Digital Technology for Digital Living.
August 27, 2004
ACCC Backs Multi-Channelling.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has backed the Seven and Ten networks request that the government allows multi-channelling on digital television channels. Currently it’s against the law for the networks other than ABC and SBS, designed to protect the pay-TV industry. Multi-channelling allows the use of the extra channels that are available using digital broadcasting to send programs other than what we currently receive. Exemptions exist in areas like sport where an event lasts longer than intended, and the network can run the scheduled program on one digital channel, while continuing the broadcast on the other. Unfortunately consumers are being robbed of potentially many new features that the extra channels will allow, like multiple angles or extra programming. We’ll see what clout the ACCC has in the coming months.
Details over at The Age.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TVgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
HPod And Other Goodies.
Tonight is looking to be a big gadget news night as far as HP goes. Yesterday speculation around the traps was that they would be announcing the HP iPod on September 5. Today it seems they plan to announce this and other products today, U.S. time. According to ZDNet they will be announcing the normal array of printers and cameras, but much more exciting is their television, entertainment hub and digital projector. It’s possible that not all these will filter down to Aussie stores, like the TV, but given their global presence we’re sure to see much of it hear hot on the heels of the U.S. release.
Jump on the webcast if you’re a night owl. 11.40 p.m. AEST or 9.40 p.m. WST for those lucky enough to live on the west coast of Australia.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital Camera, Digital TV, Music, PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 25, 2004
Hard Drives, The Portable Media Device Of The Future.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, oh, and less impressively co-founder of Broadcast.com and HDNet, an all high-definition television network on DIRECTV, has a nice piece on why he believes that Hard Drives will rule the portable content race over DVD. Here at Gadget Lounge we’ve found that other than for backups, an Apple Powerbook is great for moving media around, including music, movies and TV shows. Mark’s use of keychain and external Firewire drives makes for some more compelling discussions on where the shrinking of drive technology is taking us. Given many believe that the next iteration of the iPod will be able to plug directly into a TV it seems feasible that Apple know exactly what Cuban is talking about.
Link thanks to Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TV, Portablegadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 14, 2004
A Torrent Of TV.
It seems that a few more people are figuring out what Gadget Lounge has known for some time. That peer-to-peer and TV are on a collision course. Salon has an article that discusses the development of applications that use RSS and BitTorrent to monitor sites for your favourate TV programs and automatically download them. It’s like TiVo on steroids (are steroids a taboo topic at the moment?). Couple this with something like a Xbox mod and you’ve got something incredibly powerful for TV addicts. You can already get a copy of the Olympic Opening Ceremony from Athens (part 1, part 2 and part 3, but be quick, links not guaranteed).
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Broadband, Digital TV, PVRgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 08, 2004
Seven Provides Olympic Program Guide On Internet.
Network Seven has added Olympic details to its sport web site, sevensport.com.au, and its sevendigital.tv. It explains that the reason for 4:3 coverage is the International Olympic Committee, the Athens Olympic Broadcasting Organisation, and other international coverage all require the format. Importantly the TV Guide has details of at least the first day. A 16:9 broadcast of the Opening Ceremony will be repeated on Saturday morning, on channel 70 for those with Digital TV, and we’ll at least get to see some swimming at a reasonable time. As usual, WA, SA and NT may vary.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Broadband, Digital TVgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 01, 2004
Australian Digital TV Gets Traction.
Digital Broadcasting Australia reports that digital TVs and set top receivers climbed over 400,000 at the end of June. 88,000 set top receivers were sold in April, May and June, which they say was due to several factors. 113,000 widescreen televisions sold in the same quarter, preparation for the Olympics, regional markets getting the digital service, and a greater range.
On a related note, last month Ten Digital launched their program guide on channel 11 and 100. “The video guide provides a 24 hour program listing and a weather service.¬† The Ten Guide also runs promos for new programs coming up on Ten.”
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TVgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 29, 2004
TV Networks React To PVRs.
Yesterday we mentioned Ice, a possible new PVR and service available in Australia. Today news.com.au has a follow up article that discusses the reaction from the TV networks, who in general seem to be putting on a brave face. One issue a Seven spokesman mentioned, and could suggest an underlying message, was their copyright ownership of the TV guides and that they “licensed him or any other set-top box manufacturer to use our information for this purpose”. Them’s be brave words, especially when Ice works around this issue by creating their own guide and using human operators to send signals via a digital radio signal, which prompts the set-top box when there are adverts or a change in programing.
(more…)
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TV, PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 28, 2004
The ICE Age Comes To Australia.
CNet and Slashdot, with an old article from June at Sydney Morning Herald, are reporting that Australia is about to get its very first Tivo like service known as Ice, Intelligent Content Engine. Although the products depend on raising $AU6 million in capital, the article suggests we’ll see them in November. It sounds compelling, but it will only be available in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, and only for free to air digital TV. The rest of the country would have to wait up to another 18 months.
According to their website there would be three different hardware options, each with varying degrees of functionality. Screenpeace, their set top box will provide digital widescreen TV, an IceGuide which is an onscreen TV guide, IceHush for reducing the volume during commercials, IceAd for blanking the screen during commercials, a censoring mode to stop unsuitable programs and it can automatically change channels when adverts start. More compelling though is Quoll, a personal video recorder with a hard disk so you can record shows, time shift and automatically remove adverts. QuollDVD is a product still further down the line that will incorporate a DVD-R drive. The service will also attract a weekly fee of $AU2 or $AU3.
The most amazing part of the concept, and unlike Tivo, is the network it uses. Ordinarily Tivo-like services dial in to a server that provides updates and program guides. With ICE the network is wireless via a private digital radio network.
Time will tell us if it is just vapourware, or a true product.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital TV, PVR, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 27, 2004
Olympics On Australian Digital TV.
Althought the Olympics will be broadcast in 4:3 aspect ratio, except for the opening and closing ceremonies, digital TV users in Australia will still be able to rejoice. According to today’s article in the Australian IT section, Seven gears up for the Games, channel 71 will use the extra space given by a 16:9 signal to provide extra information like news, results and a medal tally, all as they happen. Many digital users are used to sporting events being broadcast in the lower aspect ratio, which always comes down to the transmitting countries license with receiving countries. Since most nations haven’t adopted digital TV, the majority still require a standard signal. It’s good to see Seven taking the initiative and adding extra features. Bring it on.
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