Verizon FIOS will have set-top delivery of ALL Internet videos

Russell Shaw has an interesting post about Verizon planning to offer all video content to their customer's set-top boxes in just 12-18 months using the fiber network. If you recall, I analyzed Verizon's race to build out their fiber network, which I read about in a NYTimes article.

Teaser of Russell's post:

In a private note to several of his colleagues (including your truly) Dave Burstein of DSL Prime reports this morning he has found out that Verizon is about 12 to 18 months away from executing a plan to open the set-top box to all Internet video. This woud be done by means of Verizon FIOS, their broadband video service.

And by all Internet video, not just the video content provided by Verizon content partners, but all of it.

Hmmm. While Russell suggests that Internet video will be available, he doesn't give specifics how this would work. Will the set-top box feature a built-in web browser? Will it require a keyboard and mouse to navigate Internet video content on your TV and wouldn't this be a redux of the failed Microsoft WebTV (now MSN TV)? Or is Verizon planning instead to use a 4-way keypad on your typical TV set-top box remote control for content navigation? Plus using numbers 0-9 pressed multiple times to enter letters A-Z, which is a pain.

I would think that Verizon would have to partner with YouTube, Google Video, and other major video content players if they want to make it easy to navigate their Internet content simply using a 4-way keypad. They'd have to "skin" the web content in order to make it easily viewable and easily navigated from a remote control with no keyboard or mouse support.

Or perhaps, we will see a redux of the WebTV and similar devices, where future set-top boxes will have full keyboard/mouse support  to enable Internet access for accessing online video content, as well as checking email, chatting/IMing, etc. Of course, a wireless keyboard/mouse would be preferred for the best 10' experience. Maybe it will support USB cameras as well for 2-way videoconferencing and audioconferencing over IP (VoIP). It could use Bluetooth for the audio part, so you can answer VoIP/video calls on your TV using your favorite Bluetooth headset, such as the Plantronics 510-USB. Or since the set-top box is already connected to your home stereo system, you could pipe the caller's audio out your 5.1 surround sound speakers so you can have a headset-free, handset-free, speakerphone-type call in 3D surround sound!

Of course, then you'd need a really good echo canceller built into the set-top box, which will add to the unit cost of the set-top box. Still, a cool future concept. Not to mention cable companies typically charge you a maintenance fee on the set-top box, a remote control renting charge, etc. So I'm sure they could recoup their costs. So... ummm.. any takers? I can be a beta tester!

Anyway... Check out Russell's post...

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Tags: fiber, internet, verizon, video, video conferencing, voip
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Quickie Quiz: More TVs or More People?

OK, our Quickie Quiz for today is really very simple: Are there more television sets in the average American home than people?

What do you think?

The phone lines are open ...

(And many thanks to www.tvhistory.tv for the great image at left -- lots of great stuff, including photos of what was considered "state of the art" in its own time. 

(Oh, by the way, definitely worth at least a drop-by visit when you have couple of minutes during work or play.

(Oh, again, in case you didn't recognize it, that is a television set in the image ...)

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 25th, 2006 with no comments.
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Musician’s Friend: That’s What It Is

If you're a gadgeteer, then you may be a musician, too -- and vice versa.

With that in mind, my all time favorite place to pick up musical instruments and accessories is through Musician's Friend -- a great online store (but I love my local music stores, too, when you need to feel it, buy music or simply can't wait for something to be shipped).

Whether you're in the market for an acoustic or electric guitar, drums, electronics, stands, strings, you name it, Musician's Friend has great prices and ships fast -- like that combination! In fact, shipping is free on orders that are more than $99.

Tell 'em you heard it through us ...

www.musiciansfriend.com

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Tags: musical instruments, musician's friend
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on September 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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Burn Baby Burn: Downloadable Movies to DVD

Let's get the lawyers out of the way! According to a CEA SmartBrief report, a film industry group plans to remove some of the hurdles that have prevented the legal recording of movies onto blank DVDs -- a further sign that Hollywood studios are preparing to expand what consumers can do with downloadable movies.

Here's the details: Under rule changes expected to be finalized soon by the DVD Copy Control Association (DVDCCA), retailers could create movie jukebox kiosks with which customers can select a movie and burn it to a DVD on the spot. Also, online music sites, like iTunes, could start to allow video downloads to be transferred onto DVDs.

These impending changes involve the copy group's proprietary technology known as the Content Scramble System (CSS). The DVDCAA licenses the encryption technology to makers of DVD players and other electronics companies and applies it widely to movies on DVDs to restrict illegal copying.

Soon, licensing will expand to movies that are digitally distributed on demand or a la carte — and not just for movies that are mass produced on DVDs. The group also is working with disc makers to produce CSS-compatible blank DVDs.

This move would eliminate the problem of hardware and software compatibility, like faced by CinemaNow customers' whose downloaded movies sometimes don't play on standard DVD players.

For those of you who can't get enough of kiosk technology and future trends, there's actually a trade show next month -- the Self-Service & Kiosk Show -- in San Antonio, TX.

 

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Tags: cea smartbrief, cinemanow, content scramble system, dvd copy control association, itunes, movie jukebox kiosks
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on August 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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LT-2006 20″ TV and DVD player

No, that's not an iMac G5, but they sure look similar. OPPO Digital, Inc., a consumer electronics manufacturer, on August 1st will release the stylish and sexy LT-2007 20-inch LCD TV and DVD player combination wrapped in a fashionable translucent case.

The LT-2006 is great for television and movie watching in small spaces, such as the kitchen counter. The LT-2007 sports a high quality enhanced definition 20-inch flat-panel LCD TV with a slot-loading DVD player that is built directly into the base. It even plays DiVX files. The LT-2007 plays DVD-Video, DiVX, Audio CD, Kodak Picture CD and many other digital audio/video/picture formats, such as CD-R/CD-RW, DVD-R/DVD-RW, and DVD+R/DVD+RW.

It includes several input and output connections, including digital audio output, component video input and VGA. The LT-2007 can be connected to a surround sound home theater system, a PC, a cable box, or a satellite receiver.

“The LT-2007 features one of the highest pixel resolutions for its size combined with a striking DVD player, all packaged as pure eye-candy for entertainment aficionados,” stated Nathaniel Plain, Manager of Technical Service at OPPO Digital.  “With its convenient adjustable base, the LT-2007 is right at home whether watching TV,  DVDs, playing the latest video games, or displaying precious family photos through the built in flash card reader, it is ideal anywhere.”

It also has a built-in 181-channel NTSC tuner with automatic station searching and fine tuning.  Additionally, digital 3D comb filters deliver stunning color reproduction and enhanced picture resolution and sharpness.  Convenience features incude last channel recall, sleep timer, headphone jack and a cradle for the remote control.

Available from OPPO Digital and authorized resellers for $599.00. 

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Tags: divx, dvd, lt-2007, oppo digital, television, tv
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Sony Brand Is Tops (No Baloney)

Don't know how many of you remember Sony's advertising with "Sony. No Baloney" as the tag line?

Don't know how many of you remember when Sony had it's headquarters in the warehouses of Queens, rather than a swanky building in NYC?

Anyway, while the company has taken hits on many fronts over the past few years, one thing remains intact -- the power of the Sony brand.

According to a recent Harris Poll reported in MarketWatch, the Sony brand was the top brand in the minds of U.S. consumers -- for the seventh consecutive year!

Dell was second, and electronics products (what they really meant were "gadgets") were represented in half of the top 10 positions.

www.marketwatch.com

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Tags: branding, dell, harris poll, marketwatch, sony
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WiJET.e gadget streams DVD video over WiFi

The new WiJET.e from Pegasus Wireless Corporation is a cool new wireless video streaming gadget that can connect to your home entertainment system and stream 5.1 surround sound audio and high definition video (up to 2048 x 1536) in real time to any display in the home. Think of it like a Slingbox, except it was specifically designed for high-quality video on your LAN where as Slingbox was designed for streaming over the Internet.

Not only can the WiJET.e be used to make wireless presentations and play movies wirelessly, it is also a feature rich media gateway, wireless access point as well as an Internet appliance.

The WiJET.e is 802.11a/b/g compliant and features all of the existing functions now supported by our existing WiJET products, but it is also capable of playing any DVD movie (MPEG 2), VCD, plus many of today's popular media formats including MP3 music, DivX, and MPEG 4.

FEATURES

Wirelessly replicates PC screen to multiple remote displays.

Wirelessly streams video and audio from PC to remote displays and receivers/speakers

Supports wireless direct DVD playback (>10Mbps) with full navigation control feature

Supports Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

Resolution support up to 2048 x 1536

Supports 802.11 a/b/g

Configurable as wireless AP or Infrastructure Station

Supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 wireless security in both AP and Station mode

Supports Dual Monitor function

Supports Moderator function

Supports Automatic Script function

Local mode supports: Internet access, web browsing

Local video and audio playback from USB storage devices

Supports lR remote control, controllable from PC or directly through WiJET.e

Audio-Visual formats supported:

DVD

VCD

Audio CD

AVI

MOV

ASF

WAV

Video Codecs supported:

MPEG 1/2

MPEG 4

DivX

WMV

Sorensen

Audio Codecs supported:

WMA

PCM

ADPCM

AC3

MP3

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Tags: 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.1b, dvd, entertainment, slingbox, streaming, wifi, wijet.e
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 20th, 2006 with no comments.
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MovieLink offers DVD downloads

Movie download service Movielink announced that it has licensed technology from Sonic Solutions to allow consumers to download a movie and burn it onto a DVD for use in standard DVD players. This is a huge move since before MovieLink required that you play its downloaded movies only on PCs since they used DRM (digital rights management) to ensure that only the PC you downloaded the movie could play it - plus up to 2 other PCs.

If you recall, back in April, I wrote about MovieLink's movie download service and said this:

The films available on Movielink can be stored indefinitely on a computer hard drive or transferred to as many as two other computers. A copy can be burned to a DVD as a backup, however these DVD discs can only be played on up three PCs authorized by Movielink - they cannot be viewed on a standard DVD player because of special security encryption. Studios are being extra cautious about selling films online in part because DVD sales produce more profit than theater box office receipts. Still, this could be a deal breaker for many users that don't have a PC hooked up to their large-screen TVs. Who wants to watch a DVD on a teensy 17" or even 21" PC monitor?

Further, I stated back in April - "If Hollywood makes it easy for users to download and play movies on their television, they could make a killing. Just look at what Apple iTunes did after everybody said that no one would pay for music in the "Napster age". Apple proved them wrong. Hollywood could do the same if they make the user experience as easy and simple as Apple did." Ironically, the example I gave - Apple iTunes - is now rumored will offer movie rental downloads. (with DRM embedded, but of course! )

Well, thank goodness Hollywood has finally gotten its act together and plans to allow users to burn to a standard DVD playable on any DVD player using MovieLink.  I should point out that the download-to-burn service won't be available until the company obtains a license for DVD encrypting technology later this year. "We are hopeful this gets into the market in a big way in the next six months or so," Jim Ramo, MovieLink chief executive said.

According to Reuters, only a portion of Movielink's 1,500-title library will be available for download-to-burn until Movielink clears those rights with its studio investors, Ramo said.

However, as I previously stated, this is a momentous change for Hollywood since until now, the major movie studios have been very hesitant to allower consumers to download DVDs over the Internet since it opens the door to increased piracy. In addition, downloaded content is usually much less expensive than the retail DVD copy, so the enticement for fraud and financial loss is potentially greater. Simply pay $3 to download the movie, burn to a DVD, then copy the DVD using a ripper such as DVDFab Decryptor. It copies the entire DVD movie to the hard disk and removes all the protections (CSS, RC, RCE, APS, UOPs and Sony ARccOS) while copying. AnyDVD is another popular ripper. Compare $3 vs. $25 for a retail DVD and you can understand the movie studios concern. Retail DVDs still have a huge markup even with the distribution, packaging, and retail costs. Maybe if they used less of that stupid security tape that is damn near impossible to remove from the DVD box, they'd increase their profit margin even more.

With this announcement. Movielink is the first major download service to offer download-to-burn DVD for use in both personal computers and standard DVD players connected to television sets.

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Tags: apple, digital rights management, downloads, dvd, movielink, movies
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 18th, 2006 with no comments.
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NFL On Dish: SD & HD

This might seem a bit early to be too excited about, but if you're a lover of pro football, does the season ever end?

EchoStar and the the NFL Network recently announced a multi-year extension to bring many new advanced features to customers of EchoStar’s DISH Network satellite TV service.

These features include availability on DISH Network’s America’s Top 60; 168 games televised nationally, including NFL Network’s regular season primetime game package debuting this Thanksgiving; and full-time carriage of NFL Network’s High Definition feed.

Beginning today, the NFL Network will be available to DISH Network customers on Channel 154 on the America’s Top 60 package or above. Additionally, DISH Network will televise NFL Network’s regular season primetime games nationally on both Standard Definition and High Definition feeds.

If that's not enough, with NFL Network’s exclusive access into key league events, football fans will have access to nearly 2,000 original hours of programming on NFL Network.

www.dishnetwork.com

www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/home

 

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Tags: dish network, echostar, high definition, nfl network, pro football
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on July 13th, 2006 with no comments.
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Millennials Rule!

Not too surprising to find out that no other group of consumers will have as profound an impact on the media business over the next 10 years as the "Millennial Generation," today's 9- to 28-year-olds. (This from Frank Magid, president and CEO of Frank M. Magid Associates, at the annual Promax conference in New York City.)

Today, this group numbers 79 million, one million more than the Baby Boomers in this country, and have grown up using multiple media platforms at the same time. Millennials consume 20 hours of media a day, but that is all done within 7 hours of clock time.

(As any parent who has seen their kids emailing, IMing, iPoding, watching TV and doing their homework at the same time will easy know.)

All of this will affect the future opportunities that we all will have to consume media (do we ever get too full?)

www.mediaweek.com

For more on Millennials, head to www.millennialsrising.com.

 

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Tags: baby boomers, frank magid, millennial generation, promax
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 30th, 2006 with no comments.
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Your Personal Remote Control (Click) Arrives Today!

Don't know why I'm so excited about this movie, but Click finally opens today in a movie theater near you. 

(Also don't believe I'm actually going to see it this afternoon as part of a birthday party celebration.)

Here's the plot summary (courtesy of Moviefone -- can't believe it's actually now AOL Moviefone ...):

Click focuses on a workaholic architect, Michael Newman, (Adam Sandler) who discovers a universal remote control which allows him to fast-forward and rewind through different parts of his life.

However, when the remote begins overriding his choices, life goes from calm to chaos overnight.

Will the funny scenes be:

• Husband controlling wife
• Husband controlling kid/s
• Husband controlling pet (my guess is a dog)
• None of the above

In parting, two final thoughts:

• If you see it too, please vote ...
• And if you had a remote control for your life, would you ever get off of the couch?

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Tags: adam sandler, click, moviefone, universal remote control
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 23rd, 2006 with no comments.
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FIFA World Cup 2006 Online: Read (and See) All About It!

Just in case anybody has been too wrapped up in the NBA Finals to pay attention (did anyone really stay up late to watch all the games?) the real universal sporting event -- football aka soccer -- is taking place in Germany.

To catch up on all of the action of the FIFA World Cup 2006, don't miss the official site (from Yahoo!) at http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/splash.html.

You will be joining 5 million or so other fans who visited the site on opening day.

And don't forget tomorrow's crucial U.S. match! We need the points!

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Tags: fifa world cup 2006, nba finals, yahoo!
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 21st, 2006 with no comments.
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Pace Micro Technology Miami DC757 HD set-top box

Pace Micro Technology, a leading digital set-top box provider specializing in the development of emerging technologies across all television platforms, today announced its latest all-digital set-top box - the Miami DC757 HD, which will be demonstrated at the upcoming Society of Cable Television Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, June 21-23, at Exhibit #1372. 

According to their news release, this cost-effective, all-digital high definition (HD) box uses the latest generation integrated silicon, supports legacy applications, DSG (DOCSIS 2.0 Set-Top Gateway), CableCARD for conditional access by other devices (i.e. PC),  and the latest in EPG and VOD applications. The Miami box has extensive connectivity options - including HDMI, RF and everything in between to provide secure, high-performance digital audio and video links. 

Miami also supports 1394 5C protected interface, boasts best-in-class processing speed and memory capacity and comprehensive connectivity options for easy installation into even the most complex home theatre systems.  Pace expects to present Miami to CableLabs for certification during the fourth quarter of this year.

Pace Micro Technology Americas' Director of Product Management Matt Grabham pointed out, "Our Miami box is a feature-rich, cost-effective, all-digital HD box.  With its unsurpassed connectivity and high-definition picture quality, Miami is a perfect match for any HDTV within the home."

"Miami's latest-generation integrated silicon allows use of the internal cable modem for home Internet access as well as signaling to the box, giving operators and consumers more 'bang for the buck'," he added.

Pace is the leading second source cable set-top box provider in the U.S. With a wide range of products to support both North American cable network types, Pace has built a family of products that incorporate innovative, low-cost designs and give U.S. cable operators diversity and choice in set-top box design, features and capabilities. Pace has established itself as a technology partner within the cable industry and continues to grow products in line with the most current technical advances.  Pace has set-top box solutions that incorporate technologies to support OCAP, digital simulcast and removable conditional access.

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Tags: hd, hdtv, pace micro technology, set-top box, tv
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 19th, 2006 with no comments.
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Nielsen wants to track everything you watch

Nielsen wants to expand upon their TV tracking into the Web realm and even your iPod to track what video content you watch. According to this MSNBC article, "Nielsen Media Research said Wednesday it plans to integrate TV with Internet ratings and to measure viewership for such portable devices as cell phones and iPods." It states that Nielsen is developing "meters" that track viewing on portable devices, and will by year's end have a 400-member iPod user panel in place.

While I applaud Nielsen for trying to expand their repertoire of user habits & tracking, which aids in reporting for content providers and gives advertisers an audited way of knowing readership, I am a bit skeptical over Nielsen tracking user's Web surfing habits or what videos they watch on their iPods. Isn't this known as "spyware"?

Continue reading Nielsen wants to track everything you watch...

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Tags: fox news, ipod, nielsen, spyware, tv, video content, videos
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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on June 16th, 2006 with no comments.
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Broadband Access at 17%: Where Is Everyone Else?

Amid all of the noise about the broadcast networks trying to sell their new fall programs to advertisers in a process that has become known as "upfronts" and the future of the 30- and 60-second commercial, the Washington Post slipped in an interesting factoid: "that 17 percent of all households -- and most workplaces -- are equipped with high-speed Internet access."

Is everybody else on dial-up? What are these people doing? Do you think it has anything to do with cost?

Check out the whole article on the Washington Post web site; the direct link is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901712.html

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Tags: broadband access, washington post

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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The Magic Four-Letter Word for VOD: Free

CBS's new video-on-demand deal with Comcast and General Motors ushers in a new, compelling concept in video on demand: digital cable subscribers can receive prime time TV shows for free.

Starting today, cable viewers in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Detroit will be able to watch “Survivor Finale” and “Survivor Reunion” at no charge because General Motors will be the sole sponsor.

The shows, which will include commercials, will appear on video on demand a day after they air over broadcast TV, and run until August 31. 

Earlier this year, CBS offered such prime time shows as “Amazing Race” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” through Comcast's VOD for 99 cents each.

 

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Tags: amazing race, cbs, comcast, csi: crime scene investigation, general motors, survivor finale, survivor reunion, video on demand, vod

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 15th, 2006 with no comments.
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IBM @ Home (The Digital Home, That Is)

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's vice president of technical strategy and innovation, has been one of the company’s foremost thinkers regarding Internet strategy and emerging technologies. Among other things, he has led IBM's work on Linux and managed services, aka "On Demand" computing.

He recenlty spoke with Digital Connect’s Heather Clancy about how IBM's work on the next-generation Internet will bring the venerable business technology powerhouse into the burgeoning digital home market. A fascinating interview -- don't miss it! at this link.

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Tags: digital connect, digital home, heather clancy, ibm, irving wladawsky-berger, next-generation internet

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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Robot Dog: New Fido on Its Way!

The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) SmartBrief newsletter is always full of interesting items.

Here’s one for your: Sony has discontinued AIBO, its robot pooch, but South Korea's DasaTech's Genibo, an LED-eyed robot dog, may be on the market sometime next year.

For the full story, log onto PC Magazine.

To subscribe to the CEA SmartBrief, visit www.smartbrief.com.

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Tags: aibo, cea smartbrief, dasatech, genibo, pc magazine, robot dog, sony

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 4th, 2006 with no comments.
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I Want My Karaoke Channel!

Forget American Idol! -- now here’s something really important.

Interactive Television Networks, a leader in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), recently announced the launch of The Karaoke Channel -- the first IPTV karaoke channel. A product of a three-year agreement between ITVN and Sound Choice, the leading karaoke music producer in the U.S., the 24/7 channel will feature thousands of individual song titles from Sound Choice, with titles spanning more than 100 years of music and including the biggest hits from every genre.

Get your vocal chords warmed up – it will be available in June.

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Tags: american idol!, interactive television networks, iptv, the karaoke channel

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Life After Mickey: Eisner Goes Veoh

It's not a bad life when you're post-CEO.

Much ado yesterday about Michael Eisner, the former Walt Disney CEO, has joined the board of Veoh Networks, a Web-based distributor of video and TV programming. Eisner also teamed with Time Warner and venture-capital firm Spark Capital to invest $12.5 million in broadband TV startuo.

Check out the site at www.veoh.com and let me know if that looks like a smart investment ...

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Tags: michael eisner, spark capital, veoh networks, walt disney, warner brothers, web-based video and tv

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 19th, 2006 with no comments.
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New Orleans Jazzfest: Streaming on MSN

Strreaming media is hot!

Apparently besting other streamers, MSN announced it plans to stream live and on-demand coverage of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on the consecutive weekends of April 28-30 and May 5-7. Scheduled performers include Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffet, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, and Ani DiFranco.

According to Adotas.com ("where interactive advertising begins"), MSN plans to only cover a number of center-stage, “anchor” performances, as the event spans a big area of the city and includes many lesser-known acts. The festival, which has been a part of New Orleans’ cultural heritage since the 1970’s, is especially important and attention-grabbing this year because it will help revitalize the city’s devastated economy and tourism in the wake of last year’s hurricanes. This plan is part of an ongoing expansion of MSN’s entertainment coverage and sponsorship offerings for advertisers.

The top-three portal streamed video of the Live 8 concert last July, as well as the “Jam Rock” Bob Marley festival held this past February. Though they plan to incorporate some of their advertising partners into their exclusive sponsorship of the event, MSN had no specific brands to mention at time of press.

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Tags: adotas.com, ani defranco, bob dylan, dave matthews band, fats domino, jimmy buffett, msn, new orleans jazz and heritage festival, paul simon, streaming media

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 17th, 2006 with no comments.
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Today’s Answer: Disney Shows Now Available Free on the Web

Congratulations to all of those who correctly guessed that the 10 shows in the Tuesday blog were Disney shows now available for free download on the web.

No one knew that I Wanna Be a Soap Star III is actually on Soapnet ...

What see what happens next in the wild world of streaming video!

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 14th, 2006 with no comments.
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Sony offers Camcorder Trade-Up Program

Sony announced a camcorder trade-up program.  According to Sony, "You can trade in that old camcorder, help the environment, and receive Sony credit. Use the credit for a brand new Sony camcorder purchased online at SonyStyle.com. They have an online estimator to get your estimated trade-up value. I have an old HI-8 myself, which I rarely used, but now with a baby imminent, I'm sure I'll be breaking out the camcorder. At which point, my penchant for wanting to have the latest and greatest gadgets will kick in and I'll buy a digital camcorder with direct to DVD burning. Though, I have to research this "direct to DVD burning" technology. Just seems unreliable to have a camcorder using a laser to burn to a spinning DVD while you are moving the camera. Maybe they have some high-tech Star Trek stabilizers to counteract movement and gravitational displacement in these new fandangled camcorders? Here's some sample trade-in pricing.

 

Camcorder Type Typical Value for Range for other Mfgs Typical Value for Sony Products     VHS & VHS-C $0 - $50 -   8mm and HI-8 $0 - $50 $25 - $100   Digital-8 $50 - $150 $75 - $200   MiniDV $50 - $1000 $75 - $1000   MicroMV - $250 - $600   MD - $250 - $350   DVD $125 - $350 $125 - $400

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Tags: camcorder, digital video, dvd, sony

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 12th, 2006 with no comments.
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Today’s Quiz: What Do These Shows Have in Common?

Lef me ask you again: What do these 10 TV shows have in common?

• Alias
• Commander in Chief
• Desperate Housewives
• I Wanna Be a Soap Star III
• Kim Possible
• Lost
• Power Rangers
• The Suite Live of Zack & Cody
• Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
• That's So Raven

Tune in tomorrow for the answer!

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Tags: alias, commander in chief, desperate housewives, i wanna be a soap star iii, kim possible, lost, power rangers, super robot monkey team hyperforce go!, that's so raven, the suite life of zack & cody

Comments on this Entry:

(Tom on Apr 11, 2006 5:56 PM) My guess: They are all Disney and ABC productions. I believe they will be available for download starting today. Good guess?

(Ted Wallingford on Apr 11, 2006 10:06 PM) They all have a Cisco 7960 IP phone featured in a foreground/background subject shot that lasts three or four seconds too long for comfort?

Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on April 11th, 2006 with no comments.
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Disney Goes Streaming Crazy on the Web

We ended last week with Disney news, and now we start this week with Disney news. Much chatter today (how about front page of the Wall Street Journal!) about Disney's plans to offer its TV shows free on the web. (More streaming video!)

Seems that top shows from the Disney Channel and ABC Family, like Desperate Housewives and Lost, will now be streaming to all kinds of other screens the day after these shows are broadcast. The good news -- the magic four letter word -- is that these shows are free, but the bad news -- you can't skip the commercials (sure someone will quickly find a way around that).

Seems like this was how TV was when it first started -- you watch for free, but you must watch the commercials (or at least you have the chance to watch -- or not watch them.)

Let's see what the industry response will be tomorrow ...

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Tags: abc family, desperate housewives, disney, disney channel, lost, streaming video

Written by Tom Keating on April 10th, 2006 with no comments.
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NAB: Broadcasters Get Together To See the Future

Later this month, I'll be heading to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention in (where else?) Las Vegas.

The NAB is the annual convention where all of the world's top broadcasters get together to see the latest gear in production and post-production gear (cameras, monitors software, storage, etc) to create all of the shows we see on TV, cable, via satellite (and now on much smaller screens, too, like cell phones). It's a huge show.

File-based workflow is big as