On-page video makes its debut in Entertainment Weekly

It is the latest in a long line of innovations (if you think they're cool) or gimmicks (if you think they're lame), but the fall preview print edition of Entertainment Weekly will contain video. It is due out on newsstands September 11 and the latest attempt by magazine publishers to differentiate their print products.

According to a story in MediaPost, the thin, battery-powered player runs a small interactive screen manufactured by Americhip, Inc., which can deliver both audio and video content. It is part of a spread ad for CBS, promoting its fall season lineup.

Readers receive instructions on the use of the player in an introduction by three characters from CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," which plays automatically when they first flip the page.

Naturally, the player also comes with an ad -- for Pepsi Max, a new diet cola that targets men, backed up by a major media push, including a Pepsi Max-branded microsite on CBS.com.