Technology360

High-definition radio gears up for reality

The radio conglomerates, chipmakers and other companies behind HD radio--a digital form of broadcasting that essentially fits into the same spectrum as current analog channel--say their campaign to promote the technology is about to begin. ...¶... The push on HD radio is a combination of opportunity and desperation, ... . In HD radio, up to eight separate stations can be squeezed into the same spectrum currently allotted for a single station. As a result, broadcasters can offer multiple channels of related programming; a classical station, for instance, could dedicate channels to chamber music or opera. Ideally, this will lead to more listeners and advertisers. ... Link: CNET News.com.

Mark Ramsey disputes the notion of multicasting being the "killer app" in his weblog.  Link:  Radio Marketing Nexus.  --Dennis

Barton: 2009 Analog-Cutoff Date 'Frozen'

Broadcasting & Cable is reporting that House Commerce Committee chairman Barton says that the 12/31/2008 analog cut-off date is "pretty much frozen."  He's also saying he will support a means-tested subsidy for digital converter boxes to low-income analog viewers, but that's not in the current "discussion draft."  Link (requires paid subscription).  --Dennis

Here's the story in MediaWeek:  Dems, Republicans Spar Over Digital Subsidy.

Netflix CEO Dishes on Web TV

... As Netflix has grown its online DVD rental service to 4 million subscribers, giant competitors like Blockbuster and Wal-Mart have jumped into the market. The big players have validated the business model, and offered Netflix its chief competition, at least for now. ¶ But looking far, far into the future, the next generation of competitors will come from companies that are now investing in video-on-demand and IPTV services. The telcos, cable companies, and satellite companies are spending billions to deploy the networks to supply digital content straight into the home, and companies are already offering select services in several cities. ... Link:  Red Herring.

Lawmakers split on subsidy for digital TV converters

Lawmakers seemed split along party lines Thursday over whether the government should buy converter boxes for millions of Americans who still use antenna-based TVs, once the nation's shift to digital TV is finished. ...¶... Key Republicans say they're willing to set aside $500 million for a subsidy for households that have no cable or satellite service and that earn less than $30,000. "I myself could support a limited subsidy for low-income households," says [the] chairman of the House Commerce Committee.  ¶  Most Democrats say anyone who buys a box should get a subsidy. They would include even more affluent consumers, as well as lower-income, antenna-only homes where the box would be used for second sets and in pay-TV homes with extra sets that use antennas. ...  Link:  USA TODAY.

Speeding the DTV Transition: Facts & Policy Options

The New America Foundation is out with a policy brief with this title which continues the organization's campaign to set a hard date for the DTV transition no matter the level of adoption of over-the-air DTV receivers.  Link:  New America Foundation (pdf).  One of the authors of this brief, J. H. Snider, also posted a related paper to the NAF website:  Should DTV Must-Carry be Expanded, Sunset, or Preserved As-Is? (pdf).   --Dennis

Analog TV "hard date" bill

Mark Schubin's Monday Memo (see Mark Schubin Archives in the upper left of this weblog) this week contains a useful summary of current action in the U.S. House of Representatives relating to a bill establishing a "hard date" (12/31/2008) for the shut-down of analog television broadcasting:

    - The "hard-date" bill -

          - Many news organizations seems to have gotten a draft copy prepared by the House Commerce Committee staff.  I didn't.  But here's what they report is in it:

               - There will be a hearing on Thursday at 11:30 am in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building.

               - The analog cut-off date would be December 31, 2008.

               - There is no multicast or full-stream must-carry, but there is digital must-carry (without degradation) for must-carry stations.  Analog conversion and carriage would be optional.  One source reports a sunset of the must-carry in mid-2013.

               - There was no agreement on a subsidy, so it's not in the draft.

               - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would have to make final channel assignments by the end of 2006, and appeals would have to be finished seven months later.

               - The auction of the analog spectrum would take place April 1, 2008.

               - All sets 13-inch and larger would require DTT-reception circuitry as of July 1, 2006, a year early.

               - Within 45 days of the legislation becoming final, TVs would have to carry warning labels if they lack DTT-reception circuitry.  In the second half of 2008, broadcasters would also have to air announcements of impending doom for analog-set owners.  Cable & satellite operators would have to put stuff in their monthly bills.

          - Here are some URLs:

               - Broadcasting & Cable -- a paid subscription is required for the full story:

<http://tinyurl.com/bar9f>

<http://tinyurl.com/dqjm8>

               - Reuters:

<http://tinyurl.com/ck67b>

               - Multichannel News:

<http://tinyurl.com/cjfxa>

               - MediaWeek:

<http://tinyurl.com/9hxge>

               - Others:

<http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7872>

<http://www.eet.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=163700309>

<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7957542/>

<http://www.twice.com/article/CA603506?display=Breaking+News>

          - Thirteen legislators from states with significant translator use asked that there be a more gradual schedule for translators, according to Broadcasting & Cable.  The full story requires a paid subscription:

<http://tinyurl.com/dbf4t>

          - Here's a story on the stalled talks about a subsidy:

<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=776719&page=2>

          - In a bizarre move, Senate Commerce Committee head Ted Stevens wants to force manufacturers to provide set-top boxes with analog sets.  "I don't know why these foreign manufacturers shouldn't shift over to digital, and if they don't, they should give us a box":

<http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7883>

          - The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) released the copy of an ad regarding a hard analog cut-off.  "Don't give over 20 million American homes a snow job."  "Congress needs to make sure that the people across America who rely on the 73 million analog television sets not hooked up to cable or satellite aren't given a snow job by electronics manufacturers":

<http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=7869>

Also see the posting to this weblog based on two Reuters articles. --Dennis

Reflections on the Death of Old Media

Adam Thierer writes:  "There’s been a lot written in recent months about the 'death of old media' in general and the demise of newspapers in particular. Regardless of where you get your news, the headlines all scream that the days of old media are numbered. Here’s a small sample of some of my recent favorites:

>Newspapers Struggle to Avoid Their Own Obit (Christian Science Monitor, 4/25)
>Print Insists It’s Here to Stay (New York Times, 5/2)
>Unread and Unsubscribing (a George Will Washington Post column, 4/24)
>Newspaper Circulation Dives As Readers Get News From Web Sites Investors’ Business Daily, 5/16)
> Farewell to Newspapers: Will Increased News Options on the Web Lead to the Death of Newspapers? (Michael Malone on ABC News.com, 5/24)
> Hard News: Daily Papers Face Unprecedented Competition Including From Their Own Online Offspring (Washington Post, 2/20)

Again, that’s just a small sample. Every day there seems to be another person wanting to pen old media’s obituary. In fact, today’s Wall Street Journal featured an entire pull-out section entitled 'How Old Media Can Survive in a New World.' The story’s subtitle was the real kicker: 'The Digital Revolution Threatens to Push the Traditional Newspaper, Television, Music and Advertising Industries Into the Dustbin of History.' ..."   Link:  The Technology Liberation Front.

IPTV and Streaming: Distinguishing the Differences

Both streaming and IPTV have been around either as technologies or concepts for more than a decade, yet much of the enthusiasm generated by streaming in the late ’90s seems to have shifted to IPTV over the last couple of years, especially among premium content owners. IPTV and streaming are not two mutually exclusive technologies, and the distinctions between the two become less relevant as bandwidth continues to increase and compression codecs get more efficient. So where are the lines drawn between IPTV and streaming, and where will those lines move in the future? ...  Link: streamingmedia.com.

Is The Long Tail Full of Crap?

Chris Anderson writes:  "One of the most frequent mistakes people make about the Long Tail is to assume that things that don't sell well are "not as good" as things that do sell well. Or, to put it another way, they assume that the Long Tail is full of crap. After all, if that album/book/film/whatever were excellent, it would be a hit, right?  ¶  Well, in a word, no. Niches operate by different economics than the mainstream. And the reason for that helps explain why so much about Long Tail content is counterintuitive, especially when we're used to scarcity thinking. ..."  Link:  The Long Tail weblog.

Broadcast Machine

The Participatory Culture Foundation has released software it calls Broadcast Machine.  "Broadcast Machine is software for your website that can publish fullscreen video files to thousands, using torrent technology to reduce or eliminate bandwidth costs.  It is free, open source, and designed for easy installation.  Broadcast Machine features an intuitive interface, integrated torrent creation, and flexible channel management.  It creates a browsable archive of videos on your website, but its real purpose is to be the perfect publishing tool for our video player that comes out in June.  Broadcast Machine creates channels that, viewed in the player, give people a TV-like experience."  Link.