Daily Marauder

CES Buzz: Bill Gates’ Keynote

Bill Gates took the stage last night in what he described as his last keynote at CES. Check out the highlights below. But first, check out a video of Gates’ last day at Microsoft. Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, is stepping down from his day-to-day role. As of July, Gates will continue as Chairman and advise on key development projects shifting direction to spend more time on his global health and education.

The Highlights:

Highlights Video Part 1

• A partnership with NBC whereby MSN will be the exclusive online provider of live, on demand footage from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
• Xbox Live is literally killing it amassing 10 million members to date. New TV content will be added to the Xbox live platform, available for direct download from ABC and Disney. This will amount to over 500 hours of content available in standard definition and high definition. Very cool. New film content will also be available on the Xbox platform care of MGM, also available in both standard definition and high definition.
• Microsoft’s Media Room IPTV upgrades with a new application in union with partners: CNN, TNT, and Showtime. This application, distributed via AT&T U-Verse, allows users to change the camera angle while watching video. For example, as an example from Showtime, viewers watching a boxing event can change the camera and audio feed from the perspective of the trainer, ref, or the commentators. Double cool.
• Samsung supports Media Center extender to offer a connected TV with MCE compatibility.
• British Telecom will be the first provider to offer the Xbox as a set-top box.
• Reference to the Zune as the “clear alternative to the iPod” announcing that the Zune will be offered for sale in Canada. Bold statements. BOLD. Can’t wait to see what Jobs’ response will be to that one at MacWorld. . .
• Microsoft Sync to offer 911 Assist. On-Star anyone?
• Slash. At the end of the keynote, Slash took the stage after a brief demo of Guitar Hero. Later, Slash was seen walking through the casino with 4 large body guards. Love the Slash. Don’t touch the Slash.

All in all a bit lackluster, but a few interesting announcements none the less.

Highlights Video Part 2

Microsoft boss Bill Gates is unveiling a prototype navigation device that stores photos, plays videos and suggests nearby options for shopping and dining. Also, Microsoft’s Xbox Live online video-game service will begin selling television shows from Disney’s ABC. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aqzxdooZC3xU 1/6)

Bill Gates, making his final keynote address at the 2008 International CES, applauded the industry for completing its first “digital decade.” Gates, who will retire from his full-time position at Microsoft this summer, predicts the industry will become more focused on connecting people, as well as creating natural interfaces that respond to speech and touch. (Los Angeles Times 1/7, Yahoo!/Agence France-Presse 1/6)

CES Buzz: Warner Bros.’ Blu-Ray Announcement Bitch Slaps the HD DVD Format

So far, the predominant rumblings at CES haven’t been devoted to any new gadget on the floor. Instead, the constant noise thus far has been committed to the Friday Warner Bros. announcement that the studio would release its titles exclusively in Blu-Ray beginning in June. Warner Bros., Hollywood’s biggest seller of DVDs, represents about 18 to 20 percent of sales in the U.S. and up to this point has toed the line by releasing titles in concurrent formats. At this point, most of the studios now support Blu-Ray leaving Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, and Universal Pictures in support of HD DVD. Out of the three remaining HD DVD supporters, Universal is not under contract and therefore can change to Blu-Ray at any time it wishes. Backing Blu-ray Disc on the manufacturer end has been Sony, Panasonic and Samsung, while HD DVD’s main supporters have been Toshiba, Microsoft and Intel. Toshiba responded to this news saying that it was “quite surprised” by the announcement from Warner “despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD.” This announcement shakes up the ongoing format war leaving many to believe that Blu Ray has bitched slapped HD DVD for the last time.

Click the image below for the full Warner Bros. press release.

Consumers have been waiting out these format wars leading to slowness in the market place on both HD DVD and Blu-Ray sales fronts. This being the predominant reason referenced by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group when making this shift in strategic vision. “A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner’s home entertainment group in a statement. A clear indication of Blu-Ray supremacy could lead to increased sales; higher sales would help electronics manufacturers increase production spelling decreased unit prices for consumers.

Happiness all around. In essence, the format war only seems to hurt the consumer who is generally confused at every turn. First confusion: buying an HD television. Second confusion: what type of DVD player to buy? I would be more than overjoyed by a nail in the HD DVD coffin and think this most recent announcement sends a clear message.

The tide seemed to turn for Blu-Ray after Sony embedded a Blu-Ray player in the Sony PS3 console. Even though sales of the PS3 were not to expectations, the PS3 has excelled as a distribution platform for Blu-Ray. While on the Microsoft end of things, the Xbox console offers a HD DVD player. As I sit in line for Bill Gates’ keynote at CES, there are no clear indicators whether Microsoft will continue to support the HD DVD technology in future iterations of the Xbox. (Note, no announcement regarding HD DVD inclusion in the Xbox was noted in the keynote).

We’ll just have to see how these things play out but on my end, I’ve got 5 on Blu-Ray.       The North American HD DVD Promotion Group cancelled its press conference last night at the Consumer Electronics Show after Time Warner announced plans to drop HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. A coalescing of major studios around one format is hoped to help boost slumping DVD sales. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aV8RN3ADIua4  1/5)

CES Buzz: WowWee Robots

After attending the pre-show press event, CES Unveiled, I left un-wowed for the most part. Most of the technology on display has been around the block a few thousand times over. Where is the innovation?

To quell the bitchy blogger in me, there was one point of interest that bears mention. The robot below, called the Tribot, is the successor to the RoboSapien. Unlike the RoboSapien, the Tribot is entirely autonomous. It can motor forward, back, side-side-side, as well as spin around. And oh yeah, our red pint-sized friend also tells jokes. If you tip him over, he responds, “I now see the world in a completely new perspective.” I know. I know. I can’t stop laughing either.

BROADCAST/CABLE

Media movers and shakers are joining tech execs at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, anxious to make sure digital-age markets will be their next major revenue stream. “The world is changing fast,” notes new Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes. (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/big-media-aims-public-likes/story.aspx?guid=%7BEFC4CE45%2D7C38%2D462F%2DAD86%2D4BD233994D90%7D  1/4)

A live broadcast of “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” from the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday will headline dozens of hours of NBC Universal coverage of the event. NBCU bloggers will contribute to a new site created for the show, nbcuatces.com. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8f66c9eda8828a44d9fba18a907e06c4  1/7) 

The Writers Guild of America is in talks with both the Weinstein Co. and United Artists, the indie production firm headed by actor Tom Cruise, about deals that would allow the movie studios to hire striking Hollywood scribes for their film projects. Writers have been off the job since Nov. 5. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/01062008/business/the_weinstein_co__in_talks_with_the_wga_115475.htm  1/6)

CBS’ “Early Show” is rolling out a new format with new anchor Maggie Rodriguez, taking the first step in a renewed effort to build a national profile and a bigger audience. CBS affiliates are being pressed to drop their local shows for the network’s “Early Show” re-do. (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6517379.html  1/6)

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Some U.S. government officials are starting to ask: Does Google have too much power? An unnamed Time Warner exec says: “I hope the government starts understanding [Google's] power.” Google chief Eric Schmidt responds: “What kills a company is not competition but arrogance.” (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/14/080114fa_fact_auletta  1/14)

News Corp.’s MySpace is positioning itself as a traditional content provider, assembling a vast range of television, music and film. “Professional content is a big focus for us,” says co-founder/CEO Chris DeWolfe. Meanwhile, rival Facebook is “more of a utility,” DeWolfe says. (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3134514.ece  1/5)

On Wednesday, msnbc.com will begin offering clips from “NBC Nightly News” and other NBC news programs as sharable embed codes. Taking a cue from YouTube, NBC News segments will be free to post on Web sites and blogs through a simple share embed button. (http://www.beet.tv/2008/01/exclusive-nbc-n.html  1/6)

 
NBC Universal’s “Access Hollywood” is revamping its Web site, aiming to take on Time Warner’s hit celebrity site, TMZ.com, with an NBC News standard of journalism. “There’s this insatiable thirst, this appetite for celebrity news,” observes blogger Perez Hilton. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/business/media/05celeb.html?_r=1&oref=slogin  1/5)

CNBC and the New York Times are teaming up to share material on their Web sites, uniting the main competitive targets of News Corp.’s new ventures, the Fox Business Network and the Wall Street Journal. No money will change hands in the CNBC-New York Times deal. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/business/media/07paper.html  1/7)

Online music download service Napster is expected to announce today that it will offer its entire catalog without integrated anti-copying software. CEO Chris Gorog said Napster will implement the new service sometime from April to June, as it is still negotiating with recording companies. (The Wall Street Journal (free content) 1/7)

WIRELESS

LG Electronics introduced at the International CES in Las Vegas on Sunday the Mobile Pedestrian Handheld prototypes capable of playing digital TV that it developed in conjunction with transmitter manufacturer Harris Corp. (Broadcasting & Cable 1/6, The Wall Street Journal 1/7)

Yahoo plans to open up its mobile platform so outside programmers can develop new applications that can be planted on its pages accessed on mobile handsets. Yahoo hopes the mini-applications will help attract more users so it can make more money from advertising. (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJjylg3irERF8b-luelgkxOXs6pQD8U0SD6G0  1/6)

GAMING

U.S. video game industry sales growth is expected to slow in 2008 as accelerated demand for software is tempered by a decline in hardware, says the Consumer Electronics Association. Now that all of the major consoles are established, software sales are expected to jump. (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0526213620080106  1/5)

Skype users will be able to make free phone calls over Sony’s PlayStation Portable platform, under an agreement the companies disclosed today. The deal also allows PSP owners to call fixed-line and cell phones by purchasing credits from Skype. (Financial Times (free content) 1/6)