Technology360

Video on Demand

Point Topic has a nice overview of Video on Demand in its "Broadband Money Makers" series.  Link.  They also have included profiles of a number of VOD offerings around the world.  --Dennis

Ten Laws Of The Modern World

On the 40th anniversary of Moore's Law, columnist Rich Karlgaard has published in Forbes a list of "ten laws of the modern world."  I'll quote here only [Peter] Drucker's Law: "Odd as it seems, you will achieve the greatest results in business and career if you drop the word 'achievement' from your vocabulary. Replace it with 'contribution,' says the great management guru Peter Drucker. Contribution puts the focus where it should be--on your customers, employees and shareholders."  Worth reading.  Link.  --Dennis

IBM getting chummy with local TV

IBM and the Fox Entertainment Group are working together on a new copy-protection technique that's aimed at keeping local broadcast TV content from being sent over the Net outside its home market.  ¶  The technique, which the companies are collectively seeking to patent, is a variation on the "broadcast flag" rules mandated by the Federal Communications Commission and going into effect later this year. ...¶... The IBM-Fox technique will let devices that read or receive TV content use the digital broadcasts to identify themselves as part of a home broadcast market. They will then refuse to hand TV content off to devices from other local markets, using that measure as a way to keep content in its authorized area, the companies said. ...  Link:  CNET news.com.

Television Networks Threatened with Extinction: Change or Die, Says Deloitte Report

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Global Technology, Media & Telecommunications group has a new report, Television Networks in the 21st Century: Growing critical mass in a fragmenting world, available as a free pdf download. Recommended. --Dennis

The Future of Copyright

The Social Science Research Network has a downloadable version of Prof. Lawrence B. Solum's article of this title in the Texas Law Review.  The abstract is in the post continuation below.  Link.  --Dennis

Podcasting: Making Waves

Confession time.  My favorite personal podcast is Sam Whitmore's Closet Deadhead [XML]. My only complaint being that they come faster than I can listen.  Whitmore has a good commentary in this week's issue of Forbes which I recommend for its valuable discussion of the intellectual property hoops he navigated for this podcast.  Link.  --Dennis

Strategies Develop to Entice Viewers to Watch Shows On Schedule, not on DVR

Despite many worthy articles, I ordinarily don't link to the Wall Street Journal because it's a paid site.  However, the AVS Forum has quoted a full text version of the 4/14/2005 article with this title.  It cites a new Accenture study saying 2% of ads are skipped in all U.S. households, but by 2009 it should rise to 22%. --Dennis

Search giants court TiVo

TiVo is in talks with Internet search giants Google and Yahoo over a possible deal aimed at bridging television and the Web, CNET News.com has learned.  ¶  The talks are still fluid and could result in a number of outcomes, two sources familiar with the negotiations said.  ¶ One scenario that's been discussed would see TiVo partner with Google or Yahoo on a new service that would let consumers search for videos on the Web and then watch them on their television sets, according to one person with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ... Link: CNET News.com.  I strongly recommend this longish article.  The capability discussed is similar to the third-party ordering our "public service publisher" group has been contemplating for public service content. --Dennis

Making video easier to search and find

Imagine a computer system that can automatically search through videos of football matches and pull out all the shots on goal or all the fouls.  ¶  Creating the elements that make such a system possible is a key result from the IST BUSMAN project. The current generation of computer systems is excellent at searching for and manipulating text: as the spectacular success of Google has shown. However, computers are now routinely used to store and process more than just text - videos of football matches for example. Handling multimedia content such as video footage is far harder than text where particular words and phrases can be searched for. ... Link:  PhysOrg.com.  Thanks to unmediated weblog. --Dennis

Virgin Offers World's First 3G Radio Free

Virgin Radio has become the first station to broadcast globally over 3G phones. The technology from Sydus mobile streaming services has made this possible, no matter where you are; Tokyo, Toronto or Chicago, if there is a wireless signal, there shall be music. ...  Link:  MobileMag.