digiANALYSIS, BIZ + BITZ
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ABI Gets Into Viewers’ Heads—ABI Research conducted an online survey of 1002 consumers in December, 2007. The study was aimed at discovering how US residents view their service providers, what technologies and programming they use, and their price sensitivity towards available service offerings. The details of this revealing survey are contained in a free white paper which can be downloaded from the firm’s website. The TV viewing habits of American consumers can be baffling, yet service providers and equipment vendors are betting billions of dollars on how viewers will embrace triple/quadruple play services and demand IPTV. The survey found, among other things, that:
- 38 percent of respondents had home theater systems or game consoles attached to their televisions; nearly as many used DVRs, and only a few used network media adaptors or the Slingbox
- More than 25 percent of respondents chose their pay-TV service provider on price. Convenience and promotional offers accounted for nearly as many, but programming quality and customer service mattered for only 15-20 percent
- Mobile TV appealed to only 6 percent. More than one third of respondents would not pay for any of the common add-on services
- At 65 percent, news clips are by far the most popular form of online video content, followed by movie trailers and user-generated content (about 43 percent each)
- Only a few percent use pay-per-view services to watch moves more than once a week, with about 53 percent doing so only a few times a year
- About 40 percent said they owned at least one High Definition TV, but fewer than half of those are paying for HD premium service packages. This suggests more customer education is needed, and that there is a lot of unrealized revenue still out there for the taking
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EA SPORTS Gets Asian Boost—Electronic Arts Inc. and IAHGames, a major provider of online entertainment software and services in Southeast Asia that’s based in Singapore, now have a joint agreement to launch and operate EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 in Asia Pacific. The game is targeted for release by the Q3 of 2008 in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—seven additional countries in Asia Pacific will follow.
EA has earlier announced online partnerships with other major operators in Asia such as Neowiz in South Korea, GigaMedia in Taiwan, and The9 in China. EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 is the latest online version of the blockbuster FIFA football game franchise. The original debut EA SPORTS FIFA ONLINE version had a record of more than 5 million users and became the No.1 mid-session sports game in Korea. EA SPORTS FIFA ONLINE 2 offers authentic game play, complete customization, and a groundbreaking manager mode. The game will mirror the sophistication and finesse required of real world players on the pitch; online players will challenge their odds, perfect their skills, and bring glory to their favorite teams—Singapore
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Wegener Plans To Wow Broadcasters—Wegener Corporation company representatives will be delivering presentations at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention. Vice Presidents Kamy Merithew and Gary Pelkey are presenting a seminar entitled, Radio Broadcasters: Building File-Based Networks, from March 8-11, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, in Nashville, Tennessee. This is one of more than 70 seminars to be conducted during those three days that annually sees more than 6,000 attendees worldwide. Wegener’s file-based solution combines network control, content management, and media server technology using addressable devices to receive live broadcasts, store regionalized content, and combine them to create customized broadcasts—Duluth, Georgia
digiCONTENT, CREATION + DELIVERY
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iPhone Interest Will Peak Again—Not only will the new SDKs for Apple’s iPhone allow for super cool apps from major developers, but… and here’s something unique… the iPhone will support—that’s FULL support—for Microsoft Exchange (hmmmm, perhaps Microsoft could learn a little something there about supporting Apple-created products, eh??). Applications revealed included goodies from AOL, SEGA and Salesforce.com. With iTunes as a base store, apps can be immediately downloaded to the iPhone and, here’s a great little bit for the developers themselves, they set their own price for their apps and receive 70 percent of the purchase price—Blackberry, watch out!
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Communicating Via Cricket —The world’s first Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) mobile phone has debuted from Cricket Communications. Their CDMA phone is the UTStarcom CDM7126. Designed to operate on the new AWS spectrum band, this tri-band phone also operates on PCS and cellular bands, allowing the unit to work in all existing Cricket wireless markets that reach from California to New York. The phone will also work in new Cricket markets slated to begin launching this year including Oklahoma City, Okla. and Las Vegas, Nevada. With a metallic, clamshell form factor, the UTStarcom CDM7126 features external indicators, which alert users of incoming calls and messages without the need to open the phone. Plus a full-color internal display provides optimal viewing of incoming calls, messaging alerts, games and other data applications. The Bluetooth-capable wireless handset also features voice recognition, predictive text input for easy text messaging, and supports Cricket Mobile Web for browsing and downloading favorite ringtones and graphics—San Diego, California & Tulsa, Oklahoma
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Transcoding Goodie From Harmonic Deployed By Biggie—Harmonic Inc.’s Rhozet Carbon Coder video transcoding solution has been deployed by broadband video management and publishing provider, thePlatform. A subsidiary of Comcast, thePlatform is using Carbon Coder in its new mpsManage Transcoding Service. Carbon Coder was selected by thePlatform due to its broad format support, including strong support for Web and mobile formats, as well as its excellent reputation among thePlatform’s existing client base. Media companies and video websites such as BBC, CNBC, CBS‘s College Sports TV, Gannett, Helio, HIT Entertainment, Sony BMG, and Verizon Wireless currently use thePlatform’s media publishing system. The mpsManage Transcoding Service is a hosted solution that offers two transcoding options that use Rhozet Carbon Coder – a shared service for customers using thePlatform’s system who have low to medium volumes and general transcoding requirements, or dedicated servers for customers who have higher volumes or custom transcoding requirements. Harmonic’s Rhozet Carbon Coder is a universal transcoding application that facilitates the transfer of media between a variety of platforms, including acquisition, editing, playout, archive, the Internet and mobile devices. Carbon Coder can run as a stand-alone app, or as part of a multi-node, fully-automated rendering farm—Sunnyvale, California
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Deep Involvement At CeBIT By PureDepth—PureDepth, Inc. has announced the company’s MLD technology is being displayed at CeBIT, Europe’s largest technology expo, by PureDepth’s partner, Samsung Electronics Corporation. PureDepth’s display—adjacent to Samsung’s 80-inch flat panel display—includes two units which focus on the technology’s application in larger, public information displays (kiosks, advertising, etc.). The units are 20.1-inch dual-layer displays, with touchscreen capabilities. The PureDepth display at the Samsung booth results from a licensing agreement between Samsung and PureDepth signed in October 2007, which provides for Samsung’s development of mass market applications based on PureDepth’s patented MLD technology. That agreement was followed in November with an agreement between the PureDepth and the Samsung LCD Business to jointly explore opportunities in the mobile market—Redwood Shores, California
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Digital Projection Contracts Increase for Thomson—Thomson, through its Technicolor Digital Cinema business, has signed an agreement with ArcLight Cinemas, the Los Angeles, Calif.-based theater circuit, to provide digital projection systems at the prestigious ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. The deal also encompasses ArcLight’s world-famous Cinerama Dome. Each theatre installation will feature Technicolor’s fully integrated networked systems. They include a satellite system for content delivery and the Technicolor Theatre Management System (TMS), a software solution that enables exhibitors to control theatre automation and manage all content such as trailers, advertisements, and features with simple drag-and-drop technology. The digital cinema systems will be supported by Technicolor’s maintenance services with 24/7 remote monitoring to ensure system health. Other Technicolor installations include Mann’s Village and Bruin in Westwood, Grauman‘s Chinese in Hollywood, and Criterion in Santa Monica; as well as National Amusements’ The Bridge Cinema De Lux in West Los Angeles. ArcLight’s installations are part of Thomson’s previously announced North American digital cinema beta test. Technicolor Digital Cinema has installed digital cinema systems with several prominent exhibitors in North America and Europe including Cinemaworld, Clearview Cinemas, iPic Entertainment, Mann Theatres, National Amusements, Wehrenberg Theatres, Zyacorp’s Cinemagic Stadium Theatres, and Kinepolis Group in Belgium. All hardware and software placed in each site will conform to industry-standard specifications published by Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC (DCI). As previously announced, Thomson has signed digital cinema equipment usage agreements with DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. to facilitate the roll-out of up to 5,000 digital projection systems in North America. Each of these studios has agreed to distribute content digitally throughout the United States and Canada and pay a virtual print fee to Thomson for screens equipped with Technicolor Digital Cinema systems—Paris, France & Burbank, California
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TV One Switches to Four—TV One-task 1T-SX-524 DVI Switcher, a compact, high performance product used for the switching of DVI signals with HDCP copy protection, is now available. The 1T-SX-524 has four inputs and it can be controlled from the front panel input selection button or the included infrared remote control. The recommended retail price is £195 (287 euros). The 1T-SX-524 has a maximum pixel rate of 165MHz and provides resolution capabilities up to 1920×1200 and 1080p. It has DVI-I connectors for the input and outputs and is powered by an included power adapter that provides 5VDC for operation— Margate, Kent UK
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Unicorn To Offer Pro Video To Users—Unicorn Media has announced an open call for video content for its new, free, entertainment service. Unicorn Media is revealing a pre-launch version of its entertainment site and accepting professionally produced, high quality digital video content from filmmakers, videographers and production companies all over the world. Unicorn Media has built a robust and technologically advanced global video distribution service that gives filmmakers and videographers the opportunity to bring their creations directly to viewers, supported by a business model that pays them fairly for their work while allowing them to retain full rights to their own content. Unicorn Media employs a “velvet rope” policy for all content submissions, whereby everything viewed on unicornmedia.com has met the company’s strict production quality standards. For consumers, the velvet rope policy will mean video content enjoyed will be good enough to view on even the largest screen televisions. Available immediately, video content will be at least as good as standard definition broadcast television—a far better resolution than Internet video is now—and high definition video streaming will come later this year. Unicorn Media movies and other video content can be enjoyed as easily on a computer monitor as it can on a big screen HDTV. Unicorn Media’s audio technology is also designed to be high enough quality to be heard on top of the line surround sound home entertainment systems. For artists, Unicorn Media’s high quality standards and cutting edge streaming technologies mean their work is seen and heard as they intended—Austin, Texas
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