Issue 6, Volume 3

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* Format Wars *

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Is Blu-ray Pulling Away?

Blu-ray HDTV DVDs outsold rival HD-DVD by a two to one margin in January, according to Nielsen's home video unit.

And Blu-ray players are now in roughly one million homes (including PlayStation 3 units), far more than the number of HD-DVD units, according to industry reports.

With the latest numbers, you can understand why Sony, which backs the Blu-ray format, is declaring victory in the biggest video format war since Beta vs. VHS.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/bluray022607.htm

T6 Comment:  Is Blu- Ray pulling away?  According to these numbers the ‘install base’ is indeed larger BUT sales of Blu-Ray discs do not show a substantial sales advantage over HD-DVD.   A number of reports show the games popularity overshadows all other reasons for the purchase including the Blu-Ray player.  Indeed this does represent a huge potential user base if and when they decide to investigate upgrading to a High Def  DVD player,

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Sony announces cheaper Blu-ray player

Sony Corp. said Monday it is bringing out a cheaper player for Blu-ray discs early this summer, a crucial step in its battle to make the high-definition format the replacement for DVDs.

The BDP-S300 will cost $599, yet will have the same capabilities as the $999 BDP-S1 Sony is currently selling

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700AP_Sony_Blu_Ray_Player.html

T6 Comment:  A price war has been brewing for some time now with minor skirmishes here and there. This latest salvo brings the price almost into the average Joe range.

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*H\DTV *

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HDTV Wars: Circuit City to Close Stores

Circuit City said today that it's closing roughly 70 stories and its chief merchandising exec is leaving the company.

The reason: Dropping prices on flat-panel HDTVs and increased sales pressure from discount stories such as Wal-Mart and Costco.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/ccclosing020807.htm

T6 Comment: dicey times as major retailers try to make a profit on the HD change over.  While the vast majority of American consumers do not know  the basics about HD and are in need to retailer – install stores to help them through the quagmire of rules to get HD on to their ‘HD ready’, or “HD Capable” sets ATSC vs VSB-8 or cable vs off air, the margins for high ticket items are shrinking. Just a the majority of a restaurants profits comes for alcohol sales – and not the food- so it is with Monitors with the Electronic retailers.   Why is the industry so nervous about the whole HD format wars?  Most were hoping a definitive universal standard would take hold to spur buyers.  The more High Definition DVD ( whether HD-DVD or Blu- ray) players sold , the more likely those same buyers will upgrade their monitors at the same time. 

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* Tech Arcane *

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CD-Quality Wireless Speakers Planned

wireless surround-speaker system developed by KEF promises wireless transmission of full-bandwidth CD-quality PCM audio with no interference.

KEF Wireless consists of a transmitter and two 50-watt receiver/amplifiers, one for each surround speaker

A high data rate of 1.1Mbps allows for uncompressed PCM transmission, which typically extends up to 80 feet, the company said.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6416683.html

T6 Comment:  Why did I include this?  Two reasons.    1. The spec calls for use of PCM ( Pulse Code Modulation ) audio which provides an ultimate full bandwidth audio –( granted, this comes at the cost of bandwidth usage).   2.  I own a old house –( built in 1901) and will not tear open the wall to add distribution. (Have you ever opened old plaster walls with the 1x3’s and lathe?  Ugh).

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* New Media *

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BitTorrent to Launch Movie, TV Downloads

BitTorrent Inc., makers of a technology often used to trade pirated copies of Hollywood movies, is launching a Web site that will sell downloads of films and TV shows licensed from the studios

The service is squarely aimed at young men and boys who regularly use BitTorrent to trade pirated versions of the same films and who more often watch such files on their computer instead of on a big screen TV in the living room

BitTorrent's content is protected by Windows Media DRM and will only play back using Windows Media Player.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DOWNLOADING_MOVIES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

T6 Comment:  BitTorrent has been feeling the heat from content producers for years, but now with the proof of concept success of YouTube and Joost, (who is making a major play to provide copyrighted content with a bunch of high profile agreements with major film and TV companies). Now is the time for BitTorrent to go all Napster like.  Joost is now the company to either attempt to beat or look to be acquired by. With Movie and TV companies desperately looking for a controlled way to provide content online, it appears the majority of are looking to back Joost from the get go.  I say look for Joost or the parent company Skype to make a bit for BitTorrent.

What does this mean for the end consumer? It is not clear yet. My gut feeling is that the Movie and TV folks have a better grip on the business model needed to succeed with online content delivery and are less duck and cover then the music industry.

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MP3's Loss, Open Source's Gain

Now, with a cloud over the de facto industry standard, companies that rely on MP3 may finally have sufficient motivation to move on. And that raises some tantalizing possibilities, including a real long shot: Open-source, royalty-free formats win.

It's not immediately clear what the implications of Thursday's judgment are for other MP3 licensees. Which include hundreds of companies who already pay royalties to Fraunhofer/Thomson -- previously accepted as the only licensor of MP3 technology.

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/music/0,72785-0.html?tw=wn_index_15

T6 Comment: As you may have heard a    jury awarded Alcatel Lucent $1.5 billion patent infringement from Microsoft for using the MP3 format.  Alcatel has made noise about gunning for other companies such as apple and others. While I am all for the proper payment to individuals or companies who own the intellectual property rights (and a fair compensation does indeed need to be worked out), being aggressive could kill the format. Does anyone remember when the owner of .GIF threatened to sue everybody who provided tools or even published the an image using the format?  Damn near killed the format. 

As this article points out some are seeing this as a potential rebellion if end users are forced to help pay for the judgment and possible high royalty fees. In the end the buying public will not blame companies such as Microsoft and Apple but will direct their vitriol towards Alcatel –(and by extension the format).  Such disagreeable perceptions will provide a crack for other formats who are willing to play ball with the large companies for small but profitable agreements.  National revolutions have been built on less.

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HD-Radio Awareness Up, But Survey Says Interest Low

Consumer awareness of HD Radio is up, but awareness of the benefits of digital AM/FM has dipped, and only a small percentage of consumers are interested in buying HD Radio, according to a consumer survey conducted by a radio ratings and research company.

http://www.twice.com/article/CA6415645.html?industryid=23106

T6 Comment: To once again contradict MSNBC’s Gary Krakow , while XM and Sirius should fulfill the ‘CD quality’ claim – content, not quality is king.   I have stated time and again that HD radio will fail unless the radio conglomerates provide what listeners want, not just what the A & R people pay to have played.  A diverse content selection is the only salvation for FM music radio, otherwise it will all be shout at you shows with music moving to the internet and satellite.

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The iPod widens its audience in school

More than 70 million iPods have been sold since they were introduced by Apple more than five years ago. Now, with the MP3 player's foothold in academia,  universities and companies are quickly expanding the amount of study materials students can use with the

Students at the University of Washington can download lectures. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, school President Mary Sue Coleman invites students to “think of the university as your intellectual iPod.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14925942/

T6 Comment:  Many pundits scoffed when apple released the video version, ( who would want watch content on such a small screen),  but now iPod’s are an institution with many institutions producing content from recorded lectures to subject specific podcasts.  Look for many technical companies to release video podcasts for certification and step by step guides in the near future.  Also look for a whole hardware market to develop with the sole purpose of delivering this content to larger screens directly from iPods. This may very well be the turning point where iPods  nor longer are unique hipster devices but become as ubiquitous televisions or textbooks .

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* Working Knowledge *

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Getting Phished: Why SSID Spoofing (Still) Matters

Phony access points (APs) that use spoofed service set identifiers (SSIDs) to lure wireless users are nothing new. Also called evil twin or honeypot rogue APs, these look-alikes have grown common in venues frequented by business executives, including airports and hotels. The next time you connect to any WLAN, ask yourself: are you really certain the AP is legitimate? If not, you could be setting yourself up for a variety of nasty phishing attacks, with personal, professional and financial consequences.

Because most wireless clients connect to SSIDs, not APs, nearby users are just as likely to choose a phony or illegitimate AP as they are a legitimate one

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3656661

T6 Comment: Some basics on how not to get ‘pholled’ and how to prevent it.  The article is solid practical advice any one can understand and use.

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RFID Experimentation Kit

RFID Experimentation Kit with over a dozen types of RFID tags, a USB based RFID reader and instructions for tons of insidious RFID projects. You even get a cool bio-implantable type of RFID Tag which you should never ever load into a blowgun and implant in any of your coworkers because it's not surgically sterilized

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/907a/?cpg=cj

T6 Comment: Very nice – here you can make your very own National ID card! Track your pets and Kids! Build your own equipment tracking system for your support floor.  Ah, I really do miss the ole Heath Kits.  I, as did many a future engineer, cut their teeth on such kits.  The RFID Kit here offered by the fine folks at geektoys looks very cool.  Note the “You even get a cool bio-implantable type of RFID Tag…” line, they even have a cool photo of an implant procedure!

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Check out T6’s ‘Culture Corner’ with links to bands you should know and Inspired technical links from those who inspire me.

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Does anyone actually read the liner notes? Let me know, the comments section of T6 is now open.  At the end of every issue find the Comments link.

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All quoted material is the copyright of the respective sites and \ or authors- except were noted or comments are clearly mine.

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All t6 commentary opinions expressed are mine alone and are not necessarily those of Crestron Electronics, its employees, associates or even their families. Just my big mouth

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Issue 5, Volume 3

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T6 Commentary:  I received a lot of emails yesterday on the proposed XM-Sirius merger, the most links I have received on one issue ever. It really is too early to make any real sense of this as the actual filing details have yet to be released.  In short this will have no immediate effect on manufactures of receivers.

Here is what we do know in synopsis:

1. Both XM and Sirius radio are hemorrhaging money and neither has made any profit, despite big jumps in subscribers.  Investors are getting impatient waiting for returns as evidenced by both companies loosing stock value over the last year.



2. Satellite radio has heavy competition from Internet radio, HD radio and I-Pods (specifically Podcast shows)



3. Both the FCC and the Justice Department will have to chime in on this deal before any real movement can occur.  While each has reasons that sound similar, the legal basis of possible objections is quite different.

(DOJ – long standing prohibitions on any merger that would consolidate all resources to one owner.  FCC- a contractual statement in each license that directly prohibits the only two Satellite licenses from being owned by a single company.). 

I have found the Wall Street Journal reporting on this to be the clearest -  www.wsj.com  ( a paid subscription for the entire article is required).

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*PC-adellia   *

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Cisco Says 77 Routers Open to 'Drive-By Pharming'

Dubbed "drive-by pharming" by Symantec Corp. and university researchers who first publicized the danger in a paper, the attack involves luring users to malicious sites where a device's default password is used to redirect them to bogus sites. Once they are at those sites, their identities could be stolen or malware could be force-fed to their computers.

http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,129205/printable.html#

T6 Comment: The article points out that the best defense is to use ‘unpredictable’  passwords, not the default such  as the ubiquitous “admin”. Security experts have long suggested that a use of passwords with a mix of letters, numbers and special characters be changed every 6 months to a year .  It seems simple enough but too many install routers with out security such as WEP, WPA or Mac Filtering nor change the SSID name to something unique –( better yet, turn off the SSID broadcast as a further deterrent).  These few simple changes can greatly improve your chances of preventing unauthorized bandwidth sharing or worse –( yes, yes, those quasi- hackers among us will cry out how most ‘real’ IT security people see WEP and WPA as transparent and drop key phrases such as MAC spoofing.  But would you rather nothing ? Baby steps people! ).  The downside is more complicated network management, having to inconvenience  your clients with yearly updates to their computers – but is this not another service contract feature to offer ?

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Savvy Customers Know SSL, Study Finds

In a SSL consumer awareness survey released Tuesday by Entrust, Inc., the security company reported that nearly 85 percent of online customers now look for a specific icon or indicator—such as the familiar "padlock" used with SSL certificate technology—while they are shopping or conducting online business

Valid sites will cause the address bar to turn green, and information about the company operating the site and the certification authority (CA) that issued the certificate will be prominently displayed. Invalid sites will display a red bar.

Contrary to the Entrust's report, this study—which was also based on user testing—found that: the new EV certificates don't improve a users' ability to detect specific attacks; that the interface can actually be spoofed; and that training users actually decreases their ability to detect attacks

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2096884,00.asp

T6 Comment:  A really good example of ‘False Authority Syndrome’ which can both help customers identify secure sites AND lead them more readily to hacker sites.  So the bigger question is just how safe are corporate sites utilizing SSL technology not for commerce.  Do IT staff trust in SSL certificates and does training end users in using these tools actually encourage easier access for hackers ?

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Daylight-saving glitch threatens mini-Y2K

Daylight saving time arrives a little earlier — March 11 — and stays a little later — Nov. 4 — this year. And it’s bringing a problem along with it that could affect everything from stock trades to airline schedules to your BlackBerry

The problem won’t show up only in computers. It will affect plenty of non-networked devices that store the time and automatically adjust for daylight saving, like some digital watches and clocks. But in those instances the result will be a nuisance (adjust the time manually, or wait three weeks) rather than something that might throw a wrench in the works.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17135007/

T6 Comment: EVERYBODY PANIC !

Okay, got that out of your system?   Yes this is going to cause all sorts of issues for homeowners, universities and corporate scheduling.  Even Microsoft is warning outlook users to verify all appointments for several weeks after the change –(or until the original date comes around) – to verify all your contacts have updated their windows patches.  The point being: This new date has thrown everybody for a loop.  The article goes on to comment on how many older devices such as VCR’s and early DVD recorders do not have the ability to update firmware for this.  Expect lots of call from your clients on systems missing shows and blaming your install.

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* Format Wars *

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PS2 Sales Likely to Surpass PS3 Sales in 2007 and 2008

The Japanese research firm Media Create reported that PlayStation 2 (with a cheaper price and more games to play) beat its bigger sister PlayStation 3, on Sony’s traditional playground: Japan. That is not exactly bad news for Sony, but it’s bad news for those involved in manufacturing the PS3 with such huge costs and losses

http://www.playfuls.com/news_06078_PS2_Sales_Likely_to_Surpass_PS3_Sales_in_2007_and_2008.html

 

T6 Comment:   This raises questions about how anxious gamers are to get their hands on a cheap Blu Ray player that doesn’t (yet) have an attractive game-pack.

Wii out selling PS3 http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55494.html

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*H\DTV *

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FCC Asks For Digital TV Education Funds

the agency will use the funds to produce Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and printed and online promotions to inform consumers of the nation's switch from analog to Digital TV on February 17, 2009.

B&C says the FCC's campaign would include a "DTV Deputy" campaign to educate children on the digital transition and an effort to inform low-income and minority consumers.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/fccfunding020607.htm

T6 Comment: Well finally! How many pundits does it take howling about an obvious unprepared populace for the FCC to finally take notice? Evidently hundreds.  The article points to a focus on low income and minority consumers but given recent surveys nearly ½  of Americans have no idea HDTV rules could mean an end to their off air analog reception.  Much more work is needed.

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Big Game Spurs Big Demand for HDTVs

Money is no object to some sports fans who demand only the best for their Super Bowl parties this Sunday. Retailers say that when a team makes it to the big game, it spurs many of its fans to splurge on huge, high-definition TVs. The television itself is only part of the expense -- sound systems, installation and subscriptions to high-definition content can also run up a hefty tab.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55505.html

T6 Comment:

It appears the year end numbers agree with this report –http://www.twice.com/article/CA6416383.html

BUT

Dramatic sales drops reported shortly after the super bowl. http://www.tvpredictions.com/npd022007.htm

YET

NPD repoorts that direct view CRT sales beat all others -- http://www.twice.com/article/CA6417862.html

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* Tech Arcane *

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The Birth of the Computer Virus

The first computer virus was created in 1982 by Rich Skrenta, who was 15 at the time and only wanted a way to share computer games with friends. He wrote a program called Elk Cloner that could be transferred from a floppy disk to a computer hard drive, where it would lay in wait for another floppy disk to be inserted.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7058872

T6 Comment: It always starts so innocently, does it not?  Expect to see the poem originally included in the code to start making its way into gaming and Software engineering jokes. I already want the T-shirt. 

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* New Media *

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Amp'd Mobile packs in Jack

Amp'd Mobile, a cell phone carrier with an entertainment focus, has signed deals with actor Jack Black and 24 executive producer Howard Gordon to produce original content.

Black, along with producing partners Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, will develop a series of comedy shorts this year for Amp'd Mobile based on their Channel 101 events

http://news.com.com/Ampd+Mobile+packs+in+Jack+Black/2100-1039_3-6156180.html?tag=nefd.top

T6 Commentary: Again I invoke the Swanni Sez inverse square law.  To wit: every time the pundit and HD blogger Phil Swann states no one really want to watch tv on their iPOD, Zune of Cell phone, the number of providers announcing plans to do so doubles.

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Net can't handle TV, warns Google

The Web infrastructure, and even Google's (infrastructure) doesn't scale. It's not going to offer the quality of service that consumers expect," Vincent Dureau, Google's head of TV technology, said at the Cable Europe Congress.

Google instead offered to work together with cable operators to combine its technology for searching for video and TV footage and its tailored advertising with the cable networks' high-quality delivery of shows.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/02/09/net_cant_handle_tv_warns_google.html

T6 Commentary: See issue 4 Volume 3 for more info and commentary on this issue.  Now do you see the why and where’s of the net neutrality fight ?  Remember “…its, its tubes..”

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New Radio Technologies Make Waves

Tech guru Mario Armstrong talks about satellite radio's effect on existing analog radio, and where high definition fits into the picture.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7363719

T6 Comment: link goes to audio file of NPR article. The show is a good primer on the HD potential content diversity and consumer demand for it.  My personal experience is that HD radio has not quite reached it goal of content diversity and the radio cost is prohibitive in comparison.  HD proponents state the initial cost of the radio is nullified by the ‘free’ content over time, not if you cannot find any commercial free content comparable to Sirius or XM.  I wonder just how similar to the initial HDTV specification which called for 720p resolution with the rest of the bandwidth to be used for ‘side channels’ of alternate programming, content and internet access.  With the upgrade to standardizing on 1080i and 1080p that has gone away.  How long before HD radio becomes standard with the analog signals going away – content choice again reduced to the trivial pap It is currently.

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WSJ: Joost to License Content from Viacom

Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. is expected to announce a licensing deal with Joost, a new Internet service that specializes in commercial video content, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The anticipated deal, which follows the recent collapse of similar talks between Viacom and YouTube parent Google Inc., involves licensing hundreds of hours of programming from Viacom cable

Earlier this month, Viacom demanded YouTube remove more than 100,000 Viacom video clips from the site

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2096713,00.asp

T6 Comment:  See Volume 3 issue 2 on the initial Joost announcement.  Started by Skype founder.   From all the news it appears Joost is the relationship the media companies want and while it is early days yet, I can easily see Joost fulfilling the promise of  Youtube’s  google relationship. 

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* Memory*

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DAVE beefs up wireless storage

That's short for Digital Audio and Video Experience.+

It's a tiny little portable storage device that comes with its own processor, one-inch 20-gigabyte hard disk drive with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

For about $150 to $170, the same price as a 2-gigabyte SD memory card you plug into a cell phone to hold video, pictures and music, DAVE synchronizes it all wirelessly within range.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/16625701.htm

T6 Comment:  to use with your Zune instead of the pathetic ‘squirt’ feature.   And before it get all the emails yes, I do realize this means it will be easier to pirate files between players.  And yes I have read Mr. Jobs  open letter on DRM. I have stated my support for DRM and against a culture of theft multiple time in this forum –( and numerous others) – so I will not belabor you, dear reader with it this time.   See T6 Issue 4 Volume 3

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* Working Knowledge *

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Vista may corrupt iPods, Apple warns

Apple Computer is warning customers who use the Windows version of its iTunes software to hold off upgrading to Windows Vista until it can release a patch to fix a number of serious compatibility issues, one of which could result in a corrupt iPod player.

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=0OEGFWYNZVPXCQSNDLSCKHA?articleID=197002852

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* In Memoriam *

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Remote control inventor dies

 
Robert Adler, 93, who registered more than 180 American patents during a lifetime of dreaming and tinkering, won an Emmy 

Award for the device in 1997 with fellow engineer Eugene Polley

In a 60-year career, Adler was best known for his 1956 Zenith Space Command remote control, a creation that changed the face of modern life.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10424912

T6 Comment: Ahh the ole Space commander. Does anyone else remember being able to turn channels with a slinky ?  The remote  is described on the Zentih Website as

“The transmitter used no batteries; it was built around aluminum rods that were light in weight and, when struck at one end, emitted distinctive high-frequency sounds. The first such remote control used four rods, each approximately 2-1/2 inches long: one for channel up, one for channel down, one for sound on and off, and one for on and off.”

http://www.zenith.com/sub_about/about_remote.html

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Check out T6’s ‘Culture Corner’ with links to bands you should know and Inspired technical links from those who inspire me.

.

.

Does anyone actually read the liner notes? Let me know, the comments section of T6 is now open.  At the end of every issue find the Comments link.

.

.

All quoted material is the copyright of the respective sites and \ or authors- except were noted or comments are clearly mine. 

.

.

All t6 commentary opinions expressed are mine alone and are not necessarily those of Crestron Electronics, its employees, associates or even their families. Just my big mouth