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Tag: hd

  • HDNet Dropped By Time Warner


    Time Warner Cable is dropping two HDNet channels, claiming their programming has "limited appeal".

    The move is effective from May 31 with the channels to be replaced by other high definition options.

    Mark Cuban, owner of HDNet and the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team, wouldn’t comment "on ongoing negotiations" but refuted the claim that HDNet’s programming lacked appeal.

    However, Time Warner Cable’s head of PR, Robyn Watson, said: "There’s a limited appeal for the programming.

    "In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough.

    "We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."

    HDNet remains widely distributed on US cable, and DTH satellite.

    It brings viewers 20 hours of HD programming weekly, including its flagship news programming Dan Rather Reports and HD World Report.

  • Consumer Storage Demand Continues To Soar


    Digital content in the average US household could reach 12 terabytes by 2014, according to researchers.

    A joint report by Coughlin Associates and Objective Analysis includes DVD libraries, which accounts for a large chunk of the 12TB total.

    Tom Coughlin, president of Coughlin Associates, estimates that half of the data is commercial content, like DVDs.

    Making up the remaining content is user generated data, such as photos, music, and videos, and downloaded material such as video on demand.

    It’s not surprising that since increasing numbers of people are downloading HD content from the likes of Netflix and iTunes this requires even greater storage capacity.

    Coughlin said that the trend was also for more physical media, like DVDs and music CDs, to end up being stored on disk.

    The reports suggest that key differentiators for storage vendors looking to service the home include:

    • remote storage access
    • privacy protection
    • disaster recovery
    • automatic backup
    • metadata
    • automated metadata generation of content

  • BSkyB's Revenues Rise As HD Subscribers Double


    It’s taken a while but HDTV seems to have firmly established itself in the UK – underlined by the latest surge in subscriber numbers for BSkyB.

    The satellite broadcaster has seen its HD base leap to more than one million subscribers – up 32 per cent on the previous quarter and more than double the 465,000 who signed up last year.

    The strong uptake of its Sky+ HD service played a big part in increasing BSkyB’s Q3 revenues to GBP £1.4bn – up by 12 per cent compared with Q3 2008.

    Pre-tax profits grew 13 per cent to GBP £63m (USD $93m).

    Sky+ HD subscribers rose by 243,000 in Q3 2009, helped by a cut in the price of the HD set-top boxes from GBP £150 to £49.

    This decision cost the broadcaster around GBP £60m in upront cost but resulted in increased revenues from more expensive subscriptions.

    Average annual revenue per customer rose 7 per cent to GBP £452.

    Jeremy Darroch, BSkyB’s CEO, said the subscriber increase was generated by a growing trend towards HD among customers, alongside its HD box strategy.

  • 2011 Peak For SD DTT STB semiconductors


    High-definition Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) set top boxes (STBs) offer semiconductor makers a short term spike in opportunity.

    But standard definition (SD) DTT STBs will be a more sustainable market for manufacturers, according to In-Stat.

    The researchers forecast that the semiconductor opportunity in SD DTT boxes will peak at nearly USD $500 million by 2011.

    Gerry Kaufhold, In-Stat analyst, said the US analog shut off has driven a surge of HD converter boxes in 2008 and 2009.

    "However, this bubble will wane, while the SD DTT market continues to grow across a broader set of geographic markets," he said.

    Other findings from In-Stat include:

    • The European DTT STB Market Value will peak in 2011 at $1.6 billion.
    • On a European country basis, UK leads the market, followed by Spain, France, Germany, and then Italy.
    • Total DTT STB unit shipments will peak at 44 million in 2009.
    • Key component categories include the Demux/CPU/AV decoder and the MPEG-2 MP@HL/Graphics IC

  • Sprintcam V3 HD Demos Slow-Motion Capabilities


    I-Movix’s new SprintCam V3 HD produces slow-motion output equivalent to 20 to 40 times slower than normal speed.

    That sounds great – and the showreel below by David Coiffer proves just how great it looks as well.

    Made for NAB 2009 exhibition, the short video is mostly 1000FPS shots, made during a recent rugby competition in the Stade de France, Paris.

    The camera is the first broadcast-integrated, native HD, ultra-slow-motion solution offering frame rates of 500 to 1,000 fps with instant replay.

  • HD Videoconferencing – A "Compelling" Option For Business


    High definition video has "raised the game" for videoconferencing and telepresence systems.

    That’s the opinion of Rick Snyder, president of Tandberg Americas, who says HD videoconferencing offers a "really compelling visual experience".

    He says this – and the fact the current economic climate has required business travel budgets to be cut – means more and more companies are looking seriously at HD videoconferencing.

    "We think that in the next few years, HD will become the norm," he said

    Speaking at the recent VoiceCon 2009, Snyder suggests that today’s HD videoconferencing systems offer a very compelling ROI – in some cases their cost is equivalent to a couple of international business trips.

    So as well as increasing productivity he says they can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom-line – and on the environment.

    Below is a video interview with Rick Snyder (his comments on HD start at 4.12mins) from VoiceCon.

  • Apple Consolidated AV Cable Signals iPhone HD?


    Apple is reported to be preparing to replace its Composite AV Cable and Component AV Cable with a single cable called the Apple AV Cable, according to PhoneNews.

    Aside from getting rid of the need for two separate cables – both of which had unpopular encryption chips – the move is being linked to an iPhone HD.

    The consolidated cable will support both component and composite output, allowing users to plug in to both HDTV and SDTV displays.

    If used with a high def handset it would support 720p or 1080i out – on an HDTV, not on the device.

    PhoneNews also speculates that an HD-out iPhone or iPod Touch will replace the Apple TV.

  • LG Launches First Eyestrain-Minimising HD Monitors


    LG Electronics’ HD widescreen LCD monitors – the W53 series – will be available in the UK from next month, the company announced today.

    The monitors are the first with automatic brightness control technology specially designed to reduce eyestrain during extended use, according to LG.

    This feature apparently automatically optimises the picture settings and the brightness of the screen based on the light in the room and the content being viewed.

    The company says that by lowering the intensity of the backlight, it also reduces the W53’s power consumption, making it a more energy efficient option.

    Another little innovation aimed at further avoiding eyestrain is a timer that reminds users to take a break from their work at predetermined intervals.

    Soyeon Shin, marketing manager, LG Electronics Business Solutions Company, said LG conducted extensive research around monitor usage in Europe and found one of the main complaints people had was eyestrain, caused by the screen being either too bright or too dark.

    "To address this, LG has incorporated the world’s first full suite of features that optimises the brightness of the screen in its new W53 series, ultimately reducing eyestrain," he said.

    The W53 series’ Cinema Mode feature enables users to eliminate distractions often found when watching online videos, such as pop up adverts, by blacking out everything except for the video clip.

    There is also a proximity sensor under the monitor’s bezel which detects when a hand approaches the screen and activates lights to make buttons easy to find. When not in use, the lights disappear.

    Screen sizes for the W53 series range from 18.5" to 27" and all monitors larger than 21.5" offer a 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio.

  • ArcSoft Plug-in Upscales Standard DVDs to HD-Like Quality on the PC


    ArcSoft today announced a plug-in for its universal high-definition multimedia player which it says brings most standard-definition video to near HD quality.

    Called SimHD, ArcSoft’s in-house upscaling technology uses NVIDIA CUDA parallel computing architecture to upscale standard DVD movies to up to 1,920 x 1,080.

    The company says it also sharpens and enhances the picture with vivid colours.

    To use the plug-in a copy of ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre software and a sufficiently powerful CUDA-compatible GPU.

    Michael Steele, general manager of visual consumer solutions at NVIDIA, said the solution was a great way to upgrade an existing collection of DVDs into near-HD quality.

  • Is Netflix Price Rise A Set-Back For Blu-ray?


    The price for Netflix’s Blu-ray subscribers is going up again on April 27th.

    The increase translates into an extra USD $4 a month for BD users opting for standard three-at-a-time plans.

    While Netflix is arguably justified in charging more to finance its rapidly expanded – and more costly to buy – Blu-ray stock of over 1,300 titles, it doesn’t help the high-def format’s image.

    Already seen as an expensive option compared to DVDs and other media, its goal of mainstream adoption is still bumping along.

    Around 10 per cent of Netflix’s renters currently opt for Blu-ray, so the appetite is there.

    Whether those consumers – and future ones too – will be put off by the price rises of around 20 per cent by the movies-by-mail company remains to be seen.