Broadcasters are seeking digital-signal changes from the FCC because some VHF stations remain troubled by reception problems, said about a dozen industry executives and commission officials we surveyed. One problem is interference to antennas inside homes from other electronics. The commission received several hundred applications over the past year or so from DTV stations seeking to run distributed transmission systems, operate translators, change channels or increase power levels, said commission officials. Broadcasters and the FCC are running tests to see how reception can be improved, said industry and agency officials.
A Disney Web site that has drawn heat from small video providers over fees (WID July 30 p7) is open to Suddenlink broadband subscribers at no additional charge to the customers. Suddenlink, which has 1.3 million video customers, said Monday that it won’t charge for access to ESPN360.com. Users can pause, fast-forward and rewind live sports events and watch up to 15 different of them at the same time, Suddenlink said. A spokesman declined to say whether the company was paying ESPN extra to allow subscribers access to ESPN360.
A Disney Web site that has drawn heat from small video providers over fees (CD July 30 p5) is open to Suddenlink broadband subscribers at no additional charge to the customers. Suddenlink, which has 1.3 million video customers, said Monday that it won’t charge for access to ESPN360.com. Users can pause, fast-forward and rewind live sports events and watch up to 15 different of them at the same time, Suddenlink said. A spokesman declined to say whether the company was paying ESPN extra to allow subscribers access to ESPN360.
It was hardly ever easy for new CE and game companies to get funding, but such efforts have become far more difficult since the onset of the economic crisis, executives at startups in both categories told Consumer Electronics Daily. While some report already having had funding in place before the economy really tanked or were able to raise adequate capital despite the crisis, for others, raising cash has been a huge scramble.
The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to Cablevision’s remote DVR, the high court said Monday after considering Cable News Network et al. v. CSC Holdings. That decision was expected because the U.S. solicitor general asked the court not to take the case (WID June 1 p5). The appeals court ruling that blessed the service as noninfringing threw a wrench in the Copyright Office’s proceeding on Copyright Act Section 115, forcing it to sidestep the issue of whether so-called buffer copies count as “digital phonorecord deliveries” (WID Nov 10 p2). Cablevision will start using the technology later this summer to let subscribers pause live TV, the company said. The decision gives firms such as Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable more certainty they can sell remote DVR service “without legal risk,” wrote analyst Paul Gallant of the Washington Research Group. Losers in the case are content companies including CBS, Disney, News Corp., Viacom and Time Warner Inc., he added. The case wasn’t participated in by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, the court said, without saying why.
The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to Cablevision’s remote DVR, the high court said Monday after considering Cable News Network et al. v. CSC Holdings. That decision was expected because the U.S. solicitor general asked the court not to take the case (CED June 2 p3). Cablevision will start using the technology later this summer to let subscribers pause live TV when their phone rings, the company said. “This landmark case gives the cable industry, and Cablevision in particular, the opportunity to do something that our satellite competitors cannot do,” it said. “Mindful of the potential implications for ad skipping and the concerns this has raised in the programming community,” the company aims to “work with programmers” on full DVR functionality through existing set-top boxes while benefitting advertisers, it said. CEA hails the court “for letting stand a decision that supports the growth of technology and innovation,” President Gary Shapiro said. “The ability to record television programming has become commonplace to millions of Americans, which has benefitted consumers and allowed the consumer technology and content industries to contribute billions of dollars to our economy and create millions of jobs,” he said. “From a common-sense standpoint, the court’s decision was a slam-dunk” because it previously ruled that consumers have the right to time-shift TV shows, Shapiro said. The decision gives firms such as Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable more certainty they can sell remote DVR service “without legal risk,” wrote analyst Paul Gallant of the Washington Research Group. Cable vendors Arris and SeaChange may see increased demand, he said. Losers in the case are content companies including CBS, Disney, News Corp., Viacom and Time Warner Inc., Gallant added. Remote DVR will mean lower storage costs for Cablevision and fewer technician visits to customers’ homes, wrote Stifel Nicolaus analysts. Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said the product also will lower costs for consumers. The case wasn’t participated in by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, the court said, without saying why. A CNN spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the decision.
The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to Cablevision’s remote DVR, the high court said Monday after considering Cable News Network et al. v. CSC Holdings. That decision was expected (CD June 2 p8) because the U.S. solicitor general asked the court not to take the case. Cablevision will start using the technology later this summer to let subscribers pause live TV when their phone rings, the company said. “This landmark case gives the cable industry, and Cablevision in particular, the opportunity to do something that our satellite competitors cannot do,” it said. “Mindful of the potential implications for ad skipping and the concerns this has raised in the programming community,” the company aims to “work with programmers” on full DVR functionality through existing set-top boxes while benefitting advertisers. The decision gives firms such as Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable more certainty they can sell remote DVR service “without legal risk,” wrote analyst Paul Gallant of the Washington Research Group. Cable vendors Arris and SeaChange may see increased demand, he said. Losers in the case are content companies including CBS, Disney, News Corp., Viacom and Time Warner Inc., Gallant added. Remote DVR will mean lower storage costs for Cablevision and fewer technician visits to customers’ homes, wrote Stifel Nicolaus analysts. Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn said the product also will lower costs for consumers. The case wasn’t participated in by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, the court said, without saying why. A CNN spokeswoman had no immediate comment on the decision. CEA hails the court “for letting stand a decision that supports the growth of technology and innovation,” President Gary Shapiro said. “The ability to record television programming has become commonplace to millions of Americans, which has benefitted consumers and allowed the consumer technology and content industries to contribute billions of dollars to our economy and create millions of jobs,” he said. “From a common-sense standpoint, the court’s decision was a slam-dunk” because it previously ruled that consumers have the right to time-shift TV shows, Shapiro said.
With more spectrum opened by Friday’s analog TV cutoff, Qualcomm’s FLO TV expanded its coverage to new cellphone markets. The proprietary mobile TV network, delivered to cellphones by carriers AT&T and Verizon, will expand into 39 new markets, FLO TV said. The service was to go live immediately on Friday in 15 markets that included Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco, with other markets to follow throughout the year. In addition to adding new markets, immediately upon the over-air analog cutoff FLO TV was to expand its service in existing markets that include Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, the company said. Those additions and expansions couldn’t be confirmed independently at our deadline. With Friday’s analog TV cutoff, FLO TV potentially would be available to an additional 60 million AT&T and Verizon customers. Parent Qualcomm didn’t cite how many subscribers the service now has through AT&T and Verizon. FLO TV’s dedicated service lets cellphone users access broadcast news, sports and entertainment from content owners that include CBS, ESPN, FOX, MTV and NBC. Its cellphone-delivered content mostly is simulcast with the terrestrial TV broadcasts, although there are options for time-shifted reception to some mobile devices. The simulcast service is linear, though -- at least in its current form. “Linear” means that subscribers can’t now review or fast-forward a paused or stopped program, as they can with home PVRs. FLO TV is available through a variety of cellphones offered by AT&T and Verizon, including models from LG and Samsung. Qualcomm also has teamed with Audiovox to deliver vehicular entertainment systems for FLO TV. Qualcomm’s subscription-based TV delivery to cellphones will have competition soon from cost-free, over-air delivery of DTV broadcasts to phones and other portables developed by the Open Mobile Video Coalition. That system uses MPEG- 4/H.264 compression to deliver ATSC broadcasts to actively- moving receivers, like those in cars. The original ATSC system, begun in 1998, uses MPEG-2 compression that was designed for stationary receivers in homes. The new MPEG-4- based broadcast system for mobile reception should be in place later this year. It “piggybacks” on the broadcasters’ MPEG-2 signal. About 70 TV stations with 35 percent coverage of U.S. TV markets are to begin over-air broadcasts to mobile devices this year.
With more spectrum opened by Friday’s analog TV cutoff, Qualcomm’s FLO TV expanded its coverage to new cellphone markets. The proprietary mobile TV network, delivered to cellphones by carriers AT&T and Verizon, will expand into 39 new markets, FLO TV said. The service was to go live immediately on Friday in 15 markets that included Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco, with other markets to follow throughout the year. In addition to adding new markets, immediately upon the over-air analog cutoff FLO TV was to expand its service in existing markets that include Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, the company said. Those additions and expansions couldn’t be confirmed independently at our deadline. With Friday’s analog TV cutoff, FLO TV potentially would be available to an additional 60 million AT&T and Verizon customers. Parent Qualcomm didn’t cite how many subscribers the service now has through AT&T and Verizon. FLO TV’s dedicated service lets cellphone users access broadcast news, sports and entertainment from content owners that include CBS, ESPN, FOX, MTV and NBC. Its cellphone-delivered content mostly is simulcast with the terrestrial TV broadcasts, although there are options for time-shifted reception to some mobile devices. The simulcast service is linear, though -- at least in its current form. “Linear” means that subscribers can’t now review or fast-forward a paused or stopped program, as they can with home PVRs. FLO TV is available through a variety of cellphones offered by AT&T and Verizon, including models from LG and Samsung. Qualcomm also has teamed with Audiovox to deliver vehicular entertainment systems for FLO TV. Qualcomm’s subscription-based TV delivery to cellphones will have competition soon from cost-free, over-air delivery of DTV broadcasts to phones and other portables developed by the Open Mobile Video Coalition. That system uses MPEG- 4/H.264 compression to deliver ATSC broadcasts to actively- moving receivers, like those in cars. The original ATSC system, begun in 1998, uses MPEG-2 compression that was designed for stationary receivers in homes. The new MPEG-4- based broadcast system for mobile reception should be in place later this year. It “piggybacks” on the broadcasters’ MPEG-2 signal. About 70 TV stations with 35 percent coverage of U.S. TV markets are to begin over-air broadcasts to mobile devices this year.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple said it’s releasing an iPhone 3G S with voice control and video recording June 19 for $199 with 16 GB of RAM and $299 with 32 GB, with a two-year AT&T service contract. The price of the current 8 GB 3G model was cut to $99. “There’s never been a good smartphone in the market at that price,” Phil Schiller, Apple senior vice president of product marketing, said at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference. CEO Steve Jobs, due back to work this month after a medical leave, didn’t make an appearance -- at what historically had been the annual setting for some of his much-watched announcements -- as it had been speculated he might.