Business News Holding

Category: hdtv

  • Game Consoles Main Driver in Online Video Growth


    Networked video game consoles are the most used devices for bringing web video to the TV in the US – and look set to remain so until 2013, according to an In-Stat report.

    It found that 29 per cent of US 25 to 34 year olds with game consoles already use the devices to watch streaming video off the Internet.

    That’s going to keep growing and by 2013, over 10.7 million consoles will be used as Web-to-TV mediation devices in the US.

    The range of connected consumer electronics devices delivering web video into the living room is also growing.

    Device types include digital media adapters (DMAs), pay TV set top boxes, Blu-ray player/recorders, HDTVs and media-center PCs.

    Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst, said that while still at the early adoption stages, the impact of bringing web video to the TV will bring both opportunity and threats to a range of companies in the electronics and TV markets.

    He said that by 2013, the revenue from Web-to-TV streaming services will grow to US $2.9 billion.

    "Currently Web video is largely additive to traditional TV revenue streams," he said.

    "However, ultimately web video to the TV will force a complete restructuring of today’s video distribution ecosystem."

    Other findings of the In-Stat research include:

    • Two separate in-home content delivery networks (CDNs) are evolving in the digital home—one for broadcast media services (e.g., cable TV), the other for Internet-based broadband services
    • Within five years, the number of US broadband households viewing Web-to-TV content will grow to 24 million
    • Video content will be optimized for broadcast or Web-to-TV based on content type

  • LG Delivers First HDTVs To Instantly Stream Netflix


    LG is introducing the first HDTVs capable of streaming Netflix movies without the need for an external device such as game console or set-top box.

    The online movie rental service will be available in North America on LG’s new 47-inch LCD HDTV LH50 and 50-inch plasma HDTV PS80.

    The Full HD 1080p HDTVs have Netflix instant streaming software embedded directly in the sets.

    While movie choices are automatically displayed on the TV screen and can be viewed instantly through the HDTV, Netflix members have to first add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues, via the Netflix Web site.

    Earlier collaboration between LG and Netflix resulted in the first Network Blu-ray Disc Player to offer consumers the ability to instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix.

    Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing and strategy at LG USA said there were 2.5 million North American households looking to purchase a networked TV.

    He said incorporating broadband connectivity into its new HDTVs became a natural progression of the partnership with Netflix.

    "Both LG and Netflix are committed to offering consumers easy access to entertainment on demand and LG’s newest HDTVs make it easier than ever to access thousands of movies and TV shows instantly," he said.

  • Movavi Expands Free Online Media Conversion Service


    Movavi has announced an expansion of its popular online video conversion service.

    The upgraded Online.movavi.com service now enables users to fine tune a number of conversion parameters – codecs, resolution, video and audio quality, bitrate, and other key elements demanded by more sophisticated users.

    The multimedia processing tool developer said all new functionality is accessible through a new Customization link, which opens a separate window, enabling users to make the necessary changes without leaving the main site.

    Natalia Khudyakova, Moscow-based Movavi’s CEO, said the functionality extension is a part of our strategy for the development of Online.movavi.com.

    She said the goal is to create the most fully-functional and easy-to-use free online video conversion service.

    "In line with this goal, we have removed the requirement for users to register with an email address before starting the conversion, and have also added support for HD video," she said.

    Additional enhancements to Online.movavi.com planned for the near future include image manipulation and online storage for users’ media files.

  • ADVERTORIAL: IPTV World Forum North America – The Key Event For The IPTV Industry


    Both AT&T – now with over a million subscribers – and Verizon have made huge in-roads into the market with their IP based services.

    Largely as a result of these two companies’ successes, North America is expected to account for a large proportion of the world’s new IPTV subscriptions during the next few years.

    They join the significant number of regional and local telecoms operators in North America who pioneered this new digital TV platform – but the big question is whether any company bringing Pay TV to market this late – even those with the resources of AT&T – can gain significant market share on a national basis?

    The question also remains how regional telcos can build a compelling TV offering at a realistic level of investment.

    These are two of the many themes that will be addressed at the IPTV World Forum North America conference and exhibition being held 21-22 July 2009 at the Millennium Broadway Hotel, New York.

    The two-day event will draw together leading IPTV service providers, content providers, analysts and key technology vendors for what is expected to become one of the key events in the North American IPTV calendar.

    The programme will focus on all the key topical issues on IP&TV in North America, including:

    • monetising OTT in the TV experience
    • how to roll out whole home DVR
    • assessing the impact of the Broadband stimulus package on the US video market
    • hybrid solutions for the delivery of TV and IP and EPG2.0
    • content discovery and search

    A highly interactive, intensive, high level networking conference, it features quality case-study led presentations from carriers, service providers & content owners, interactive full value chain panel discussion and analyst roundtable briefings.

    A key feature will be the opportunities for delegates and all participants to discuss presentations and pose questions to the speakers after the sessions.

    Among the industry leaders participating are:

    • Terry Denson, VP of content Strategy and Acquisition, Verizon
    • Jeff Weber, Vice President of Video Product and Strategy, AT&T
    • Daniel O’Callaghan, Chairman IPTV Interoperability Forum (ATIS) and Principal Member of Technical Staff, Verizon
    • Franz Kurath, Executive Director, Broadband Content, AT&T Operations Inc.

    There will also be leading representatives from Surewest Communications, Cox Communications, Qwest Communications, OPATSCO and many more.

    The event also features an exhibition, where vendors, manufacturers and service providers can showcase their latest products and do business with a pre-qualified audience.

    During the conference sessions, a wide range of themes will be covered, such as considering how the influence of IP is being felt most keenly outside the managed telco services space.

    In particular, the rise of Over the Top TV services, delivered over the open internet, provides a potentially massive disruption to the traditional TV service model.

    Whilst these services clearly popular with the public, the search for successful business models – which enhance rather than undermine existing offers – remains a challenge that the industry must embrace.

    Then there’s the comparision between markets on either side of the Atlantic, with North American IPTV service providers facing a tougher test than their European counterparts.

    The latter have benefited from a natural watershed in the Pay TV marketplace thanks to the introduction of DVR (Digital Video Recorder), true VOD and Replay TV, and HDTV.

    In the US, VOD is an established cable offering and HDTV is available widely on cable and satellite.

    Cable operators have also pursued an increasingly aggressive triple-play strategy (they now have 24 million broadband Internet customers and 5 million telephone customers) and this makes it even harder to tempt customers from their legacy suppliers.

    Yet cable operators can also reap huge benefits from the implementation of IP, and potentially can enhance their services to combine IP efficiency & interactivity with existing bandwidth to deliver a highly compelling consumer solution.

    Also being covered is the new boom area in the global IPTV market, hybrid IPTV solutions – which combine managed IPTV with other delivery mechanisms such as DTH or Satellite.

    Already there have been landmark deployments from early IPTV adopters such as Orange/France Telecom, Portugal Telecom & BT Vision.

    Whilst SES Americom’s strategic withdrawal has marked an early failure in the US market, partnership models will increasingly be a feature of new TV service in North America, particularly in more circumspect times.

    This conference will provide participants with the opportunity to hear, learn from, and network with the leaders in the IP&TV American industry.

    IP&TV Forum North America is the second annual event and part of the IPTV World Series of events organised by Informa Telecoms & Media globally.
    For more information, please click HERE.

  • XStreamHD Strengthens Pre-Launch Executive Team


    XStreamHD has boosted its executive team ahead of a national launch with the appointment of Jude Panetta as vice president of operations and Jack Wrigley as vice president of business development.

    The direct-to-home Full HD transport network company is to launch later this year, offering 1080p images and 7.1 surround sound through a USD $400 box.

    George Gonzalez, XStreamHD founder and CEO, said the new appointments will play important roles in its launch.

    He said their past experiences in the satellite communications and the HD music industries would be invaluable.

    "Jude will lead our efforts to commercialize products that consistently exceed customer expectation," he said. "Jack will be instrumental in building strategic business alliances for XStreamHD."

    George Gonzalez, XStreamHD founder and CEO

    Prior to joining XStreamHD, Panetta held senior executive roles at business units with communications systems manufacturer Andrew Corporation.

    Before joining XStreamHD, Wrigley served as VP of sales at HDGiants.

    MusicGiants, a unit of HDGiants, was the first digital download service to offer high definition music direct-to-consumers from all of the major music labels including Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, EMI, Concord Music Group and Naxos.

    Wrigley drove substantial sales volume increases, while successfully introducing new product offerings.

  • Vizio Launches New HDTV Lineup, Starts With $250 Model


    Value HDTV brand Vizio has introduced 31 new models, including its first HDTV with 240-Hz technology and an LED backlight.

    The company also announced that it has filed a patent-infringement suit against LG Electronics, and that a similar case against Funai is continuing.

    Often bracketed as a second-tier brand compared to rivals such as Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba, Vizio has gained a reputation for its good-value sets, which often contain features on a par with more expensive models.

    The company continues in this vein with its new HDTV lineup, which splits into three lines – the XVT, M and E series – with prices beginning at USD $250 and climbing to USD $2,200.

    All the new models boast Energy Star 3.0 certification.

    The new range’s value line – the "E" series – offers TruSurround and some models come with EcoHD technology for reducing power levels below Energy Star 3.0 requirements.

    The "M" series – with the VL and the VT sub-categories – has a USB multimedia feature that can play back content stored on a thumb drive or USB drive.

    HDTVs also have a Pause Live TV feature, for caching segments of live TV broadcast. Each model has multiple HDMI inputs and some include a side HDMI port as well. The contrast ratio is 50,000:1.

    At the high end of the line are Vizio’s premier XVT sets. The flagship VF551XVT is the only one of Vizio’s HDTVs to include both an LED backlight as well as 240-Hz technology.

    All the XVT models include dedicated USB inputs, a 2,0000:1 contrast ratio, SRS TruSurround audio and TruVolume.

  • Panasonic Introduces HD Camcorders Weighing 0.5lbs, World's Lightest


    Panasonic has announced the release of two of what it describes as the lightest HD camcorders ever made.

    Each model weighs just 0.5lbs (0.2KG) but boasts high-powered 16x optical zoom capabilities and can shoot 1920 x 1080 Full-HD videos.

    The HDC-SD10 uses an SDHC/SD Memory Card as recording media while the Twin Memory Type HDC-TM10 records onto both an 8 GB Built-in Memory and an SDHC/SD Memory Card.

    The 16x optical zoom of the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 is supported by the Advanced O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) function for clear zooming – it minimizes the hand-shake that often impairs video quality.

    Panasonic says its Advanced O.I.S. detects and corrects for hand-shake around 4,000 times per second and works with the optical zoom to produce clear, stable zoom shots.

    The new Active mode also extends the hand-shake correction range to allow the shooting of images while walking or moving.

    Chuck Kirkman, senior product manager, Imaging, Panasonic, said: "We recognize that users are looking for camcorders that capture high-quality, High Definition video, but they also want something lightweight that has advanced, yet easy-to-use functions."

    The suggested retail prices of the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 are USD $549.95 and $599.95 respectively.Both will be available in September 2009.

  • US Transition to Digital TV Alters Viewing Behavior


    This Friday sees US television going 100 per cent digital, a move that has impacted on over a quarter of households which have had to invest in new TV sets and/or services to prepare for the June 12th changeover.

    However, researchers say that the switch to digital has changed traditional viewing habits.

    David Tice, vice president of Knowledge Networks, said its report, How People Use HDTV 2009, will show that one-third of those with high-definition TV reception always check their HD channels first when channel surfing or checking for a program.

    He said the digital transition is bringing more channels – sometimes dozens more – into nearly one-quarter of US TV households.

    This is vastly expanding the numbers of programs and advertisements they can be exposed to.

    "And our research has shown that having high-definition TV (HDTV) reception changes viewing behavior, prompting many people to check HD channels first when they sit down to watch TV," he said.

    "The result is that the digital transition as a whole seems destined to alter long-standing TV behaviors in many US homes."

    The report will also indicate that those with HDTV reception are more selective about what they watch and more likely to plan viewing in advance. KN will be releasing the new HDTV report in July.

    A separate report from Knowledge Networks has found that 26 per cent of US homes invested in new TV sets and/or services in the past year to prepare for the June 12th changeover.

    The data, collected from February to April this year, shows that among TV households:

    • 18 per cent said they had bought a digital converter to adapt a standard definition set to receive digital signals
    • 8 per cent bought a digital or HDTV set specifically in preparation for the transition
    • 5 per cent started a new subscription to a pay television service such as cable or satellite TV, also specifically in anticipation of the switch to digital

    (There is some overlap among the above groups; the net value is 26 per cent)

    Awareness of the transition has increased to 91 per cent of all TV homes, up from 85 per cent in 2008 and 45 per cent in 2007. All subgroups – whether by householder age, race, ethnicity, or reception type – report awareness over 90 per cent.

    Among the 18 per cent of TV homes that bought a digital converter, most (80 per cent) utilized the government coupon program. In homes that still have only broadcast reception, three times as many (53 per cent) report they bought a digital converter in the past year, and 93 per cent of those used the coupon program.

    The number of sets per home relying on regular broadcast reception averaged 0.48 in the new survey; this is almost two-thirds less compared with KN’s spring 2006 survey, when the average was 1.32.

    The report said that between their awareness of the transition and evidence of adaptation to this new broadcast standard, it is clear Americans have received the message about the transition loud and clear.

  • Microsoft Unveils Motion Control Technology – Project Natal


    Microsoft has just unveiled what it describes as a revolutionary new way to play Xbox 360 video games on HDTVs without the need for a controller.

    Called Project Natal, the sensor, which combines an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor in one device, could have uses far beyond just gaming.

    One analyst, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan, said he thought Project Natal is intended less as a game control scheme than it is as an easy-to-use dashboard control scheme.

    He also sees it as a means for Microsoft to dampen the launch of an expected high definition upgrade to Nintendo’s Wii console.

    Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, Project Natal tracks a user’s full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions and even a shift of emotion in the voice.

    The idea that the device could have an impact far beyond gaming was echoed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

    Introducing the device at the recent the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), he said it was a "pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games".

    Microsoft says that what sets the Project Natal sensor apart is the fact it’s not light-dependent. It can recognize users just by looking at their face, and it doesn’t just react to key words but understands what is being said.

    So, for example, if a user calls a play in a football game, players will actually respond.

    Spielberg said the next step in interactive entertainment is to make the controller disappear.

    "With Project Natal, we’ll see games that bring everyone together through technology that actually recognizes us," he said.

    During its briefing, signalled its strategy of turning the Xbox 360 into an internet and media hub for the living room by opening the Xbox Live dashboard up to the internet.

    It announced new Xbox LIVE services, including instant on 1080p HD streaming movies and television to Facebook and Last.fm tailor-made for a user’s TV.

    Starting this fall, a selection of movies and TV shows from Zune video on Xbox 360 will be available to start and stream instantly.

    Microsoft also announced it will more than double the number of markets where Xbox LIVE offers its TV shows and movies, growing from eight to 18, by adding Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

    Xbox LIVE members in these markets will have access to instant on 1080p video.

    New Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace advancements also came for the US,UK and Ireland.

    Microsoft also announced a new lineup of Xbox 360 games, including Forza Motorsport 3, Alan Wake, Halo 3: ODST and The Beatles: Rock Band.

    Below is a promotional video for Project Natal:

  • Growth in HDTVs Driving Demand for HD STBs


    Shipments of set-top boxes are expected to peak this year, at least in mature markets, and then commence a gradual decline.

    However the rolling series of analog TV shutoffs in countries around the world, combined with the strong uptake of HDTV sets, mean that HD STBs will form a growing fraction of the total market, according to ABI Research.

    HD STBs are expected to account for about 30 per cent of all STB shipments as soon as 2010.

    Michael Inouye, ABI Research industry analyst, said this will be accompanied by a progressive movement from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 for content delivery.

    He said a growing affinity for HD boxes over SD is closely related to MPEG-4.

    "As more HDTVs find their way into homes, the demand for HD content grows in kind," he said.

    "Anticipating this demand, some countries and operators have elected to support the more efficient standard up front or to begin deployments of upgraded CPE."

    Inouye said the price points of boxes are converging.

    So much so that he said MPEG-4 and in some cases HD are getting sufficiently inexpensive that some operators will be providing them to their customers by default.

    While some STB vendors feel that demand for standard models will be around for a long time, reports from infrastructure vendors suggest a push towards MPEG-4 encoders, according to Inouye.

    So he said vendors will have to support MPEG-4.

    In markets primarily served by digital terrestrial broadcasts where most sales of STBs are retail, especially those with a large MPEG-2 installed base, this means that vendors will have to encourage consumers to switch by reducing the prices of upgraded boxes.