Business News Holding

Category: hdtv

  • 3D Heading For Home Screens – Likely To Be Games First


    More than 10 per cent of TVs sold worldwide could have 3D capability by 2011, rising to 16 per cent or 2.8bn sets by 2015.

    That’s the prediction of research by Screen Digest, which suggests that technological advances mean today’s 3D cinema viewing experience will soon be possible at home.

    The researchers’ forecasts are, however, dependent on a unifying standard emerging that works across all technologies.

    If that fails to materialise, Display Search downgrades its estimates to 3D-capable sets accounting for just three per cent of sales by 2015 – or 500m units.

    At present the most reliable technology will require consumers to invest in a new TV and wear special 3D glasses.

    But Screen Digest believes that autostereoscopic technology will eventually become most popular as it has one major advantage: no glasses.

    Stressing that the 3D market is in its infancy and that mass uptake is a long way off, the report says that 3D requires twice the broadcast bandwidth of today’s two-dimensional viewing experience.

    For this reason, Screen Digest expects Blu-ray Disc to provide the main method of distribution, as its hi-def content capacity bypasses the bandwidth issue altogether.

    Since Screen 3D films attract a premium of up to 50 per cent on cinema tickets, the researchers note that Hollywood Studios have a vested interest in getting 3D entertainment into homes.

    Marie Bloomfield, analyst at Screen Digest, said since no-one wants a costly replay of the hi-def disc format war, industry associations are already working together to establish a viable roadmap to make that happen.

    She said that due to higher bandwidth and incremental production costs, when it does come to the small screen, 3D TV programming will be the reserve of paying customers only.

    "What 3D offers the Studios and pay TV operators is an opportunity to charge a premium for content – perhaps even more so than high definition," she said.

    "But as it is emerging in the middle of a recession, the home 3D market is in a Catch 22 situation.

    "Consumers will not be persuaded to invest in new equipment to experience 3D until there is enough content; and content production will not ramp up until there is a significant audience.

    "3D in the home will therefore be a slow burn, remaining a niche business for the foreseeable future."

    3D movie production has increased rapidly.

    In 2008, there were seven films; in 2009 there will be 17 and a further 28 are due to be released in 2010.

    Compared with live action, animated films are much easier to adapt to 3D and Disney and DreamWorks Animation have been quick to grasp the opportunity.

    Together they account for more than half of the 3D film release slate.

    It is more challenging to produce 3D TV programming on broadcasting budgets, yet nonetheless several broadcasters have launched trials around sporting events.

    In conclusion, Screen Digest predicts that it may be 3D games and not movies or TV that arrives in the home first.

    Gaming is an early adopter market, consoles and software could be upgraded relatively painlessly and gamers are more willing to adopt peripherals such as glasses, all of which make it an ideal home entry point for 3D technology.

  • Visualon Integrates On2 VP6 Video Into Mobile Apps


    On2 Technologies has licensed its On2 VP6 video format and software to VisualOn Inc.

    VisualOn is to integrate VP6 decoding software into its multimedia application suite for mobile platforms.

    These software applications allow consumers to play rich multimedia content on mobile devices without expensive dedicated hardware.

    The power-efficient software codecs and multimedia applications offer everything needed to enable video, audio, and still image applications on a range of devices.

    Last month, On2 Technologies announced a 1080p video encoder aimed at improving image quality and compression performance in battery operated devices and consumer electronics.

    The new hardware design, the Hantro 8270, supports H.264 Baseline, Main and High Profile video along with 16Mpixel JPEG still images.

    Yang Cai, CEO of VisualOn, said the widespread presence of On2 VP6 content on the web makes it an essential format for VisualOn’s product portfolio.

    "Adding VP6 to our application suite will enable mobile users to watch high-quality VP6 without requiring a bleeding-edge processor or a pocketful of batteries," he said.

    "Our customers as well as consumers ultimately benefit from the high quality, lower power, and reduced cost achieved through VisualOn’s partnership with On2."

    On2 VP6, through its inclusion in the Adobe Flash and Sun JavaFX application platforms, has become the de facto format for web video and a fundamental requirement for Internet-connected mobile devices.

    Matt Frost, COO and interim CEO of On2 Technologies, said that when compared to H.264 Baseline profile (a video format used in wireless applications) On2 VP6 content offers 10-20 per cent better video compression performance while requiring less computing power to play.

    He said that as a result, VP6 enables a wider range of mobile devices to play high-quality content without sacrificing battery life.

    "We are pleased to have VisualOn optimize and integrate On2 VP6 to their application suite," he said.

    "They have exceptional skill and experience in delivering highly optimized multimedia software for mobile devices, and we look forward to seeing high-performance playback of our codec as an integral part of their solutions."

  • GE Delays Launch of HDTVs


    General Electric is to delay its re-entry into the television market after a 20-year gap as a result of "marketing issues".

    The company announced in September that it was to offer GE-branded HDTVs in partnership with a Taiwanese company.

    Now it has emerged that the company is pushing everything back by around three months, according to Engadget.

    It reports that the setback isn’t due to "operational or manufacturing issues", but suggests it may have more to do with a desire to better implement connected HDTV features.

    Whatever the reason, GE hasn’t picked the time to be re-entering the market – and its pre-launch jitters certainly don’t inspire great hope in the as-yet unseen product.

  • Europe's HDTVs "Starved of HD Content"


    FutureSource Consulting has produced an interesting chart (see below) that highlights the gulf between HDTV ownership and the penetration of Blu-ray disc players in Europe.

    It shows that there are 69 million HD-ready TV sets but just 8 million Blu-ray players,including PS3 consoles – prompting the title: "61 million TVs starved of HD content".

    While HD content is obviously available from other sources – such as VOD and HD broadcasting TV stations – the chart clearly shows how much work remains for backers of Blu-ray to get the high-def format into the mainstream.

    The UK tops the chart with 42 per cent of households owning a HDTV and 9 per cent a Blu-ray player.

    Germany comes bottom with 24 per cent with HDTVs and 3 per cent with a Blu-ray player.

    FutureSource is bullish that the numbers of HDTVs seemingly devoid of HD content will soon be reduced.

    It forecasts a strong rise in Blu-ray Player sales – up to 19 million in Western Europe for 2009 and 45 million players by the end of 2011.

  • Canon Offers First Entry-Level DSLR With HD Video


    Canon today launched its Rebel T1i DSLR – its first-ever entry-level DSLR with 1080p HD video recording.

    The 15.1-megapixel camera uses the DIGIC 4 imaging processor to record either full 1080p video at 20 frames per second or 30 frames per second at 720p.

    Other notable specs include a 3.0-inch Live View screen, a Digic IV processor, ISO 12.8k sensitivity, and the same 18-55 IS EF-S kit lens as the XSi.

    Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon USA, described the latest addition to Canon’s Rebel lineup as "an entry-level juggernaut".

    "We are witnessing the emergence of a new phase in digital imaging history, as high-resolution still images and HD video can now both be produced in a hand-held device, for under USD $1,000," he said.

    The EOS Rebel T1i DSLR is scheduled for delivery by early May at an estimated retail price of USD $799.99.

  • BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand Coming Through TiVo


    Blockbuster is to be the latest online video-on-demand service to appear on TiVo DVRs.

    The pair announced today that they are working to make Blockbuster’s service available on all TiVo Series2 and Series3 DVRs (including the HD and HD XL models) in the second half of 2009.

    The deal means TiVo’s hardware will appear on the shelves of local video rental stores, while Blockbuster’s service will get exposure to millions of new users.

    It also means that TiVo adds Blockbuster to a list of available streaming video that already includes Netflix, CinemaNow and more.

    In November, Blockbuster launched a movie rental service via set-top boxes.

    It offered a STB made by 2Wire that plays downloaded movies.

    Jim Keyes, Blockbuster chairman and CEO, said working with TiVo enabled subscribers to access movies not only through his company’s OnDemand service but also from their stores and by-mail service as well.

    "Regardless of a film’s availability – through VOD or on DVD – we want to work with TiVo to provide their subscribers unprecedented access to movie content," he said.

    Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo, said joining with Blockbuster made TiVo a "one-stop shop" for any content thru broadband or linear distribution straight to the TV.

  • HD Movies Now For Sale on Apple's iTunes Store


    HD movies are now available for purchase from iTunes for playing on Macs and PCs.

    Until now, high def movies had only been available to Apple TV owners.

    HD Movies will be sold for USD $19.99, while HD rentals will be priced at USD $4.99. Both are in H.264 compressed 720p quality and will come with an HD file and an iPod/iPhone SD file.

    Apple said "Transporter 3" and "Punisher: War Zone" are among the titles available immediately.

    Preorders are being taken for "Twilight" (set for a March 21 release) and "Quantum of Solace" (March 24).

    Interestingly, Apple TV has now gone from having exclusive access to all non-podcast HD content from Apple,then HD TV shows were made available generally in September and now that has broadended to include movies.

    Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services, was confident HD movie purchases would be popular.

    "Customers have made HD content on iTunes a hit, with over 50 per cent of TV programming being purchased in HD when available," he said.

  • 1080p Processing Added to Elgato H.264 Dongle


    Elgato has launched a successor to its Turbo.264 USB video conversion dongle with the addition of 1080p compatibility.

    Called the Elgato Turbo.264 HD, the upgraded – and much faster – device converts videos into the H.264 format from camcorders and digital cameras.

    The converted video is compatible with iPods, iPhones, Apple TV and Sony’s PSP and similar devices.

    Users simply plug the dongle into a Mac and the software allows video to be previewed and trimmed before converting – without the need to import into iMovie.

    The device also adds support for HD camcorder formats such as AVCHD as well as MPEG-2- and MPEG-4-encoded HD content.

    Elgao says that while it normally takes an hour to make a fifteen minute movie from video taken on an AVCHD camcorder, the Turbo.264 HD takes less than 20 minutes.

    The Turbo.264 HD is priced at USD $150/ €149.

  • Envivio Selected For Türk Telekom's New IPTV Service


    Envivio has announced that its Convergence Series video headend has been selected for Türk Telekom’s IPTV project in Turkey.

    The IP video convergence provider said Türk Telekom will use its 4Caster C4 SD and 4Caster HD30 HD MPEG-4 AVC encoders and the 4Manager NMS, to deliver standard and high definition channels for its new IPTV service.

    The 4Caster C4 provides video compression for all three screens of consumer video – TVs, PCs and mobile devices – on a single platform.

    Envivio’s 4Caster HD30 delivers high quality, high definition encoded content at less than half the bit rates required by MPEG-2.

    The company’s Convergence Series architecture allows MPEG-2 content downlinked from satellite to be delivered to the compression system directly over a local IP network.

    This all-IP, all-digital processing of content eliminates the need for traditional intermediate analog or digital video and audio interfaces between MPEG-2 decoders and MPEG-4 encoders.

    Julien Signès, president and CEO of Envivio. said: "Forward-thinking operators around the world recognize that quality of service is a dominant factor in their success and the C4 and HD30 both deliver the very highest picture quality."

    The IPTV headend for Türk Telekom, which serves more than 30 million customers, is being installed by Birtel the partner of Envivio in Ankara, Turkey.

  • ION Television HD Debuts On HD-PRIME


    SES AMERICOM has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with the US’s largest station group, ION Media Networks, to launch its full suite of television networks in HD.

    The move means that SES now has 60 HD channels on its HD-PRIME delivery platform.

    The ION channel provides a mix of television series, theatrical and made-for-television movies and specials.

    Mark Greenlee, senior vice president of network operations at ION Media Networks, said ION has tapped expanded distribution capacity aboard HD-PRIME to offer its HD programming to viewers in more than 94 million homes across the country.

    He said ION Television HD will carry both native and up-converted HD programming on all 60 network stations in the US.

    ION HD starts this week over HD-PRIME satellite AMC-1, with ION’s qubo, a multilingual kid’s network. ION Life, a digital network devoted to active lifestyles, is set to follow later this year.

    "SES AMERICOM provides the reach and reliability ION Media Networks counts on day in and day out to serve both our cable and broadcast audiences nationwide," he said.

    David Goosey, senior system engineer at ION Media Networks, said HD-PRIME offers the advanced technology, the know-how, and the top-of-the-arc orbital slot needed to serve its affiliates and audiences from Honolulu to Boston.

    The HD distribution agreement between ION Media Networks and SES AMERICOM runs through the life of the AMC-1 satellite, which was launched in 1996.

    The hybrid C- and Ku-band spacecraft is located at 103 degrees west, where it is home to national television networks broadcasting to thousands of cable headends that reach tens of millions of homes across the country.