Technology360

Better Than High Definition

Kate Greene writes:

High-definition displays are increasingly popular. More and more people are experiencing high-definition movies and television in breathtaking color and detail. But another technology, called high-dynamic range (HDR), is on the heels of high definition, and some experts think that it could be a quick successor. Whereas high-definition displays pump out more pixels, HDR displays provide more contrast. In other words, on an HDR display, the brightest whites are hundreds of thousands of times brighter than the darkest blacks; the contrast is key to making images on such a display appear more realistic. "A regular image just looks like a depiction of a scene," says Roland Fleming, a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, in Tübingin, Germany. "But high-dynamic range looks like looking through a window." ...

Link:  MIT Technology Review.

Hype cycle for consumer technologies

Gartner has published its 2007 hype cycle chart for a large number of consumer technologies.   Click on image for larger version.  Note the relative positions of digital terrestrial radio (HD Radio) on the far left and digital terrestrial television (DTV) on the far right.  Via Bobbie Johnson at The Guardian Technology blog.  --Dennis

TV train wreck ahead [Gee, do you think?]

Jim Puzzanghera writes:

Millions of TV sets that rely on antennas may go dark in a little more than 18 months, and the government needs to do much more to help people who own them see the light, senators said Thursday.  ¶  "I think there's high potential for a train wreck here," Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) told Federal Communications Commission and Commerce Department officials during a hearing on the transition to digital-only signals. ...

... Democrats appear poised to push for more money and public service announcements to prepare TV owners. U.S. officials have budgeted $5 million to tell people about the switch and coupons that will cover most of the cost of a no-frills converter box. The coupons will be available Jan. 1 on a first-come, first-served basis. ...

Link: Los  Angeles Times.  Thanks to Katy June-Friesen at Current. 

See also Steven Sande's Let's avoid that digital TV 'train wreck':

The shutdown of analog television broadcasts in 2009 offers “high potential for a train wreck,” according to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Is the digital TV transition a disaster in the making?  ¶   It’s still too early to tell. Alarm bells were rung at today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, where an AARP official raised the prospect of senior citizens losing their television service and taking it out on Congress. That’s exactly what would happen, too, if we switched over tomorrow. Surveys continue to show low levels of awareness about what will happen on February 17, 2009, when over-the-air broadcasters will complete the change to digital TV. Personally, I’m not despairing—not yet. ...

Link:  Digital TV Facts.  --Dennis

No Moto in DTV converter box market

Steven Sande writes:

As momentum builds for the digital TV transition, Motorola has been notably absent from the DTV converter box party. ...

Link:  Digital TV Facts.  --Dennis

iSuppli survey: consumers want an Internet-connected TV

Steve O'Hear writes:

According to a survey carried out by iSuppli, nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers want their televisions to link to the Internet. This, it’s suggested, could path the way for an explosion in sales of network-enabled consumer electronics devices in the next few years. ...

Link:  last100.  --Dennis

Microsoft's Internet TV strategy

Mack D. Male  has a two part article exploring Microsoft's Internet TV strategy.  Link to part 1:  last100.  Link to part 2: last100.  --Dennis

New Media News Digest, 6/19-7/12/2007

Here is Sondra Russell's latest New Media News Digest.  She works for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and writes the following News Digest on an almost weekly basis.  Used here with permission.  Her email address is srussell [at] cpb [dot] org.  --Dennis

SONDRA’S SUMMARY

> The top story this time is that the MacArthur foundation is exploring virtual worlds.  Why is this story top news for public broadcasters?  Because the MacArthur foundation is a major supporter of public broadcasting, and the foundation’s interest in Second Life might inspire a forward-thinking station to try something in the virtual world space as well.

> The key theme this time is that internet radio is really getting the squeeze.  The U.S. Court of Appeals has declined to delay the increase in royalties that will likely kill off many small streaming radio sites – the ruling is due to kick in on Sunday.  SoundExchange offered a cap on some annual payments for large webcasters, but only through 2008.  In related news, Lala.com has stopped its Beta version of a free music streaming service, despite a promise to pay royalties to participating record companies.

> The think piece this time is that it’s time for some “summer reading”

.  As things slow down at the office this month and next, I invite you to spend a little time exploring sites that are getting lots of media attention but that aren’t necessarily on your list of frequently visited.  Two good sources: the 50 best web sites according to Time Magazine, and the Compete Attention 200.  The former is an annual collection of outstanding sites in five different categories, ranging from Arts & Leisure to Web Services.  The latter is a list of the top 200 sites that U. S. users are paying the most attention to this month.  In the “no surprises here” category, they both feature a lot of social networking sites.

New Media News Digest, June 19th – July 12th, 2007

INTERNET

Foundation With Real Money Ventures Into Virtual World
From the NYT: "For the first time, one of the nation’s largest foundations [The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation] is venturing into virtual worlds to play host to activities and discussions and explore the role that philanthropy might play.”

The Compete Attention 200 for June 2007: Where DO we spend our time online?
From Compete, a ranking of the sites getting the largest share of attention among US Internet users: "The web continues to socialize: media and networking sites gain attention across the board."

50 Best Web Sites According to Time Magazine

This special feature categorizes interesting sites into “Arts & Leisure”, “Audio & Video”, “News & Information”, “Social Networks”, and “Web Services”. 

TELEVISION

The Next Net: NBBC Becomes National Bye-Bye Company
From Business 2.0: "The short-lived National Broadband Company (NBBC), NBC-Universal's attempt to create a TV syndication network for the Web is now being sucked into the NBC-Fox joint venture to create a YouTube competitor.  Thus NBBC joins the deadpool

Sony Airs Paired-down Versions of Classic Shows
from ClickZNews: "Sony Pictures Television is airing paired-down versions of its classic shows on MySpace. The name reflects the three- to five-minute length of each Web episode, which is edited down from half-hour and one-hour shows."

TiVo, Amazon to sell movies straight to TV sets
From Reuters: "TiVo Inc. on Tuesday said many of its customers can now order pay-per-view movies and television shows from Amazon.com's download service directly from their TV, without a personal computer."

RADIO

Judges clear way for higher Internet radio royalties
From the LA Times: "A federal appeals court panel has declined to delay a substantial increase in royalties that Internet radio stations owe for playing music, clearing the way for the hike to begin on Sunday."

SoundExchange offers compromise to large webcasters
SoundExchange, the group set up to collect royalties for performers and record companies, said it has reached out to the Digital Media Association (DiMA) and proposed a voluntary cap on the minimum fees for music played over the Web.

Lala's Free Streaming Goes Dark
At first, the new service was slow but workable, and I gave Wilco's new Sky Blue Sky a spin. Very slick. Then came the day the music died. Users notices the disappearance first."

Bob Cringely: When is a TV not a TV? -- also, Neokast

Says Cringely:

When it is an Apple TV - the High Definition DVD-killer ...

... Apple TV will be the spoiler of many a Blu-ray or HD DVD sale because Apple TV is cheaper and easier, has no expensive consumable media, and HD movies will probably cost a little less to buy through iTunes than at Target. ...

But most of this column is about Neokast, a very interesting video distribution technology based on multicasting with which he suggests Apple hook up.  Unlike broadcasting, where multicasting means sending multiple program channels over one broadcast RF channel, the term multicasting here is used in the Internet sense, where it refers to a technology that enable multiple users to access a program without the origination point having to simultaneous send out multiple copies of that program -- one to each user.

Link: PBS.org.  See also Bob's NeoKast QuicKast entered beta this morning.  Link:  Technology Evangelist.  And Paul Kapustka's Neokast, Emerging from the shell.  Link: NewTeeVee.  --Dennis

ATSC-enabled TV sets getting cheaper

I've been hearing reports of under-$200 television sets with built-in ATSC DTV tuners all spring and summer.  Circuit City now has one for under $90, a 13" Prima model.  Thanks to Ralph Hogan for the link.  --Dennis

TV advertising will grow, but who will eat the cake?

Senaka Balasuriya writes:

According to the USA Today, a recent report published by PWC is forecasting that traditional TV advertising sales will grow 4.5% a year to $46.3 billion in 2011. When you consider product placement revenue and fees that cable, satellite and phone services pay to carry a channel, network TV revenues could grow of 6.5% a year to $85.4 billion in 2011. ...

... So what’s going increase TV viewing? The Internet is becoming a bigger source of videos, but the following will increase TV viewership and even shift Internet Video viewing from the Computer to the TV screen.

1. HDTV – With the high resolution and quality of HDTV, users will not just watch more TV, but also will shift to using the HDTV for watching Internet Video as well. PWC predicts that nearly 59% of homes will have HDTVs in 2011, up from 12.7% at the end of 2006. HDTV uptake will be propped up by falling prices and the FCC mandate to transmit all TV programs in high-def by 2009.
2. DVR - DVR growth is expected to rise to 39% in 2011, up from 11.8% in 2006. With Slingbox and other DVRs, people have already started to record and watch TV, albeit with time-shifting or place-shifting (e.g. watch on mobile).
3. Integration of Internet and TV and the Separation of the Set top Box – With Joost and Apple TV coming to a TV near you, the Internet Videos will be conveniently available on the TV. ...

Link:  Technology Untangled.