Technology360

Non-Comm Nets, Stations Link for Podcasting Push

Tony Sanders writes:  "Three public-radio networks and seven non-commercial stations have quietly debuted a major podcasting push for public radio via the National Public Radio Website www.npr.org. ...¶... NPR is serving as the engine for this podcasting effort, while Public Radio International and American Public Media are contributing content. Individual non-commercial stations are also contributing content.  ¶  The seven non-commercial stations involved with the Web site launch are: KQED San Francisco, Calif., KUT Austin, Tex., KWSU Pullman, Wash. (listed as Northwest Public Radio), WGBH Boston, WNYC New York, WUOM Ann Arbor, Mich. (listed as Great Lakes Radio Consortium), and WXPN Philadelphia. ..."  Link:  Billboard Radio Monitor (9/1/05).  How did I miss this (I'm, among other things, GM of the aforementioned Northwest Public Radio)?  --Dennis

Skype signals online video plan

Rhys Blakely writes:  "Skype, the internet telecoms company owned by eBay, today moved closer to becoming a major platform for digital content and hinted it could soon offer online video services. ...¶... Skype's foray into content distribution starts today with the launch of Personalise Skype, a feature that means that callers can receive and send pictures, sounds and ringtones over the Skype network. ...¶... However, Skype also appears to be be moving towards becoming a platform for online video content in a move that could eventually see it square up against conventional television companies.  ¶  Mr [Saul] Klein [, Skype's VP of marketing] said that video services had been discussed within Skype and suggested the company would unveil further new services in the next few months. ..."  Link:  timesonline.co.uk.  Thanks to Monty Solomon.  --Dennis

Also see Skype VP unfolds post-eBay roadmap (interview with Kline, above).  Link:  ZDNet.

Low-Power FM Radio May Benefit From Hurricane

Drew Clark writes:  "The FCC is considering a proposal that could put more low-power radio stations on the air -- in a move that comes five years after an attempt to do just that was dramatically curtailed by Congress.  ¶  But the politics of low-power FM may have shifted considerably in the interim, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Although the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio scored a victory in crippling the LPFM push in 2000, low-power radio activists said new legislation in Congress, plus the urge for "localism" in broadcasting, puts the momentum on their side.  ¶  Further, a high-profile experimental license that the FCC recently granted to community activists could spotlight low-power radio's ability to reach segments of the population lacking other media options. Some community activists started a radio station in the parking lot of Houston's Astrodome for Katrina evacuees. ...¶... Opposition by NAB and NPR, which generally transmit at more than 1 megawatt -- or 1,000 watts -- and fear interference from low-power stations, led to language in a 2000 appropriations bill requiring the FCC to use a stricter standard when licensing LPFM. ..."  Link:  National Journal.

Why Aren’t You Podcasting? - Business: Because You’re Smarter Than That.

I've posted a lot of stories about podcasting, mostly positive, and I think they're the harbinger of something important for broadcasters, if not necessarily in their current form.  But I also think it's good to post contrarian views on occasion and here's one on podcasting from Michael Silbergleid, editor and assoc. publisher of Television Broadcast magazine.  --Dennis.   "What’s the latest and the greatest technology? Podcasting. Unfortunately, it really shouldn’t be the latest and the greatest for the television broadcasting community.  Broadcast station and regional cable news podcasts are starting to pop up. What I want to know is why? ...¶... Now let’s look at the podcast business model from the perspective of a TV or cable station.   Sure, podcasting is technically easy (heck, we even do it—our Two-Minute Drill is available as both an mp3 download and podcast).  Podcasting is cool, hip, savvy. But where’s the money?  ¶  If you’re looking at podcasting as anything more than a promotional tool for your newscast or public affairs programs, keep looking. There’s no business here. Podcasting is just a trend... the technology flavor of the month. ..."  Link:  Television Broadcast.

HDTV Spectrum Monetization 2005

Kagan Research has a new report titled, HDTV Spectrum Monetization 2005: The Economics of Datacasting and Multicasting.  The report "evaluates these and other usage options. How will broadcasters make money? How much? It also provides a forward-looking assessment cognizant of current regulatory limitations. Implementation of the economic models proposed in this book should be reviewed in light of operational, financing and technological considerations, legal issues and competitive market developments on each of these fronts:

Datacasting — TV stations choosing to broadcast in HD only part-time or only during prime time would have the full 19.4 Mbps in other dayparts to use for datacasting and other applications. Over the long term, datacasting is likely to become more commonplace. There are literally hundreds of applications and thousands of customers who would be interested in the benefits of datacasting services.

Multicasting — The broadcast industry has been aggressively pursuing regulators to approve must-carry for digital multicast feeds, but has been rebuffed to date. The FCC on Feb. 10, 2005, voted 5-0 and 4-1 to affirm its prior “tentative” decisions not to impose dual analog-digital carriage on cable operators and not to require carriage of more than a single digital programming stream from any one broadcaster. But the battle isn’t over. Broadcasters will now take their case to Congress and the courts.

Multichannel Services — Leasing a portion of unused spectrum to a burgeoning multichannel operator, like USDTV, may develop into an option, but the jury is out for broadcasters over whether such a service has any potential. Can it get the financing? Will broadcasters commit to giving up a slice of bandwidth when capacity is becoming more and more of a precious commodity?"

World’s First International Real-time Streaming of 4K Digital Cinema over Gigabit IP Optical Fiber Networks

"In a demonstration that could foretell the future of videoconferencing, scientific visualization and digital cinema deployment, scientists from around the world meeting at iGrid 2005 in San Diego were treated to the world’s first real-time, international transmission of super high-definition (SHD) 4K digital video. 4K images have roughly 4,000 horizontal pixels – offering approximately four times the resolution of the most widely-used HD television format, and 24 times that of a standard broadcast TV signal. ¶  The 4K transmission linked the University of California, San Diego and Keio University in Tokyo via 15,000 kilometers (roughly 9,000 miles) of gigabit Internet Protocol (IP) optical-fiber networks, and allowed organizers to show attendees the most varied 4K content ever presented at a single event anywhere in the world to date. ..." Link:  University of California, San Diego.

Content on Demand

While searching Red Herring's site for something, I stumbled on an article from April 2005 that I'd missed the first time which provides a good overview of the current state of on-demand music and video.  It has two tables comparing the characteristics of some of the major players in the on-demand music and video space.  Link:  Red Herring.  --Dennis

"As broadband penetration deepens, the convergence of transfer speed, file quality, content range, and portability will make on-demand services an easy sell for consumers. Add in assurances of security and control, and it should get easier to pry the goods from labels and studios. But in the meantime, the on-demand industry will suffer through its awkward adolescence of tiny margins, content negotiations, and black-market competitors."

BitTorrent's Grab at Respectability

Heather Green writes:  "BitTorrent, the maker of popular file-sharing software used to distribute movies, music, and games both legally and illegally, is going commercial. The company has raised $8.75 million in venture capital from Menlo Park (Calif.)-based Doll Capital Management and plans to create a marketplace for dispensing digital goods. ...¶... BitTorrent says it plans to adapt. It's adding RSS and podcasting to its marketplace. And it's wooing content holders with the efficiencies of using its distribution software to combat piracy. "We want to provide content services that will be the next generation of content distribution," says David Chao, Doll Capital's co-founder and managing general partner. And with file sharing continuing to soar, Hollywood might not be able to ignore BitTorrent's bid to go commercial."  Link:  BusinessWeek.

Also see BitTorrent Gets $8.75M (link:  Red Herring) and BitTorrent Gets Venture Capital Boost (link:  eWeek).

MobiTV Unveils MobiTV2 and MobiRadio

"MobiTV introduced MobiTV2, a breakthrough, integrated way to access and enjoy live television, video on-demand, made-for-mobile content and radio on mobile handsets. MobiTV2 features the next generation of its Emmy(R) award winning live TV service and MobiRadio, a new radio service with more than 50 channels of commercial free digital music.  The new platform was designed to take full advantage of the latest mobile phones and high-speed wireless networks, offering carriers a unified interface for the seamless delivery of all types of digital content.  MobiTV2 features a new intuitive programming guide combined with dramatically improved audio and video quality. ..."  Link:  tv over.net

Cable's Digital Drive Irks Basic Customers

Deborah Yao writes:  "Across the country, cable operators have been moving popular channels from analog to digital service, which offers customers better picture and sound but also can handle much larger volume, allowing cable operators to use their networks for more lucrative options such as video on demand and Internet and telephone services.  ¶  Cable operators such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Cablevision are tight-lipped about the changes, which affect many of the nation's cable subscribers. ...¶ 'They're trying to reclaim some of the capacity, mostly for HD' or high-definition TV, said Bruce Leichtman, president of the Leichtman Research Group, a research and consulting firm in Durham, N.H. ..."  Link:  Washington Post.