SITE METER *
says you are
TV Viewer
number
Set-Top Page Interactive TV Top.Box.News |  |
News Wires | More News | PR Wire Net Stats | Ticker | Calendar | Search |
- CLICK FOR MORE RECENT INTERACTIVE TV NEWS
-
Macrovision 7.1 certification given to TeraLogic TL851 digital TV decoder chip for use in digital TV sets and set-top boxes
to prevent unauthorized copying of NTSC and PAL television broadcast signals to VCRs (21FEB01) (PRN)
(alt.link)
-
Beginning Of Something Very Big For Hollywood: CinemaNow, SightSound, Movieflix, and other internet-based movie services
are already taking risks and learning the lessons that the movie studios are soon to confront for legitimate streaming, file-sharing,
and hyper distribution of movies via the internet (20FEB01) (DigitalCoast)
Digital Coast reports, "Downloading can also be a huge financial boon, because one user who downloads a film can then give the file to someone else. If that person then buys the license to watch the movie, the company gets the entire viewing fee with none of the costs of transferring the file. [SightSound CEO Scott Sander] calls such 'hyper distribution' an 'important part' of SightSound's strategy, and Sony, which is planning to offer films for download on Moviefly, is apparently banking on it as well." Digital Coast also reports Sony Pictures is "at most a couple of months away from launching its Moviefly service."- Movie studios hope to prevent an untamed Napster-like movie file-sharing environment from taking hold as 350,000 to 400,000 feature-length films are downloaded everyday via various file-exhange sites (20FEB01) (CNN)
CNN quotes Viant technology consultant Andrew Frank as stating, "There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 350,000 to 400,000 feature-length films being downloaded per day" which is double what was downloaded in the last one and a half years.- Richard Cole asks what is cable's role when there is widespread belief that Napster-type peer-to-peer file sharing will have a place for TV, movies, and music in a future broadband world (19FEB01) (CableWorld)
Cable World cites Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Middlehoff as indicating Bertelsmann is "looking at Napster's approach for video." Cable World also reports Bertelsmann "is apparently examining peer-to-peer exchanges of RTL's ample video library" in light of Bertelsmann's new majority stake in RTL Group which is Europe's largest television company.- Home Media Servers And Local Video-On-Demand: Durlacher Research report on "Digital Local Storage - PVR's, Home Media Servers and The Future of Broadcasting" (11DEC00) (Durlacher)
The 87-page report from Durlacher dated December 11, 2000, "Durlacher believes that both TiVo and ReplayTV are likely to exit the market as independent players within 3 years, most probably via acquisition by an established content and technology player respectively." SONICblue is taking over ReplayTV and only the future will tell what will happen with TiVo.
The report's discussion regarding "classical" Video-On-Demand versus "Local" Video-On-Demand using the Home Media Server (HMS) is very good and is very much on point as to where set-top boxes and broadcasting will be going. Can you see possible competing and merging paths for video-on-demand and Napster-like movie file-sharing? -ruel- Durlacher Sees TiVo As Eventual Acquisition Target: TiVo pins hopes for success by targeting Europe's high digital television penetration and growth (14FEB01) (TheStandard)
The Standard reports TiVo currently "only has 153,000 subscribers worldwide."- More File-Sharing: Wired News Radio interviews Scour's Travis Kalanick who discusses the Napster ruling, harnessing peer-to-peer, tapping into existing billing relationships, and the future of media file-sharing (20FEB01) (WIRED)
- Sony to create Playstation broadband communities with Check-i-TV software and using DoCoMo net-enabled I-mode phones to enable users to interact online, post comments reviewing movies, music, and games (21FEB01) (TheStandard)
- Playstation At The Arcade: Sony, Sega, and Namco to develop advanced arcade version of PlayStation 2 with monitors, video cameras, and high-speed network connections for connecting multi-players in arcade game centers for playing videogames, watching videos, or shopping online (21FEB01) (Mercury.Reuters) (alt.link) (alt.link) (related.link) (related.link) (related.link) (related.link)
Reuters quotes Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi as stating, "We will try to provide exciting interactive services ... not only games, but also something like downloading videos or doing electronic shopping."- Winterberry Group sees interactive television future with TV-based commerce, targeted advertising, direct marketing, immediate personalized viewer feedback, and impulse buying based on interactive TV offers and ads (20FEB01) (InternetNews)
- News From Germany: Met@box AG signs up with the Digital Video Broadcasting Consortium and with the German Institut für Rundfunktechnik for establishing international standards for interactive television (20FEB01) (Met@box) (alt.link)
The news announcement quotes Met@box AG chief executive officer Stefan Domeyer as stating, "Developing the new Met@box 1000 set-top box, we gained extensive experience with respect to the three current standards for digital TV reception via cable networks, satellite communications systems and terrestrial transmission. In [the] future we will use this profound knowledge to support the work of the DVB consortium in a constructive way.... We are convinced that the so-called DVB-MHP (Digital Video Broadcasting - Multimedia Home Platform) will become the standard for iTV applications and thus ensure the compatibility of hardware and software elements.... MHP is the future basis for the reception of all digital TV programs, and it will make no difference whether gratis programs, payTV applications or individual supplementary services are concerned."- Scientific-Atlanta unveils Explorer 4000DVB digital set-top supporting DVB-C, PAL, DAVIC/DVB-RC, DOCSIS, and EuroDOCSIS for video, data, and voice services in a single device for Europe and other markets using the PAL video standard (20FEB01) (SciAtl) (alt.link)
- TV's New Challengers Converging On Cable Territory: RealNetworks and Wavefly plan to release home networking box by Xmas 2002 that uses wireless transmission to send streaming video from the PC to the TV (19FEB01) (CableWorld)
Cable World reports, "By Christmas of 2002, RealNetworks, a Texas company called Wavefly and an as-yet-undisclosed consumer appliance manufacturer, plan to have a box on store shelves that will allow wireless transmission of Net streaming video from the PC to TV." Cable World also reports, "RealNetworks and Wavefly say that over a broadband connection, the video will reach VHS quality at 750 kilobytes per second and DVD quality at 1 megabyte."- Gemstar-TV Guide And Charter Communications Make Long-Term IPG Deal: Charter Communications CEO Jerry Kent says robust user-friendly Interactive Program Guide is absolutely necessary when building digital platform as launchpad for video, audio, and data services (16FEB01) (TVGuide) (alt.link) (related.link)
The news announcement quotes Charter Communications president and CEO Jerry Kent as stating, "The digital platform that Charter is building today is our launch pad to providing new, advanced video, audio and data services. In order for our customers to realize the full value of these digital services, a robust, user friendly IPG is absolutely necessary." In the related link, CNET quotes Banc of America Securities research vice president William Bean as commenting, "An interactive program guide is like interactive TV on training wheels. It gets the viewers used to pushing buttons other than just volume up and down and channel up and down."- As Previously Reported: Gemstar-TV Guide International asks the US International Trade Commission to stop Pioneer, Scientific-Atlanta, EchoStar, and SCI Systems from importing and selling set-top boxes that infringe on Gemstar patents for interactive program guides (19FEB01) (DigitalCoast)
- Gist Communications CFO James Cantalini says IPG will become "primary touch point" for 21st Century television viewer (19FEB01) (PRN)
The news announcement, which announces James Cantalini's appointment as Gist Communications' new chief financial officer, quotes Cantalini as stating, "The opportunity to make an impact not only on Gist itself, but on the interactive TV industry as a whole, is one of the principal reasons for making this move. Over the next few years technology is going to change how people around the world watch television. Interactive program guides will become the primary touch point for the 21st century viewer and Gist is clearly the leading innovator in that space."- Multiple Digital Channel Strategy: Agency.com expands from European base to begin providing interactive television solutions and services in North America (20FEB01) (NYTimes.BW) (alt.link) (related.link)
The news announcement quotes Agency.com North American iTV group regional president Tim Larcombe as stating, "The television occupies prime real estate in the home, and the advent of iTV means the medium can offer more engaging entertainment and highly convenient services to consumers. Interactive TV allows us to implement new combinations of content and commerce that are more relevant to consumers and of more value to advertisers." The news announcement also states, "Agency.com has created strategic partnerships with ... innovators in the iTV arena including Microsoft TV, Liberate, OpenTV and Sun Microsystems." You can visit the Agency.com iTV group's webpage at http://itv.agency.com.- Agency.com names Tim Larcombe as chief of Agency.com's North American iTV Group (22FEB01) (Adweek) (alt.link)
- Waiting Out The Backlash: Andy Grossman asks if interactive television can survive since technology is hard, expensive, takes time to develop, and keeps moving (19FEB01) (CableWorld)
Cable World's Andy Grossman writes, "It's pretty axiomatic that there will be a shake-up in the ITV business in the next year or two. As [consultant Gary Arlen] notes, cable operators have historically supported two or three companies in most fields (see the set-top box business) - certainly not seven or eight - and ITV should be no exception.- Europe Leads US In Interactive TV: Ovum Consulting predicts interactive TV connections to globally grow to 226M out of 357M households capable of receiving interactive TV in Y2006 and with sales revenue via interactive TV growing to $44.8B by Y2006 (19FEB01) (Mercury.AP) (alt.link) (alt.link) (alt.link) (alt.link)
The Associated Press (AP) cites Ovum Consulting analyst Shirley Brown as indicating "interactive TV connections is expected to grow from 13 million in 2001 to an estimated 226 million in 2006" and "the number of households worldwide capable of receiving interactive television will grow from 62 million to 357 million by 2006 - while revenue from sales made over interactive TV will grow from about $58 million last year to $44.8 billion."- Insight Communications is betting video-on-demand will drive subscribers to sign up for Digital Gateway interactive service and local interactive information will keep the subscribers from leaving (19FEB01) (CableWorld)
Cable World cites Insight Communications president and CEO Michael Willner as indicating, "While VOD brings in extra revenue for Insight, the interactive local information, provided by Source Media, keeps subscribers from leaving." Cable World goes on to report, "Insight's 1.5% churn rate for digital falls far below the 4% to 5% average for conventional digital products."- Austar hopes interactive TV attracts more TV viewers in Australia (20FEB01) (TheAge)
The Age cites Austar Communication interactive TV general manager John Paul as indicating "a basic interactive TV (iTV) package would be offered free" by Austar to satellite TV subscribers, and which basic package would include information services, weather, and interactive games, and a "charge of about $5 a month may apply to t-mail, while a fee will also be attached to more sophisticated interactive games."- Austar United Broadband makes deal with Oracle Corporation Australia Pty. Ltd. to use Oracle Media Interactive platform software for two-way TV interactivity (12FEB01) (Austar)
- Satellite Versus Cable In Australia: Austar has headstart for interactive TV via satellite in Australia (20FEB01) (IT)
Along with an overview report on interactive TV in Australia, I.T. reports, "Rival Microsoft also trialled its Web TV offering extensively, but has grown tired after four years of fruitless negotiations with Telstra and Optus over the use of cable. The company used to have a dedicated manager for its local Web TV hopes, but that responsibility has now mostly returned to the company's US headquarters."- Satellite Versus Cable In US: TV rivalry goes from television programming to digital service, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-speed internet, interactivity, and beyond (19FEB01) (NYTimes) (alt.link)
- *** CLICK FOR MORE NEWS ***
- Movie studios hope to prevent an untamed Napster-like movie file-sharing environment from taking hold as 350,000 to 400,000 feature-length films are downloaded everyday via various file-exhange sites (20FEB01) (CNN)
|
 
|
|
Thank You
For Visiting
Ruel.Net
RUEL.NET TV PAGE | SET-TOP | PC-TV
TV-VIA-NET | PC-TV TUNER CARDS
THE LIST | LINKS | RESEARCH | BOOKS
INTERACTIVE TV DEVELOPERS
CONFERENCES | NEWSLETTER
INTERACTIVE TV TOP.BOX.NEWS