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  • NBC uses Olympics to promote HDTV and study viewer habits

    NBC has made no secret of the fact it plans to use the Beijing Olympics as a campaign platform for HDTV.
    Now the US network has announced that the summer games will also act as a research lab to guage how viewers use different media platforms.

    The network hopes its research will reveal how people combine, for example, high def TV coverage of an event with tools such as video streaming, video on demand and mobile phones.
    Alan Wurtzel, NBC’s research chief, said the company would publicly issue a TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index) for the first time.
    This is designed to measure the full range of cross-platform media consumption of the Olympics throughout the 17 days of coverage.

    NBCU will also conduct the largest research project in its history, taking advantage of the unique scope and duration of the Olympics to further the industry’s understanding of cross-platform media usage.
    “An event of this magnitude requires the biggest and most sophisticated research effort to measure it,” said Wurtzel.
    “The size and duration of the Olympics presents us with extraordinary opportunities to gather data on viewer behaviour.”

    NBC has scheduled 3,600 hours of Olympics programming on its main network, along with Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo.
    In addition, the company is planning to make 2,200 hours of streaming video available on NBCOlympics.com.
    Consumers may also get video on demand via their computer and Olympics content through their mobile phones.
    “Not only will we measure these Games in a way we’ve never done before, but we’ll also be able to gather data that helps us better understand the new media consumer,” said Wurtzel.
    “At the end of the Olympics, no other research entity in the world will have as much knowledge on cross-platform usage as NBC Universal.”

  • Younger viewers ditching TV for mobile media

    Smartphone.biz-news.com asked Christian Harris, CEO of mobile video provider Gorillabox, for his views on the mobile TV market

    More and more younger viewers are eschewing traditional TV schedules and embracing new technology – mobile TV, DVRs, online streaming and downloading – to set their own viewing schedules.

    So much so, that research just released reveals the average age of those watching TV in the US has tipped 50 for the first time.
    The study of the big five US broadcast networks by research firm Magna Global shows the average viewer no longer falls within the 18-49 demographic so sought after by advertisers.
    While average viewing age figures for the UK are not available, research by entertainment analysts Attentional shows viewing time among those aged 16-34 has been declining faster than other age groups.

    This is a situation of which Christian Harris, CEO of mobile video provider Gorillabox, is fully aware.
    He believes that mobile viewing will rapidly become a prime means of consuming content for the 14-28 market.
    “Significant consumer segments don’t consume media on radio or TV any more,” he said. “It is either web or mobile.
    “For this audience, mobile is a key channel for content. To serve the mobile channel for this audience, mobile broadcasting is a primary capability.
    “The question isn’t ‘why should you?’ – it’s ‘why wouldn’t you?’”

    Last month, Gorillabox partnered with the AIDS charity 46664 and mobile operator 3 to provide mobile TV content from Nelson Mandela’s birthday concert.
    Video of artists such as Amy Winehouse, Razorlight, Annie Lennox and Queen was streamed live over mobile networks across the UK from London’s Hyde Park.
    Gorillabox was responsible for the deployment of content on the streaming platform, billing integration and customer care, while 46664 marketed the service and worked with Gorillabox on making the live video content available from the concert.

    Harris said the mobile portal improved accessibility to music videos from some of the world’s biggest musicians and celebrities.
    “Large-scale events need to be fully supported by multi-channel content distribution,” he said.
    “This used to be radio and TV and more recently web. However, this now also includes mobile.”
    A recent survey by mobile TV and video solutions provider QuickPlay Media revealed significant barriers hindering users from consuming TV and video content on their mobile phones – factors included lack of awareness of the services that are on offer and the perceived high costs involved.
    But the survey showed that demand for mobile TV existed with 65 per cent of those questioned, who said they would be willing to watch an advertisement if it meant that the content was free or discounted.

    The 3G iPhone could have a significant impact on the mobile TV market as research shows that many iPhone owners have accessed TV and video content with greater frequency than subscribers using other types of mobile handsets.
    With added 3G capability, the iPhone brings with it some attractive attributes to the mobile TV market, including video-friendly specifications, access to a rapidly increasing range of Apple TV and video content and the ability to support multiple methods of delivering TV and video (sideloading, indoor WLAN and high-speed 3G cellular data access).

    Harris said Gorillabox runs its own delivery technology called the G-box platform .
    Developed in-house, he said the platform could handle any content or media format over GPRS or 3G networks to any mobile phone in the European Union and the US.
    He said Gorillabox was able to deliver live and on-demand media from any location in the world via its UK data-centre to mobile devices.
    “We also enable the discovery of the services via mobile search,” he added.
    “Our objective is to make the event as visible and reachable as possible and, where appropriate, provide advertising and billing.”
    There’s no doubt mobile TV content is going to become increasingly accessible.
    Christian Harris asked “why wouldn’t you watch mobile content?” – we would be really interested to hear your views?

  • Signs that South Korean handset barrier may be lifted offers alluring prospect to foreign manufacturers










    South Korean regulations requiring handset applications to be based on a homegrown technology are largely why the country’s mobile phone market is dominated by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.
    As a result of the WIPI ruling – the acronym stands for wireless internet platform for interoperability – foreign companies have found it too expensive to produce handsets tailored for South Korean consumers.
    Nokia is virtually absent in the country and Motorola is a minor competitor with less than 5 per cent of the market. Apple has kept its iPhone out of the market because of the WIPI rule.
    Yet international handset makers are keen to enter South Korea, one of the world’s most technologically advanced and expensive telecoms markets.
    Now President Lee Myung-bak’s newly elected government has expressed a willingness to soften the WIPI rule, potentially opening the door to foreign handset makers.
    The move comes as criticism of the WIPI regulations grows, based on the argument that it restricts Korean consumers’ choices,
    Some analysts believe that, even if Korea does soften its rules, foreign companies could still find it tough to break the into the Samsung and LG-dominated market.
    But there is no doubt that if the protection barrier is removed there will be no shortage of foreign handset seeking to end their dominance.



  • Commuters on London Underground to be shown adverts on giant HD screens






    Passengers waiting for the tube will have no shortage of distractions now that 14-foot HDTV screens are being installed in stations.
    The cross-track projection (XTP) system, which allows high-quality digital images to be projected on to the walls opposite platforms, has been installed by advertising company CBS Outdoor for London Underground.
    The system, which formally went live on Monday, means that commuters waiting for trains are now faced with moving advertising images displayed on the biggest screens in Europe
    Any profits London Underground receives from XTP will be reinvested to improve the Tube.
    Before rolling out the ads to other stations the system was tested at Euston Tube station.
    Following the success of the pilot, stations at Piccadilly Circus, Euston, Bank, Liverpool Street and Bond Street have now been kitted out with 23 high definition projectors and giant soundless screens that will show trailers for new film releases and other advertising.
    Further stations are scheduled to host XTP technology, which will take the number of screens to 150, which, according to London Undeground, makes it the biggest and most sophisticated system of its kind in Europe.
    Richard Parry, strategy and service director for London Underground said the technology would enhance passengers’ journeys.
    “The Tube has a history of innovation and these hi-tech screens are a perfect complement to the major upgrade work carried out by London Underground in delivering a world-class Tube for a world-class city,” he said.
    CBS Outdoor was awarded a £1.5bn contract to manage advertising on the London Underground in June 2006.
    The media company’s soundless screens are all linked to a new digital advertising network enabling messages to be changed remotely and instantaneously.
    In total, CBS Outdoor’s £72m investment programme includes the installation of 2,000 digital screens across the Tube network and, to date, 1,034 digital screens have been installed, including 181 LCD screens, 830 digital escalator panels and 23 XTP screens.
    All the non-digital sites are currently being replaced with new ‘dry-posting’ material which allows all internal posters to be recycled, removing the need for glue and avoiding 96 tonnes of paper going into landfill every year.

  • High definition sports schedules continue to grow as coverage of major sporting events like Wimbledon and Beijing Olympics become more commonplace










    The US’s NBC network is to broadcast both the women’s Wimbledon final between the Williams sisters and the men’s match between Nadal and Federer on its HD channel.
    The addition of this year’s Centre Court battles is just the latest addition to a growing selection of sporting events being shown in high def.
    Sports programming is perfectly suited to high definition because of the fast motion and action in sports.
    The 16:9 aspect ratio of HD provides a vastly better perspective and coverage of a game than SD.
    Viewers can see, for instance, the entire ice in a hockey game or the baseball field in a baseball game.
    So impressive are the results that they influenced an estimated 2.4 million high-definition television sales prior to this season’s Super Bowl in the US.
    Aside from the tennis action, Panasonic has announced that it is to partner the Eurosport HD channel in a deal that ensures it uses the company’s equipment, including the HPX2100 and HVX201 high definition cameras during coverage of this summer’s Olympic Games.
    It also means Panasonic will get plenty of airtime on the station, promoting its VIERA line of HDTVs, as well as running local marketing events.
    Eurosport HD, which simulcasts with the standard definition Eurosport channel, began broadcasting in May this year.
    And with just 30 days to go before the events kick off in Beijing, the broadcast plans in the US are getting clearer.
    NBC Universal has the exclusive rights to the Olympics – for which it paid US$5.7 billion – and will produce over 3,600 hours of sporting coverage, all in high definition.
    The HDTV broadcasts will be carried on NBC, USA and Universal HD, but it remains unclear what time slots will be carried on each network.
    Ma Guoli, a Chinese Olympics broadcasting official, has said that he expects the Olympics to attract four billion viewers – one billion more than in Athens four years ago.
    Beijing Olympics Dissemination Corporation Ltd is expected to use 65 high definition relay vehicles and 1,000 high definition cameras, as well as building a broadcasting centre with an area of up to 80,000 square metres.
    “High Definition signals will be used for TV relays for all 28 Olympics events,” he said.



  • Mobile operators say regulatory burden is jeopardising European mobile broadband services





    The GSM Association is claiming that Europe’s mobile industry is cutting back spending on new networks and services as a growing regulatory burden from the European Union puts profitability under pressure.
    The European Commission, however, has asserted that mobile operators are making excessive profits and has imposed retail price caps on the industry.
    This is refuted by the GSMA – using data from management consultancy AT Kearney – which argues that the European mobile industry’s return on capital employed (ROCE) was just 9 per cent in 2006 compared with more than 20 per cent in software, pharmaceuticals and several other sectors.

    In its response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the voice roaming regulation, the GSMA is warning that European mobile operators, on average, are only just covering their weighted cost of capital and some of them are making an economic loss.
    AT Kearney figures estimate that ROCE for the mobile industry in 2007 was equal to or slightly lower than the 2006 figure.
    The GSMA is also saying that the European Commission’s belief that regulated price caps on voice roaming calls introduced last summer would lead to a major increase in usage – and so offset possible revenue losses of operators – has not materialised.
    AT Kearney calculates that voice roaming call volumes have increased by only 11 per cent year-on-year to July 2008 while operators’ voice roaming revenues have decreased by 26 per cent.
    According to the GSMA, heavy capital investment is needed to ensure the widespread availability of advanced 3G networks, which enable mobile users to access the Internet and other multimedia services at broadband speeds.
    The EU mobile industry’s capital spending has slipped from 13 per cent of revenue in 2005 to 12 per cent in 2006 to 11 per cent in 2007.
    The operator’s body says that while the mobile industry’s technology roadmap envisages further dramatic improvements in network performance and capacity, the speed of deployment of new networks may be constrained by the mobile industry’s relatively low level of profitability.
    Tom Phillips, chief government and regulatory affairs officer of the GSMA, said Europe’s mobile industry was in the midst of another major investment cycle to deploy new services, such as mobile broadband, video downloads, mobile television and mobile email.
    “However, it is clear that the high level of investment required to provide these services across Europe won’t happen if regulators continue to distort the market by setting prices,” he said.
    Following recent announcements by individual operators suggesting average prices will continue to fall, the GSMA says there is no need for the European Commission to also introduce price caps on these services.

  • Mobile phone memory card market set for significant growth as more music, images, video and data stored





    There were 592 million slotted phones shipped worldwide in 2007, representing 53 per cent of all mobile phone shipments, according to a survey by Strategy Analytics.
    It reports that, with nearly 57 per cent of slotted phone shipments in 2007, the microSD (including microSDHC) slot format is now more popular than the MMC format.
    The microSD format is expected to hit peak penetration of 86 per cent in 2011, after which it will face competition from other, new, high capacity systems, such as the Universal Flash Storage (UFS).
    Steve Entwistle, vice president of the Strategic Technologies within Strategy Analytics, said penetration of slotted phones was already over 85 per cent in many developed countries.
    He was speaking after the publication of the firm’s Removable Memory Card Forecast.
    “We are now seeing significant growth in emerging markets where demand for music and camera phones is taking off,” he said.
    Stuart Robinson, director of the firm’s Handset Component Technologies service, said demand for high capacity cards to store music, images, video and data will trigger significant growth in the high capacity microSDHC format during 2008 and 2009.
    He said strong growth was also expected in embedded memory over the next few years.
    “But the benefits of being able to upsize your capacity and transfer your data to a new phone make memory card slots an essential requirement for all mid-to-high end phones,” he said.
    An earlier Strategy Analytics report predicted that the average capacity of a removable memory card for the global mobile phone market will grow exponentially over the next five years, at an average 120 per cent per year.
    If correct, this would take memory card capacity from 517 megabytes in 2007 to 26 gigabytes in 2012.
    The report “Cellphone Memory Card”, also revealed that revenue from sales of removable memory cards for mobile phones will grow from US$4.8 billion in 2007 to almost US$11.3 billion in 2012.

  • Delta to begin volume shipments of HD projectors with positive outlook for remainder of 2008














    Delta Electronics will soon begin volume shipments of full HD projectors, according to company CEO Yancey Hai.
    He expects its business outlook for the second half of 2008 to remain “guided positive”.
    Hai said orders for Delta’s power supply products from segments such as desktops, notebooks and LCD TVs have remained strong, with order visibility extending at least three months.
    The CEO said Delta had recently begun production of full HD projectors and the company is now in talks with a number of brand vendors for ODM orders.
    Delta’s projector will deliver a full HP 1080P resolution and brightness of 6,000 lumens.





  • Gas released from HDTVs potentially far worse for climate change than CO2










    A gas used in the production of flat-panel displays for HDTVs is 17,200 times better at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a hundred-year period than carbon dioxide, the gas most associated with global warming.
    Michael Prather, of the University of California at Irvine, has completed a study into nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), which he describes as the “missing greenhouse gas”.
    Yet the synthetic chemical produced in industrial quantities is not included in the Kyoto Protocol’s basket of greenhouse gases or in national reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
    Concerns have led Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology to avoid using the gas, although Air Products, which produces it for the electronics industry, said very little NF3 is released into the atmosphere.
    Prather argues that as the gas is not controlled in the same way as other greenhouse gases, companies may be careless with it.
    The scientist, whose findings are reported in the latest issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters, is calling for NF3 emissions to be monitored.
    It wasn’t included in the Kyoto agreement when it was signed by 181 countries in 1997 because the compound’s manufacture at the time was miniscule.
    But increased use of NF3 in flat-panel display production means that’s no longer the case.
    NF3’s global-warming potential is second only to sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), the worst-rated greenhouse gas on the Kyoto list.
    Prather notes that the increased production of NF3 means that emission levels of the gas could potentially increase.
    “With 2008 production equivalent to 67 million metric tons of CO2, NF3 has a potential greenhouse impact larger than that of the industrialised nations’ emissions of PFCs or SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride), or even that of the world’s largest coal-fired power plants,” writes Prather.
    “If released, annual production would increase the lower atmospheric abundance by 0.4 ppt, and it is urgent to document NF3 emissions through atmospheric observations.”



  • Samsung launches programme to ensure compatability of HDMI-enabled products






    The Korean electronics giant has begun a pilot programme of Simplay HD testing and verification at its facilities.
    The scheme aims to ensure customers can simply “plug-and-play” any new device without the frustration of getting home and finding it isn’t compatable with existing equipment.
    The testing ensures interoperability between electronic components such as set-top boxes (STBs), high def televisions (HDTVs), digital video disk (DVD) players, cables and audio/video (AV) receivers.
    By taking the guesswork out of shopping for HDMI-enabled components it’s hoped that consumer satisfaction will be boosted and return rates reduced.
    The pilot programme of Simplay HD testing and verification will be administered by both companies.
    In what is described as the first-of-its-kind self-testing initiative, the scheme will expand Samsung’s participation in the Simplay HD Testing Program by increasing product through-put, extending the range of products tested and accelerating time to market.
    Once assessed, components bear the Simplay HD logo, which signals that they have passed a rigorous HD interoperability and performance-testing regimen and will work together.
    ChanHo Youn, assistant manager of the Customer Satisfaction Management Centre at Samsung Electronics, said the company understood the importance of delivering fully interoperable products with optimised performance to retailers and customers.
    He said the best way to ensure this was by utilising the expertise of Simplay Labs and its HD testing programme.
    “Samsung has used Simplay Labs testing extensively on a variety of consumer electronics devices and, as we expand our Simplay HD participation, the self-testing programme will help streamline the process,” he said.
    The pilot program will include on-site Simplay testing equipment installation, technician training and certification, quality control, collaborative test specification reviews and integration with product development and supply chain processes.
    Joseph Lias, president of California-based Simplay Labs, said he was thrilled to expand a longstanding relationship with Samsung by rolling out the self-testing pilot program.
    “Working closely with Samsung in defining the parameters of the Simplay HD Testing Program continues to provide consumers with the peace of mind that their HD components will work together to deliver a great HD experience,” he said.