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Fedtec today announced the launch of a 'Global Tender Program'
Added : (Mon Feb 24 2003)
Fedtec today announced the launch of a 'Global Tender Program' to market its DivX ® certified reference designs of next generation portable video players based on Texas Instruments TMS320DMxx platform. The objective of the Program is to enable consumer electronics manufacturers worldwide to license at optimum cost a ready-to-manufacture reference design including Hardware, Software and Industrial Design, with modular and optional customisation in display, power/battery, network, storage and housing.
In order to offer the lowest cost bill-of-material option to the OEMs, Fedtec invites vendors/manufacturers to participate in this Global Tender Program for various components/parts/modules of the reference design, particularly with regard to display, battery and storage. If selected by Fedtec and/or OEM, as part of the reference design/final product, the vendor/manufacturer shall finalize business terms directly with the OEM, based on mutual interests. The criterion for selection will take into account product quality, global availability and reliability apart from pricing.
"Based on the tremendous response from our prospects, we plan to license manufacture of a minimum of 500K units of portable video players across Tier-I/II manufacturers, in the first year", said Rathan Kumar, Chairman & CEO of Fedtec. "Fedtec would create reference designs for fully DivX Certified portable video players scheduled to hit the market mid 2003."
"We're excited to work closely with Fedtec as they bring DivX Certified reference designs to key consumer electronics manufacturers around the world," said Shahi Ghanem, President and COO of DivXNetworks, Inc. "There is an enormous global demand from both consumers and manufacturers for DivX powered devices. Fedtec is an ideal partner to help us meet this demand by bringing high-powered and fully-certified DivX reference designs to market in a timely manner."
About Fedtec: Federal Technologies Limited (Fedtec) is a design house in streaming media technologies for creation, delivery, reception, storage, management and presentation of multimedia content over a wide spectrum of embedded multimedia products. Having contributed significantly to the consumer electronic OEM's in APAC with reference designs in set-top technologies, Fedtec's current design focus include portable/handheld multimedia recorders, multi-mode cameras, videophones, video security and surveillance systems apart from residential gateway products and solutions. Fedtec's core value comes from its ability to leverage speech, audio, image and video standards compliant software (encoder/decoder) suites, streaming, communication, network and internet access protocols and engines together with system design expertise to deliver 'ready-to-manufacture solutions' and/or modules, with warranty & support to manufacturers, pre/post production. For more information, visit http://www.fedtec.com
About DivXNetworks: DivXNetworks Inc., is a consumer-focused video technology company positioned at the center of multimedia convergence. The company's core offering is the DivX ™ video codec, the world's most popular MPEG-4 compatible video compression technology with over 75 million users worldwide. Often called "the MP3 of video," the patent-pending DivX video technology offers DVD-quality at 10 times greater compression than MPEG-2 files, enabling full length films to easily fit on a CD or be delivered over broadband connections. DivX video technology powers a range of applications that span the convergence value chain, from a secure IP-based video-on-demand solution to next-generation consumer electronics products and video software applications. For more information, visit http://www.divxnetworks.com
Submitted by: Santosh Kumar
Battling Piracy: Business Students Suggest If You Can't Beat Them, Do It Better
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 25-02-2003 --
Recording and movie publishers cannot defeat Internet intellectual property theft by peer-to-peer networks such as KaZaA and other Napster successors, but they can beat them at their own game. Business students from around the globe who took part in a contest examining the entertainment industry's piracy crisis suggest fighting back with marketing mechanisms that offer greater personalization and convenience.
Eighty business undergraduates representing 20 top schools from 13 countries and four continents competed at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business as part of the sixth annual Marshall International Case Competition, held February 19-22.
Their challenge: to argue new business models the entertainment industry can use to manage copyrighted works profitably and curb piracy in the new era of the Internet and other digital technologies.
Motion Picture Association co-COO and Executive VP William Murray led a panel of 24 judges comprised of consultants, attorneys and media executives, as well as business, law and communication scholars.
Nearly every team concluded that media publishers needed to break with traditional business models, embrace the new technologies and recognize that consumers want to customize the content they access. They recommended the industry ally and focus efforts on producing higher quality, more differentiated products to migrate consumers away from the often problematic, peer-to-peer networks.
Pennsylvania State University edged out other teams to win the Marshall Cup. Joel Frisch, Andrew Shingle, Jeff Drobish and Heather McGinnis urged building better customer relationships through enhanced content -- emphasizing extra features, product tie-ins and loyalty programs that leverage the collective power of copyright holders.
The common argument: people will pay for something they would otherwise get for free if it were delivered fast, securely and with added value. Penn State students used the example of consumer willingness to pay for pricey bottled water and Starbucks coffee.
Another recommendation suggested bundling anti-piracy software with anti-virus and security enhancing programs.
The undergraduate business program at USC's Marshall School, under Associate Dean Douglas Andrews, produced the four-day Marshall International Case Competition. Schools were invited to participate and the event's topic kept secret until all teams were assembled in Los Angeles to avoid an unfair advantage.
As developed and supervised by USC management professor Michael Coombs, the case cast students as consultants to a fictitious media company seeking to combat declining CD sales and to protect the illegal distribution of software and media assets in global markets.
The digital piracy challenge was disclosed to participants on Friday, Feb. 22. Students had 24 hours to review materials provided, develop recommendations, and hone presentations to judges acting as the company's senior management.
Teams from the University of Texas at Austin, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) and Indiana University took first-, second- and third-place runners-up, respectively.
Chinese University of Hong Kong, College of Management (Israel), Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico), McGill University (Canada), National University of Singapore, Thammasat University (Thailand), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez (Chile), Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Italy), University of Melbourne (Australia) and Yonsei University (South Korea) were among the participating international schools.
Other U.S. business schools represented were Carnegie Mellon, New York University Stern School of Business, UC-Berkeley Haas School of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School.
"This was a particularly timely topic, on with which the undergraduates have a great deal of experience. Their recommendations provided interesting insights for any business using digital media," said Professor Coombs.
The USC Marshall School of Business undergraduate competition is the largest of its kind in the world, each year tackling a global issue of import to international business. The NASDAQ Educational Foundation and CIBEAR (Center for International Business Education and Research) sponsored this year's event.
Launch of Carnie Digital, a Legal Music Download Site Using EM3, Answers Industry's Needs
Tuesday February 25, 12:11 pm ET
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- "Good night. We've made it to the end." So ended Sunday night's broadcast of the 2003 Grammy Awards. But is this really the end? Ask any music industry executive and he'll be sure not to tell you. But given the current state of the music industry, the sky is falling. Revenues are down 16% over the past two years. 2002 Marked the first time that sales of blank CDs exceeded the sales of recorded CDs.
We have the answer.
W.A.M. Management Inc. is proud to announce the launch of carniedigital.com! Tuesday, March 3 we open our doors to artists and music lovers alike. This new and innovative website offers solutions to the problems that are currently facing the music industry. Our new encrypted EM3 files will ensure artists and labels maximum protection against music piracy while simultaneously providing fans with convenient, safe, high quality, and legal music downloads.
What is Carnie Digital?
Safe, fast and legal, carniedigital.com is essentially an online music store. However, instead of selling music in traditional forms such as CDs and Cassettes, we sell music in the "virtual" format of downloadable EM3 files (encrypted music files similar to MP3s). We feel strongly that artists be compensated for their work. This is why we are paying artists an unprecedented 70% of the net proceeds generated from each download. Simply put, this is the best rate of compensation currently offered on the web.
Fans will find the website very user friendly. Many problems common to other music download sites have been eliminated.
We at Carnie Digital are also deeply committed to nurturing the musicians of tomorrow, and we will be donating 5% of net proceeds to children's music charities.
What is an EM3?
EM3 offers the best of today's technology; the protection of Microsoft's DRM encryption; the flexibility of traditional MP3's; the speed of Peer-to- Peer downloads; complete sales tracking; playability in any of today's top media players and portable devices; and smaller file size than MP3 while containing full CD Audio quality. Encrypted, safe, fast and flexible, EM3s are the future of digital music and an ideal and logical solution to the problem of music piracy. http://www.carniedigital.com
This release was issued by Send2Press(TM), a unit of Neotrope®. Offering small business news distribution and press release writing since 1983. www.send2press.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: W.A.M. Management Inc.
Launch of Carnie Digital, a Legal Music Download Site Using EM3, Answers Industry's Needs
Tuesday February 25, 12:11 pm ET
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- "Good night. We've made it to the end." So ended Sunday night's broadcast of the 2003 Grammy Awards. But is this really the end? Ask any music industry executive and he'll be sure not to tell you. But given the current state of the music industry, the sky is falling. Revenues are down 16% over the past two years. 2002 Marked the first time that sales of blank CDs exceeded the sales of recorded CDs.
We have the answer.
W.A.M. Management Inc. is proud to announce the launch of carniedigital.com! Tuesday, March 3 we open our doors to artists and music lovers alike. This new and innovative website offers solutions to the problems that are currently facing the music industry. Our new encrypted EM3 files will ensure artists and labels maximum protection against music piracy while simultaneously providing fans with convenient, safe, high quality, and legal music downloads.
What is Carnie Digital?
Safe, fast and legal, carniedigital.com is essentially an online music store. However, instead of selling music in traditional forms such as CDs and Cassettes, we sell music in the "virtual" format of downloadable EM3 files (encrypted music files similar to MP3s). We feel strongly that artists be compensated for their work. This is why we are paying artists an unprecedented 70% of the net proceeds generated from each download. Simply put, this is the best rate of compensation currently offered on the web.
Fans will find the website very user friendly. Many problems common to other music download sites have been eliminated.
We at Carnie Digital are also deeply committed to nurturing the musicians of tomorrow, and we will be donating 5% of net proceeds to children's music charities.
What is an EM3?
EM3 offers the best of today's technology; the protection of Microsoft's DRM encryption; the flexibility of traditional MP3's; the speed of Peer-to- Peer downloads; complete sales tracking; playability in any of today's top media players and portable devices; and smaller file size than MP3 while containing full CD Audio quality. Encrypted, safe, fast and flexible, EM3s are the future of digital music and an ideal and logical solution to the problem of music piracy. http://www.carniedigital.com
This release was issued by Send2Press(TM), a unit of Neotrope®. Offering small business news distribution and press release writing since 1983. www.send2press.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: W.A.M. Management Inc.
Joyride car system is moody 'beast'
Mark Kellner
Can you — should you — trust a Microsoft operating system to run your car stereo? What if it promised voice commands, navigation to your appointments and perhaps even more?
That is the premise behind Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive, the operating system version that the software behemoth is advocating for in-car systems.
Since November, I've tested what appears to be the only commercial, after-market iteration of what was once called the "AutoPC," the Clarion Joyride, made by Clarion Corp. and sold through a small network of dealers. Yes, Clarion car audio products can be found widely, but not every Clarion dealer can handle this product.
As billed, the Joyride provides almost all things to all people: According to the firm's Web site, you get an "AM/FM ... Tuner, a DVD Video Player, a CD Audio Player, an MP3 decoder for either CD-R recorded MP3 or MP3 files loaded on a Compact Flash Card, built-in Dolby Digital and DTS Audio Decoders for 5.1 channel audio, true dual zone capability, CD Changer Control, an Address Book function, and an optional navigation package."
Thanks to extraordinary efforts by Microsoft — Clarion, initially, didn't want to cooperate with the review, though the firm later proved crucial in helping with a support issue — the Joyride was installed in a vehicle well worthy of such hardware: Hyundai Motor Co.'s Santa Fe sport utility vehicle. This vehicle, which I've used now for quite some time and have driven across the country recently, is a stunning example of how good technology can work: From the electronics systems to heated seats (very useful in the recent snowstorms), the Santa Fe's performance has been superb.
It's also just the kind of vehicle that could benefit from an after-market product, such as the Joyride. Hyundai's supplied stereo system is excellent, but "extras" such as a CD changer, a large LCD screen and navigational tools were not options when the Santa Fe was delivered.
Installation was handled in the Los Angeles area by a firm noted for its custom audio work, Audio Options of Torrance. These people are professionals whose work is often seen at auto and electronics shows. Having such experience is crucial when hooking up a system that includes a Gyroscope, GPS signal transmitter/receiver, the aforementioned LCD and other components, including a 6-CD changer.
With installation and retail pricing, it's safe to figure a $4,000 price tag for such a setup. Is the price worth it?
At present, I'd have to say no. Where the original "AutoPC," announced in the late 1990s and demonstrated for me at the 2000 Winter CES show in Las Vegas, was supposed to be an extension of a desktop computer or a Microsoft Pocket PC, transferring schedule, e-mails and addresses from handheld to dashboard, including a built-in cell phone for hands-free calling and perhaps e-mail, the devolution to a multimedia product with navigation on the side is disappointing.
A user's most important Joyride accessory, I found out, is a paper clip, bent to use one edge on the Joyride's reset button. Every few days, I would have to reset the system because "something" — I could never tell just what — would knock it out of whack, producing only an ear-splitting screech best suited for use against recalcitrant dictators.
One reset and I was on my way, that is, until one time when I managed to wipe out the entire operating software for the device. To its credit, a Clarion staffer was kind enough to bring a replacement CD overnight that got the system going again, after five days of silent commutes. However, this "wipeout" was not my only issue with the Joyride. The product is a temperamental beast, and it might give even the most dedicated car audiophile pause.
Joyride car system is moody 'beast'
February 25, 2003
ON COMPUTERS
Mark Kellner
Can you — should you — trust a Microsoft operating system to run your car stereo? What if it promised voice commands, navigation to your appointments and perhaps even more?
That is the premise behind Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive, the operating system version that the software behemoth is advocating for in-car systems.
Since November, I've tested what appears to be the only commercial, after-market iteration of what was once called the "AutoPC," the Clarion Joyride, made by Clarion Corp. and sold through a small network of dealers. Yes, Clarion car audio products can be found widely, but not every Clarion dealer can handle this product.
As billed, the Joyride provides almost all things to all people: According to the firm's Web site, you get an "AM/FM ... Tuner, a DVD Video Player, a CD Audio Player, an MP3 decoder for either CD-R recorded MP3 or MP3 files loaded on a Compact Flash Card, built-in Dolby Digital and DTS Audio Decoders for 5.1 channel audio, true dual zone capability, CD Changer Control, an Address Book function, and an optional navigation package."
Thanks to extraordinary efforts by Microsoft — Clarion, initially, didn't want to cooperate with the review, though the firm later proved crucial in helping with a support issue — the Joyride was installed in a vehicle well worthy of such hardware: Hyundai Motor Co.'s Santa Fe sport utility vehicle. This vehicle, which I've used now for quite some time and have driven across the country recently, is a stunning example of how good technology can work: From the electronics systems to heated seats (very useful in the recent snowstorms), the Santa Fe's performance has been superb.
It's also just the kind of vehicle that could benefit from an after-market product, such as the Joyride. Hyundai's supplied stereo system is excellent, but "extras" such as a CD changer, a large LCD screen and navigational tools were not options when the Santa Fe was delivered.
Installation was handled in the Los Angeles area by a firm noted for its custom audio work, Audio Options of Torrance. These people are professionals whose work is often seen at auto and electronics shows. Having such experience is crucial when hooking up a system that includes a Gyroscope, GPS signal transmitter/receiver, the aforementioned LCD and other components, including a 6-CD changer.
With installation and retail pricing, it's safe to figure a $4,000 price tag for such a setup. Is the price worth it?
At present, I'd have to say no. Where the original "AutoPC," announced in the late 1990s and demonstrated for me at the 2000 Winter CES show in Las Vegas, was supposed to be an extension of a desktop computer or a Microsoft Pocket PC, transferring schedule, e-mails and addresses from handheld to dashboard, including a built-in cell phone for hands-free calling and perhaps e-mail, the devolution to a multimedia product with navigation on the side is disappointing.
A user's most important Joyride accessory, I found out, is a paper clip, bent to use one edge on the Joyride's reset button. Every few days, I would have to reset the system because "something" — I could never tell just what — would knock it out of whack, producing only an ear-splitting screech best suited for use against recalcitrant dictators.
One reset and I was on my way, that is, until one time when I managed to wipe out the entire operating software for the device. To its credit, a Clarion staffer was kind enough to bring a replacement CD overnight that got the system going again, after five days of silent commutes. However, this "wipeout" was not my only issue with the Joyride. The product is a temperamental beast, and it might give even the most dedicated car audiophile pause.
Roxio CEO Chris Gorog says the company plans to relaunch Napster as a label-licensed, for-pay subscription service later this year, Billboard Bulletin reports.
Roxio, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based CD-burning software specialist, acquired the assets of Napster last year. Roxio says it is now in negotiations with the major record companies to secure content licenses and has hired Napster founder Shawn Fanning as a consultant in developing the new service.
Gorog says Roxio will likely use its newly launched jukebox application AudioCentral, a feature in the latest version of its Easy CD Creator software, as the interface for the new Napster service. The new version of Napster is initially expected to offer a mix of subscription and a la carte downloads. The service is not expected to feature on-demand streaming.
DPHI's bid to buy DataPlay appears to be imminent
Buyer begins work to relaunch company in Boulder
By Matt Branaugh, Camera Business Writer
February 21, 2003
It took an extra two weeks, but DPHI Acquisitions Inc. appears to finally have gotten what it wanted: an agreement to acquire Boulder-based DataPlay Inc.'s technology and related assets.
DPHI and DataPlay's former landlord, Flatirons North LLC, successfully negotiated to buy the bankrupt company Thursday from its senior and junior creditors, who were granted court permission last week to execute a liquidation.
A required public notification process is under way, but it appears the sale will likely close in early March.
DPHI has wasted little time taking over.
Flatirons North granted DPHI access to DataPlay's old digs on Thursday. A handful of former DataPlay employees hired by DPHI quickly began assessing the business and calling on former suppliers and customers as they gear up to relaunch a leaner version of the company in Boulder.
"We're excited to be starting up again," said Bill Almon Jr., DPHI's president. "I think everyone is pretty energized and jazzed to get restarted here."
Duncan Barber, the attorney representing senior creditors Silicon Valley Bank and GATX Ventures Inc., was a little more cautious on the agreement.
"It ain't done till it's done. That's the way every deal is," he said. "We're confident it will close, but we don't predict the future."
The 41/2-year-old DataPlay, a maker of tiny, half-dollar-sized optical discs and accompanying players, filed for bankruptcy in October after burning through $135 million in venture funding and loans. At one point, it employed 240 people worldwide.
Almon anticipates staffing up to 40 people to bring the technology to several industries, including medical device makers and handheld device makers.
DataPlay primarily focused on creating products with music labels. Discs can hold 500 megabytes of content, roughly the equivalent of five hours of CD-quality music. DataPlay wanted different artists to release music and videos on the discs, which can be played on a device using a DataPlay drive.
But dealing with musicians, lawyers and the labels proved cumbersome and time-consuming, eventually eating up DataPlay's remaining cash just as products came to market midway through last year.
DPHI wants to continue DataPlay's work setting a data storage standard for tiny optical discs, but it doesn't want to worry about content, Almon said.
DPHI, formed late last year, tried buying DataPlay's assets through bankruptcy court for $1.5 million, plus an 8 percent ownership stake in the relaunched venture. That effort was rejected Feb. 7 by Judge Donald Cordova, who said there wasn't enough concrete proof the price tag was a good one.
On Feb. 12, Cordova — who died unexpectedly on Saturday — gave the senior creditors, as well as junior noteholders who helped with an emergency loan last year for about $15 million, the OK to foreclose on the estate and execute a liquidation sale.
Through Thursday's agreement, Silicon Valley Bank and GATX will receive $1.3 million, while the junior group will get the 8 percent stake.
Almon expects the company to raise between $10 million and $15 million in a pending round of funding, enough to keep things going until it is cash flow positive, he said. He also expects to revive and use the trademarked DataPlay name after the sale is completed.
Contact Matt Branaugh at (303) 473-1363 or branaughm@dailycamera.com.
Video iPods?
2/21/03: This report doesn't quite ring true to our ears, but sources in the Mac fanatic community say that Apple bought a large number of color LCDs, ostensibly to use in video iPods with MPEG-4 support.
Video iPods?
2/21/03: This report doesn't quite ring true to our ears, but sources in the Mac fanatic community say that Apple bought a large number of color LCDs, ostensibly to use in video iPods with MPEG-4 support.
Alliance Urges Royalty-Free H.264 Video Standard
Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2003--
More Than 20 Firms Join With IMTC to Advocate Royalty-Free Profile Critical to Market Acceptance of Next-Generation Video Compression Standard
A group of over 20 companies, working in conjunction with the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC), have formed an alliance to advocate the final approval of a royalty-free baseline profile for the upcoming H.264 Advanced Video Coding (H.264/AVC) standard. The royalty-free profile will enable industry to bring an open, internationally standardized video codec to market quickly, without time-consuming and fractious licensing negotiations, and avoids the market risks associated with proprietary codecs.
Alliance members include Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, FastVDO, Glance Networks, Polycom, RADVISION, Sand Video, Sun Microsystems, TANDBERG, UBVideo, ViXS Systems, and Vweb, plus more than 10 other leading technology firms and the IMTC.
The H.264/AVC standard is approaching completion by the Joint Video Team (JVT), which brings together video experts from industry and academia in the International Telecommunications Union's Video Coding Experts Group (ITU VCEG), and the International Organization for Standardization's Moving Pictures Experts Group (ISO MPEG). H.264 will be simultaneously known as H.264 and MPEG-4 Part 10 AVC. This cooperative effort by researchers from industry and academia has resulted in a standard that is believed to perform better than any existing standard or proprietary codec. This advanced performance is expected to create a revolution in how digital video is created and disseminated. H.264 can enable high-definition movies on DVD, two to three times more TV channels on cable and satellite, smooth video over mobile phones, and promising new applications. The outstanding technical issues for the standard were settled at the December 2002 meeting of JVT in Japan; H.264 is due to be released as an international standard in the summer of 2003.
"To promote the growth of new video applications, dozens of companies, including vendors of proprietary codecs, have offered their patents on a royalty-free basis for the baseline H.264, providing that other patent holders do the same. While the "Baseline Profile" aims to be offered royalty-free, other profiles, offering additional performance and functionality, will be offered on a royalty basis. This will provide choice in the marketplace between performance, priceand features," said Dave Lindbergh, chairman of the IMTC Requirements Working Group, and Rapporteur for ITU-T Q.E/16 on Media Coding.
While alliance members note recent efforts to offer proprietary codecs for license, an open standard that is truly royalty-free will most efficiently encourage the widespread use of the state-of-the-art technology, to the benefit of consumers and industry worldwide. Only technical proposals offered on terms compatible with the royalty-free goal were accepted for the baseline profile by JVT, whose charter includes the royalty-free goal. In addition to the alliance members, Germany, Norway and the United States have taken strong positions supporting the royalty-free baseline at ITU meetings in Geneva.
"Open international standards provide the best means for achieving multi-vendor interoperability. Experience has shown that the collective efforts of researchers from industry and academia worldwide results in technology of superior performance, flexibility, and implementation efficiency, compared to the proprietary offerings of any single organization," stated Istvan Sebestyen, President of the IMTC and Chief Engineer, Head of Department, Standardization Multimedia & Applications at Siemens AG.
About the IMTC
The International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) is an industry-leading non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, encourage, and facilitate the development and implementation of interoperable multimedia conferencing solutions based on open international standards. The IMTC hosts interoperability testing events and demonstrations throughout the world. Over the past three years the IMTC has hosted more than 60 interoperability-testing events to test T.120, H .320, H.323, H.324, SIP, and Voice over IP products and services with each other. The IMTC Board of Directors includes representatives from Avaya, Cisco Systems, France Telecom, Nokia, Polycom, RADVISION, Ridgeway Systems, Siemens AG, Sony, Tandberg, Telverse, and WorldCom. The San Ramon, California-based consortium comprises close to 100 member organizations from around the globe. Membership is open to any interested party, including vendors of audio, document, and video conferencing hardware and software; academic institutions; government agencies; and non-profit organizations. "The IMTC is making Rich Media happen Anywhere, Anytime." Further information on IMTC can be found at http://www.imtc.org.
--30--EL/sf*
CONTACT: IMTC
Istvan Sebestyen, +49 89 722 47230 (IMTC President)
istvan.sebestyen@siemens.com
Dave Lindbergh, 978/292-5366 or 617/413-6805 (Mobile)
(Chair, IMTC Requirements Activity Group)
David.Lindbergh@polycom.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKING HARDWARE
ELECTRONIC GAMES/MULTIMEDIA
SOURCE: IMTC
Neuros flawed but promising
MP3 FANS WILL LOVE IT WHEN KINKS ARE OUT
By Sam Diaz
Mercury News
Posted on Thu, Feb. 20, 2003
The biggest problem I have with the Neuros HD Digital Audio Player is that I really want to like it but just can't -- not yet.
And that's frustrating because Digital Innovations, the Chicago-area company that developed the Neuros, is on to something that MP3 fanatics like me will quickly fall in love with.
The Neuros HD (short for hard drive) puts MP3 technology and FM radio on a two-way street. The unit, while technically a hard drive that stores MP3 files, also has a built-in FM tuner.
Neuros offers the capability of pressing one button to record the audio programming from the FM tuner (say a favorite song or maybe a particular news segment) and save it in MP3 format.
It also allows users to play MP3s over the FM radio in their car or home stereo -- wirelessly.
The Neuros HD scans the dial to locate an unused FM frequency and ``broadcasts'' the stored MP3 tracks on that frequency.
Sounds cool, right?
Unfortunately, Digital Innovations will release Neuros too soon. The product, -- scheduled to hit shelves at Comp USA this weekend and also at www.neurosaudio.com -- has serious issues that will only result in consumers packing it up and taking it back.
The price tag is an immediate deterrent -- $250 for a 128 megabyte unit and $400 for a 20 gigabyte version -- but a true music enthusiast could possibly get past that.
It's the other problems that can't be ignored.
At the top of the list is the USB 1.1 connection used to import MP3 files from the PC to the Neuros. Engineers should have used the faster USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connections from the beginning.
I made four attempts at importing my MP3 collection -- some 1,600 tracks -- into the Neuros but wasn't successful once. The process is painfully slow and hogs all of the resources. Even the screen saver slowed the Neuros synchronization.
On my last attempt, I was two hours into the process and halfway through the list of tracks when I launched another program on the PC to see how it would handle it.
The Neuros not only locked up, but it also froze the PC, a year-old HP Pavilion running Windows XP on a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 processor and 512 MB of memory.
What's worse is that none of the 800 or so tracks that had been imported over the two-hour period could be found, though a technician at Digital Innovations told me they are on the unit but are hidden until the synchronization is complete.
Finally, I attempted an import of about 125 MP3s on a different machine, a Dell Optiplex running Windows 2000 with the same speed processor and about half the memory.
The import took about 20 minutes and completed successfully. I ran to my car to hear my music through the FM radio.
The unit, which uses the earphone as an antenna, scans the FM dial for an unused frequency and displays it on the screen. I tuned my car stereo to that setting and actually picked up a very faint signal -- complete with scratches, squeaks and hisses -- of a Sacramento station.
When I launched the Neuros, I was impressed. The Neuros overtook that faint Sacramento signal and started playing my favorite MP3 tracks through my car stereo's speakers. Because it's wireless, I put the Neuros in the glove compartment and later in the back seat as another test and it performed beautifully.
Then, I went for a short drive. That's when those scratches, hisses and squeaks started overtaking the MP3 music. It sounded much like a radio station that gets weaker as you drive out of town. Only a few miles away, I lost the entire signal and had to pull over to re-scan for another open frequency.
I don't understand why Digital Innovations was in such a rush or why it resisted USB 2.0 or FireWire. For $250 or $400, music fans will rightfully demand that this product do everything it promises -- without having to call for technical support as soon as they turn it on.
Maybe the company is worried that someone else will release something similar before it can. Samsung Electronics unveiled a similar product during the Consumer Electronics Show last month but will keep it off the shelves for several more months to work out bugs.
Digital Innovations should have done the same.
Music junkies have been waiting for a product like this for a long time. But if it means the difference between a good product and a poor product, we're willing to wait longer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Sam Diaz at sdiaz@sjmercury.com or (408) 920-5021.
Neuros flawed but promising
MP3 FANS WILL LOVE IT WHEN KINKS ARE OUT
By Sam Diaz
Mercury News
Posted on Thu, Feb. 20, 2003
The biggest problem I have with the Neuros HD Digital Audio Player is that I really want to like it but just can't -- not yet.
And that's frustrating because Digital Innovations, the Chicago-area company that developed the Neuros, is on to something that MP3 fanatics like me will quickly fall in love with.
The Neuros HD (short for hard drive) puts MP3 technology and FM radio on a two-way street. The unit, while technically a hard drive that stores MP3 files, also has a built-in FM tuner.
Neuros offers the capability of pressing one button to record the audio programming from the FM tuner (say a favorite song or maybe a particular news segment) and save it in MP3 format.
It also allows users to play MP3s over the FM radio in their car or home stereo -- wirelessly.
The Neuros HD scans the dial to locate an unused FM frequency and ``broadcasts'' the stored MP3 tracks on that frequency.
Sounds cool, right?
Unfortunately, Digital Innovations will release Neuros too soon. The product, -- scheduled to hit shelves at Comp USA this weekend and also at www.neurosaudio.com -- has serious issues that will only result in consumers packing it up and taking it back.
The price tag is an immediate deterrent -- $250 for a 128 megabyte unit and $400 for a 20 gigabyte version -- but a true music enthusiast could possibly get past that.
It's the other problems that can't be ignored.
At the top of the list is the USB 1.1 connection used to import MP3 files from the PC to the Neuros. Engineers should have used the faster USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connections from the beginning.
I made four attempts at importing my MP3 collection -- some 1,600 tracks -- into the Neuros but wasn't successful once. The process is painfully slow and hogs all of the resources. Even the screen saver slowed the Neuros synchronization.
On my last attempt, I was two hours into the process and halfway through the list of tracks when I launched another program on the PC to see how it would handle it.
The Neuros not only locked up, but it also froze the PC, a year-old HP Pavilion running Windows XP on a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 processor and 512 MB of memory.
What's worse is that none of the 800 or so tracks that had been imported over the two-hour period could be found, though a technician at Digital Innovations told me they are on the unit but are hidden until the synchronization is complete.
Finally, I attempted an import of about 125 MP3s on a different machine, a Dell Optiplex running Windows 2000 with the same speed processor and about half the memory.
The import took about 20 minutes and completed successfully. I ran to my car to hear my music through the FM radio.
The unit, which uses the earphone as an antenna, scans the FM dial for an unused frequency and displays it on the screen. I tuned my car stereo to that setting and actually picked up a very faint signal -- complete with scratches, squeaks and hisses -- of a Sacramento station.
When I launched the Neuros, I was impressed. The Neuros overtook that faint Sacramento signal and started playing my favorite MP3 tracks through my car stereo's speakers. Because it's wireless, I put the Neuros in the glove compartment and later in the back seat as another test and it performed beautifully.
Then, I went for a short drive. That's when those scratches, hisses and squeaks started overtaking the MP3 music. It sounded much like a radio station that gets weaker as you drive out of town. Only a few miles away, I lost the entire signal and had to pull over to re-scan for another open frequency.
I don't understand why Digital Innovations was in such a rush or why it resisted USB 2.0 or FireWire. For $250 or $400, music fans will rightfully demand that this product do everything it promises -- without having to call for technical support as soon as they turn it on.
Maybe the company is worried that someone else will release something similar before it can. Samsung Electronics unveiled a similar product during the Consumer Electronics Show last month but will keep it off the shelves for several more months to work out bugs.
Digital Innovations should have done the same.
Music junkies have been waiting for a product like this for a long time. But if it means the difference between a good product and a poor product, we're willing to wait longer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Sam Diaz at sdiaz@sjmercury.com or (408) 920-5021.
FOF, everyone but the driver dufus.eom
Tinroad, if I had to guess, I'll bet that the unit is for the car with IR transceiver being mounted on the dome light basically so all in "line of sight" (circular swath around dome) will each get their signal. I think the multiple unit battery charger is the giveaway IMHO.
cheers
moxa1, DABOSS ..that is speculation not confirmed in writing anywhere...easy guys.
Yep....TWIRL lives...eom
Here it is IMO..MP3 Headset
Softeq has partnered with HP to design, develop, and deliver an MP3 player headset with a unique IR interface. Softeq is responsible for beginning-to-end design, specification, development, and delivery. A multi-unit battery charger is also in development.
Softeq Projects 2003
MP3 Headset
Softeq has partnered with HP to design, develop, and deliver an MP3 player headset with a unique IR interface. Softeq is responsible for beginning-to-end design, specification, development, and delivery. A multi-unit battery charger is also in development.
iPAQ Developer Program
Softeq has been selected to manage and administer the HP iPAQ Developer Program, and is acting as the system integrator between HP, the website developer, and the support portal. Softeq is responsible for day-to-day support, website management, loaner programs, and administration.
For more information on the iPAQ Developer Program, see the website at:
www.hp.com/developer/ipaq
Read the press release
HP Digital Media Receiver In-Store Demo
Softeq is managing the development of the in-store demo for the HP Digital Media Receiver. This involves the creation of the demo specification, program management, defect tracking, interfacing with the content developer, and testing. Read the press release for more information about this innovative product
Cases Online
Softeq is providing online defect tracking and testing for a new and innovative e-commerce website.
See the site at http://www.casesonline.com
2002
HP Digital Media Receiver
Softeq acted as the system integrator between OEM, middleware developer, firmware developer, several driver and codec developers, and hardware manufacturer for HP’s first digital media receiver. Managed software development between the hardware vendor and several software developers and developed user interface specification. Worked closely with HP’s project manager and engineering teams. Responsible for system integration, installation, specifications, photo printing software, documentation, graphics, and testing. The reviews are starting to come in:
PC Magazine review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,856957,00.asp)
Read the press release for more information about this innovative product:
Lexmark X125 All-In-One
Softeq created the custom settings utility software for Lexmark’s multifunction printer.
Read the press release for more information
more
Jobs to guest at 'All Things Digital' exec conference
35 minutes ago
Add Technology - MacCentral to My Yahoo!
by Dennis Sellers, dsellers@maccentral.com
Apple CEO Steve Jobs (news - web sites) will be a guest when Wall Street Journal technology columnists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher co-produce an executive conference, "D: All Things Digital," that will focus on the impact of digital technology. The event, hosted by The Wall Street Journal, will be held in San Diego, California, May 27 - 29.
According to The Journal, there'll be no canned speeches, huge panels, sales pitches or PowerPoint presentations. Instead, some of the most influential people in the digital world -- including Bill Gates (news - web sites), Steve Case and others -- will appear on stage for a series of unscripted interviews with Mossberg and Swisher. The "D" audience will be limited to roughly 300.
The conference will focus on the premise that the digital tidal wave continues to gain momentum, despite the sluggish economy, and that people in the business and tech world need to focus on its opportunities, as well as its dangers and disruptions.
Besides Jobs, Gates and Case, other participants will include: Barry Diller of USA Interactive and Vivendi Universal Entertainment; Meg Whitman of eBay; Terry Semel of Yahoo!; Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google; Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Association of America; Hilary Rosen of the Recording Industry Association of America (news - web sites); David Pottruck, the CEO of Charles Schwab; and owners of the Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Capitals.
The "D" conference will kick off with a dinner featuring Gates, followed by a full day of on-stage interviews. Next will be a wine tasting hosted by The Journal's wine columnists, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. On the last morning of the conference, Mossberg and Swisher will present a technology demo session, featuring first looks at cutting edge digital products and services.
Corporate sponsors of "D: All Things Digital" are Adobe, Kyocera, and Hewlett Packard. For conference details and to register, go to The Wall Street Journal Web site. Early bird pricing for the conference is US$2,495, and will increase to $2,995 after March 28.
16 Companies Are Driving Worldwide Digital Media And Entertainment
Twelve major media mega companies, along with four key influencers, are driving the worldwide markets for digital media and entertainment, according to In-Stat/MDR ( http://www.instat.com ). The high-tech market research firm reports that the driving force for these very large companies appears to be that an enormous economy of scale will improve their ability to compete in a global economy. AOL Time-Warner, The Walt Disney Company, Viacom, and Vivendi Universal have been on a binge to consolidate assets, making mergers and acquisitions the order of the day. In nearly every country throughout the world, local creative content companies are being purchased, or obtaining equity investments from these very large Media Mega Companies.
In-Stat/MDR believes that these companies represent the lion's share of media-related revenue opportunities, with AOL Time-Warner currently accounting for a whopping 22.4% of the group's value. Disney, Viacom, and Vivendi Universal each pull in about 10+% and Sony, News Corporation, Cox Enterprises, and Bertelsmann have about 5% each. The niche players, with less than 5% of the group's value, are Lagardere SCA, GE/NBC, Grupo Televisa, S.A., and Liberty Media. As a group, these companies' combined annual revenues will grow from $150 Billion in 2002 to approximately $178 Billion by 2007.
In-Stat/MDR has also found that:
-- The British Broadcasting Corporation, NKH in Japan, PBS in the United States, and Microsoft all have a strong influence on the media industry and are considered by In-Stat/MDR to be four key industry influencers.
-- Each of the 12 Media Mega Companies has opportunities that are defined by their current holdings and operations, and limitations due to holes in their portfolios. As these companies work to improve the financial return on their assets, and jockey for an advantage, a global game of Risk will be played out.
-- News Corporation is very international, holds the early lead for interactive TV, and is positioned to lead the pack into the next generation of movies, videos, and personalized programming. Liberty Media is not far behind.
-- Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and other, non-English language programming, represent the key, long-term growth opportunity for all 16 companies.
-- Microsoft is a dark horse, with their Windows Media 9 Series possibly creating a whole new genre of content on the Internet, that consumers will want to have available on their TV sets and cell phones.
-- Surprisingly, historical growth cycles of the semiconductor industry may act as a leading indicator, predicting the movement of media mega company fortunes.
Judge approves foreclosure on DataPlay's assets
By Matt Branaugh, Camera Business Writer
February 13, 2003
A bankruptcy court judge has given DataPlay Inc.'s senior and junior creditors the go-ahead to foreclose on the Boulder company's assets and pursue a liquidation sale.
Judge Donald Cordova made the decision Wednesday morning after hearing arguments from attorneys representing Silicon Valley Bank and Sequel Entrepreneurs Fund II.
Cordova rejected a motion on Friday to sell the company's assets to DPHI Acquisitions Inc., an entity formed to restart the business in Boulder. The judge said the estate didn't prove DPHI's $1.5 million offer matched the value of the assets.
Now, senior creditor Silicon Valley Bank will try to recover $1.06 million, as well as $215,000 in back taxes owed to Boulder County, through liquidation. Sequel hopes such a sale, or combination of sales, will also yield something for junior creditors like itself, which are owed a combined $14.1 million.
"We believe we'll get paid, the taxes will get paid and the junior creditors can get something, too," said Duncan Barber, Silicon Valley Bank's attorney. The sale should happen within the next 60 days, he said.
Bill Almon Jr., DPHI's president, said his group will try to buy the assets again, this time in liquidation.
"We definitely have an interest in it," he said, adding DPHI won't be interested if it can't get both the tiny disc maker's tangible assets and its intellectual property, which took 41/2 years, 240 employees and $135 million in funding to create.
IBM Taps Software Maker for New Devices
Thursday February 13, 10:03 am ET
By William Stoichevski, Associated Press Writer
IBM Taps Norway Software Maker Trolltech for Linux-Based Mobile Devices
OSLO, Norway (AP) -- IBM Corp. said Thursday it would use software maker Trolltech's Linux-based software suite, Qtopia, on future mobile devices as an alternative to competing Palm and Microsoft PocketPC technology.
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Oslo-based Trolltech received an undisclosed, upfront payment for the deal, said to be worth $10 million to $20 million in license fees over the next three years, Trolltech spokeswoman Tonje Sund said.
Each sale of an IBM mobile device will generate the fee, much like its arrangement when Qtopia was tapped to power to the Sharp Zaurus line of PDAs.
Qtopia software offers mobile Linux users the look and feel of a work environment similar to Microsoft's Windows.
IBM's Pervasive Computing Group, based in Santa Clara, Calif., said the inclusion of Trolltech in its Linux platform will enable development of a new devices running the increasingly popular open-source Linux platform.
"This is a huge step forward for the mobile systems market and for embedded Linux," Trolltech chief executive Haavord Nord said. "Together with Qtopia, IBM's reference platform opens the door for a whole new generation of embedded Linux devices designed from the ground up for an increasingly mobile work force."
Trolltech is a privately held company of 75 employees.
Rhapsody Lets You Burn CDs Online At 49 Cents A Song
By Walter S. Mossberg
Thursday February 13, 10:00 AM
LITTLE BY LITTLE, the legal online music business is moving toward a
model that the record industry said it would never condone: the sale
of music, one song at a time, without technical restrictions -- and
for a low price.
Starting today, a legal online music service called Rhapsody, which
holds licenses from the big record labels, will begin offering its
customers the opportunity to burn songs onto a CD for just 49 cents
apiece. Users can burn as many songs, from as many artists, as they
like.
While such burns, as these songs are called, aren't exactly the same
as unrestricted downloads of songs to a hard disk, they can be
legally and easily turned into unrestricted MP3 files in a matter of
minutes.
Once the songs are converted, you can make additional CDs with them
or transfer them to your other computers or to a portable music
player. Legally and morally, you shouldn't upload them to an online
file-sharing service, or otherwise distribute them, even free,
because you don't own the rights to do so.
There are some catches in Rhapsody's new offering, available at the
Web site of Rhapsody's owner, Listen.com (www.listen.com), a small
San Francisco-based company, and at Rhapsody licensee Lycos Music
(http://music.lycos.com). For one thing, you can't get the 49-cent
songs unless you subscribe to the service, at $10 a month. For
another, the 49-cent price is a promotion good only through March 31.
MOST IMPORTANT, only about 116,000 of Rhapsody's 282,000 tracks are
available for burning. The record labels haven't given permission for
the others. Those can only be "streamed," or played through a PC
connected to the service.
But this is still a breakthrough. Previously, songs for burning cost
about a dollar apiece, at Rhapsody and other services, and were sold
with various restrictions. At Pressplay, one of the two online music
services owned by the record labels themselves, you have to buy an
expensive membership plan to get even a limited number of burns, or
buy extra burns in "packs" of five, 10, or 20, averaging about $1 a
song.
At MusicNet, the other label-owned music service, members can't burn
music at all. A new version of MusicNet, to be rolled out on America
Online next month, will allow users to burn one CD of up to 10 songs
each month, for $17.95 a month.
Rhapsody, which is independently controlled, was already the only
major service offering a la carte burns, at 99 cents apiece. It is
losing money on the new 49-cent price, but hoping the six-week
experiment will help move the online music market to a lower price
structure.
The Rhapsody service lets you search for songs, and organize them
into a personal library and playlists. It also suggests similar
artists you might want to try. All songs are available for streaming,
but only those marked with a little flame symbol can be burned.
Like all the other online services, Rhapsody has big gaps in its
collection. Some mega-artists, like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones,
the Eagles, Garth Brooks and even the new hot singer Avril Lavigne
are missing because the artists or their companies haven't granted
permission to even stream their songs, let alone allow burning.
In other cases, the artists are available, but their songs can't be
burned, only streamed. Examples of this no-burning category include
Norah Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, John Mayer and
the Dixie Chicks. Rhapsody has yet to reach a deal with Sony for
burning so none of its artists' songs can be burned.
Other artists are fully represented. For instance, Rhapsody has a
good selection of albums and tracks from Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow,
Elvis Presley and Alan Jackson, with most of their songs available
for burning.
Rhapsody is a pleasure to use. It has a clean, attractive user
interface and, in my tests, it played back music at high quality,
with no skips or latency, over a broadband connection.
TO BURN SONGS, you just select them and click a "burn" button. The
Rhapsody software churns away, taking two or three minutes to prepare
each track for burning, then simply uses your PC's CD-RW drive to
burn the songs onto a blank CD you insert.
In my tests of Rhapsody, I created a mix CD with about a dozen songs
from various artists. I also created my own copy of Sheryl
Crow's "c'mon, c'mon" CD. Each cost just $6.37, half or less than the
typical retail price of a CD.
Once you have a burned CD, it can be played on almost any standard CD
player. But how do you turn the songs on it into unrestricted MP3
files to play from a hard disk or a portable player? Just insert the
finished CD back into a PC and launch any program capable of
converting an audio CD into MP3 files. I use MusicMatch Jukebox,
which can turn a CD you created in Rhapsody into a series of
unrestricted MP3 song files in a few minutes.
Surely the record labels know how easy it is to do this, so it's a
mystery to me that they seem to believe burning isn't the same as
unrestricted downloading. Someday soon, the labels should drop this
charade and allow users to buy songs legally in the form of
unrestricted downloads. For now, 49-cent burns are a pretty good
deal, and another small step forward.
---
E-mail me at mossberg@w...
You play within the rules?? Unless you are a current or former insider, I don't think you could possibly know all the detail you think you need to decide one way or the other on this Jabra issue. You sure are hanging your arse out to dry though and that is good to see. Do you share all of your posts with the SEC buddies. I'm sure they would be impressed.
I Know That Song!
By Sebastian Rupley
February 12, 2003
Total posts: 1
In an effort to provide an open standard for recognizing and identifying digital music files, MusicBrainz, an open-source metadata service, has unveiled a new music-recognition service. Working with partners who've developed technology that can recognize file tags associated with digital music files, MusicBrainz is aiming to create a complete public database of tagged music files that allow for easy identification, searching, and sorting. This database could, for example, help online music sites provide automated song recommendations.
Since 1998, MusicBrainz has, with the help of a community of 2,000 contributors, been building an archive of over 650,000 music tracks. Each track is tagged so that client software can recognize the song. The technology that MusicBrainz uses to recognize digital songs through these tags comes from a partner company, Relatable. Another company, AgentArts, provides the technology used for data mining of the information in the MusicBrainz database.
In the nearly five years that MusicBrainz has been pursuing its goal, intelligent music data-mining has become a Holy Grail for entertainment software developers, device manufacturers, and online music services, all of whom already spend heavily to license metadata services that can recognize songs through digital fingerprints. The explosive popularity of digital music players and online music downloading is driving the need for such data mining. The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas presented many high-capacity digital music devices that can archive and sort vast music libraries. MusicBrainz has been signing commercial and non-commercial sponsors to help it grow an open-source service that can compete with services that license song recognition technology.
"Currently there is no free and universally accepted digital music metadata available to the online music space," said Robert Kaye, founder of MusicBrainz, "and the very few commercial companies who provide this resource offer their services under highly restrictive and expensive licenses. It is our belief that a universal standard for digital music recognition is simply too important and valuable to all online music services to be monopolized by any one company. We also believe that online music consumers would much rather contribute to a truly open source resource."
MusicBrainz has posted a white paper on the technology and goals behind its effort. MusicBrainz is releasing its dataset of tagged songs into the public domain under the name Creative Commons.
Gateway laptop to read with flash
By Ian Fried
Special to ZDNet News
February 12, 2003, 5:59 AM PT
Aiming to better connect its notebooks with a growing array of digital devices, Gateway is introducing a portable PC that can read the tiny flash memory cards used by digital cameras and MP3 players.
Memory card readers that can read several different types of storage have become popular features on some consumer desktop models, but Gateway appears to be the first to include them on a notebook.
"We've seen the trend toward these six-in-one (readers) supported in the desktop," said Randy Giusto, an IDC analyst. "To my knowledge this is one of the first from a major vendor in the notebook side."
The computer maker is including the reader as part of the revamped Gateway 400L model, which has a 1.8GHz Intel Celeron processor, a 15-inch XGA display, 256MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory, a 30GB hard drive, and the memory card reader. The laptop is set to go on sale Friday at a promotional price of $999 after a $100 rebate.
The memory card reader is capable of reading the Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, SmartMedia, IBM Microdrive and Multimedia Card memory card formats.
Other notebook vendors have integrated one or two different types of individual memory card readers into their notebooks. Sony, for example, has laptops that can read its Memory Stick cards, while Toshiba includes Secure Digital and SmartMedia slots on some models.
There are two trends that make adding such readers popular. One is that consumers, especially students, are using such media to store music files and transfer images from a digital camera. The other is the removal of the floppy drive from many notebooks that creates the necessary space for such readers.
"That gives you some room to do some other exciting things," Giusto said.
Gateway says it is not looking to remove the floppy, as Dell Computer, Apple Computer and others have done. In future models, the memory card reader will be an optional $50 upgrade from a floppy drive, but product manager Paul Torres said the venerable floppy is going to be around for some time.
"For the foreseeable future" the floppy will be around, Torres said.
New Sequoia Video Processor
Reading, UK, 11 February 2003 - Designers of camera embedded mobiles and other portable devices can now offer customers real time video and audio at previously unattainable levels of quality, following the launch of a mobile video processor by Sequoia.
According to Sequoia, the Alphamosaic Videocore VC01 delivers a solution that is not only highly efficient but also programmable. By running image, video and audio processing algorithms directly in software users implement standard algorithms such as MPEG4 and MP3 as well as proprietary algorithms that can be used to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The software based architecture ensures that VC01 based systems are easily upgraded to implement new functions, or to address the evolution of applicable standards. The device interfaces directly to GSM/GPRS, CDMA2000, and W-CDMA based phone baseband chipsets via the VideoCore Multimedia Coprocessor Software framework. Integrated peripherals make it possible to directly connect VC01 to CMOS cameras, TFT displays, Compact Flash(tm), Memory Stick(tm) and communication chip sets.
The programmability of VideoCore enables a host of applications to be achieved by the one device, including two way video conferencing, camcorder (compress, store and send video clips), play and edit music, image manipulation, game play and midi ring tones. VC01 supports a wide range of standards and functions for video compression (running video codecs such as MPEG-4, H.263, H.26L or proprietary codecs), audio compression (running audio codecs such as MP3, AAC or proprietary codecs), video processing (image sensor front-end processing, de-noising, de-blurring, digital still camera) and video analysis (FFT, DCT, motion estimation, segmentation, object recognition).
To support Videocore, Sequoia is offering software and hardware development systems.
Implemented in 0.13u technology, VC01 combines VideoCore, a core architecture tailored for processing video, with 8Mbit of on-chip memory and integrated peripherals to provide a single-chip solution for a wide range of video applications. Measured power consumption is just 54mW when processing 30fps CIF (352x288) MPEG4 video encode and display. Samples are available now.
**The Odyssey has arrived** Cnet's got it 4 review!!!!
2/11/03: We just received an evaluation unit of the eDigital Osyssey 1000, a device that looks similar to the iPod but has many more features, including voice navigation, voice recording, and an FM radio. The Odyssey is definitely larger and heavier than the iPod, but from initial inspection, it comes closer to Apple's design landmark than any other player to date.
How twisted can she get??.Posted by: FactOrFiction
In reply to: IH Admin (Matt) who wrote msg# 20660
Date:2/11/2003 2:37:53 PM
Post #of 20682
Matt: I don't think it's a relevant question, but since it's obviously important to you, I'll answer.
I am not short and have never traded options of any kind. I am a person who was seduced by the false hype back in 2000 by a friend who put 90% of her retirement account into it. She had another group of fiends who were all wildly enthusiastic about the stock.
As time went on I realized that the hype was not matching the facts. I sold but others I knew held and continued to believe the false statements made by management and the stock touts.
I find that reasearching this company is fascinating. I also enjoy proving how many lies have been perpetuated. It's a hobby. Some like to watch TV, read books, get drunk, whatever. I find the reasearch to be extremely interesing, especially when I find that it is in total contradiction to what is being stated by the company and the touts. It's like mystery novel where the plot keeps changing. Are the bad guys going to get away with it?
Does that answer your question? If not, let me know and I'll answer more tomorrow. I'm limited to 3 posts a day.
Would you be so kind as to answer a question for me. Why you think that only those with a financial motive would take time to post on message boards? Do you believe that only those who are invested in the stock in question should be allowed to post? Don't you think that creates a positive bias?
Lastly, I hope that you understand that the way the EDIG board is run discourages new members from joining who would like to post an opposite POV. Perhaps iHub already has too many members.
Cassandra
PluggedIn: Web access in the clouds
Tuesday February 11, 2:59 pm ET
By Elinor Mills Abreu
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Coffee, tea or WiFi?
Travelers will soon be able to surf the 'Net and send e-mail from thousands of feet in the air as Boeing Co.'s (NYSE:BA - News) Connexion business unit and a group of global airlines push to offer Web access in the ultimate wireless environment.
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WiFi wireless technology may be gaining acceptance in homes, offices and neighborhood cafes. But in the sky, it is hampered by glitches that would prove frustrating with no network administrator in sight.
In a demonstration last week from 25,000 feet above the Golden Gate Bridge and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in Yosemite National Park, Internet access was available for less than half of our 90-minute flight.
The specially equipped Boeing 737 had laptops with Internet access tucked into the seat pockets and a satellite antenna on the roof for sending and receiving data via Telsat service to a ground station in Littleton, Colorado.
Half of the laptops used Ethernet high-speed office network connections plugged into jacks on the handrests. The rest were using Intel Corp.'s (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) new Centrino wireless chip system that the company said will be available in new computer products starting on March 12.
About 40 minutes into the flight, after several false starts, the Connexion by Boeing Internet service finally worked.
Connexion executives said data transmission speeds for the demo should be about five megabits per second coming into the plane and 128 thousand bits per second when sending data off the plane. The speed, they said, was similar to digital subcriber line service people have at home, but some users complained it seemed slower.
When commercial service starts next year, speeds should be greater -- about one megabit per second for out-bound data and 20 megabits per second for in-bound data, Connexion said.
US AIRLINES?
Lufthansa German Airlines began a free three-month trial service in January on flights between Frankfurt and Washington-Dulles International Airport. British Airways will offer trial service for a fee, beginning on Feb. 18 between London Heathrow and New York's JFK airports, Connexion executives said.
Those carriers, along with Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) are scheduled to launch commercial service early in 2004, according to Connexion.
Overall, Connexion is in talks with at least 17 airlines on plans to provide the Internet service, said Scott Carson, president of Connexion.
However, the program might be a difficult sell to financially struggling U.S.-based carriers amid a diminished demand for bookings.
United Airlines (NYSE:UAL - News), American Airlines (NYSE:AMR - News) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - News) backed out of planned investments in Connexion after industry finances took a nosedive following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Connexion executives remain optimistic that one or more U.S. carriers will sign on later this year, betting that a groundswell of WiFi use by business travelers will bolster in-flight demand.
"With fewer passengers traveling, they need to be productive," said Andrew Weisheit, vice president of direct sales and distribution for Connexion. "This gives airlines a way to differentiate and add value" to their service.
Connexion projects that about 20 percent of passengers on a given flight could be customers, focusing on business class passengers who need to stay connected, especially during international flights that can last 12 hours or longer.
"The returns (on investment) are impressive," based on market trials, Weisheit said.
$25 PER FLIGHT
Airlines will pay Connexion a one-time fee per aircraft hooked into the satellite-based network. Connexion in turn will share a percentage of the revenue it gets from passengers, who could expect to pay $25 to $35 for Internet connection for each international flight and less for trips of shorter distance.
The airline would supply a laptop to passengers who don't have their own. The service will work for laptops with an Ethernet connection or wireless capability.
Connexion executives declined to say how much it will cost to retrofit an aircraft with the necessary equipment, primarily a server, antenna and wiring.
Ultimately, there could be 4,000 aircraft globally in the Connexion program equipped with the service, with 150 planes expected to be modified next year, then increasing by 800 planes each year after, Carson said.
Connexion's main competition is Seattle-based Tenzing Communications, partly owned by Airbus SAS (XETRA:EAD.DE - News; Paris:EAD.PA - News), which has been testing a service that allows passengers to check e-mail and get stock quotes and other information off the Internet, but is transmitted intermittently and not in real time.
For those who want to make in-flight phone calls and not pay the high prices phone companies charge, the Internet may help. Several Connexion trial passengers have used voice-over-Internet applications, which allows people to talk over the Web using laptops with microphones, Carson said.
"It would be easy to do," he said, adding that it is not part of the service now, partly due to international regulatory issues.
(This week's PluggedIn columnist can be contacted at elinor.abreu@reuters.com)
OY SEC Secrecy Provision Aging Badly
By Matthew Goldstein
Senior Writer
02/11/2003 07:10 AM EST
Click here for more stories by Matthew Goldstein
It's supposed to be a new era of straightforward financial disclosure, but the times have yet to catch up with certain big money managers.
Making use of a pre-Enron-era securities rule, dozens of money managers -- with the blessing of the Securities and Exchange Commission -- are keeping the public from information about their stock holdings until months and some cases years after they've traded them.
The 1975 rule is an exception to an SEC regulation requiring investment managers with more than $100 million in stocks to file a Form 13-F listing all of their holdings at the end of each quarter. The little-known exception permits a select group of money managers to keep some or all of their Form 13-F filings confidential if the disclosure would somehow divulge a secret trading pattern or cause undue harm to their investment strategies.
Hedge funds, Wall Street institutions and asset management firms that have routinely taken advantage of this confidentiality exception include Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis), Lehman Brothers (LEH:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis), UBS Warburg, CIBC Worldmarkets, Milton Arbitrage Partners, SAB Capital Advisors and Chesepeake Bay Partners. Even chip giant Intel (INTC:Nasdaq - news - commentary - research - analysis), which maintains a large investment portfolio, has made use of the confidentiality provision from time to time.
Advocates of corporate reform say it's time for the SEC to do away with the confidentiality exception -- especially when the SEC itself is passing rules to require more frequent and comprehensive disclosures by mutual fund managers and corporations.
"I think it's time we take another look at this," said Nell Minnow, editor of The Corporate Library, a corporate governance research organization. "I don't think the [reporting] requirement is overly intrusive to begin with. We don't have the time or the patience for this kind of subversion of the disclosure requirements."
Reform advocates like Minnow say there's little reason for big money managers to keep secret their stock holdings, because much of the information in a Form 13-F is already weeks old. They note that the forms aren't filed with the SEC until 45 days after the end of each quarter -- a virtual eternity in today's fast-moving markets.
City Hall
In certain cases, in fact, an argument can be made that the confidentiality exception does more harm than good.
The SEC, for instance, repeatedly permitted hedge fund manager Kenneth Lipper to keep a portion of the Form 13-F filings for his Lipper & Co. convertible bond fund hidden for as much as a year at a time. Now, Lipper and his onetime $4 billion empire, which collapsed early last year, are being investigated by the SEC for allegedly mispricing the fund's assets and possibly altering the fund's investment strategy. Some of Lipper's celebrity investors, who include Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D., S.C.), Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson and NBC Today show host Matt Lauer, are suing Lipper to recoup their losses.
A review of Lipper's nonconfidential Form 13-F filings, many of which are just becoming public now, reveals that the fund was more heavily invested in convertible bonds of companies with poor credit ratings than previously believed. The fund's marketing brochure had said the fund would invest 70% of its assets in investment-grade convertible bonds -- a hybrid security that pays both interest and converts into stock when the issuing company's shares reach a certain price.
But a Form 13-F filing for the period shows that it held convertible bonds issued by a number of speculative biotech companies or financially troubled companies such as Kmart, ImClone (IMCL:Nasdaq - news - commentary - research - analysis), Loral (LOR:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis) and Lucent (LU:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis).
A Lipper spokesman said the confidentiality had been requested to protect the hedge fund's trading strategy and not to conceal any holding for the fund investors. The spokesman said that every year, Lipper investors were provided with information about the fund's specific holdings.
Unfounded Panic
The confidentiality exception also can leave investors, especially those who try to track every movement of a big money manager, with the wrong impression about a particular fund's stock holdings.
Five years ago, a Form 13-F filing by Berkshire Hathaway sparked a minor panic in the trading of Wells Fargo's (WFC:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis) stock, because investors mistakenly thought the investment guru had dumped all his shares of the San Francisco-based bank. It later turned out that Berkshire Hathaway was still holding a significant stake in the bank. But Berkshire Hathaway, as it often has, had gotten permission from the SEC to keep some of its stock holdings confidential.
The run on Wells Fargo's stock prompted the first hard look at the confidentiality exception, and moved the SEC to stiffen its internal guidelines for granting such requests. And it has made a difference. A review of recent Form 13-F filings reveals that the SEC does reject the majority of confidentially requests.
But a higher rate of denials doesn't tell the whole story. That's because any money manager can request confidentiality and is given the benefit of the doubt until the SEC rules on the request. The problem with that is that it can take the SEC many months before it decides on the request, and a money manager can in essence get a free pass during that waiting period.
That's more or less what happened with a recent Form 13-F filing by Goldman Sachs (GS:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis) for the quarter ended June 30, 2002. Goldman didn't submit a complete filing until Jan. 31, 2003, after the SEC denied a request for confidential treatment for the 250-page document, which lists $37 billion worth of stock holdings, including options positions.
Goldman declined to comment on the reason behind the request. But it isn't the first time Goldman has asked for confidentiality, only to be turned down by the SEC several months later. Something similar happened with the firm's 13-F filing for the quarter ended March 30, 2002, and the one for the quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2001.
De Facto
In some instances, the SEC has taken nearly a year to reject a request for confidentiality. That's what happened with several 13-F filings submitted last year by Gotham Partners, the embattled New York hedge fund that's now under investigation by the SEC and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer because of its trading activities in some stocks.
On Jan. 29, the SEC rejected Gotham's request for confidential treatment on four Form 13-F filings covering several reporting periods, one of which dates as far back as Dec. 31, 2001. Some of the stocks listed on those now-public reports include Gotham's financial interest in two stocks that are the subject of the current regulatory inquiry: Pre-Paid Legal Services (PRE:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis) and Farmers Mac (AGM:NYSE - news - commentary - research - analysis).
Douglas Scheidt, associate director of the SEC's investment management division, acknowledges that "there is the potential for abuse" in the 13-F filing process. But he contends that more frequent denials of requests for confidential treatment are starting to deter some money managers from making the request in the first place.
Supporters of the current filing system contend that the SEC needs to allow money managers the option of keeping some information confidential, especially in instances in which a fund is engaged in a sophisticated hedging strategy to reduce its exposure to a misstep in a pending corporate merger or other major market event.
"In some cases, privacy is instrumental for them to carry out an investment strategy," said securities lawyer Peter Ingerman, a partner with Chadbourne & Parke in New York. "If there is a perception of abuse, then the SEC should bring an enforcement action."
Quite correct Sentinel. Voice recognition engine is Lucent's but I believe our integration skills makes the whole thing work together.
OT 'Dell Dude' Arrested for Marijuana in NY
— NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Benjamin Curtis, the Dell Computer Corp. pitchman "Steven" who says on television, "Dude, yer gettin' a Dell," was arrested for possessing marijuana in New York, officials said on Monday.
Curtis, 22, was charged with criminal possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of up to three months if he is convicted, a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney's office said.
Curtis, who lives in New York and was arrested on Sunday night, was scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court later on Monday.
A spokesman for the Round Rock, Texas-based Dell said he was not familiar with the details and declined to speculate on future plans for the advertising campaign.
"We're following the situation closely and working with our ad agency to understand what's transpired here," spokesman Venancio Figueroa said. The ad agency is DDB of Chicago.
Dell, the No. 2 personal computer company, makes most of its money selling to businesses and schools. It began the TV and print commercials featuring the wise-cracking "Steven" three years ago.
Word Mark VOICENAV
Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: portable and automobile based listening and recording devices, namely, MP3 type players, digital audio players and digital audio recorders. FIRST USE: 20011000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20011102
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 76288067
Filing Date July 19, 2001
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Published for Opposition August 6, 2002
Registration Number 2642304
Registration Date October 29, 2002
Owner (REGISTRANT) e.Digital Corporation CORPORATION DELAWARE 13114 Evening Creek Drive South San Diego CALIFORNIA 92128
Attorney of Record MARNIE WRIGHT BARNHORST
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
VoiceNav is EDIG's.eom
Recording Restricted
Arik Hesseldahl, 02.10.03, 12:00 PM ET
NEW YORK - Video recording is a convenience that consumers have grown accustomed to since the introduction of the first videocassette recorders in the 1970s. Many consider it an entitlement.
To a point, it is. The U.S. Supreme Court, in fact, said so: In 1984, in the landmark Betamax case, which pitted Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) against Universal Studios and The Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people ), the court ruled that recording television programs for private viewing in homes does not infringe on copyright protections.
However, the rights handed down by the court don't seem so clear now. When the videotape in the VCR is replaced by a hard drive so that the copy made is as good as the original and can be shared over the Internet with a multitude of people, the right to record looks more--at least in the view of several media companies--like a license to steal.
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The recording industry's legal victories over the music-sharing service Napster and some of its emulators has emboldened media companies eager to protect their TV programming from a Napster-like fate. For consumers, the basic convenience of recording television would start to erode, especially as they navigate the transition to digital and high-definition television (HDTV).
For one thing, what media companies such as Viacom (nyse: VIA.B - news - people ) and Disney want sounds innocuous enough. It's a few bits of code embedded into the signals of the programming they send. These "broadcast flags" would give broadcasters the ability to prevent certain programs from being copied and shared over digital networks.
And late last year, consumer electronics manufacturers, among them Hitachi (nyse: HIT - news - people ), Royal Phillips (nyse: PHG - news - people ), Sony and Matsushita's (nyse: MC - news - people ) Panasonic, announced a major agreement with cable companies such as AOL Time Warner's (nsye: AOL - news - people ) Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications (nyse: COX - news - people ). The crux of the deal focused on eliminating digital set-top boxes. But the deal also included an agreement on proposed "encoding rules."
Under the proposed rules, most regular TV shows available for free from the major networks would fall under the "copy freely" category, while pay-channel programs on networks such as HBO or Showtime might fall under "copy once" that would allow recording but restrict sharing. Pay-per-view and video-on-demand programs would likely be tagged "copy never."
But copying and sharing programming over a network is at the heart of what many consumer electronics and PC manufacturers want to pursue. If the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is any indication, manufacturers such as Sony and Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) and even software giant Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) showed off product concepts that would allow consumers to record a show from a TV in one room to a hard drive, and then watch it later on any TV or computer screen in the home. And all of those networks were in turn connected to a broadband line to the Internet.
And that's the part that gives Hollywood night sweats: the idea of perfect copies of TV programs sitting on PC hard drives just waiting for thousands of Kazzaa users to download them. Without the flags to protect their content on free channels, media companies may be forced to push their more valuable programming toward pay channels.
Viacom wants broadcast flags so badly it advised the Federal Communications Commission in a filing late last year that it would stop HDTV programming on its CBS network for the 2003 to 2004 season if the flags aren't mandated. Disney wants them too.
"Disney has no asset more valuable than the film The Lion King," says Preston Haddon, a Disney executive vice president. "We have presented, and would like to present again, The Lion King free over the air on Sunday night on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney. But if doing so means that perfect digital copies will be posted to file-sharing sites on the Internet, then we would have to seriously reconsider putting it on ABC."
But the fact is, consumers expect high-quality recording to be available. A study by GartnerG2, a unit of research firm Gartner (nyse: IT - news - people ), found that 90% of consumers think it's OK to make a copy of a TV show for personal backup purposes, while 63% think it's OK to give a copy of a TV show to a friend.
TV broadcasters have caught most of their fears from the music industry. Indeed CD sales were down 9% in 2002, to 681 million units. By contrast, consumers bought 1.7 billion blank CDs, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). As expected, the Recording Industry Association of America blamed the availability of freely downloadable music. But that's a simplistic view.
It could be that consumers simply don't like what they're hearing. In 2000, record companies released 35,500 new CD titles, which accounted for 296.5 million in unit sales, according to Nielsen-SoundScan, which tracks CD sales. That's an average of 8,352 units sold for every new CD title released. By 2002 the average number of sales per new release had dropped to 7,975 units, while the number of new releases had dropped to 33,400.
So if TV studios can learn anything from the experience of their colleagues in the music business, it's that consumers will respond favorably, and with open wallets, to programming they can record for their own use or to share with friends, without being treated like criminals.
But the studios may have little to fear. According to one estimate by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, HDTV broadcasts take up far too much bandwidth for even the fastest Internet connections to handle easily. Even under ideal conditions, it would take 40 hours to download a single two-hour movie in HD format and would require about 17 gigabytes to store on a hard drive. Even the biggest hard drives widely available for PCs store only about 200 GB, leaving room for only a few movies in that format.
The proposed regulations for flags and encoding rules are currently before the FCC. And if the personal preferences of FCC Chairman Michael Powell have anything to do with it, the rules may stay fairly loose. During an exchange with CEA President Gary Shapiro at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Powell said he received a TiVo (nasdaq: TIVO - news - people ) recorder as a Christmas gift. He loves it, and has called it "God's machine."
He even suggested that he'd like to record shows for use on several screens in his home and might like to share programs with his sister. Broadcasters, cable companies and others have until March 28 to tell Powell why he should or shouldn't be able to do just that.
well said philo.eom
OT VOD Technology Puts Cable TV in Quagmire
Sun Feb 9, 3:29 PM ET
By LISA SINGHANIA, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK - Fed up with driving to the video store in the cold of winter, Beverly Boyarsky thought she had found the perfect solution: video on demand.
AP Photo
For about $80 a month, the Huntington Station, N.Y., woman could order movies and premium programming over digital cable. She figured she'd be able to watch whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
Two months later, Boyarsky's enthusiasm is gone.
"There are movies that are four, five, six years old that are shown on regular TV and I don't feel a need to pay for," she said. "If they're going to offer movies they should show movies that are more recent."
Boyarsky's frustrations stem from the concerns of media companies, who are afraid the combination of digital and on-demand technology will make their movies and TV shows vulnerable to piracy and render them less lucrative platforms for advertising.
"For the most part content providers are not licensing their content," said Yankee Group analyst Aditya Kishore. "There's a lot of risk for them, and most of them aren't in a rush to do this."
The cautious approach may work as long as the number of digital and video-on-demand, or VOD, customers remains low.
Some 19 million of the 72 million total cable subscribers in the United States have digital cable, Kishore estimates. Video on demand is available to about 7 million of the digital cable subscribers — only 20 to 25 percent of whom actually use it.
But the pressure to add more VOD programming is accelerating.
Cable operators, who have spent billions upgrading to digital services, need to attract consumers to the new service. They also view VOD offerings as crucial to deflecting competition from satellite operators who lack the technology to offer VOD.
But first, cable operators will have to convince Hollywood that video on demand doesn't make their products more prone to being captured on personal video recorders, traded illegally over the Internet and burned onto DVDs for sale.
Some in the entertainment industry want to encrypt movies to prevent duplication. Others want the electronics industry to build anti-piracy technology into receivers. The subject is under debate in Washington, but few expect legislation to solve the problem. Typically, technologies are eventually developed that circumvent such copy-protection measures.
Another crucial issue is whether VOD will end up helping or hurting entertainment industry profits.
TV networks and studios make money by selling shows first in prime time, then as reruns and maybe video, with broadcasters making money from commercials.
A similar business model exists for movies, with studios counting on revenues first from the theatrical debut, followed by overseas, video rental, cable and network TV releases. As a result, there is usually at least a 50-day lag between the time a movie appears at a video store and when it comes to cable and VOD.
Consequently, many content producers are hesitant to make their products available on-demand for fear it will cut into their profits. Those that have are often owned by conglomerates that also own cable systems.
HBO, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., has aggressively rolled out its HBO on Demand service to digital cable customers in the last year. The service, which allows consumers to access hit shows like "Sex and the City (news - Y! TV)" at their convenience, was available on three cable systems in 2001. Today, about 50 cable systems offer the service, including 32 of the 34 divisions of Time Warner Cable, another unit of AOL Time Warner.
"Once consumers are aware of the product and aware of the model, they love it and have shown they are willing to pay for it," said Sarah Cotsen, senior vice president of HBO interactive ventures. HBO on Demand costs between $4 and $10 a month, depending on the market.
Viacom has also launched Showtime on Demand, even though its Blockbuster movie rental business stands to lose if consumers pick VOD over video rental. And FX Networks, owned by News Corp., has made some programming, including its TV series The Shield, available to small groups of Cablevision customers.
"Video on demand is the kind of opportunity that comes along only once in a great while. So let's be sure we get it right," Mark Greenberg, Showtime executive vice president, told a VOD conference last year. "With an opportunity this great, early missteps can lead to a multi-billion-dollar pratfall later on."
Hollywood is also eyeing the Internet as an on-demand conduit. Movielink, an online joint venture of five Hollywood studios, launched in November. It won't disclose subscriber numbers.
"People are downloading movies. We haven't been hacked yet," Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive of Warner Brothers, told analysts recently.
A similar venture from RealNetworks Inc. and cable movie channel company Starz Encore Group is due out this spring.
In the meantime, cable companies have plenty to keep them busy. Digital feeds still suffer from sudden freeze-ups or delays. An AP review of Movielink found inconsistent picture quality.
Fees are another issue. Some cable customers can buy shows or movies on-demand, as they use them. Others must buy subscriptions that allow unlimited access.
Ultimately, consumers will have the final say.
"We use the video-on-demand a fair amount, probably once a month. It saves trips to the video store," said Joe Blumenfeld of Natick, Mass., who subscribes to digital cable and owns a TiVo (news - web sites) personal video recorder. "I can watch whatever I want, when I want, and I can't do that with the cable."
Sony Plans Radical Overhaul Of Global Management Structure -FT
Sunday February 9, 6:35 pm ET
TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Sony Corp. (SNE or 6758) is planning a radical overhaul of its global management structure to help integrate its electronics, entertainment and games operations, the Financial Times reported on its Web site Monday.
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The Japanese group is likely to disband the separate management boards of Sony Music and Sony Pictures Entertainment, the two main arms of its entertainment operations, as part of the restructuring, the FT reported.
Nobuyuki Idei, chairman and chief executive, said the company was finalizing a "regional empowerment" drive to create three new hubs for managing Sony's operations, which employ 168,000 people around the world.
"In future we don't need one legal music board or one movie board but maybe one board for American management," said Idei.
Separate hubs will be created in Europe, with joint headquarters likely in London and Berlin, and in Asia around Tokyo and Shanghai.
The move marks the latest attempt by Sony to streamline decision-making and extract synergy savings from its electronics manufacturing and entertainment content businesses.
Uncertainty over Sony's management strategy and competition in electronics has already contributed to a sharp fall in the group's share price in the past year, which has more than halved to about Y4,700.
Idei, in an interview, said the new hub-structure would help transform Sony from a traditional manufacturer of audiovisual appliances and producer of entertainment into a supplier of broadband services and networks.
The move follows a shakeup of group management at Sony headquarters in Tokyo last month and a strengthening of its corporate governance functions. Idei said the changes were part of a strategy to "improve the corporate architecture and prepare for succession at Sony".
Senior executives said the three new regional hubs in Asia, Europe and the Americas would clear the way for younger managers to be promoted to the top. In the past, such promotions have been hampered by lifetime employment rules in Japan.
"In each hub we should attract the most talented local people," said Idei. "I call this localized globalization, where the regional management becomes more important."
The plan, due to be unveiled formally by the middle of the year, follows an internal study of management practices at Nestle S.A. , International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - News) , General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - News) and Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE:KO - News) .
Time for automotive players to get their eyes back on the ball
A recent Strategy Analytics market research survey of vehicle owners continues to show that safety and entertainment are at the centre of consumer demand and these are the products they are most willing to pay for. (2/3/2003)
Cellular phone use is also a major in-vehicle activity across all age groups and income brackets. As players continue to struggle to turn potential telematics services into viable business models they have taken their eyes off the ball of the mainstream system opportunities - for in-vehicle infotainment and communications.
US$14Bn In-vehicle Entertainment Systems Market by 2008
In-vehicle entertainment systems play a vital role in the design characteristics of a car interior and the enjoyment of the driver and passengers. New technologies, increased sophistication and improved market positioning of these systems will enable players to better meet consumer requirements. By 2008, Strategy Analytics forecasts the market for in-vehicle entertainment (audio and display based) systems will be worth US$13.9Bn across North America, Europe and Japan.
High levels of in-vehicle cellular phone use and the growing introduction of 'handsfree' regulations will combine to stimulate a car phone kit market worth over US$750M in North America and Europe by 2008.
Traditional Migration Paths for In-vehicle Entertainment
There has always been a traditional migration path for systems that are adopted and used in the home and office, which then move into the portable and wireless environment, and then finally into the car. This means there are immediate windows of opportunity for CD, DVD and integrated cellular phones in the vehicle. Increasing market opportunity is expected for multiple CD players, particularly in-dash CD systems, audio systems capable of playing compressable MP3 audio, and for DVD and display based systems. Over 50% of the survey respondents in Europe, and over 30% of US respondents, showed a 'high interest' in multiple CD players, far higher than any other in-vehicle entertainment system. The 'high interest' levels for compressable format/MP3 CD players was on average 5-6 percentage points higher in the 18-24 year age group.
2M Display Based Entertainment System Shipments Expected by 2008
The North American market is showing market leadership in the development of display based passenger entertainment systems, and Delphi is set to develop a very strong position in the early market. Strategy Analytics estimates that around 250-300K units were sold (factory fitted and aftermarket) in North America in 2001, representing over 85% of the 3 main regional markets. The move from video to DVD based systems will be rapid over the next 2 years. The potential for gaming needs close examination as short average journey times in both the US and Europe indicate potential opportunities in family vehicle segments.
Current Navigation and Traffic Information Market Positioning Needs Rethinking
In Strategy Analytics' view the most realistic 'volume' opportunity for navigation systems is in combination with up-to-the-minute traffic information, and positioned to market as an enhanced feature of an in-car entertainment system.
The consumer survey indicated that navigation system prices remain far too high for consumer price points, and the concept of standalone route guidance does not compete strongly enough with other choices open to consumers when they buy a new car, or in the aftermarket. Traffic information is of far more interest to consumers than navigation. Despite wireless technology and service delivery challenges there is clear potential for offboard and dynamic navigation services. The Japanese infotainment and navigation market is the market to watch and learn from.
And not forgetting radio
There is continued uncertainty and doubt over whether a 'pay radio' business model will work. Yet our research showed that over 20% of car owner respondents in the US and over 40% in Europe showed 'high interest' for radio that provides dedicated and personalised content with minimal advertising. If XM and Sirius continue to have access to the resources to stimulate a consumer market, the subscriber growth rates will quickly indicate whether this interest can then be converted into a profitable customer base. Outside the UK and Germany, broadcasters and car makers in Europe have, as yet, shied away from a full scale commitment to digital radio but they will be monitoring the US market closely.
Now the main telematics hype has passed the time has come to revisit those infotainment and communications features that consumers are most interested in and most likely to buy.
Joanne Downie is a Director in Strategy Analytics' Automotive and Telematics Consulting Practice and can be contacted at jdownie@strategyanalytics.com