Technology360

Tech-heavy coalition supports fair-use legislation

A group of technology vendors, consumer rights groups and Internet service providers (ISPs) have banded together to support 18-month-old U.S. House legislation that would allow consumers to make personal copies of copyrighted digital products, including movies and music. ¶ The Personal Technology Freedom Coalition on Tuesday kicked off its efforts to get the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act, introduced in January 2003, through Congress. The legislation, sponsored by Representative Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat, would allow consumers to break copy controls to do such things as make personal copies of compact discs or movies. Supporters of the bill say it's necessary to protect consumers' so-called fair-use rights to make personal copies, which the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) curtails. ... The Industry Standard link

RIAA Claims Music On Car Radios Meant Only For Original Vehicle Owner!!!!

Today's chuckle: The Recording Industry Association of America announced today it would be expanding its crackdown on copyright infringement by suing family members, hitchhikers and carpoolers. ¶ Lawyers for the RIAA maintain that the radio in each car was never meant to be listened to by anyone else except the original owner of the vehicle. ¶ Therefore, any additional passengers who listen to music on the radio in another individual's car are doing so illegally and without the express permission of the copyright holders of the respective songs that are broadcast. ... About.com link

DTV Receiver Guidelines Approved

The Advanced Television Systems Committee Inc. said Tuesday (June 22) that the voluntary industry guidelines cover receiver sensitivity, multiple signal overload, phase noise, selectivity and multipath interference. ¶ The guidelines, known as "recommended practices," also suggest that DTV receiver manufacturers use an antenna control interface specified by the Consumer Electronics Association ... to automatically control antenna parameters. ... Designtechnica link. Here's the ATSC news release. --Dennis

Predicting the Shape of TV Over IP

TV over broadband is coming, but it could manifest itself in any of several different forms, with significant consequences for ISPs large and small. Whether it's downloading or streaming or traditional broadcasting, television service has not yet arrived in people's homes. Before it does, ISPs—even small independents—are trying to suss out how they can get a piece of the action, or at least avoid being left in the dust or out on a limb. ¶ In the first in this occasional series on video over the Net, we talk to two small ISPs who are carefully watching the brave new world of broadband video unfold—and taking some baby steps. ... ISP Planet link

SBC Will Square Off Against Cable Rivals In Video, TV Services

Facing mounting competition from cable TV companies, SBC Communications (SBC) outlined plans Tuesday to deliver digital video services over an upgraded phone network. ¶ The regional Bell phone carrier already resells pay-TV services from satellite provider EchoStar. (DISH) But SBC wants its own video products to compete with cable TV companies, which are quickly ramping up their own phone services. ¶ SBC says it will increase capital spending $4 billion to $6 billion over the next five years to develop a video-ready network. ... Investor's Business Daily link

Broadband gets FCC chairman hot

FCC Chairman Michael Powell has a grand vision for 2005 - one that includes years of communications hype turning into fruitful reality. ¶ "I think the industry will be hot one year from now, and I mean that sincerely," he said, during a speech here at the SuperComm conference. "I think 04 is the year the match is lit, but I think 05 a lot of this will be on fire." ¶ The "this" under discussion was primarily broadband and wireless technology. Like any good optimistic politician, Powell believes the tipping point has been reached, meaning there are enough users, applications and interested vendors to make the delivery of high-speed Internet services very attractive. He characterized the mood as being one that "assumes" broadband connections are present as opposed to a mood that still caters to narrowband services. ... The Register link

The Best (and Worst) Video Feeds Online

Video quality has improved, but it's still a struggle to find feeds on many news sites. We review the top video offerings to tell you how some have improved while others are still lagging. ... USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review link

DIRECTV and KVH Enter into Agreement to Bring DIRECTV Service to Passenger Vehicles

DIRECTV, Inc., ... and KVH Industries, Inc., today announced the signing of a multiyear agreement that allows consumers to receive DIRECTV® service in cars, sport utility vehicles..., minivans, and other passenger vehicles equipped with mobile video systems. ¶ Under the terms of the arrangement, DIRECTV has authorized KVH to solicit subscriptions for DIRECTV programming packages that will be received by KVH's new TracVision® A5 low-profile antenna. ... According to a 2003 report published by Frost & Sullivan, the market for vehicles equipped with video screens could exceed 18 million by 2008. BusinessWire.com link

Thinking outside the TV box

With TiVo (news - web sites)'s fast-forward, viewers' shrinking attention spans and new media choices, the 30-second TV ad has more rivals for consumers' attention. That is pushing marketers' thinking increasingly outside the TV box for ways to make the costly but still dominant commercial work harder. ¶ ... The shift is evident this week in larger and more creative lineups in the print, outdoor and Internet ad categories competing for awards at this year's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Internet entries climbed 25% over last year while print and billboard ad entries both rose 15%. ... USA Today via Yahoo! News link

Coming Changes in Broadcast Industry

David Isenberg writes: The unspoken secret, the elephant in the room, of WirelessUnleashed is that broadcast as we know it is circling the drain. ... ¶ Doc Searls and Jeff Jarvis have been having a visionary dialog ... about how post-broadcast TV and radio look. Doc says that radio & tv stations should send out RSS notifications with every single program they put on. ... ¶ Doc has more to say here, and Jarvis takes it to the next level here. Wireless Unleashed link