Technology360

TiVo tightens the DRM vise

TiVo is ratcheting up DRM restrictions on its subscribers with a couple of updates that will be rolled out to the DVRs in upcoming weeks. One patch will cause TiVos to automatically delete pay-per-view content after a preset period of time. According to a TiVo attorney, the change is being made due to DRM software maker Macrovision's concerns over the upcoming TiVoToGo service, which will allow users to transfer programming from the TiVo to a PC. ¶ Another change affects TiVo viewers' ability to view NFL broadcasts. A new agreement with the NFL means that TiVo owners will not be able to view games outside of designated broadcast areas. ... ars technica link

The Evolution of Price Discrimination in Transportation and its Implications for the Internet

The always-provocative Andrew Odlyzko (University of Minnesota) has published an article in Review of Network Economics, Sep. 2004. Here's the abstract:

A wide-ranging discussion of the evolution of pricing in early transportation industries, such as lighthouses, canals, and turnpikes, is presented. It shows that price discrimination was an important factor in the development of those industries, and tended to intensify with time. In order to make differential tariffs effective, service providers had the right of detailed inspection of the cargo. These historical precedents help explain the drive by large sectors of the telecommunications industry to gain greater control over what is transmitted over the Internet. The implications for the evolution of the Internet are briefly explored.

Access to a large array of his work is available on Odlyzko's web page above and I have three of his papers that are particularly relevant to readers of this weblog linked on my other web site, technology360.org. Thanks to Chuck McConnell from NETA/PBMA for a heads up on this one. --Dennis

Powell: Greater Spectrum Access Needed for Wireless Broadband

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell is calling for greater access to spectrum in order to help realize the benefits of wireless broadband. ¶ In a speech Tuesday to an audience gathered at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association’s annual “Wireless IT & Entertainment Conference” in San Francisco, Powell said that most of the spectrum is not being used most of the time. ... TelecomWeb link

Those Thursday Thoughts (Mark's Monday Memo), 10/28/04

Mark Schubin's memo for this week is available at digitaltelevision.com. --Dennis

RIAA Sales Numbers Up Over 10% in First 1/2 2004 – SACD and DVD-Audio Tank

The music industry is showing some signs of a rebound in the first half of 2004, with full-length CD shipments to retail outlets increasing by 10.2 percent, compared to the amount of shipments over the same time period in 2003. This is the first time in five years that the first half of the year has experienced an increase in shipments. DVD music videos and licensed digital downloads also showed impressive growth, according to new data announced today by the ...RIAA. ...¶... SACD and DVD-Audio sales made up for about 300,000 units each, showing a declining trend from the combined sales number from 2003 for both formats. This is not good news for high-resolution audio. ... RIAA Sales Numbers Up Over 10% in First 1/2 2004 – SACD and DVD-Audio Tank

Web TV Start-Ups Show Programs Outside the Box

Internet TV is a mirage, seeming so close yet turning out to be far away or downright unreal when you try to watch it. At least that's my take on the many past plans for zapping motion pictures over the Internet. ¶ Now comes a fresh group of contenders for the Internet TV throne, all trying new twists on sending video over the global computer network. They carry funky names, too, like Akimbo, DaveTV, RipeTV and TimeshifTV. All are trying to exploit the increasing number of high-speed Internet links in homes and the declining costs for transmitting and storing digital video. ... washingtonpost.com link

XM vs. the IPod - Will XM's new portable satellite radio make the iPod obsolete?

... XM's MyFi isn't as disappointing as a gadget. ... One really disappointing thing about MyFi is that it doesn't let you create customized play lists—you can jump between the individual songs and talk show segments you record, but only in a prescribed order. The biggest problem with XM right now, though, is content. It's got 130 channels that I don't want to listen to. There's no Howard Stern, no Car Talk, no Rush Limbaugh. If XM has ever played Fischerspooner or Trooper, I missed it. If you want your music, stick to the iPod. ... Slate link

Podcasting and the Rise of Personal Media

... People are creating their own media space with these devices, disintegrating other peoples' products (such as music albums) and reintegrating the parts in new ways. That's rip/mix/burn. It cuts broadcasting out of the loop. I talked with a woman the other day who has not listened to radio since she got an iPod two years ago. "How do you learn about new things?" I asked. "From friends who are DJs," she explained. Not all of us have such friends, and we do need some sort of outside input into our personal space. ... Poynter Online link

Now playing: Self-service DVD rentals at McDonald's | CNET News.com

The fast-food giant has signed a contract with DVDPlay to place the company's self-service DVD rental kiosks in 13,000 restaurant locations over the next several years, DVDPlay CEO Jens Horstmann, CEO of the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company, said during a presentation at the Consumer Technology Ventures Conference here. ¶ McDonald's has been running a trial with 157 of the machines in 107 Denver-area restaurants and will install a few thousand machines each year starting soon. Grocery giants Albertsons and Safeway have signed deals to put machines in, respectively, 3,000 and 3,500 locations each. Even rental outlets (and DVDPlay competitors) like Blockbuster will invest in the machines. ... CNET News.com link

Blockbuster Online to Leverage Rental Outlets for DVD Mail Distribution

... Blockbuster plans to use its brick-and-mortar rental outlets to deliver movies by mail sometime next year. The action is another body blow to competitor Netflix and others to steal away market share by offering subscribers next day delivery. ... eHomeUpgrade link