it includes one year of bug fixes and software updates) and a powerful DVD Player complete with support for menus, multi angle and Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo. However, because it’s proprietary, plugin integration is a tad limited.

Fluendo Media Center is not a replacement of Moovida, but rather an alternative solution for those who want a Media Center with the proprietary features mentioned above. If you think the price tag is a little steep for your needs, hold on for the next Moovida release, which will still be free and partially open, and with more eye candy.

Stay tuned…

As cable TV watchers migrate towards online content, the future of traditional TV looks uncertain. Network bigwigs are capitalizing on the growing trend around online viewing, or rather filtering it as much as possible to assert greater control over their content, while keeping a bigger piece of the ad revenue pie.

On the other side of the fence, the Internet TV space is gaining popularity, but not without its own challenges. The mission of bringing interactivity to the TV set should consist in allowing more content freedom and accessibility to users, with the choice to pay or sit through highly targeted ads in exchange for premium content. This so-called freedom is not yet a reality, with geo-blocking still prevailing, not to mention alliances of monstrously scary proportions between networks and cable providers threatening to dictate the future of video media, if not swallow it whole…

Until content providers unclench their rears… uh, start allowing the distribution of their content across borders at reasonable costs through partners, mainstream media consumers will continue expressing their discontent via illegal downloading and P2P sharing. Rights owners are bound to give way at some point, as they are now opting to give up their profits in favour of piracy rather than share and expand revenue with distribution partners.

From Moovida’s perspective, we think the best way to achieve connected tv’s mission is to strike a balance between what users want without undermining copyright laws, which is probably the most sustainable solution anyway. Let’s just hope media dictators come to their senses relatively soon to make this a reality.