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ANALYSIS—According to ABI Research, in coming years, home network connections will no longer be an optional feature for many consumer electronics products. Digital content, social networking and IP services delivered through embedded network connections will be demanded by consumers in their purchased devices. The leading device categories for embedded networking in consumer electronics will shift from the early market leaders, the game consoles, to TVs and DVD players. ABI Research forecasts the number for networked TV shipments alone to grow to 65 million total units shipped by 2012, from just 3.6 million in 2008. While portable devices will have mostly wireless networking connections such as Wi-Fi, fixed devices such as TVs, set-top boxes and other device categories will have a mix of both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. Alternative LAN technologies will also see some penetration, as both HomePlug and MoCA based technologies make their way into set-top boxes. Overall, Wi-Fi media connections will lead, however, with total Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics reaching 329 million shipments by 2012. ABI Research’s recent study, Home Networking and Digital Home Network Market Analysis examines all segments of the home networking and networked entertainment market. In addition, ABI Research has released a Home Networking Forecast, containing market forecasts for a variety of networked devices as well as forecasts related to the installed base of home networking households. More info here… Additionally, the newly-created position of Research Director, Mobile Devices, has now been filled through the firm’s appointment of Kevin Burden to that role. He’ll handle of the research activities in this area as well as coordinate everyone’s efforts in the analysis of related research fields. Kevin was formerly the Senior Manager, Mobile Devices, at Nielsen Mobile and the - Program Manager, Mobile & Wireless Markets , at IDC—New York, New York
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DELIVERY—Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. has showcased a high-performance DisplayPort-to-TTL translator chip, the ANX9824, at the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) PlugTest event in Japan. The new device combines an integrated DisplayPort 1.1a receiver with an on-chip MCU to provide high-performance, low power DisplayPort support for connecting video source to video display and audio. The ANX9824 chip, fully compatible with DisplayPort specification 1.1a, can support a total data throughput of 10.8Gbps using a single interconnect cable. Data is transported at a rate of 1.2Gbps or 2.7Gbps over 1, 2, or 4 separate two-wire differential pairs with a data rate of up to 2.2 times a single-link DVI or HDMI 1.2 connection. The ANX9824 is ideally suited for direct drive monitor (DDM) applications with features that support programmable video processing, up to 30bpp, and a micro-packet structure for variable color depths. The ANX9824 supports S/PDIF audio output with up to 8 channels audio in and two channels audio out. Its AUX CH link provides up to 1Mbps bandwidth. The DP to TTL translator chip features TTL Outputs in dual port with full support of spread spectrum clocking. The product will feature support of both 3.3v & 1.2v power supplies and flexible packaging options initially available in a 144 pin LQFP package—Yokohama, Japan
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CREATION—ARC International has revealed one of its multimedia subsystems is being used in the Sanyo Xacti CG65 digital video camera. This camera recently won an “editor’s choice” award in MacLife Magazine. The ARC-Based camera is ideal for the “YouTube Generation” as it was designed to provide easy drag-and-drop video file transfer via USB. The camera encodes video content using H.264, has a maximum resolution of 6 megapixels, and weighs only 9 ounces. In a review of the ARC-Based digital camera, editors of MacLife Magazine commented, “Given our tendency to want to record so many of life’s moments, it’s nice to have a versatile, portable camera like the Xacti CG65.” Featured in the Sanyo camera is a special H.264 video compression chip from Qpixel, one of ARC’s first subsystem licensees. The QPixel chip leverages an ARC multimedia subsystem and encodes AVC/H.264 in real-time using low overall power consumption. The captured file size is reduced by as much as 25 percent over typical MPEG-4 cameras. The result is a high quality video recording of up to 10 hours in length using an 8GB SDHC memory card in TV-HQ mode—San Jose, California + St. Albans, United Kingdom
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DELIVERY—Cambridge Consultants has announced the first demo of the emerging industry standards for medical device interoperability. The Vena platform is a breakthrough software solution on a single chip that allows medical devices such as blood pressure monitors to transmit data wirelessly.
The development gives consumers, especially those with chronic conditions, the ability to monitor their own health accurately, systematically and independently. This platform uses low-cost wireless technology and will allow devices to deliver medical readings to a central monitor located in the home, or even to an online health record, such as Google Health or Microsoft Health Vault. The Vena software solution can be added to a medical device using hardware with a potential cost of less than US $10 at the appropriate volumes and could even be available in medical devices by the end of 2008. For the first time, the Vena platform embeds both the emerging IEEE 11073 standard, which ensures compatibility of data exchanged between different types of devices, and the emerging Bluetooth Medical Device Profile, optimised for the secure transport of medical data, onto the single chip. Successfully concept tested with a pulse oximeter and weighing scales, the platform will be expanded to include other types of devices including blood pressure monitors—Cambridge, United Kingdom + Boston, Massachusetts
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CONTENT—Starting immediately, gamers can become the hero as D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) ships Dark Sector to retail stores in North America for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 computer entertainment systems. Developed by Digital Extremes, co-creators behind Epic Games’ Unreal franchise, Dark Sector is an all-new and original action-thriller that uses the Evolution Engine, the proprietary nexgen technology developed by Digital Extremes. The game places players into the role of Hayden Tenno, an elite black-ops agent sent on a dangerous mission into a decaying Eastern European city that hides a deadly Cold War secret. Attacked by an unknown enemy, Hayden awakens to find part of his body altered by an infection that has granted him inhuman abilities; now he must learn to evolve along with his powers, to survive and to become a hero. Dark Sector is rated Mature by the ESRB.
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BIZ—Samsung Electronics Co., Inc. and DivX, Inc. have renewed a two-year licensing agreement that allows Samsung to continue to include DivX technology in a variety of consumer electronics devices, including DVD players and recorders, portable media players and more. DivX has become a global standard for a high-quality digital video experience that bridges the gap between the PC, the living room, and mobile environments. Samsung, a longtime DivX licensee, currently offers a number of products that enable consumers to playback DivX video, including numerous DVD player models. More than 100 million DivX Certified devices have shipped into the market from a wide variety of major consumer electronics brands—San Diego, California + Seoul, Korea
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CONTENT—Electronic Arts Inc. is now shipping Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath to retail outlets in North America and Europe for the PC. The expansion pack to last year’s award-winning, real-time strategy (RTS) game Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, introduces a new, hand-crafted campaign spanning two decades of Tiberium lore, six sub-factions and game-changing epic units to the Command & Conquer universe. And gamers who purchase Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath or the Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection will also receive an exclusive key to the Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3 beta starting this summer. Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath’s 13-mission single player campaign focuses on the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Nod after the Second Tiberium War through the dramatic events of the Third Tiberium War and beyond. The campaign introduces six-all new sub-factions that add a wealth of new toys and powers to the armies of the Tiberium universe’s three clashing superpowers, the Global Defense Initiative, Brotherhood of Nod and the Scrin, giving them nine sides to choose from in multiplayer. Players will also get an added bonus feature in the new Global Conquest Mode, which allows commanders to create their own campaigns for world domination with an infinitely replayable strategic layer added to the frenzied, tactical combat they know and love. The Xbox 360™ version of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath will be released this summer, debuting a revolutionary new CommandStick interface that takes RTS console controls to a whole new level of simplicity and usability. The standalone title also features 50 multiplayer maps and the Xbox 360 exclusive “Kane’s Challenge”, a single player mode that pits the player against a terrifying gauntlet of sub-faction opponents—Los Angeles, California
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DELIVERY—The Ethernet Alliance has announced the IEEE P802.3at task force has created IEEE P802.3at/Draft 3.0 and has submitted it to the IEEE 802.3 working group ballot for technical review of the draft standard. This task force expects to complete standard ratification by 2009. The IEEE 802.3 working group created the PoE Plus study group in November 2004 to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of providing increased power to devices over Ethernet, and approved the creation of the IEEE P802.3at task force in July 2005. The task force has been working with key vendors and customers to deliver a solution for providing up to 30W of power using Category 5 cables. IEEE Std. 802.3af-2003 (Power over Ethernet) helped consolidate voice and data services using a converged network infrastructure, giving customers enormous savings and greater capabilities from their networks. PoE Plus promises to add video services in the same converged networks such as those requiring high-end, pan-tilt-zoom video cameras. The PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee plans to hold a plugfest and webinar on PoE Plus in 2008.
- DELIVERY—HaiVision Systems Inc. (NAB: SU11626) and Wowza Media Systems (C552) are integrating HaiVision’s MAKO-HD “zero latency” high definition H.264 (AKA MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) or MPEG-4 Part 10) encoder with the award-winning Wowza Media Server Pro platform to deliver the world’s fastest, live, Flash HD H.264 content delivery. HaiVision’s MAKO-HD encoding platform delivers industry standard H.264 high-definition video with an astonishing 70 milliseconds of latency. The MAKO-HD supports 720p, 1080i, and 1080p at bit rates from 256 kbps to 10 Mbps. Wowza Media Server Pro, with its capability to support RTP-based encoders, redistributes the high-definition video stream into the RTMP-based Flash environment with minimal additional latency. End-to-end latency using this infrastructure can be as low as 400 milliseconds. HaiVision’s H.264 codecs (including the hai1000 with MAKO-HD technology and the standard definition TASMAN) are compatible with low-cost set top boxes, video conferencing endpoints, soft players including HaiVision’s haiPLAY and Apple’s QuickTime, and now the ubiquitous Flash media environment.
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CONTENT + DELIVERY—Using Immersive Media’s unique technology, the Red Bull pro surfing team was able to capture the action actually inside the waves. Immersive Media equipped the surfers with a newly designed Surfpac. This is a small, durable, and waterproof platform for the camera system. Wearing the Surfpac, the surfers hit the waves to film a most unique surfing video. These videos were launched on www.redbullsurfing.com, with the project released in Immersive Media‘s new Flash Player.
The videos are displayed in spherical format and offer all of the features of the new player, including the zoom function and share feature.
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DELIVERY—Panasonic Computer Solutions Company has new upgrades for its Panasonic Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer. The nexgen Toughbook 19F convertible tablet PC joins Panasonic’s flagship Toughbook 30F clamshell notebook with its incorporation of the Core 2 Duo processor and expanded memory capabilities. The 5.1-lb Toughbook 19 also offers an optional integrated camera for use in inspection and incident documentation applications, for which the convertible tablet has become widely deployed in military, government and commercial applications. These MIL-SPEC-certified notebooks incorporate magnesium alloy cases, sealed keyboards and ports, hard drive heaters, flexible internal connectors and shock-mounting. Both the Toughbook 19 convertible tablet and the Toughbook 30 notebook include an anti-glare, anti-reflective sunlight viewable display, WiFi 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth, a mobile broadband-ready (WWAN) design, along with backlit keyboard, GPS wireless and many more options—Secaucus, New Jersey
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ANALYSIS—Research and Markets presents “Mobile Media and Entertainment in the US: Forecasts 2007–2012” to their research offerings. “The US mobile media and entertainment (MME) market is growing rapidly; its total market size is set to more than double, increasing from $3.1 billion in 2007 to $6.8 billion in 2012. Mobile media will become an important revenue stream for operators and content providers—particularly from 2010 onward. However, the US MME market still faces a number of significant barriers in the short term, including high pricing for end users, operator uncertainty over the optimal business model for the various services, and users’ disappointment with early MME services as a result of device and network constraints,” says Katrina Bond, Principal Analyst. US mobile service providers are looking to data services to drive revenue growth, and MME will be a critical part of this strategy. The US MME market is developing rapidly. End users and service and content providers are advancing from basic personalization services to more-sophisticated MME services that take advantage of upgraded network and handset capabilities. This report examines the drivers for and barriers to US MME market growth.
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CONTENT—Sony Creative Software has released The Electronic Music Manuscript: A Richard Devine Collection. This is a 2-CD, 24-bit, royalty-free, Premium Collection loop library featuring the boutique sound design and skilled programming of one of the industry’s most credible and in-demand composers. Already an industry veteran at the age of 32, Devine has released original artist material through several of the world’s most revered and progressive electronica labels, including Warp, Asphodel, and Schematic. He has provided original music for a number of feature films, and has created sound design for marquee video game titles including Halo 2, Dance Dance Revolution and Gears of War. The material featured on The Devine Manuscript allows musicians and producers to combine high quality electronica, cinematic textures and rough industrial audio to create fresh royalty-free music and sound. The Devine Manuscript contains over 1.2 gigabytes of logically organized material that features a series of ready-to-load Native Instruments Battery 3 kits. Each disc also includes a short film that explores Devine’s recording environments and creative processes. An enclosed booklet contains an in-depth interview with the artist as well as many color photographs—Madison, Wisconsin
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ANALYSIS—The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008. This is according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to, “Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership,” Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which, stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012, more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device. “HD-DVD’s withdrawal leaves the way open for Blu-ray to become a major revenue earner for technology vendors and content owners alike,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. “The 265 million homes that will own an HDTV by 2012, and Hollywood’s need for a new growth engine, represent huge incentives for the industry to coordinate marketing activities and demonstrate unified support for the successor to DVD.” This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million)—London, United Kingdom
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CONTENT—Tecmo has released Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS. The title is the first handheld installment in the popular series, which has already sold more than two million units worldwide. Players will fight enemy ninjas and battle various fiends while taking on the role of Master Ninja Ryu Hayabusa. They’ll uncover all the mysteries of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword’s brand new storyline. The portable experience promises to deliver the same excitement as its console counterpart. The game features…
- Master your weapon—the DS stylus. Smoothly maneuver (slide, tap, up/down) and fight through levels with the intuitive operation of the stylus
- Hold the DS with one hand like a book to assist in the operation of the stylus which allows players to view a wider range of scenes, including battle areas, maps and beautifully illustrated comic-book style cut scenes
- Using the DS stylus, draw various symbols to quickly execute numerous types of Ninpo
- Experience a full-scale action game showcasing dynamic camera work and an artful blend of detailed 2D and 3D environments with 3D characters
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BIZ + DELIVERY—Trust Digital has received notification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that its encryption library has been certified and validated according to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 requirements. The Trust Digital encryption library now secures Windows Mobile 6 smartphones. The certification ensures government and commercial buyers can securely and safely use their latest smartphones while running the Trust Digital software. Trust Digital’s FIPS 140-2 certification now extends to all major device platforms including: Palm, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian 7. According to NIST, FIPS 140–2 puts forth a standard that is used by Federal organizations when these organizations specify that cryptographic–based security systems are to be used to provide protection for sensitive or valuable data. FIPS 140–2 currently applies to all U.S. and Canadian government agencies—McLean, Virginia
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