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Tag: content-providers

  • Yahoo and Intel aim for internet on HDTVs

    Yahoo and Intel launch project to build the internet into HDTVs

    A new partnership to create what has been called the “Widget Channel” has been announced by Yahoo and Intel.

    The pair want to build support into HDTVs that embed Web-enabled “channels” that run alongside TV shows.

    Unveiled at the recent Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the initiative will offer a television application framework developers can use to deploy Internet-based applications designed to be viewed alongside television content.

    Powered by Yahoo’s Widget Engine, and run on Intel’s new C3100 chips, which are due in the first half of 2009, the project is specifically aimed at consumer electronics devices.

    There are currently no shipping products implementing the hardware and software stack demonstrated in San Francisco.

    However, Yahoo and Intel expect consumer electronics-related companies to evaluate the stack over the next year for possible inclusion in products shipping next decade. Those currently backing the Widget Channel include cable operator Comcast.

    Eric Kim, senior VP of Intel’s digital home group, said TV would fundamentally change how viewers talk about, imagine, and experience the Internet.

    “No longer just a passive experience unless the viewer wants it that way, Intel and Yahoo are proposing a way where the TV and Internet are as interactive, and seamless, as possible,” he said.

    Developers will be able to tap into HTML, Flash, XML and JavaScript to create their applications, which will appear in a corner of the screen much like a picture-in-picture frame.

    The companies say the Widget Channel will also feature a Widget Gallery that will enable developers to publish their Widgets to both Widget Channel-enabled televisions and other consumer electronics devices.

    Intel and Yahoo propose widgets that enable users to tap into existing Internet services like email, eBay, Yahoo Sports, and video rental services, as well as social networking services like Twitter.

    What would you like to see appearing on the Widget Channel? And what are the implications for issues such as the spread of viruses to TVs from Yahoo’s announcement? Please send us your comments.

  • iPhone app developers target of VC funds

    The success of Apple’s App Store is encouraging venture capitalists to invest in smartphone software start-ups

    A  venture capitalist with a US$100m fund to invest in start-ups specializing in iPhone applications has told the New York Times he expects to tap into the success of Apple’s App Store.

    Matt Murphy, who oversees the iFund created earlier this year by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, has received 2,500 business plans for potential iPhone application start-ups this year and has invested in four.

    He tells the Times that until the iPhone emerged, finding hot mobile start-ups was difficult – largely because control over what was on a cellphone was controlled by the wireless carriers, not entrepreneurs.

    That changed with the launch of the App Store, from where iPhone owners have already downloaded more than 60 million applications.

    This, and the emergence of smartphone software opportunities, such as Google’s new Android operating system, has sparked a creative boom among software developers.

    Now other investors and phonemakers are looking with increasing interest at potentially lucractive investments in innovative developers.

    The Times report says Research in Motion is expected to announce soon a fund for developers who want to create applications for the BlackBerry.

    JLA Ventures, which is based in Canada, along with RBC Venture Partners, is co-managing the US$150 million BlackBerry Partners Fund.

    Google announced a US$10 million challenge for software using its Android operating system.

    Are app developers are a good financial bet? Please send us your comments.

  • Copy and Paste comes to iPhone

    Openclip framework adds Copy and Paste without violating the iPhone SDK agreement

    A college student has developed an open source framework that allows cross-application Copy and Paste on the iPhone.

    Zac White says his Open Clip framework uses a shared space on the iPhone that can be accessed by applications to enable Copy and Paste – without falling foul of the iPhone SDK agreement.

    Apple forbids applications from running in the background because it would take up too much of the iPhone’s resources.
    Also, developers are not allowed to create plug-ins that make their apps work with other apps on the iPhone.

    However, when a developer adds the OpenClip framework to an iPhone app, that app can then access the common area and write to it, and read from it, thereby enabling copy and paste between participating apps.

    In an interview with Geek Brief’s Cali Lewis, White explained that OpenClip is a way for developers to include system wide Copy and
    Paste on the iPhone.

    The Oklahoma University student has started a non-profit, open-source community project for OpenClip.
    “It’s a device that allows apps to talk to each other,” he said. “It’s a very extensible way to get data between applications.”

    A key element is for as many apps to implement the OpenClip framework – since the wider the participation, the more apps users can Copy and Paste between.

    White suggests iPhone users email app developers about the advantages of OpenClip and asks app developers to show their participation by placing the OpenClip badge on their websites.

    He stressed that the framework created is not on a jailbreak phone and fully complied with Apple’s SDK agreement.

    In the interview with Geek Brief, White explains how he met iPhone App Store developer Juviwhale (creator of the MagicPad app) at iPhone Dev Camp, where the OpenClip framework was developed as a “weekend hack”.

    He effectively gave MagicPad’s localized cut/copy/paste cross-application functionality with the open-source OpenClip framework.
    It uses the API used by Apple on OS X to allow developers to easily implement OpenClip with the minimum of coding.

    Zac White

    White explains that the biggest factor was making it easy for developers to integrate it into their  apps, including having the documentation written for the API on Apple.com.

    Another element he considered was ease of transition for developers and users when Apple, finally, implements its own Copy and Paste. By adopting the API used on OS X, White expects a future transition to be “very easy”.

    He does admit that OpenClip has some limitations. “It is completely possible that apps that use this wouldn’t get on the App Store. Not for any real reason other than it will eventually step on Apple’s toes,” he said.

    “It is also conceivable that the technology this is built on will break in the future. The hope is that the update that breaks this also brings copy and paste support.

    Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s head of iPod and iPhone marketing has previously stated that cut, copy, and paste is on the future feature list.

    But his view that the function is not a “priority” is not shared by many users.
    Please let us know what you think about the OpenClip development and how – if at all – Apple will respond to it.

  • Speedway latest sport to benefit from demand for HD coverage

    Sky HD coverage extended to speedway while Singapore’s nighttime F1 to be lit up

    Sport is proving to be a great catalyst in expanding the availability of HD coverage around the world.

    NBC’s impressive US viewing figures for its coverage of the Olympics are in no small part down to the fact that for the first time the Games are being shown entirely in high def.

    Now Arqiva has announced it has upgraded Sky’s coverage of key international speedway events to HD.

    Two HD outside broadcasts trucks were deployed to both the UK Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff and the UK Speedway World Cup in Coventry.

    Working closely with Sky each event involved around 65 Arqiva crew and 27 HD cameras including seven radio cameras for comprehensive interview coverage.

    The move to HD represents an important step up for Sky’s speedway offering which Arqiva has serviced continuously for the past nine years.

    Darren Long, Head of Sky Sports Operations, said Arqiva provided Sky with standard-definition coverage of over 40 speedway meetings each year.

    “The decision to upgrade key speedway events to high definition has been driven by demand from Eastern European countries where the sport is particularly popular and where HD technology is increasingly available,” he said.

    Michael Bass, managing director of outside broadcasts at Arqiva, said speedway bikes accelerated as fast as Formula 1 cars.

    “HD picture and sound perfectly captures all the atmosphere of this adrenalin fuelled sport,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Philips have announced that its projectors have been selected to light up the first ever Formula One night race in Singapore.

    By creating near-daylight conditions at night, the lighting not only allows drivers to race safely at speeds of more than 300km per hour, but also gives ideal conditions for film and photography.

    Philips say this will enable camera crews to capture sharper images that comply with HDTV standards for viewers around the world.

    The company was selected by Valerio Maioli SpA, the Italian consultant company appointed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, to light up the race on 28 September.

    Philips worked with Maiolo to develop a dedicated reflector for the system.

    The lighting system avoids glare by projecting the light beams at different angles rather than vertically. This is to prevent glare in wet weather conditions.

    The Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore is fitted with nearly 1,500 lighting projectors, illuminating the 5.067km track with light that is four times brighter than a football stadium at night.

  • US$10 discount for trading up from DVD to Blu-ray

    Paramount is to provide a $10 rebate on titles upgraded to Blu-ray as figures show BD sales up 300 per cent

    Blu-ray still has some way to go before it fulfills the hype and replaces DVD – but one Hollywood studio has come up with a novel way of geeing it along.

    Paramount will provide a US$10 rebate to consumers to upgrading their DVD titles with Blu-ray versions of the same movie.
    The rebate will be offered for select Paramount and DreamWorks titles.

    While owners of Blu-ray equipment are arguably more likely to buy new Blu-ray titles, the Paramount rebate might be sufficiently attractive to entice viewers to upgrade their favorite DVDs to Blu-ray.

    If other studios follow Paramount’s lead, the drive to take Blu-ray mainstream may come about far sooner.

    Certificates will be placed in the packaging of the Paramount Blu-ray products, which must be filled out and mailed in along with the proof-of-purchase tabs from both the DVD and Blu-ray versions. The receipt for the new Blu-ray title is also required.

    The rebate applies to purchases of the chosen titles before December 31st, 2009, and all rebate claims must be postmarked by January 31st, 2010.

    Meanwhile, in a further boost to Blu-ray’s fortunes, a report from the Redhill Group suggests that Blu-ray sales are actually quite solid for the year, and up 300 per cent year-on-year from 2007.

    According Redhill’s Home Media Research, Blu-ray movies are selling at about 1.14 million per month on average for the year, for a total of about 8 million.

    The combined total for 2006 and 2007 was about 6 million discs sold.

  • Viewers glued to HD Olympics coverage

    First all high definition Games proving irresistible as viewing figures climb

    NBC Universal is attracting an average of 29.1 million US viewers to its coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games, according to figures just released.

    While viewership was undoubtedly helped by the extravant opening ceremony and early coverage of US swimming star Michael Phelps, the unprecedented high def footage must take some of the credit.

    For the first time by a US broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBC is broadcasting the whole Olympic Games entirely in high definition.

    This will stretch to some 3,600 hours of Beijing coverage, the most ambitious single media project in history.

    The viewing results make it the most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Games held outside the United States since 1976.

    A total of 114 million viewers turned on their TVs for at least part of the broadcast in the first two days, about 20 million more than the 2004 games in Athens, NBC said, citing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

    Meanwhile, Fuji Television Network and NTT Corp are using the Games to test out “non-compressed HDTV video transmission using a wireless technology based on the 120GHz milliwave band” in live feeds from Beijing events.

    By utilising the technology, the duo say they have demonstrated “simultaneous, wireless transmission of multiple HDTV video channels without delay”.

    This enables camera-toting employees to capture footage from more places by being able to walk around untethered.

  • Broadcast and online TV can co-exist

    Reports suggests that VOD does not detract from broadcast TV

    Video on demand shouldn’t be viewed as a threat to broadcast TV but helps promote it, according to a report.

    Thinkbox, the marketing body for the UK’s commercial broadcasters, says that online VOD services do not detract from linear television viewing.

    It has released figures showing that the popularity of web services such as iPlayer, 4OD and Sky Player appear to be incremental to the broadcast television that people have always watched.

    The report says that both broadcast and online TV platforms are growing simultaneously, which it suggests underlines how the two fulfil different needs for viewers.

    It adds that this underlines “that they can co-exist and indeed promote each other”.

    Online TV services, according to Thinkbox, are primarily used as a means of catching up with the broadcast stream.

    Thinkbox recently announced that it has commissioned further research to examine how and why people use online TV, its relationship to broadcast TV and the advertising opportunities it affords, with preliminary results expected before the end of the year.

  • First Blu-ray Disc player with streaming movies

    Korean firm LG has announced the first Blu-ray Disc player able to instantly stream movies from Netflix to the TV

    LG Electronics and Netflix are to launch the first Blu-ray Disc player that will have the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly to the TV.

    The LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, which is to be launched in the autumn, will play high definition Blu-ray discs and up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p.

    But it will also allow Netflix subscribers to stream more than 12,000 choices of movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the TV for no additional charge.

    Teddy Hwang, president of LG Electronics USA, said with Blu-ray player sales expected to triple in three years, consumers are craving content and seeking a premium home entertainment experience.

    “The BD300 is another LG industry first and provides consumers with an advanced high-def disc player with unparalleled flexibility and networked access for services such as Netflix,” he said.

    Using a Queue-based user interface, subscribers will use the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues.

    Those choices will automatically be displayed on members’ TVs and available to watch instantly through the LG player.
    It is claimed that once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds.

    With the BD300’s accompanying remote control, Netflix members will be able to browse and make selections on the TV screen and have the ability to read synopses and rate movies.

    In addition, they will have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream. The player also has a BD Live feature, BonusView and LG’s SimpLink technology, which allows users to control similarly equipped LG TV and AV products via on-screen menus or directly from the product itself.

    In January, prior to the 2008 International CES, LG Electronics and Netflix announced their technology partnership to provide a set-top box for consumers to stream movies and TV episodes from the Internet to the TV beginning in the second half of the year.

    Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, said: “LG Electronics was the first of our technology partners to publicly embrace our strategy for getting the Internet to the TV, and is the first to introduce a Blu-ray player that will instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the TV.”

  • The Matrix to be released on Blu-ray

    Seven-disc set will include the five Matrix movies, hard-cover book and biogs

    The film that played a major part in converting mainstream audiences to DVD is now to be released on Blu-ray.
    Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the highly anticipated The Ultimate Matrix Collection to Blu-ray on October 14th.

    The sci-fi action hit starring Keanu Reeves was an immediate success on DVD, particularly in the sell-through category. Previously, most DVD owners were satisfied with renting movies.

    Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios home entertainment, recently claimed that Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie, could have a “Matrix-effect” on Blu-ray.

    He suggested that the highly visual nature of the new thriller could be the trigger to mass sales of Blu-ray devices when it is released in the format.

    Whether one movie can have such an effect remains to be seen. However, signs that Blu-ray is gaining momentum have also come from Japan, where shipments of Blu-ray players and recorders in Japan have increased to a six-figure level with 122,000 in June alone.

    This is a dramatic increase compared to May when it was only 82,000 units.
    It is expected that these figures will continue to rise in coming months, as Japanese workers receive a bonus in July and the Olympics in Beijing are held in August.

    Both of these factors are predicted to boost the consumer electronics sector.

    The seven-disc Matrix set will include five BD-50s – one disc for each of the three Matrix films, one for Animatrix, and one for The Matrix Experience – and two DVDs.

    Also included in the set will be a hard-cover book with photos and information from the films.
    Video will be presented in 1080p VC-1 and accompanied by a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.
    Among the extras with this release are three exclusive In-Move Experience BonusView features, 35 hours of extras and digital download of The Matrix.

  • AT&T extends Navigator GPS coverage

    Navigator coverage now almost on a par with many standalone GPS units

    AT&T Navigator is now available in 20 countries after the service was extended to offer international coverage.

    It means that Navigator, which can be used on any AT&T smartphone with a built-in GPS chip, now operates in many countries in western Europe, North American, the US Caribbean, and six Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao.

    Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, mobility marketing and operations for AT&T’s wireless operation, said the operator now gave customers the ability to use their mobile phones in more countries than any other US carrier.

    “They now can use our robust GPS-based navigation offering whether at home or abroad to easily get from point A to point B or to find and get directed to a local business or service,” he said.

    The AT&T Navigator Global Edition comes with voice turn-by-turn directions, or text turn-by-turn directions. Both of these come in different language settings including English, German, Italian, or Spanish.

    The service provides a level of coverage which almost on a par with many standalone GPS units.
    The Navigator Global Edition sports a business finder that searches business matches in the US and overseas countries from among more than19 million business and service database.

    Handsets capable of this service, which costs US$19.98, include AT&T Tilt, BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Curve 8310, BlackBerry Pearl 8110, BlackJack II and MOTO Q9h.