edig and set-top boxes- [I really have not finished this, but here are some loosely connected items you might think about]
Doc42av $$$$$ 24 Jan 2002, 11:13 AM EST Msg. 888287 of 888342
Talked to RP yesterday. Everything he said we already know about(Dataplay, MTV, Auto, bundling, and all else from shareholder letter). The only new info dealt with set-top boxes. He said most of EDIG'S work with set-top boxes involves the software and the interface that will enable users to quickly download content to portable devices. So we have something else to look forward to! Anyway, things look awesome and what a Spring it should be. Cheers
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Set Tops Prep for Music on Demand
A recently announced deal between OpenTV and World Theatre could become one of the more compelling examples of how an interactive digital music service becomes a mainstream hit, offering high-quality music, sampling and the convenience that couch potatoes demand.
The two companies are setting up a system to transmit digital copies of music directly to satellite TV subscribers, who will be able to sample and buy hundreds of albums worth of music made available every day. The service, expected to launch late this year, will allow viewers to purchase individual songs and full-length CDs on a digital set-top box, which will also act as a storage device.
"This is not like an Internet play where I have a new album and a million people come to my site and melt it because I can't serve all of them," said Kelly Sparks, World Theatre's CEO. "This is a single transmission of a single promotion, and I push the whole album, promotional materials, a video, other clips, the lyrics and land it in everyone's set-top box, and it's ready for them to preview, sample, and buy the next day in millions of homes."
The second-generation set tops are designed to store content and connect with home stereos, PCs, and other devices. The boxes are equipped with hard drives, more powerful processors, support for 3-D graphics, and a triple-tuner architecture that will allow simultaneous video, data, and voice applications.
Subscribers also will be able to sample songs from each album, and then decide whether or not to purchase them. Once purchased, the music could be sent to a PC, CD burner, or stored on the hard drive and played through a home stereo.
Traditional cable companies also are getting involved in on-demand music, but Sparks expects the satellite providers to take the early lead in offering interactive services.
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World Theater is building an interactive television music service that will scale across various set-top boxes, president Kelly Sparks said.
We've designed and built service from ground up for delivery over cable and direct-broadcast satellite systems, he said.
At one level, the service will be a 24-hour channel dedicated to music videos, specials and series produced by the record labels. Although BMG is the only announced label so far, Sparks said we are in discussions with all the others.
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World Theatre, Inc. (WTI) is a media and technology company bringing exciting new home entertainment options to consumers. Since its inception, WTI has been developing groundbreaking technologies in Interactive TV, digital content distribution and interactive advertising. WTI is contracting with leading content companies to distribute and develop fully interactive based programming that allows the consumer to control how they experience quality entertainment.
Through its partnerships with leading media and technology firms, World Theatre will deliver digital interactive entertainment to consumers and reduce the time between promotion, purchase and delivery. Consumers will have immediate access to high quality digital entertainment and content providers will be able to develop direct relationships with their customers. As its first initiative, World Theatre is preparing to launch a 24 / 7 interactive television network focused entirely on music. Our network name and launch date will be announced as part of an upcoming press and media campaign.
World Theatre, Inc. is working in partnership with leading interactive television technology and middleware providers to deliver iTV cross-platform compatibility for its transactional entertainment platform. World Theatre's platform will support a wide range of digital television interactive capabilities enabling consumers to purchase and experience music in a whole new way. In addition, the platform integrates into existing cable and satellite broadcasting architectures, and delivers an unprecedented combination of entertainment and shopping convenience to consumers.
World Theatre, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1999 to create technology-based solutions that speed the transition between the promotion and purchase of consumer products. World Theatre's iTV platform simultaneously supports a wide range of digital set-top box interactive capabilities, easily integrates into cable and satellite broadcasting architectures, and delivers an unprecedented combination of entertainment and shopping convenience to consumers. The company is readying the launch of an interactive music network for introduction in 2002. The new network will enhance the music experience by allowing consumers to instantaneously get information about their favorite artists and digitally download full albums directly to their homes. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with offices in New York.
World Theatre--Patent applications for Video and Music Distribution Systems address broad concepts and specific implementations for transmission of movies and music through digital cable television, direct broadcast satellite and secure physical distribution using a TV remote control for customer selection and purchase of content.
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Partnering --World Theatre
Content
In order to bring the broadest content to our customers, World Theatre is contracting with all the major record labels, and is further developing relationships with other leading and independent content providers. By aggregating content from leading suppliers, WTI can offer a one-stop shopping experience for music, video and entertainment related merchandise.
Technology
The technology cornerstone of World Theatre is its substantial intellectual property. To make these ideas a commercial reality, WTI is working with leading software, hardware, components and communications companies. A selected list includes:
On2
Thomson
InfoDisc
SecureMedia
OpenTV
Optical Disc Corp.
Texas Instruments
Digital Video Arts
IBM
GE
BeyondZ
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NAMVET $$ World Theatre/on2/sony/rca?
23 Jul 2002, 09:15 PM EDT Msg. 18897 of 18927
When Doug (McIntyre-CEO of On2) was talking about World Theatre, he brought up Sony and RCA. Is that a coincidence, as he has used Sony in examples in the past. That coupled with the Spiderman ad on The Street.Com for one day,well he could be trying to tell us something or trying to sucker us in further. I tend to think we have something going with Sony.
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World Theatre has assembled a management team that will be headed by music and entertainment industry veteran Robert Summer. Mr. Summer, former President of Sony Music International and RCA Records, will serve as World Theatre's Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
World Theatre's diverse management team has extensive experience in music, entertainment, and e-commerce.
Key team members include:
Chairman/CEO, Robert Summer - President, RCA Records , President, Sony Music International, and Chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
EVP iTV Music Network, Rob Barnett - Former VP Programming at VH1, 12 years at MTV Networks in music, programming & production, and 10 years in radio programming.
AI
