Technology360

CNET Launches Free Music Download Service

Yahoo! News - CNET Launches Free Music Download Service Online technology company CNET Networks Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET - news) on Monday launched a free digital music service, allowing users to search and download what it said were thousands of songs contributed by independent and unsigned artists.

Digital switch on target says BBC

BBC News: Digital switch on target says BBC The BBC has said it is on target to achieve switchover from analogue to digital television by 2010. ¶ In its first report on the switchover, the BBC described progress as "astonishing", stating it "puts the UK in an enviable position". ¶ But the report to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell stressed the industry and government must work together if it is to be achieved within the timeframe. ¶ It lists a number issues which need addressing to achieve the switchover.

C4 and RealNetworks close to broadband content deal

C4 and RealNetworks close to broadband content deal Channel 4 is close to agreeing a new contract with RealNetworks that will see the company putting its full weight behind broadband over the course of the coming year, starting with the new series of Big Brother, due to air in May. [newmediazero.com]

Rivals mix up digital music

Yahoo! News - Rivals mix up digital music
A year ago this week, Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs (news - web sites) introduced an online music store that promised to make buying and playing digital music on portable devices like Apple's iPod less cumbersome. ¶ It wasn't exactly a revolutionary idea, but it had a profound effect. Many thought legitimate services couldn't compete with free, unlicensed services like Kazaa. But Apple has sold 50 million songs and helped spawn an array of me-too services from Wal-Mart, Musicmatch and a revived Napster (news - web sites).

Low-Watt Radio Wields Its Power

Wired News: Low-Watt Radio Wields Its Power Four years ago the FCC made honest people out of a few pirates. Community broadcasters are moving ahead, but getting a license doesn't automatically mean success. Jason Silverman reports from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Technology and Show Business Kiss and Make Up

New York Times: Technology and Show Business Kiss and Make Up "Content is king," trumpeted Carleton S. Fiorina, the chairman and chief executive of the Hewlett-Packard Company, as she opened the National Association of Broadcasters convention last week in Las Vegas. The slogan was old, but still sweet to the entertainment community, which packed the show to hear her.

A Digital Video Recorder Leader Lags

New York Times: A Digital Video Recorder Leader Lags Sales of digital video recorders, devices that record television programs on a hard drive, are finally gaining momentum, a study by IDC, a market research firm, has found. But TiVo, the company that popularized the concept, is increasingly being left behind by the success.

Lawsuit Threat Cuts Music Downloads (TechNews.com)

Lawsuit Threat Cuts Music Downloads (TechNews.com) Driven largely by fears of copyright lawsuits, more than 17 million Americans, or 14 percent of adult Internet users, have stopped downloading music over the Internet, according to a survey released Sunday. ¶ Despite the decline, the overall percentage of people who say they download music has inched back up since November, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said in the study. [Washington Post]

Click here for a direct link to this Pew report. --Dennis

Theater's Front-Row Seat to Digital Future

Theater's Front-Row Seat to Digital Future. The Pacific Hollywood, built to debut the breakthrough technology of its day -- talkies -- now has a new role: showcase and lab for the high-tech replacement of film at cinemas. [Los Angeles Times]

Converging on the digital home digital house / Tech firms are betting on consumer electronics as their next big thing

Converging on the digital home digital house. Tech firms are betting on consumer electronics as their next big thing. Throughout Silicon Valley, the buzz is about networked entertainment, not networked computers. It's about digital media portals, not Web portals. And it's about the iPod, not the PDA. ¶
As the valley shakes itself free of a three-year downturn, that buzz is getting louder as high-tech giants such as Intel and Hewlett-Packard tout digital entertainment as their next big thing. ¶ To be sure, tech firms have always coveted a prominent place in the living room. But their past attempts to push the "digital home," where a computer would take center stage, failed to loosen the grip of makers of traditional consumer electronics like TVs, stereo systems and video recorders. ¶ This time, however, a "perfect storm" of circumstances is creating a consumer-driven convergence of computer technology and digital entertainment. [snip][San Francisco Chronicle]