Filed under: MISC
2 Days.
The Countdown to the launch of the iPhone continues. . .
Most important lesson of the day. iPhone can be activated from the comfort of your home using iTunes software. Seriously?!
Seriously. No waiting in line at the AT&T store while some 16-year old who only has this job for the summer tries to figure out what to do with your phone. Nice. Check out the video below to learn more.
Worried about the keyboard? I am. Check out this video which walks you through every aspect of typing. I did like the way the keyboard migrates to the use at hand, changing the available keys depending on whether you’re typing an e-mail or entering a web address.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Rupert Murdoch says he has no plan to raise his bid for Dow Jones and expects a final approval for his offer within two to three weeks, “if at all.” Murdoch’s News Corp. has cleared a major obstacle by reaching a pact with Dow Jones on safeguards to editorial independence. (http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUSL2777698520070627 6/27)
Travel Channel will debut new episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on VOD July 13, two weeks before season three premiers on air July 30 at 10 pm ET/PT. Anthony is going to New York, Brazil, French Polynesia, Cleveland, Hong Kong, Argentina, Charleston and Tuscany this season.
TBS will launch a simulcast of its East Coast feed in HD beginning in September, broadcasting in 1080i and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
National Geographic Channel will team up with Towers Productions for a special about the war in Iraq. The special, titled “Road to War,” will focus on how 9/11 and other events led to President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. (C21 Media 6/27)
Thirty percent of U.S. households have HDTV, and 50% of those households are interested in upgrading their HD-subscription packages, according to a new study, “HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content.” The study found that gaming and movies are driving forces for HDTV conversion. (TMC Internet Telephony 6/26)
The July 1 FCC mandate to transition to set-top boxes with separable security has been onerous for all of the cable companies, but particularly so for smaller ones. While small and mid-size cable companies have the option to file for a waiver, some have decided to dive in with both feet to meet the deadline. (Light Reading 6/26)
Ever since May, the FCC has required that new analog TV sets come with a warning label that says the TV will need a converter box once over-the-air analog signals cease on Feb. 17, 2009, but the converter boxes are in prototype stages to date. Currently, there are 20 million U.S. households that get only over-the-air TV, but one benefit of using the converter box is improved picture quality. (Forbes/Associated Press 6/26)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
NBC and News Corp. will debut their joint Web-based network in September. The new site will compete with Google-owned YouTube and will feature TV shows and films, with plans to offer shows for purchase at a later date. (Chicago Tribune/Bloomberg 6/26)
The online video joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp., launching in September, has been called a “YouTube killer.” But NBC digital exec George Kliavkoff says, “That is not the case.” Unlike YouTube’s mostly amateur content, the new site will focus on professional video. (http://mediabiz.blogs.cnnmoney.com/2007/06/26/nbc-not-looking-to-kill-youtube/ 6/26)
Sugar Publishing, the company behind PopSugar other blogs aimed at the female demographic, will announce a new round of financing led by NBC Universal. The deal includes distribution through NBC’s iVillage property and an exclusive advertising deal with the broadcaster. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/26/sugar-publishing-raises-new-round-partners-with-nbc-universal/ 6/26)
MySpace is setting up its video-sharing service, now called MySpace TV, as an independent Web site that people can visit to share and watch video, even if they have not signed up for the online social network. The new site will emphasize professional video rather than user-generated content. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/27video.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 6/27)
MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson are said to have made a “very aggressive” compensation proposal to owner News Corp. for when their contract is up in October. The pair wants a two-year deal worth $50 million, plus a $15 million fund to invest in Internet companies. (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/myspace-pair-trying-to-loot-news-corp/ 6/26)
Michael Eisner’s independent new media studio Vuguru (www.vuguru.com) announced yesterday they will join forces with Dinosaur Diorama Productions (www.dinosaurdiorama.com), the creators of the hit web series “The Burg,” to produce Vuguru’s second original series, “The All-For-Nots.” This original Internet comedy series follows a documentary crew filming a fictional indie rock band called The All-For-Nots, as they travel the U.S. on an under-funded and poorly planned tour. (Press Release, Tornante 6/26)
Video player start-up Slapvid launched a beta player that accomplishes peer-to-peer video streaming (a la Joost, Veoh, Babelgum) through a web browser instead of a desktop player that must be downloaded. Slapvid runs as a Java applet in conjunction with a Flash video player, connecting with multiple peers watching the same video and managing the video bits as they stream to the application. The site is currently running a demo of YouTube videos to preview the player, but the P2P functionality is only running as a closed beta test for now.
Will Ferrell and his scene stealing co-star baby Pearl from “The Landlord” are back with “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” The new online video premiered yesterday on comedic video sharing site Funnyordie.com. Ferrell plays a hard boiled criminal who refuses to spill his guts. Pearl is the tough lieutenant who tries to get him to talk. This is Pearl’s swan song performance, according to L.A.-based FunnyorDie.
BBC Global News has been manually loading videos to YouTube, but will now use Comcast’s thePlatform to distribute its short-form video clips. The BBC will use thePlatform’s mpsConnect service to update 30 news clips a day on the BBC’s news section on YouTube. (Multichannel News 6/27)
The BBC is announcing that its on-demand TV service, the BBC iPlayer, will launch on July 27. U.K. users will be able to download shows seven days after broadcast to watch on their computers. Later this year, the service will be available via YouTube and could also appear on sites like Facebook. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6245062.stm 6/27)
Click on the image below to go to watch video of the new service in action.
Oxygen’s SheDidWhat.tv launched its first online talent competition seeking the best idea for a comedy targeting women aged 18-39. Comedian Molly Shannon will judge the best 3-5 minute video and two-page treatment submitted through August 31.
NBC aired a special promo featuring Second Life resident Tuna Oddfellow during the broadcast of America’s Got Talent last night. The magician won a contest sponsored by NBC on June 14 by performing virtual tricks in NBC 3, one of NBC’s 10 SL locations.
IFC’s original web series Getting Away With Murder is now being featured on video sharing site broadcaster.com.
Last time I reviewed this online series, only episode 1 was live. This quirky online series about a for-hir killer who lives with his mom now continues with 7 episodes live at this point. It’s odd but mildly entertaining.
Video site Revision 3 raised $8 million in second round financing. The startup, from Digg co-founders Kevin Rose and Jay Adelson, own the exclusive rights to broadcast ten web-only shows including the run-away hit tech/web culture podcast Diggnation , which recently celebrated its 100th episode.
U.S. advertising spending is predicted to grow a mere 3.1% to $290.3 billion this year, says forecaster Robert J. Coen of Universal McCann. “The outlook for advertising this year is not very good.” Online advertising and search marketing have “violently” impacted established media. (http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/FREE/70626007/1078 6/26)
User-generated content is destroying our culture, claims Audiocafe.com founder Andrew Keen in his new book, “The Cult of the Amateur.” “One imaginary dystopia is that in 25 or 50 years, there will be no mainstream media. The replacement is Twitter, it’s YouTube, it’s Wikipedia .” (http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/2007/06/cult_of_the_ama.html 6/24)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Reviewers for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today say the new Apple iPhone is a “beautiful and breakthrough” device that lives up to the hype. Also: The iPhone could change media as profoundly as television did, writes Kevin Wassong on MarketWatch. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aaVRCedJ9lAc 6/27, http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/FREE/70626007/1078 6/26)
Texas Instruments is working on a 3G processor that will serve as an HD video platform for mobile phones. OMAP 3 phones, expected to hit the market in 2008, will feature 720×1368 resolution and cameras capable of shooting 12 megapixels of photos per second. TI is even experimenting with a projector that can be used to display HD video from your phone.
T-Mobile’s new HotSpot AtHome service allows users to use a Wi-Fi router instead of a cellular network on two of the company’s new handsets. The technology also allows users to automatically switch from Wi-Fi to cellular coverage once home service is lost. (The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)/Associated Press 6/27)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Prominent Japanese video game makers Sega, Namco Bandai and Capcom will develop and release more titles for Nintendo platforms than for PlayStation 3 systems, according to a new survey. The Nikkei newspaper survey also found that lower development costs for Nintendo’s Wii are helping to attract more attention from gaming companies. (Variety 6/26)
Horror-film director Clive Barker has unveiled a horror-themed video game titled “Jericho.” The game, which was originally set to be a novel, was instead transformed into a video game by Barker. (Scientific American 6/27)
