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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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