Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[jmslat]

Today's WSJournal, Google's TV-Downloads: may anyone suggest how this correlates with WaveXress/TVTonic?

I remember something about how Wave's related patents are premised upon some type of "filtering" regarding downloading and purchase of digital material, but it appears that the main issue with regard to Wave is -- if Google's initiative and Apple's initiatives (audio & video) are legally possible without licensing Wave's patent-protected "process", then it seems that WaveXress/TVTonic essentially marginalized and therefore of less value as part of Wave's offerings -- yes or no? Thanks in advance.

Google Moves Beyond the Web As It Sets TV-Downloads Deal

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113658229655740083.html

By KEVIN J. DELANEY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 7, 2006; Page A2

LAS VEGAS -- Google Inc. on Friday announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it will soon launch a service for consumers to pay to download television shows and movies from CBS Corp., the National Basketball Association and other sources.

Consumers can download the video to their computers for a fee set by the content owner, and in some cases also view it on portable devices such as Apple Computer Inc.'s video-enabled iPod and Sony Corp.'s PSP. The video can be viewed multiple times, depending on parameters set by the content owner.

1 CES TRACKER


See a roundup of news2 from the Consumer Electronics Show, where next-generation gadgets are unveiled and high-tech executives offer their views of the future.Google's move comes amid initiatives by other TV and technology companies to distribute video over the Internet. It highlights the search company's ambitions to provide access to information beyond the Web, such as TV shows or the texts of books not previously online.

Using the new Google service (at video.google.com3), consumers will be able to view several CBS television shows, including "CSI" and "Survivor," for $1.99 an episode starting the day after they are broadcast. CBS has also made available over 300 episodes of classic shows such as "I Love Lucy" and "The Brady Bunch." The NBA will make all basketball games for the rest of the season available for download for $3.95 each starting the day after the game takes place.

"This content is actually underexploited," said Brenda Spoonemore, a senior vice president at the NBA. Before the Google Video service, she added, "there [was] no place to go to watch that triple overtime game from Monday." Media and entertainment companies have traditionally debated whether making video available online would cannibalize revenue from other distribution channels, such as reruns and DVDs.

Google said other companies selling video through the service include the U.K.'s ITN, the Getty Film Archives, Sony BMG, Fashion TV and independent film site GreenScene.com. The Mountain View, Calif., company intends to allow virtually any company and individual to also sell their video through its site.

Jennifer Feikin, director of Google Video, said its service would be distinct from some rivals in offering both high-end commercial video content and videos submitted by individuals. "It's not either or: high-value or user-submitted [video]," Ms. Feikin said. "It's all the content." Google first launched a video search service last year, but hadn't allowed users to buy videos or download videos, permitting them only to view free videos at the Google site.

The Google video download service won't initially contain ads placed by Google, but Ms. Feikin said Google was in discussions with content owners about possibly including ads later. Content owners can distribute video through Google on a nonexclusive basis, also selling it on other sites. They can choose among various options, including whether to protect the video from further copying by consumers. At least initially, only non-copy-protected videos will be able to be transferred to portable devices.

Semiconductor maker Intel Corp. separately said it was working with Google to help make videos from Google viewable through hardware using Intel's new Viiv technology, including on TV sets and portable devices.

At CES, Google also released a free bundle of software from Google and other software makers called Google Pack. Details of the video and Google Pack announcements had earlier been reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Google Pack includes previously available applications such as the open source Firefox Web browser, a version of Norton Anti-Virus software from Symantec Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc.'s Reader software. Google said the bundle of programs, which can be downloaded online, was designed to simplify the installation of basic applications for computers running the Windows XP operating system.

"We're making computers easier to use," said Google Vice President Marissa Mayer. Ms. Mayer said the impetus for Google Pack was the frustration of Google's two co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with installing basic software on new personal computers they purchased. She said her recent personal experience with a new Apple laptop computer was that it was fast and painless to get up-and-running and that Google Pack is aimed at making the same experience easier on PCs.

Ms. Mayer said Google would consider adding other software to the Pack, potentially including the free OpenOffice productivity software that competes with Microsoft Corp.'s Office programs. She said Google Pack could also come preinstalled on new personal computers in the future. Google would have to forge agreements with computer makers for that to occur.

Google Pack's release comes as the company and Microsoft are battling for users for their online services, and see applications installed on users' computers directing them to those online services as powerful weapons. Google executives have been concerned that Microsoft will increasingly try to push consumers toward Microsoft's online services through its upcoming Vista operating system software and new version of its Web browser.

Write to Kevin J. Delaney at [e-mail]4