TOP
STORY
- IBC
Plans Two HD Firsts
The IBC show in Amsterdam this September will
produce two firsts in the annals of the high-definition signals with the
first live transatlantic broadcast of a 3D HD program and the first live
broadcast in NHK’s new Super Hi-Vision format. more
» » »
Q&A
 Q&A:
Microsoft’s Jim Baldwin
Worldwide Microsoft has become the
leading provider of IPTV services to some of the world’s largest telcos,
including AT&T in the United States. Jim Baldwin, senior
director of engineering, at Microsoft Mediaroom talks about some of the
advantages that IPTV offers the telcos in the race to add more HD
content. more
» » »
BRIEFING
ROOM
- White
Spaces Remain Murky
Recent tests by the Federal Communications
Commission of prototype wireless devices that would use unoccupied parts
of the broadcast spectrum -- the so-called white spaces -- seem to have
meant very different things to those who are opposing their use and
companies backing the new technology. The idea of using unlicensed
devices to transmit data in the white spaces is being backed by
technology giants such as Microsoft, Google and Motorola. But
broadcasters have been lobbying aggressively against the proposed
devices on the grounds that they will cause unacceptable interference
wireless microphones and the reception of broadcast signals. more
» » »
- Satellite
Players Direct Olympic Traffic
While telco AT&T is providing
transmission capacity for NBC’s 2008 Beijing Olympic Games coverage via
fiber optic links, satellite players are still handling a variety of
both sports and news feeds from Beijing for international broadcasters.
Satellite giant Intelsat, which has transmitted coverage of every
Olympic Games since 1968, is providing multiple transponders to the
European Broadcasting Union for its HD coverage from Beijing. Meanwhile,
France Telecom subsidiary GlobeCast is providing an array of services to
rights-holders and non-rights-holders for worldwide distribution. more
» » »
- MGM
Hopes To ‘Impact’ VOD Space
Comcast and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer have
launched “Impact,” a new video-on-demand channel of action programming.
Many of the movies and TV shows on the channel will be available in
high-definition, MGM and Comcast said. Most of the titles are free to
digital cable customers but viewers could be directed to optional, pay
titles in the action realm, as well. Comcast — which owns a 20% equity
stake in the movie studio — also has an agreement to carry the MGM HD
linear channel. Comcast says it offers 10,000 VOD selections a month,
including at least 500 in HD. more
» » »
- AT&T’s
York Scopes Out HD Plans
AT&T has shifted into overdrive on
subscriber acquisition for U-verse TV, shooting to nearly double its
midyear count to end 2008 with 1 million customers. A compelling
high-definition lineup is a crucial part of meeting that goal, says Dan
York, AT&T’s executive vice president of content. In this Q&A,
York talks about the HD arms race, as well as multiplatform content
distribution and the challenges of cutting deals in a business driven by
volume discounts. more
» » »
- TV
Sales Surge Despite Economy
TV shipments for North America hit
record growth levels in the second quarter, despite a weaker U.S.
economy. TV shipments rose 28 percent compared to the same quarter last
year to more than 9.3 million units, according to preliminary
DisplaySearch findings, marking the strongest quarterly results since
the research firm began tracking TV shipments in 2004, it said. The
article provides extensive breakdowns of sales and market share by
manufacturers and various types of HD sets, including LCD and plasma. more
» » »
AROUND
THE WEB
- DirecTV
Cooks the HD Numbers
TVpredictions complains that DirecTV is
fudging the number of HD channels by counting PPV channels. “Not without
coincidence, DirecTV did this just a week after Verizon's FiOS and Dish
Network announced that they now have 100 HD channels,” the article
notes. “In the ever escalating race to be considered 'The HD Leader,'
DirecTV has cooked the numbers so it can say it has the most high-def
channels. Oddly, DirecTV has sharply criticized cable TV operators who
have said they have more `HD choices’ than satellite because they offer
more HD movies and TV shows in their Video on Demand lineups. Cable uses
the 'choices' ploy because it has fewer actual channels than satellite.”
more
» » »
- 3D
HD Cellphone Video: A Killer App?
In a blog on ZDNET, Robin
Harris notes that HDTV compatible mobile phones are making rapid
headway. 720p compatible processors are already here, and 1080p
compatible products will likely arrive in 2008. By 2009 mobile phones
will incorporate HDMI connectors and Seiko Epson Corp. has developed a
prototype 3-D display targeted at cell phones. Even though it is only 2
1/2 inches the display has a full 1024 by 768 resolution. more
» » »
- Cisco
Speeds Up NBC's Olympics WAN
Computer World reports on the
system that has allowed NBC to ship massive HD files half way around the
world for editing. “Video editors and shot selectors for NBC Universal's
massive U.S. coverage of the Olympic Games [will] be staying home,
thanks to Cisco Systems' WAN acceleration technology,” the article
notes. “`Footage’ of the games, actually in the form of digital files,
will travel all the way to New York and other North American locations
for editing,” thanks to Cisco’s “Wide Area Application Services (WAAS)
technology [that] makes an already-fat pipe across the Pacific work like
an even fatter one, allowing the broadcaster to deliver more content
than ever and avoid the cost of sending 400 more staffers to Beijing.”
more
» » »
- Sony's
First WHDI-Enabled Devises
The Connected Home Details reports on
the first details of Sony's first Wireless High Definition Interface
(WHDI)-enabled device, the DMX-WL1T, which will be capable of
transmitting wireless uncompressed 1080i video and audio to a compatible
Bravia HDTV to a range of around 100 feet. The device, out in September
or October for an expected US$350-500 offers four HDMI inputs, one
component input, one digital audio input and a stereo analogue input, as
well as including the receiver base station and transmitter. The
DMX-WL1T may also be able to control other third-party devices through
the three IR Blaster ports located on the back of the unit. more
» » »
- 'I
Want My HDTV!'
Forbes reports that “for today's college
students, a big-screen, high-definition television is no longer a
luxury, it's a necessity. When all the latest movies, videogames and
sporting events are available in glorious high-definition, those
old-fashioned tube televisions simply aren't going to cut it in the
dorm.” To solve that problem, Forbes offers up 10 HDTV that might fit
nicely into dorm rooms in the limited space and on the limited budgets
faced by most college students. more
» » »
|
|
Forward to a Friend
