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Sorry it's sPAC -
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=133558
emit...
ck... they revised ePAC again for IBOC and named it, tPAC... I've been trying to find the writup but unable... found instances of me refering to it.
emit...
SGE - IMHO the only people who would know the answer to that are the actual DSP designers. The third-party programmes may ever be wondering, but co's with expertise like e.Digital - IMHO have the knowhow and have done it.
emit...
26 Mar 2002, 02:11 PM EST
SAN DIEGO, Mar 6, 2002 - e.Digital to Design, Develop, Manufacture, and Deliver Eclipse-Branded
Products for Automotive Infotainment and Telematics Systems. Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten automotive audio and infotainment products and technology received prestigious Audio Sound Grand Prix Awards in 2000 and 2001. Eclipse is
the fastest growing brand in the car stereo world.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=294523
From the amended S3 - Also in March 2002, we announced that we had entered into a Development and Manufacturing Agreement with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten, a car stereo company. Under the agreement, e.Digital will receive NRE fees for design and development services, as well as revenues for the manufacture and delivery of Eclipse-branded audio products. Specifically, the agreement provides that e.Digital will provide Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten with engineering services to integrate file management and compressed audio management technology designed by e.Digital into an advanced automotive audio system. Eclipse refers to their automotive audio system as an "infotainment" platform because it includes not only a radio and CD Player, but also may -
(i) connect wirelessly to the Internet to download music or other data,
(ii) store, organize, retrieve, and play back data, including digital audio files, from a hard disk drive,
(iii) connect wirelessly to a user's home personal computer while parked in the driveway for purposes of downloading and/or uploading music or other information,
(iv) record radio signals to a built-in hard disk drive as they are received and
(v) recognize the driver's voice commands to perform a variety of operations.
Prior to entering into the Development and Manufacturing Agreement, we had collaborated with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten for several months to develop and deliver state-of-the-art automotive OEM and aftermarket infotainment systems integrating the latest digital audio, voice recognition, data storage, video, and wireless Internet technologies for sale under the Eclipse brand name. The first system was unveiled at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas January 8 -- 11.
Support Any Format,Any Time
TI’s Internet Audio solution provides
the flexibility to listen to
music in any format at any time.
MP3, Windows Media Audio, Real
G2, ATRAC3, Dolby Digital, ePAC,
TwinVQ, QDMC, 723.1, and AUDIBLE.
COM™ are just a few of the
formats that TI supports. Portable
digital audio players engineered
with TI DSPs can be programmed
to accommodate music in any format.
The audio standards will
either be encoded in the program
material, reside in the player, or
be downloaded from the Internet.
Regardless of the delivery methods,
any player engineered with a
TI C5000™ DSP will be able to
handle any audio standard.
Our IA solution also supports multiple
media formats including Compact
Flash, Smart Media, MMC, SD,
Memory Stick, and Secure MMC.
Hoo Boy cksla - Yah
Radio Radio Radio
New BOD Radio member... MTVi hitting Radio...
STBs using this to HDs, Think if we wer'nt with Agere for XM that we may truly be a part of this....
Atul - you said it. It's ePack again, didn't it get tweaket to tPac... And AAC
WeeDigMusic's handhelds do Radio
emit...
We WOW...
Definitly something happening here...
TIs 'Bier' terming/catagorizing its cell DSP structures across all OEMs as 'Devices' lends credibility to the need for tighter oversight seeing what companies like e.Digital are doing with finished products.
Note; 'But TI executives said third-party developers will now be monitored more closely, with those showing the greatest promise winning direct support.'
From -
August 9, 2002 (4:23 p.m. EST)
HOUSTON -- Texas Instruments Inc. used this week's TI Developer Conference here to prepare its customers and others for tactical shifts aimed at helping the company jump into new applications and offset the anemic growth of cellular handset sales.
```````````````````````````````
Think we're in the promise land.
emit...
ck - I think DP got ahead of itself in its intentions - A lot has been pulled including RedDotNet. IMHO they have done this to finalize these envevors in the background to have a lil freedom from all the inquiries and not let the compitition know whats to come.
Same with the Evolution MTV player - Gone due to a coming debut... at least thats what I hope.
emit...
SGE - I know it's far fetched, and I may have taken it out-of-context but it's my understanding our players use TI-DSPs along with Actel's FGPA's to achieve its functional security towards any reverse engineering... Tinroad calmly straightned me out on the actel venture - if you read the pr it states we are taking the actel fgpa's and tweaking them for our needs, we're not embedded in all their fgpa's. at least not yet
Correct me if I'm wrong - who was it that popped the nomad apart. Anyway I'll try to dig up the TI paper...
You are correct in that if the DSPs can accept a firmware download to achieve security and/or subscription timeouts it raises security concers but in my opinion it's possible. Didn't I see a post per co's wanting laws forbiding mp3 player tinkering. Oh boy.
The MTV Video Music Awards - August 29th would be a nice time to debut DataPlay.
Thnx for everyons feedback -
emit...
The vastness/scope of dsp’s lends credibility of an implacable trend… e.Digital and its partners are stacking the substrates via kernel hardware solutions for content security. This is monumental in the scheme of things emerging as a solution to counter piracy – thus NDAs are essential:
October 30, 2000 - Fred Falk, ‘’We are also working with OEMs who may compete against each other with product offerings designed by e.Digital. Our non-disclosure agreements with our OEMs are in place to ensure that we are not disclosing any details of their product and our agreements to other OEMs and the public until they are ready to have this information made available. ‘’ Feb. 14, 2001 – e.Digital Form 10-QSB – Informed Investors that some revenue sources may stay unnamed until they decide to become known.
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It’s possible that the bulk of all the new players on the market could have a dormant block residing within them for a new bread of inherent ability to support subscription/content rights – Thus NDAs in a big way – and the, ‘’Have enough to count.’’ The reinforcement of this notion came as Microsoft’s made the statement per the need for an OS to support an internal clock. JC has commented that e.Digital could become a MidCap company. That’s a billion plus market cap and a pps of at least $10.
I think that some of our close competitors either carry this ability onboard and don’t know it or will require an upgrade as we found in the TI white-papers long ago. Actually if there is not room for programmability in their structure they’ll probably be obsolete to the higher functions needed for subscription. Something tells me that the majority of programmable DSPs out there will be capable of accepting it via firmware download; saying our OS can infiltrate and reside on existing DSP structures being used by the masses – of course e.Digital may need to see those third-party designers flow-charts to do this… thus a paid firmware upgrade as stated below – and, why would our players need a paid firmware download? for a subscription I supose.
Jim Colliers comments on subscription services
I posed a few questions to Jim regarding subscription services in March please read below.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=435644
Subj: RE: Questions
Date: 3/11/02 7:46:40 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jim@edig.com
To: Barry6575@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Barry,
All of our next generation mass storage audio players will be subscription
enabled. We are preparing to support any subscription opportunity that
develops. This not only includes music, but all so audio books. We can't
control the rate at which these services develop. However, by providing a
population of players that are ready to support any service that becomes
available we hope to accelerate the adoption of these services. This will be
accomplished via a paid firmware download and an opportunity for recurring
subscription percentages.
Best regards,
Jim Collier
-----Original Message-----
From: Barry6575@aol.com [mailto:Barry6575@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 2:15 PM
To: Jim Collier
Subject: Questions
I was just pondering your statement at the shareholder meeting about us
being at the forefront of developing a subscription service. I also noticed that
along with royalty and license fees you plan on creating a business unit for
subscription fees.
Can we expect to hear further developments regarding subscription services?
What is Edig role regarding subscription services?
Are we going to help the market evolve by providing a secure subscription
service that will allow music files to be downloaded to portable devices?
Is this also a major initiative going forward?
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As implied the gamut of players out there may not carry everything needed for subscription; even the current runners may have the ability to do WMA/MP3 but what about other codecs, DRMs, and the need for an internal clock. Not to mention DataPlay’s ‘Content Key’ and its possible crossover onto HD which I see very probable - Remember People - DP is planning on the ability to download to blank media via etail and retail kiosks to handhelds in the future.
We’ll be seeing DRM/Subscription certification firmware upgrades, question is – will all these other mp3 players be capable of supporting any particular services? Maybe via a patented Micro Operating System – Note Jim Collier, ‘’ However, by providing a population of players that are ready to support any service that becomes available we hope to accelerate the adoption of these services.
Think of the possibilities –
"The term DSP has polarized people," said Forward Concepts' Strauss. "When you say DSP, people think TI, but there are more than 100 DSP-based products by more than 100 chip vendors. They are using names like encoders, MPEG, and JPEG, but it's all digital signal processing."
Microsoft Preps Content Locks For Devices – Note that e.Digital’s devices already do this.
April 4, 2002 - Microsoft is preparing an upgrade to its anti-piracy technology aimed at bridging the gap that continues to separate online music subscription services and portable devices such as MP3 players. Most devices lack critical features found on a computer, such as a system clock. http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=332692
All this has yet to been seen until now with PressPlays new allowance. This underscores the reason for us doing it ourselves when they were twiddling their thumbs, i.e.,. Jim Collier - ‘’ We can't control the rate at which these services develop.’’ However, if they evolve using different standards, ‘’by providing a population of players that are ready to support any service that becomes available we hope to accelerate the adoption of these services.
Aug. 1, 2002-- PressPlay Introduces Unlimited Streaming and Downloading; Subscribers May Keep as Much Music as They Want; Members Can Now Transfer Tracks to Portable Devices, as Well as Burn to CDs.
So, bring on WeDigMusic, DataPlay, PressPlay, MTVi, etc.
emit…
I hope these two will be among our media partners. Note 'Radio' on MTVi
June 5, 2001- -RioPort, & BestBuy - the leading music application service provider (ASP), today announced that it will distribute commercial music downloads to BestBuy.com(TM), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. the nation's number one specialty retailer of
consumer electronics. http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=689931
January 6, 2000 – E.DIGITAL AND RIOPORT, INC. COLLABORATE [/B] TO DEVELOP SEAMLESS, SECURE INTERNET MUSIC DELIVERY SYSTEM.
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=EDIG&read=68993
MTV Gets Down With Downloads
by Brad King
12:20 p.m. April 4, 2001 PDT
Music television is about to expand to the Internet, as all five major labels announce a new retail service that will allow consumers to purchase digital downloads through MTV's online network.
The downloads will initially be sold through the MTV Radio and VH1 At Work streaming stations, which use Rioport's Pulse One Media Services delivery system.
When listeners hear a song they want to purchase, they can click on a buy button and immediately purchase a secure download.
MTVi CEO Nicholas Butterworth said the service would eventually be fully integrated with MTV, giving viewers the ability to watch and interact with their favorite music.
"Our expectation is that by the end of this year, about 50 percent of the music played on the music channels on television will be instantly available for download," Butterworth said. "We certainly expect it won't be long before seeing a video on TV is a promise that you can purchase a secure download."
The service is currently offered only through MTVi. Rioport CEO Jim Long said other retailers would be added to the distribution system throughout the year.
Wednesday's deal instantly catapults MTV into the retail market, just one day after traditional merchants like Tower Records accused the recording industry of squeezing them out of the download market.
"MTV is now becoming a powerful retailer," said Webnoize analyst Ric Dube. "We know that retailers are only going to tolerate so much, and it's getting worse and worse. This is just another strike against the established retailers."
Despite the clash that appears to be brewing between the record labels and the traditional retailers, MTV could offers consumers an integrated music service that few online or offline retailers can match. With the powerful brand name and popular television shows like its daily video countdown show TRL, the music television network might have found the perfect fit for an integrated music service.
"If MTV is smart, this is going to evolve into the TRL music club," Dube said. "People will pay a subscription fee to get all the TRL music that they want, and kids can get all the access to (TRL host) Carson Daly that they want.
"Then, they are going to plug song-specific MTV radio stations on their shows, and when you're listening to that song on their radio, if it's available for download, you can then purchase the song."
Dube said creating such a service would still be difficult, as licensing issues would need to be worked out. But the brand the company is developing and subscription-based service work.
The service will initially have 10,000 tracks available, with singles selling for $1.99 and albums selling for $18.98. Consumers will have a variety of rights in terms of how they get to transport the music, depending on which label the music comes from. While not discussing specific details, Long said consumers would be able to move their files between devices and retrieve copies of music that might have been inadvertently lost or deleted.
Long did say that users wouldn't necessarily be able to burn CDs after purchasing music. Each label has its own policy for that.
While the price seems high for music that is delivered digitally and comes with some restrictions on use, one record label executive said that maintaining a retail price structure was important in clearing licenses.
"The idea that the music doesn't have value when it's taken off the disk is wrong; the art form is the music," said Ted Cohen, EMI's vice president of new media. "Whether it's a download, bought in a store, or burned, we see that the value is in the music.
"It makes it more complex to go to an artist and tell them that they are going to get less money because they are selling the tracks digitally."
Downloaded tracks will be available primarily wrapped in security from either InterTrust or Microsoft, the two leading developers of digital rights management technologies. However, Rioport's Long said the labels would each decide on their own what kinds of securities would be attached to the service.
Long said the new service would thrive despite the existence of Napster because of the consumer experience.
"When you have a business model like Napster, when you aren't making money, you can't really put any money into developing business models," Long said. "When you talk to folks involved in swapping, people are very dissatisfied with some of their transactions."
On Tuesday, Realnetworks' MusicNet subscription service executives said they would work with the controversial file-trading company once security protocols were put in place -- an emerging trend from online music companies. Cohen followed suit, saying that while he doubted Napster would change, he hoped that MTV's service would be integrated with Napster.
"Why would we want to freeze out anybody who has been stealing our music?" Cohen said. "I've tried to work with them on creating a business model before I came to EMI, and I finally had to stop working with them. But we want them to embrace our view of how to sell music."
emit...
Thnx - Skunks.... eom
What's the date on the Twist-TV statement skunks -
emit...
Blackdog - I agree... Someone write Mgmt.
I'm sure they'll do it on the site - URLs are just all lowercase.
WeDigMusic.com
WeDigVideos.com
WeDigeBooks.com
Very nice move WEEe.Digital
emit...
OT - HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002--
XS Network Showcases Its .NET-Based Live, Broadcast-Ready Camera
Network
Microsoft Corp. and XS Network, a leading provider of multimedia
lifestyle marketing and broadcast distribution announced a partnership
in which XS Network will showcase Microsoft's new, unreleased .Net
Server Environment and the Media 9 Series Platform.
XS Network has implemented .NET as the backbone to its core
business -- broadcast creation and distribution based on a worldwide
live-camera network.
"(Microsoft's) Digital Media has the potential to redefine the
possibilities for new experiences and services over the Internet, in
the living room and in companies around the world," said Will Poole,
vice president of the Windows(R) Digital Media Division at Microsoft.
"Windows Media 9 Series is designed to deliver the major step forward
in functionality and performance the industry needs to realize this
potential."
XS Network is already using the .NET environment to broadcast its
webcasts and movie previews. "This is just a sample of things to
come," said Chris Carmichael, chairman of XS Network, "The partnership
between XS Network and Microsoft will leverage both companies as being
the pioneer in digital-quality broadcasts, with feeds available in
multiple formats ranging from high-definition to Interactive
Television to 3G cell phones such as the Microsoft SmartPhone."
"Bill Gates has been a continued leader in technology. The .Net
Media 9 Series Platform will change the architecture of the entire
industry," Carmichael said. ".NET will also set precedence in the
future of Interactive Television. Our camera network is positioned to
play a large role in Interactive Television."
Under the terms of the multifaceted partnership, both companies
will share in the deployment of resources to manage the tools,
consulting and support required for XS Network to maximize their
ability to provide critical media services that showcase Microsoft's
products.
As part of the XS Network's digital infrastructure, they have
installed Hawaii's first island-wide wireless and satellite network
and are already working with Outrigger Hotels & Resorts to provide
high-bandwidth media solutions to their 45 properties throughout the
Pacific Rim. XS Network has also begun installation on their network
at The Turtle Bay Resort, on the remote side of Oahu's North Shore.
The wireless and satellite network allows XS Network to put
broadcast-ready cameras at otherwise inaccessible locations around the
world.
XS Network is delivering reliable, real-time broadcasts to
audiences while at the same time utilizing powerful advertising and
logging features to generate and track revenue. XS Network's dynamic
content programming capabilities and server-side play-list support
enable them to control their ad-driven business activities with
real-time ad insertion and the ability to cross-market digital media
without interrupting the audience's viewing experience.
For example, the company can dynamically play a movie preview
before or during a webcast or push the sale of an Xbox game while
watching a surf contest on XS Network's online property, XSCity.com.
.NET prides itself on being a simple, yet robust solution. After
several months of having .NET in production, XS Network has validated
those claims. The company has also taken advantage of .NET's Fast
Stream technology. Fast Stream automatically optimizes the delivery of
streaming audio and video to take advantage of the full bandwidth
available to the user.
This reduces the impact of congestion on the Web while bringing
home-theater-like digital media to their audience. The technology also
reduces costs because it can serve up twice as many streams as was
able by the previous generation of media servers.
About XS Network
Based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., XS Network Inc. is a privately held
lifestyle marketing and multimedia broadcast distribution company. Its
exclusive technology, patents and partnerships with businesses
worldwide has the company positioned to be the leader in the
interactive live broadcast market. The company creates licenses and
distributes its content for television, HDTV, wireless and Web
applications.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) is the worldwide leader
in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and
business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and
services designed to empower people through great software -- any
time, any place and on any device.
Note to Editors: The names of actual companies and products
mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
--30--JE/np* EZ/np
CONTACT: XS Network Inc., Aliso Viejo
Chris Carmichael, 949/349-1550
cc@xscity.com
Remember Gatway's Destination Systems, well FreeStyle will help the content get to consumers - note its emphisis on infotainment, games n music ... Hope MS still in bed with Fonix because GameQube could probably facilitate it with its VR & TTS.
Note its Broadband prereq.
I'd be tickled to facilitate it.
Come on DataPlay -
emit...
Corrona is FreeStyle... Could we announce it as a partner. Samsung is there, PressPlay via this new FreeSyle will be Awesome - WMA compliant devices will proliforate.
Maybe Samsung opted outa Zapmedia for these new FreeStyle devices, hell Televisions - bypassing the STB... or maybe facilitating them.
Keep the faith, yep mgmt fk'd itself by not associating it's devices with these type service.
Hopefully,,, to come
emit...
These are primarly Internet PC based avenues ror Video on demand. MeTV will offer crossover to existing Televisions... Bill's new Freestyle will bring new hybrid sets n devices quite capable of streaming MeTV, THUS the MS MeTV connection.
Corrona is FreeStyle, if Wesnet opens on this and affords TMM an audiance via this worldwide, well we could be in business. Because of the digital broadband animinity inherant in the system.
Go... QBID
These international VOD offerings join US-based MovieFlix, IFILM Corp., Kanakaris Wireless/CinemaPop.com, Intertainer, Inc. , and CinemaNow, Inc. to provide consumers with VOD services.'
````````````````````````````````````
* More than 50 million movies have been distributed to online viewers using Windows Media. Leading content providers are delivering more than 9 million movies per month using Windows Media and gaining revenue as a result.
* Subscription video services from the US, Europe and the Far East are offering their VOD subscribers the highest quality video directly to their PCs powered by Windows Media. Examples include:
* In Japan, Pony Canyon's "One Day Vision" showcases films from top studios. (URL)
http://www.ponycanyon.co.jp
*In France, Moviesystem's "NetCine" offers hundreds of film titles from top studios and independent film producers. (URL)
http://www.netcine.com/root/default.asp
* In Singapore, Singtel's "Movie Magix" provides films from Columbia Tri-Star, a Sony company.
http://www.magix.com.sg/
These international VOD offerings join US-based MovieFlix, IFILM Corp., Kanakaris Wireless/CinemaPop.com, Intertainer, Inc. , and CinemaNow, Inc. to provide consumers with VOD services.
Microsoft taking aim at home entertainment ...
James Coates
Published July 28, 2002
Bill Gates has his eye on your television set. He thinks your TV should stop being just a video machine and become a computer. Care to guess which operating system Bill wants your television set to use?
Look at it this way. There are a bit more than 100 million households in the United States. About 48 million of these homes have a computer. By contrast, virtually the entire 100 million households have one color television set and more than half of them have at least two TVs.
With computer sales to American homes now flatter than they ever have been, Gates set his sights on the far larger video market.
In the past couple of weeks Microsoft Corp. put many of the finishing touches on a coming fall campaign to join forces with consumer electronics outfits and PC-makers to flood the stores with the first generation of hybrid devices that Microsoft code named its "Freestyle" project.
The Freestyle collaborators include a global triumvirate of the giant makers of both computers and home entertainment products: Hewlett-Packard Co., Japan's NEC Corp. and Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
They're about to unleash a flood of television sets, DVD players and home music systems that have full-blown Pentium computers running the next generation of Windows XP built into their innards.
Called the Windows XP Media Center Edition, the new look for the operating system now on 90 percent of the world's desktop computers will be based on a user employing an infrared remote clicker box instead of a keyboard. One will use the clicker to move a cursor arrow across a device's screen and click open the Start menu.
Start will open the way to a rather stunning upgrade to Microsoft's already robust Media Player software called Media Player 9.0, a program that handles everything from playing conventional music CDs to running high fidelity multichannel DVD movies and displaying streaming video feeds of the latest Hollywood movies over broadband connections.
Sources at the Microsoft Network tell me that Microsoft plans to offer this high-speed content through telecom giant Verizon.
The idea is to sell homes not only Microsoft-powered NEC and Samsung TV receivers and music players running Windows XP, but to sign them up for subscriptions to MSN (about $25 per month) to download and play--in real time--movies, music, games and other goodies.
Look for an unveiling in early September when Gates plans an extravaganza release of Media Player 9.
It's all part of a master plan that Gates hatched shortly after stepping down as Microsoft's chief executive officer and taking instead the title of chief software architect.
As word of the Freestyle project emerged from Microsoft's corporate campus in Redmond, Wash., it became dramatically obvious why Gates ordered his company to charge American consumers $200 for the Microsoft X-Box game machine that some analysts suspect cost the company $250 to make.
Just as many hackers, like MIT's Andrew Shane "Bunnie" Huang, who have dismantled the carefully encrypted X-Boxes suspected, these seeming toys are full blown Intel-architecture personal computers as well as games. With the new Windows XP Media Center operating system, they already have a major foot in the door as the company focuses its huge resources on home entertainment .
It's a move clearly being made with all of the cunning and ruthless singularity of purpose that has been Gates' style from the beginning.
If it weren't so important to the future of the American economy it would almost be amusing watching Gates and his masters of manipulation at Microsoft scramble to find something beyond desktop computers.
And what a scramble it is as Gates struggles with the unhappy fact that he no longer is at the helm of a revolution.
Even without today's gear-grinding economic slowdown, the home computer business would have lost much of the momentum that propelled it through the roaring '90s.
Those homes that were likely to buy a computer now have done so, and the great boom as folks rushed to get online is over. Home PC sales have become a replacement industry rather than a revolution.
Computers are a mature industry. Just like toasters and sewing machines and automobiles. Watching computer hardware and software sales has become almost as dull as watching paint dry.
Nobody knows this better than Gates. Just about anybody who ever worked for him or interviewed him will tell you that nothing makes the world's richest man bristle as does telling him that his company exists merely to sell upgrades to past glories.
"We are not an upgrade company and we never will be an upgrade company," Gates shouted at this writer back in 1996.
But as far as computers go, that's exactly what Microsoft has become. It is the world's largest PC software upgrade company by a mile and a yard. And there's nothing wrong with being in the upgrade game, either.
Before Microsoft takes over the look and feel of our television sets, I wish someone would just tell Gates to chill out and remember that Ford Motor Co. does quite nicely selling upgrades. So does General Motors.
Chicago Tribune
Note video - near bottom ...
Windows Media Is The Leading Industry Choice For Music Services
* Both the pressplay (Sony Music, Vivendi Universal, and EMI) and FullAudio Corp. (ClearChannel Radio) online music subscription services offer songs in Windows Media Audio and incorporate Windows Media digital rights management (DRM) technology.
* Other examples include Rhapsody Digital Music Service (Listen.com), RioPort Inc. and CenterSpan Communications Corp., which used Windows Media DRM to rebuild Scour Exchange, making it a leading source of legitimate downloadable entertainment. In addition, international services in Europe, such as those supplied by OD2 to MSN, Tiscali, and Ministry of Sound utilize Windows Media in their offerings.
* More than 50 million movies have been distributed to online viewers using Windows Media. Leading content providers are delivering more than 9 million movies per month using Windows Media and gaining revenue as a result.
* Subscription video services from the US, Europe and the Far East are offering their VOD subscribers the highest quality video directly to their PCs powered by Windows Media. Examples include:
* In Japan, Pony Canyon's "One Day Vision" showcases films from top studios. (URL)
http://www.ponycanyon.co.jp
*In France, Moviesystem's "NetCine" offers hundreds of film titles from top studios and independent film producers. (URL)
http://www.netcine.com/root/default.asp
* In Singapore, Singtel's "Movie Magix" provides films from Columbia Tri-Star, a Sony company.
http://www.magix.com.sg/
These international VOD offerings join US-based MovieFlix, IFILM Corp., Kanakaris Wireless/CinemaPop.com, Intertainer, Inc. , and CinemaNow, Inc. to provide consumers with VOD services.
Possibly OT - Possibly not.
Microsoft expands entertainment ...
August 1, 2002
Microsoft Corp. is putting the finishing touches on a campaign to flood stores this fall with television sets, DVD players and home music systems that have full-blown Pentium computers inside.
Called the Windows XP Media Center Edition, the system will use an infrared remote control to play CDs, run movies or display streaming video feeds of Hollywood movies.
The idea is to sell homes not only Microsoft-powered TV receivers and music players running Windows XP, but also to sign them up for subscriptions to MSN (about $25 per month) to download and play movies, music and games.
The Chicago Tribune
http://www.freep.com/money/tech/buzz1_20020801.htm
Virgin and MTV downloads to phones
We invisioned this back in 2000
hmmm good find gernb1.
others 2 - universal n Sony/WMA
Since Intel has intered the mix maybe the DD days are back
for me
emit...
I've often wondered why Intel was still on our Partners page...
The Intel componets for the video player could easily be a part of JC's comment per the big Thingy to be announced at 03-CES - Hell we could make it do Divx and Corona -
IMHO
emit...
Yah Baby -
It also will be subscription enabled and fully compatible with our subscription content partners, soon to be announced.
emit...
Time Warner Cable to introduce set-top boxes
18/07/2002
Time Warner Cable, the US's second-largest cable television (CATV) operator, is understood to introducing digital set-top boxes with digital video recorders in some markets allowing subscribers to pause and record live TV programmes, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal.
The new cable specific set-top boxes, understood to be similar in functionality to that of TiVO and ReplayTV, will be made available to customers towards the end of the summer in a move to compete with services offered by satellite TV operators, reports the newspaper.
The reports come at the same time concern has been raised by some executives of the Time Warner media empire regarding the effect that introducing personal video recorders will have on the revenue gleaned through broadcast advertising.
The Wall Street Journal reports that only last week Jamie Kellner, chairman of AOL Time Warner owned Turner Broadcasting System, reportedly said that television viewers could face paying for TV channels they receive at no cost if PVRs kill-off revenue generated through TV commercials.
However, in a move to counter fears expressed by the executives, Time Warner Cable has said that the service will be offered on Scientific Atlanta set-top boxes which do not include the controversial ad zapping feature common to ReplayTV and TiVO, but does allow viewers to fast-forward live TV programmes.
"It is not clear yet whether set-top PVR will be a winner or not, but we will have it for the customers who want it. Competitive pressure from satellite operators requires us to do so," said Glenn Britt, Time Warner Cable chairman, reported the WSJ.
Van Dusseldorp's TV Meets the Web business unit provides European companies and those interested in the European market with information and research on the latest Internet, broadcasting and media convergence developments. For more information, please visit TVMeetstheWeb.com
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=11578
emit...
However the Window Media view sucks - mp3 sound sucks; enter AAC,QDX, Corona and Divx.
emit...
My Friend's... edig longs
Got be a fool not to know embedded is coming to portable devices - for special segment ie., portaled artist
e.Digital has said it - on MXP; 'Firmware upgradable to future time based subcsription services'... what venues will music, instant TTextMessages, even down to home servers and into unique LAN's for pushing/pulling wirless data.
~ BroadBand Media ~
Whats happenin ;why no huge CE co's have note adopted HD-BJB's yet, is that the are tieing it all together - creating innovations.... like Lydstrum - uncertain about final feature-sets. ie. moxi not slated untill mid 03.
About time for some Actel announcements indicating DRM-OS services for divx and kiosks services coming - IMHO. However our service has yet temperd/named us what well innevotably end up doing - as per delivery.
Portal's n Retail first - given label litigation a wane.
Anyway - Buying when i can...
Notice Whitney via AOL allows a free song of this summers coming realeas streamed - on AOL main page,, and jennifer love hewitte has a new video viewable - their free.
emit...
Zeek... it claims to be the first, lol
''currently the only player that can use the IBM Microdrive''
WRONG -
emit...
Note Bold - Did we know this... hmmm
New Generation of Mobile .NET applications and Services Heralded Through Introduction of Microsoft Certification Programs and Pocket PCs
7/2/2002
First .NET Compact Framework Applications Demonstrated at TechEd Europe 2002
Microsoft Press Release
For Release 09:00 AM
July 2, 2002
BARCELONA, Spain - July 2, 2002 - At TechEd Europe 2002, Microsoft Corp. and mobility partners demonstrated continued momentum in the drive toward developing mobile applications using the Microsoft® .NET Compact Framework. Further, mobility partners in the recently announced Mobile2Market Program have completed mobile certification and are featuring mobile applications developed for Windows® Powered mobile devices. In hardware news, Hewlett-Packard Corporation recently launched the iPAQ 3900 series Pocket PC; while Fujitsu-Siemens Computers announced that its lightweight Pocket LOOX PDA will be commercially availability in Europe from mid-July 2002. O2's new xda Pocket PC is also now available from stores in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.
"The progress we're making with our mobile partners in providing tools, and certification programs has shown a marked advance toward our goal of connecting users to important information, anytime, any place and on any device," said Robbie Wright, Director, Mobility Group, Microsoft EMEA. "Through the Mobile2Market, and Mobile Partner Advisory Council programs we have seen significant progress in the development of mobile .NET services and applications targeting new, rich wireless devices like Windows Powered Pocket PCs and Smartphones."
Delivering on the .NET Compact Framework
Today, mobility partners are demonstrating the first rich mobile applications built on the .NET platform. Examples of the applications being demonstrated are DAT Group's Pocket Auction application and Mobile Productivity's SmartCalc.
DAT's Pocket Auction was used at the NSPCC's annual charity ball. DAT was able to develop the Pocket Auction using Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework, and had the system up and running in less than a month.
With Mobile Productivity's SmartCalc, banks and finance houses can increase the productivity of their lease finance sales staff. The .NET Compact Framework enabled Mobile Productivity to develop their Pocket PC application in a fraction of the time a regular development project would have required.
At its Mobile Developers Conference in April 2002, Microsoft announced beta availability of the .NET Compact Framework enabling developers to extend .NET to smart handheld devices and deliver rich computing to mobile users. The .NET Compact Framework is Microsoft's mobile application technology, which utilises the power of XML Web services on mobile devices.
Mobile2Market Enables Companies to Realise Mobile Potential
Microsoft Mobility partner SynchroLogic was one of the first partners to register and receive benefits from the Mobile2Market program. At TechEd 2002, SynchroLogic will demonstrate its 'push' capability as a component of its Email Accelerator for Pocket PC. The Email Accelerator automatically delivers email, calendar events, contacts, and personalised information such as travel itineraries, driving directions and weather reports to users' devices.
Microsoft's Mobile2Market enables a framework for the certification and market delivery of network-ready wireless applications for the Windows Powered Pocket PC and Smartphone software platforms. This program connects ISVs, channel partners, mobile operators and end users in an infrastructure that enables a new economy around the creation, certification and delivery of mobile applications.
"Working with Microsoft and its certification partners through Mobile2Market has streamlined the steps needed to develop our mobile applications," said John Dancu, President and COO of SynchroLogic. "This program has helped us save significant time in taking our product to market from development to carrier deployment, and in differentiating it from others in the mobile market."
New Windows Powered Mobile Devices
Fujitsu-Siemens Computers Pocket LOOX PDA
Fujitsu-Siemens Computers announced at TechEd 2002 that it would begin selling the new Pocket LOOX PDA in Europe by mid-July. The sleek, lightweight Pocket LOOX, based on the latest Intel XScale processor, features high connectivity, speed, modularity and integrated Bluetooth connectivity with the capability of having a second battery and GSM/ GPRS functionality added via a plug-on module. The Pocket LOOX also comes with an integrated Compact Flash Card slot and Secure Digital Card Slot.
Hewlett-Packard iPAQ 3900
Last week, Hewlett Packard Company announced the iPAQ Pocket PC H3900 Series, the newest model in their Windows Powered Pocket PC family. The iPAQ 3900 comes complete with a spectacular new colour screen, the 400MHz Intel PXA250 processor, and versatile features such as a universal remote control for home and office electronics. It also contains a Secure Digital Input-Output expansion slot, allowing users to move data back and forth.
The new iPAQ Pocket PC H3950 comes with 32MB of Flash ROM and a street price of $634, while the iPAQ Pocket PC H3970 has integrated Bluetooth, and 48MB of Flash ROM and is priced at $734; both models include 64 MB of RAM and will start shipping at the end of July in EMEA.
O2 xda Pocket PC
The xda from O2 is now on sale in its stores across the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, priced at €649. Utilising 'always on' GPRS mobile data networks, as well as conventional GSM, the xda combines a sleek- colour Pocket PC with mobile telephony to offer full colour Internet access, Web-based email and extensive mobile phone capabilities via Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition software.
Microsoft Developer and Partner Momentum
The Microsoft .NET mobile ecosystem comprises many industry partners who are at the forefront of mobile application development. Some of the companies present at this year's TechEd Europe are members of Microsoft's 100 strong Mobility Partner Advisory Council (MPAC), a special branch of Microsoft's global developer partner program providing developers with tools to create mobile applications. Microsoft has over 6,000 developer partners, who have developed 10,500 applications that have been developed for Windows Powered mobile devices. Since January 2002 more than 130,000 Pocket PC 2002 software developer kits (SDKs) and over 320,000 Embedded Visual Tool SDKs have been distributed to mobile developers.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
#########
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Miller/Shandwick Technologies, +44 (0)207 240 8666
emeamsmobility@miller.shandwick.com
Visit the virtual press center at http://www.microsoftmobilitypress.com/
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed.
old but interesting -
Fujitsu Courts Sagem for Handset Venture
2/20/2002
BWCS Staff Japanese electronics giant Fujitsu is in talks with French company Sagem over a possible alliance to manufacture 3G handsets. Fujitsu, which currently supplies second generation phones and 3G mobile equipment to NTT DoCoMo, has made no secret of the fact that it has been looking for a European partner. For several months it looked as if the company would join forces with Siemens, but these talks were abandoned late last year.
To date, the Japanese company has remained cautious about entering the 3G handset market citing delays, slower than expected roll outs and software glitches. It has said that if it does ever enter the market it will focus only on business users. Fujitsu already has a joint venture with another French giant, Alcatel. The pair are jointly developing 3G base stations.
Local Japanese business newspapers report that the driver behind the proposed tie-up with Sagem would be to cut costs and give Fujitsu an opening to the European market for 3G phones.
Chinese Mobile Market Surges
The number of mobile phone users in China hit 176m in June, the Ministry of Information Industry said this week. This represented an additional 31.35 million users hooking up in the first half of this year, the Xinhua news agency reported. By comparison, the number of fixed line subscribers was 198 million, up 19.9 million. While 30.2% of the population has a fixed line connection, 13.86% have wireless connections. The number of wireless subscribers will outstrip fixed line users by next May or June, if the sectors continue to grow at the current rates. According to the MII, sales in the mobile sector totaled $22.31bn in the first half, up 16% on the previous year.
MPEG-4 finally shows its face
Movie compression hits a new wave
The latest multimedia compression technology that will allow full motion video over the internet is finally coming to market after months of wrangling.
MPEG-4, created by the Moving Pictures Expert Group, is an open compression technology for digital multimedia made up of audio and video technologies that condenses digital files making them easier for internet transfer.
Larry Horn, vice president of licensing and business development for MPEG LA, an alliance of 18 consumer electronics companies, said that MPEG-4 technology would probably show up first in web and mobile phone applications and video-on-demand services.
He maintained that the licensing model, which was hotly debated among the patent holders, is now acceptable in the marketplace.
Under the new terms, cable and satellite providers will pay a royalty of 25 cents for the right to manufacture and sell each decoder and encoder, while the party providing content services to the subscriber will pay a royalty of $1.25 for the right to use encoded MPEG-4 information.
What MPEG LA proposed at the beginning of the year was a set of licensing terms that would have required licensees to pay $0.25 per encoder and decoder for personal use, with a $1m cap.
In February, Apple previewed QuickTime 6 but then held back its release after it rejected the proposed royalty rates.
Apple introduced the final version of its QuickTime 6 digital media software just hours before resolving the licensing scuffle with MPEG LA.
Copyright © 2001 VNU Business Publications Limited
[All rights reserved]
Toshiba Considers IBM Partnership For IT Services
Computer hardware manufacturer Toshiba Corp is considering asking IBM Corp to invest in its IT services division in a bid to increase its number of major contracts.
Tokyo-based Toshiba does not break out the amount of revenue it makes from its IT services business, which it calls e-solutions, but chairman Taizo Nishimuro said he may ask IBM for some investment to help it keep up with the pace set by the largest Japanese IT services providers NTT Data Corp and Fujitsu Corp. The Japanese IT services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% to reach $90.4bn in 2005, according to Gartner Inc.
IBM and Toshiba already have a joint venture called T&I Solution Co, which sells computers, software and services to financial services companies. IBM has already had significant success in the Japanese IT services market, winning recent major outsourcing deals with Kobe Steel ($579m), Japan Airlines Co ($644m) and a lucrative 10-year outsourcing and cooperation agreement with NTT Corp that could generate as much as $13.8bn.
Toshiba has a stake in a joint venture company with Accenture Inc and Oracle Corp to provide ERP consulting and systems integration services to Japanese user companies, that was launched in July 2001.
http://www.vibrantmedia.com/system/newcse.asp?Page=1&ContentPurchasedID=5271&Target=BLANK&am...
MSNBC.com Confirms That Windows Media "Corona" Server Beta Delivers Significant Media Server Scalability Gains
``````````````````````````````````````````
The new Windows Media Services in Windows .NET Server for more than two months to deliver both live and on-demand content to its customers.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/Jun02/06-12CoronaMSNBCPR.asp
emit...
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Half of all South Korean consumers sit in front of Samsung television sets, keep food in Samsung refrigerators, chatter on Samsung cellphones and surf the Internet on Samsung computers, eyes glued to monitors bearing the same trademark.
And they probably bought it all with Samsung credit cards.
Samsung, the world's biggest seller of computer memory chips, flat panel screens, monitors, VCRs and electric ranges, is the only remaining South Korean conglomerate, or chaebol, to stand tall after the Asian currency crisis of the late 1990s.
Daewoo, once South Korea's No. 3 conglomerate, is in pieces. Giant Hyundai has splintered under heavy debt, its motor and shipbuilding units alone retaining their luster.
Now, Samsung 's innovative handheld devices and home appliances have boosted its name recognition to levels that rival Nokia, Sony, and Philips.
No longer is the company considered merely a cheap alternative to precision Japanese goods.
"Samsung is one of the few Asian companies outside Japan that has succeeded in establishing itself as a global brand," said Tim Condon, a Hong Kong-based economist for securities firm ING Barings.
With domestic rivals foundering, Samsung is now biggest and most lucrative family run business group in this nation that President Bush is visiting this week.
Honeymooners dream of spending their first night together at ritzy Samsung hotels and thereafter, in modern Samsung apartments. One-fifth of South Korea's 47 million people visited Samsung's amusement park last year.
Samsung-Renault's SM-5 cars, built with Nissan technology, are the most sought-after model. Drivers take out Samsung insurance policies.
"Samsung will soon start rivaling Sony in brand power as a consumer electronics maker, if it hasn't already," said Jin Young-hoon, an industry analyst at Seoul's Daishin Securities Co.
As part of its push into more innovative, higher-quality goods, Samsung recently ditched mass-market discounters such as Wal-Mart as a major retailer of its products.
In China's exploding cell phone market, Samsung now shuns the low-end market. Its latest model sells for $615, more then twice the average monthly pay of a Chinese worker.
In the U.S. market, its DVD players, cell phones, flat panel screens and digital TV sets are as expensive and well-received as Japanese products.
Last year, Samsung's 35 subsidiaries produced a combined $94.6 billion in sales, an 8.9 percent drop from 2000. Total profits dropped 20 percent to $5.1 billion. Still, it was an impressive performance in a year when painful losses humbled many global giants.
Inside South Korea, Samsung strives for a distinct corporate culture. Unlike more flamboyant counterparts at Hyundai and Daewoo, Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee rarely appears in public. His workers are dapper and polite.
Thousands of police officers, railway conductors and bank clerks attend Samsung's "Service Academy" to learn to bow and answer customer questions. Samsung's early work shift allows workers avoid rush-hour traffic jams.
Critics say Samsung would be even stronger -- and more attractive to investors -- if it opened its business practices to public scrutiny. Typical of South Korean conglomerates, or chaebol, analysts say Samsung has engaged in its share of questionable dealings and used cozy ties with politicians to its benefit.
"Samsung Electronics is the crown jewel of Korea Inc.," said Jang Hasung, an economist at Seoul's Korea University. "But investors question its corporate governance. That's why its shares are so seriously devalued, compared to its U.S. and even Taiwanese competitors, which are not doing nearly as well."
Samsung Electronics, the conglomerate's most globalized outfit, saw net profits halve to $2.3 billion last year on revenues of $24.8 billion.
Yet with $538 million in profits from semiconductor sales, Samsung Electronics was the only major computer-memory chip maker to earn a profit last year.
Plunging chip prices pushed competitors like Micron Technology, Hynix and Infineon into the red.
Last year, the company lowered its dependence on lower-end computer memory, which has plummeted in price, focusing more on Rambus and DDR memory chips for newer, faster computers.
At the same time, Samsung Electronics' telecommunications division overtook the semiconductor arm in revenue, selling 29 million handsets worth $5.4 billion.
"It was with cell phones that Samsung could finally cast off its consumer image as a mass producer of cheap goods," said Michael Min of Seoul's Korea Investment Trust Management & Securities.
Samsung now is a distant fourth in the cellular phone market dominated by Nokia and Motorola.
But its share is creeping up. The company makes some of the world's slimmest phones. Some feature video-capable color screens, others double as MP3 players.
In the U.S. market, Samsung has provided Sprint PCS, the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier, with 8 million phones since 1997. In January, it signed a new $3 billion deal with Sprint to sell even more phones.
The company is branching out into home networking, promising to unveil new products this fall -- in alliance with Microsoft -- that will merge computers, televisions and other digital home media.
It also began producing 'Nexio' handheld computers that double as mobile phones.
James Chung, a spokesman for Samsung Electronics, puts it simply:
"We want to lead the way in innovation."
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Following DP's footsteps todee T... Late AU
Will they ever get their 'disk' in a row...
YA, I Know... late August now.
The campaign will target the teen market and music enthusiasts through advertising, consumer electronics retail and merchandising programs, event sponsorships, public relations and guerrilla marketing tactics. The first products to hit retail in June with Action Marketing Group's creative imprint will be Evolution and MTV's line of MP3 players, followed in July by the MTV500, which features DataPlay's optical media, a cutting-edge digital technology. All of the products will be available at major consumer electronic retailers and on-line
http://www.nowevolution.com/press/2002-05-13.html
emit...
I did that to spark a few responses - it worked.
I know whats coming per DataPlay's media blitz in Aug. It'll be great, but like us all - 2nd Q has passed and MTV taking backseat to Cirrus is eating me up.
Here's to some favorable preloaded music on the Odyssey line of players - remember CES 2000 party with IOM... ''Let's Make Lots Of Money''
emit...
Microsoft to undrape 'Corona' media player in Sept
By Associated Press, 7/15/02
SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. is gearing up to release a revamped media player and an advanced set of tools to send high-definition video and surround-sound audio over the Internet in September, the software giant said Monday.
Hoping to outshine competing digital media platforms, Microsoft said that its new Windows Media 9 Series, formerly code-named "Corona," would be unveiled by Chairman Bill Gates Sept. 4, with a beta version available the same day.
Microsoft is trying to close in on crosstown rival RealNetworks Inc., which leads the online digital software arena with a 16.2 percent market share with its Real series of players, compared to Microsoft's 14.4 percent share, according to Nielsen/Netratings.
Dave Fester, Microsoft's general manager for digital media marketing, said specific features of the Windows Media Player would be kept under wraps for another seven weeks, but he emphasized that it would be a "dramatically enhanced player."
Key features that Microsoft is touting include near-instant playback that gets rid of the initial delay when streaming Web content, high-definition television (HDTV) grade picture quality and Dolby Digital that delivers surround sound over five channels and a bass subwoofer.
"We think we'll get pretty broad industry support for the platform," Fester said.
To take advantage of the new high-end features, Fester said users will most likely need a high-speed broadband Internet connection and new audiovisual hardware on their computers, which would become available over time.
But users with conventional dial-up speeds and hardware would also benefit from enhanced features. Portable devices, such as CD and digital music players, would also be brought into the mix, he said.
In addition to the consumer-oriented player, Microsoft is launching beta versions of the software needed to package media as well as the protocols and tools for other developers to create their own software.
As with the previous player, all Windows users will be able to download the software from Microsoft at no additional charge.
Fester said the Windows Media 9 Series would also include the latest digital rights management software, which aims to prevent improper use of copyrighted digital content.
Pretty sorry azz rollout huh - eom
marc, note FM tuner - not FM record. eom