LOS ANGELES -- HDNet’s strategy in HDTV content delivery is to “break the mold, not stick to it” by proving that being consumer-driven and profit-driven aren’t “mutually exclusive,” its chmn., Mark Cuban, told the HDTV Forum here Wed. In a provocative keynote, he sought to rally TV display makers to support him in resisting those who would put “quantity over quality” in the delivery of HDTV programming. He also called on the CE industry to “ignore Hollywood” in building alliances he said have the effect of stifling innovation and working against what’s best for the consumer.
Switzerland’s leading telco will use “Microsoft TV” technology for a 600-channel test of video over DSL to 25 homes starting in Sept., Swisscom announced Tues. The 4- month test by subsidiary Bluewin is to lead up to a planned 2005 market launch, it said. The offering includes 5 pay channels, video on demand and an integrated video recorder allowing users to pause live TV, it said. Bluewin TV plans to offer various program packages and a la carte channels to Switzerland’s 700,000 DSL subscribers.
The Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service asked for comments on issues referred by the FCC in June (CD June 29 p5). The Joint Board said the FCC asked it to consider whether: (1) Universal service support for rural carriers should be based on embedded or forward-looking costs. For example, the joint board said, the agency asked whether “basing support on forward-looking economic costs or on embedded costs better ensures the availability of telecommunications services in rural areas that are comparable to those in urban areas” and whether “basing support on forward-looking economic costs remain integral to providing appropriate incentives for investment, innovation and entry into the marketplace?” (2) The definition of “rural telephone company” for high-cost universal service support purposes should be changed. (3) Multiple study areas within a state can be consolidated. (4) Rules that determine the amount of universal service support for transferred telephone exchanges should be retained or modified. The FCC in 2001 decided to continue using a modified embedded cost support mechanism for rural carriers for 5 years, ending June 2006, while it considered a more permanent mechanism. Nonrural companies are required to base universal service support on forward-looking costs. Mont. PSC Comr. Bob Rowe, who’s joint board chmn., said the board plans to hold an en banc hearing as part of the proceeding. Although the board plans to look at the cost basis for support to rural carriers, Rowe said, “I would not support imposing on smaller companies costing methodologies… that do not in my opinion always work terribly well even when applied to large companies.” He said he has “substantial and long-standing concern about the reliability of the hybrid cost proxy model even as currently applied to large companies.” As he did when the FCC referred the issue to the joint board in June, FCC Comr. Martin said he’s concerned “by the decision to revisit whether the Commission should adopt a universal service support mechanism for rural carriers based on hypothetical forward-looking economic costs.” Martin said he questioned the use of forward-looking costs “as the basis for distributing universal service support for non-rural telephone companies and would have even greater concerns if such an approach would be used to distribute support to rural companies.” He said he thought the agency could “better achieve sufficient universal service support and comparability of rates if we base our universal service support on actual rather than forward looking costs.” Repeating a concern he expressed at the time of the FCC referral, Comr. Adelstein said the use of forward-looking cost models to calculate support for rural telephone companies “gives me great pause.” Said Comr. Abernathy: “Although a prior Commission embraced a forward-looking cost methodology for all carriers, we are launching this renewed inquiry to take a fresh look at the wisdom and feasibility of abandoning the embedded cost mechanism used to support rural telephone companies.” Comments are due Oct. 15, replies Dec. 14.
After a slow start because of high receiver prices, terrestrial digital audio broadcasting (DAB) has begun to take off in the U.K. as product differentiation and lower pricing come to market, according to the U.K.’s Digital Radio Development Bureau. More than 50 stations are on the air, offering an eclectic selection of programming, and retailers stock more than 70 models of DAB radios for home, portable and in-car use, it said.
The comforts of home, savings on movie tickets and control over the entertainment environment are paramount among reasons consumers invest in DVD home theater systems. Those were among the findings released Wed. of a Philips survey that polled consumers in the U.S. and 12 other nations on changing patterns in entertainment consumption.
Samsung unveiled a 3D “Game Phone” that uses the company’s clamshell design. The phone -- SCH-V450 -- comes installed with 3 games, including the golf game ZioGolf and shooting title Metalion. Pricing and availability weren’t provided Fri. The company said users can download additional 3D games specially designed for the phone via the Samsung Fun Club, www.samsungmobile.com. Samsung said the V450 allows users to play MP3 files without opening a folder because all command functions are on the extended keypad. It said that while playing music users are able to control several functions, including pause, skip and random choice, and alter the screen image that suits the mood and speed of the music. Users can also record up to 2.5 hours of images as well as send images by phone, it said.
The FCC asked the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service to review the FCC’s high-cost universal service support mechanisms for rural carriers and recommend whether changes are needed. The FCC in an order released Mon. said it sought recommendations on development of a plan “that ensures that support is specific, predictable and sufficient to preserve and advance universal service.” The agency said it also sought recommendations on how to target that support to rural telephone companies serving high-cost areas “while protecting against excessive fund growth.” Though the vote was 5-0, Comrs. Martin and Adelstein said they were concerned about part of the order that asked the Joint Board to consider whether regulators should move to a forward-looking economic cost model for calculating high-cost support for some rural companies. “I questioned the Commission’s use of forward-looking costs as the basis for distributing universal service support for non-rural telephone companies and would have even greater concerns if such an approach would be used to distribute support to rural companies,” Martin said. Adelstein said the FCC in its Rural Task Force Order 3 years ago had determined “one size does ,not fit all” when considering universal service support mechanisms “so it gives me great pause that this… order asks the Joint Board to consider the use of forward-looking cost models to calculate support for rural telephone companies.”
JVC will unveil today (Thurs.) a 3-in-1 video deck with DVD, VHS and hard disc recording in the same chassis. The DR-MX1S ($1,299.95) enables the user to dub between any 2 of the media, and is a DVD Multi deck with DVD-RAM and DVD-R/RW recording. With the DVD-RAM or hard disc functions, live recording can be paused. There also are various simultaneous record and playback options, such as recording onto the hard disc while playing back from the hard disc, a DVD or a videotape, or, recording onto DVD or VHS while playing back from the hard disc. Additionally, 2 built-in tuners allow 2 TV programs to be recorded simultaneously. The 160 GB hard drive allows high speed dubbing up to 32 times normal speed between the hard drive and DVD recorder. The quality of digital-to-digital dubs from the hard drive to DVD is enhanced by JVC’s Bit Rate Optimizer, which, compared with conventional recording, recognizes that fast-motion scenes need to be recorded differently than others and makes those bit-rate adjustments on the fly. The VHS section of the DR-MX1S provides VHS Hi-Fi recording and playback, and includes VHS Progressive -- a JVC exclusive that presents VHS material at the higher 480p resolution. VHS Progressive also allows VHS signals to pass from the deck to the TV through the same component video outputs used by the DVD and hard disk. As a result, only a single cable is needed for connection to a TV. For dubbing from digital camcorders, the deck has an IEEE-1394 input, JVC said.
Starz Encore and RealNetworks launched a subscription movie service for broadband users. The service, which costs $12.95 per month, is at http://movies.real.com or www.starz.com. Starz! Ticket on Real Movies gives subscribers unlimited access to a rotating library of major motion pictures. Offered through RealPlayer, the companies said movies will take as little as 20 min. to download, depending on the speed of the subscriber’s broadband service. Additionally subscribers will have access to a streamed version of the Starz! linear service, which marks the first time a premium movie channel has been delivered simultaneously over broadband. The service uses Real’s Helix digital rights management (DRM) to ensure secure delivery. The service is available to U.S. consumers with a broadband connection speed of at least 600 kbps, the firms said, and consumers can watch movies on a PC or on a TV linked to a PC with an S-video cable. Other features of the service include the ability to fast-forward, rewind and pause. Subscribers can download movies to as many as 3 PCs, and the service allows parental controls.
Starz Encore and RealNetworks launched a subscription movie service for broadband users. The service, which costs $12.95 per month, is at http://movies.real.com or www.starz.com. STARZ! Ticket on Real Movies gives subscribers unlimited access to a rotating library of major motion pictures. Offered through RealPlayer, the companies said movies will take as little as 20 min. to download, depending on the speed of the subscriber’s broadband service. Additionally subscribers will have access to a streamed version of the STARZ! linear service, which marks the first time a premium movie channel has been delivered simultaneously over broadband. The service uses Real’s Helix DRM (digital rights management) to ensure secure delivery. The service is available to U.S. consumers with a broadband connection speed of at least 600 kbps, the firms said, and consumers can watch movies on their PC or on a TV linked to a PC with an S-video cable. Other features of the service include the ability to fast-forward, rewind and pause. Subscribers can download movies to as many as 3 personal computers, and the service allows parental controls.