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* Wifi*
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Wireless Networking Standard 802.11n Nears Completion
By March 2007, the standards’ committee approved draft 2.0 of the 802.11n standard with a letter vote that carried 83.4 percent in favor. There are still 3,000 comments to be addressed, but engineers finally see a resolution coming.
The WiFi Alliance is confident enough about the 2.0 draft that it will begin the process of certifying 802.11n draft 2.0 products in June
http://www.designnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6429559
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T6 Comment: It appears by all committee estimations that the ‘n’ standard should be ready for offical release by late this summer or early fall. As the article points ou, the final ‘n’ standard has gone through several convultions both from the marketing \ market share jockeying and conceptual differneces between the Wifi Alliance and IEEE. I have mentioned in previous T6 commentaries some of the ill fated attempts by Manufacturers such as D-link to capture the ‘n’ market. But why such a fuss for a standard which to the averarge consumer would only mean faster through-put ? 802.11n is being heralded as the next panicia for the wifi industry by having specifications for pushing video and more to the point HD video through out a home\complex. I have seen some spec reports for ‘n’ indicate support for mesh type network capabilites (similar to IEEE 802.15.4) giving it real possibilities for whole home video distribution. With the IPTV and and WiMax showing promise as a backbone for distribution of AV via not just mobile devices but to the main systems in ones home or business, the potential is enormous. Some see this delivery format as a very real threat to HD-DVD and Blu-Ray ( http://ct.pbinews.com/rd/cts?d=244-10419-288-28650-11351-522252-0-0-0-1 ). Can Wimax, 802.11n and IPTv sneak into to win the ‘format war’? Is it possible to think that the HD-Blu discs could be obsolete in 3 years time?
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Wireless industry gears up for WiMax
As top executives gather in Orlando, Fla., this week at the CTIA Wireless 2007 trade show, an emerging technology called WiMax will likely be a hot topic among carriers and equipment makers from around the world. Many, in fact, are gearing up to deploy WiMax services
The WiMax Forum, the industry group that promotes the technology, has almost completed the necessary certification requirements for new products, another major step that could help push deployment. According to Shakouri, products using the 2.3GHz spectrum, which is used primarily in South Korea, will be certified by midyear
For one, those who support the technology envision that WiMax chips will be embedded not only in mobile phones but in a, that won't be marketed or sold by WiMax network operators, even though the devices will work on their networks.
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T6 Commentary: As detailed in the ‘n’ standard article and commentary above, WiMax could be a very big component \ player in delivering content to not just video enabled phones. The last quoted paragraph above makes a broad statement concerning expansion not just in to mobile phones but a “plethora of mobile devices, from MP3 players to digital cameras…” which will be made by licencee manufactures and operators. If you are watching a video via a city wide WiMax system on your ‘video pod’, just what do you do once home? Continue to watch on your small screen? Dock the mobile device in order to connect to you home distribution system and watch on larger screens? What if you have the ‘mobile’ network operator as your primary content provider, would you not want seemless access to the same content on your homes large screen system? So how soon before manufactures look to make home specific devices for receiving Wimax on a set top unit and distribute in house via 802.11n? There are, to be sure, a number of elements which would have to be put in place all of which would be driven by consumer demand and municipal support. There is strong evidence that this is already in motion with San Francisco and Seattle having already built small Wimax networks with an eye toward citywide expansion. For cities like SF and Seattle the driving force is free internet access for all but the backbone architecture could easily be ramped up to provide an alternative media distribution system. Pacific Rim countries like South Korea, Japan, China and Vietnam alredy have big plans for Wimax networks of which media distribution is no small part. Asia is so far ahead of the EU and both of which are decades ahead of North America in this respect. Keep an eye on these countries for the viablilty and consumber driven features sets which may very well show up in North America in 5-10 years. ( I will consent that Asian consumers are far more willing to try new products and methods – paying for first rights features – then the typical US consumer).
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* ‘The Biz’ *
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Best Buy Buys Speakeasy
Best Buy For Business is all about helping small businesses grow or operate more efficiently through technology. By joining forces with Speakeasy, a company with a true passion for helping entrepreneurs run their businesses, we are making technology more accessible to small businesses by creating a single source for their IT needs.
Speakeasy opened in Seattle in 1994 as one of the nation’s first Internet cafes and now offers a full range of voice and data solutions to small businesses, including business-class broadband and VoIP. Speakeasy’s services are available in most metropolitan areas within the 48 contiguous United States
http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6428238
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T6 Commentary: Best buy continues to make moves, which solidify design, install and value added services based revenue generators, in addition to hardware sales. It is plain to see that Best Buy is at the forefront of box stores attempting to move in on boutique AV stores business in order to offset lower margins on hardware sales –(such as ‘flat panels’).
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The High-Tech Home of TomorrowBy next year, Living Tomorrow will break ground in San Jose, Calif., for its first U.S. museum. The 40,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in 2009. Bongers anticipates the project will cost $53 million. As with past installations, the San Jose museum largely will be funded by companies hoping to use it as a test kitchen for their upcoming, often out-there, products. "We enable them to innovate much better,"
Products tend to fall in several categories, including home, office, transportation, banking, stores, health services, bars and restaurants, and energy-related. Roughly 80% of the products exhibited in prior installations in Brussels and Amsterdam were within a year of arriving to market. The other 20% are products that could be as much as a decade away from development.
Past exhibits have included "intelligent bathroom mirrors" that could measure users' height, weight, and, with the help of a hidden scale in the floor, calculate a person's body-mass index. The mirror could then weigh the number against the healthy range for the user and alert the listed primary-care physician to any problems. The feature, thankfully, also could be turned off.
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T6 Commentary: Looking over the museums web site I am not quite clear what the intention of the museum is and who is expected to visit. The entire Disney ‘World of Tomorrow’ installation is well, old fashion. While the Fifth Element-esq. video and data bathroom mirror is a cool concept most of it can and is essentially being done now by the high-end automation manufactures and high-end custom installers. I find the 53 million plus reportedly being put into building the exhibits to be no more future-world then the Intel and Microsoft’s home of the future exhibit \ labs.
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* Format Wars *
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Microsoft Xbox 360 and HD DVD Player
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Viewed over component video--a $40 extra-cost option for the Xbox 360 core system, but included with the hard drive-enabled model I tested--the Xbox's HD DVD output is limited to 1080i (it can display 1080p, but only via a VGA connection). Occasionally, the Xbox's output would slap us in the face with an ugly interlacing artifact.
Video output was badly over scanned, meaning that movies were slightly cut off at the sides of the screen. And when I popped in a wide-screen standard-definition DVD, the image looked squeezed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032700516_pf.html
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T6 Comment: In the Last issue of T6 I included reports that Blu –Ray was pulling ahead of HD-DVD in sales numbers and ‘install base’ of players. Now another blow to HD-DVD are the numerous bad reviews of Xbox HD-DVD players just like the linked story in the Washington Post. Critisisms all mention just horrible audio from the 2 channel stero only outputs and no HDMI outputs. I can understand not having an exclusive HDMI output to accommodate the majority who do not yet own HDMI enabled TVs, but not to include one as an option and have really, really bad video output from your YC and Ypbr as well? Does not bode well.
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70 HD DVD Title Releases Slated
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Studios backing the HD DVD high-definition disc format demonstrated that they are still in the fight by announcing a full slate of movie titles they plan to release in the format this spring and early summer.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Genius Products and Eagle Rock Entertainment collectively unveiled plans to deliver more than 70 titles through July
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6428886.html
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T6 Comment: Still, the war is alive and well. Let the “Release Wars” begin. Or better yet just watch Hardware Wars (“You’ll laugh! You’ll Cry! You’ll Kiss three bucks goodbye!”)
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*H\DTV *
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For rural West, DTV may be lost in translation
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Many Americans are aware that the looming broadcast television transition from analog to digital in February 2009 will render legacy analog TV tuners useless without a converter box. Far fewer are aware that the digital transition could have the unintended consequence of eliminating over-the-air TV broadcast to some parts of the country, especially in the rural West.
For now, translator stations, as well as low-power TV stations, are specifically exempted from the digital TV transition mandated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and set by Congress to begin on Feb. 17, 2009. But since many translators are nonprofit--and in some cases money-losing--ventures, there is a growing fear that some will not be able to make the required investments in equipment to receive, convert and rebroadcast digital signals following the transition.
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198500398&printable=true
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T6 Commentary: This is one aspect I did not see covered by any of the congressional analog transition bills providing vouchers for HD to SDTV converters. I suspect the number of consumers who could potentially lose signals is small in comparison but I have seen reports of up to 200,00 could be affected by this. Satellite could provide some with TV but not necessarily local broadcasts, potentially dangerous in states subject to frequent tornados. There is also a good deal of local advertising revenue to lost.
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HDTV - Only for the Wealthy?
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Leichtman Research Group released a survey showing that over 80% of the consumers with HDTV make over $50,000 a year. In fact, the average household income for HDTV owners is $89,500, which is 42% above the national average income. In addition, only 1 in 6 households have HDTV which is up from 1 out of 14 households two years ago.
http://www.dvrplayground.com/blog/5/13676/;jsessionid=3CA0205A8C2D1788FE23A11E153C983F
T6 Commentary: What is really concerning about this survey is with the soon approaching full analog cut off, the average consumer will not be enjoying HD for some time. At least not in large numbers. The benefit here is that hardware manufactures will be able to meet demand, as it grows, and need not be concerned with a mass demand for product. A sudden surge would drive prices higher as supply would be short, but any short term profit in the form of higher margins would be offset by a longer term shortfall in demand. In many ways the set top conversion vouchers could end up being more about providing a sustained economic model then any worries about access to local news and entertainment.
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* New Media *
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EMI, Apple to offer DRM-free music
EMI Group PLC on Monday announced a deal that will allow computer company Apple Inc. to sell the record company's songs online without copy protection software.
The agreement means that customers of Apple's iTunes store will soon be able to play downloaded songs by the Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Coldplay and other top-selling artists without the copying restrictions once imposed by their label.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17902329/
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T 6 comment: As I am well on record supporting DRM –(more from the social platform of material ownership is a privilege NOT a right)- I have also stated that so long at the defacto ‘owner’ of the content has no issue with permitting the files into the wild then just dandy. I wait too see if Apple and EMI are to implement ‘water marks’ into the files for tracking. From an innovation and free market aspect I like the idea I buying my files from one place for use on any player that supports the format. Do note that this agreement so far is only with EMI –(no small matter considering the Beatles discography is to be made available) – other company catalogs are not part of this deal. I also wait to hear how the artist in the EMI catalog feel.
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Judge Rules Against DVD Consortium – link Credit to Harry Negro
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A Superior Court judge ruled Thursday (March 29) a startup's media server does not violate the security technology used to protect DVD disks because the standard licensing contract and specifications for the technology are so poorly worded.
Judge Leslie C. Nichols ruled against the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) in a civil suit that asked the court to force startup Kaleidescape to change its design or stop selling its server that stores hundreds of DVD movies on a hard drive array. Nichols said the basis for his decision was his ruling that an entire section of the DVD CCA's spec for the Content Scramble System (CSS) was not technically included as part of the license agreement.
http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198701186
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T6 Comment: Here is the quandary: End users \ consumers want the ability to have instant access to their movies and do not want to bother with the bulky equipment which would be required by the CCA ‘rules’. ( the rules state the playback mechanisms must do so with the disc present- an attempt to provide means for shutting the transfer of movie files over the internet). The Movie industry wants to stamp out any method which would provide pirates an easier distribution method; not to mention the loss of substantial revenue generated by buying of second copies and replacements for play-worn discs. I for one am happy to see the ruling go Kaleidescape’s way as it would stymie innovation and impinge on fair personal use rules. The DVD Consortium will appeal but I predict an emergency meeting to change the CCA rules to more clearly define and prohibit Hard Disc storage devices. Personally I feel that by the time the courts get to the appeal and to judge the new rules the only recourse the “Consortium” will have is to get recompense from some manufactures but no legal prohibition of Hard Disk systems. It is understandable that the DVD companies are fearful as their industry is threatened to extinction by Kaleidescape and others. The Movie studios simply will need to re-align their profit models to fit a new distribution method. The only real sticking point should be how to prevent ‘rental’ movies –( whether DVD or online transfer )- from being recorded onto servers, some co-operation between the two should be mandated. Only in this way will an expeditious solution be developed, otherwise innovation and mass market accessibility will be stopped by adolescent finger pointing .
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* Working Knowledge *
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IPv6 taking on national-security implications – Link Credit to Pete Baca
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While the vast majority of networks today are based on the IPv4 protocol, the U.S. government is mandating that defense and civilian agencies are ready to accept IPv6-based traffic as well by June 2008. Those guiding the effort know the transition won’t be easy, especially given the lack of IPv6- based security products.
By this summer, says Frankel, NIST will issue for public comment a document titled “Secure Transition to IPv6.” The NIST document would be intended to offer guidance to agencies about making the transition into what will be a new world where IPv4 and IPv6 must coexist. It will be a world of dualstack protocols, IPv4-to-IPv6 and IPv6-to-IPv4 tunneling. “For the civilian agencies, we have to express this coexistence,” Frankel says. “Each carries a burden in terms of processing and security, and there are pros and cons of each approach.”
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/032807-ipv6-national-security.html
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T6 Comment: What’s IPV6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6 . In Short LOTS more IP addresses (Ipv6 could provide roughly eleven octillion times all the addresses currently available for the whole world).
Note the JUNE 2008 mandate for “ …defense and civilian agencies are ready to accept IPv6-based traffic…”. That is really, really soon. Also note the article states “The DoD just grabbed 248 billion IPv6 addresses”…” The DoD needs the address space in support of the war fighter and ‘net-centricity’ on the battlefield, where everyone and everything has a network address.” Whoa!
The main secondary point of the article is to point out how little application or security support is out there for IPV6 AND that Vista has support enabled natively – which could be a messy issue for IT staff.
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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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