What's this? A little standardization in the TV realm? Announced today at IBC2008, Microsoft has launched its Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture (PBDA), a new worldwide platform that was made possible by the recent release of Windows Media Center TV Pack. In short, this system enables the "PC-TV hardware ecosystem to integrate virtually any free or premium TV service into Windows Media Center," which keeps content guardians ultra-stoked while giving consumers more choice when it comes to TV tuning. Essentially, PBDA gives OEMs and tuner-makers the ability to develop and ship wares for WMC "regardless of geographic location or television standard." The initiative is being backed by some serious players, too -- Hauppauge, AVerMedia, NEC, and NXP just to name a few -- and a couple have already shipped PBDA-based solutions overseas. Hit the read link for more... if you dare.

We knew it was coming, and after waiting for quite some time for FreeSat to go from concept to reality, television viewers across the UK can finally indulge. If you'll recall, a recent survey found that just 5-percent of Europe's HDTV owners actually bothered to tune into HD programming, but now that number is likely to change. Effective today, 98-percent of the UK can fork out a one-time fee of £49 ($96) to £120 ($234) in order to acquire a FreeSat set-top-box, and after an £80 ($156) installation, users will have subscription-free access to BBC HD, ITV HD (coming soon), Channel 4's digital service and around 70 other TV / radio channels. Better still, that number is slated to rise to 200 before the year's end, and unsurprisingly, the launch is expected to boost available high-def offerings in the region. Anyone across the pond have their equipment set up already? How's the service?

[Thanks, Ivan]

In case you're not content with just keeping your current cable / satellite / fiber TV service and using the recently launched ZvBox to pull in content from the web, a new startup is aiming to satisfy your bizarre desires. In what's potentially the most befuddling launch of the year, said firm is looking to introduce its 1TB set-top-box to consumers on a city-by-city basis. Put simply (or, as simply as possible), the box will fetch content from a number of places: the built-in OTA receiver will grab locals, and it will use the owner's broadband internet connection to snag IPTV material and web-based content (YouTube, Hulu, etc.). Sezmi plans to launch the product with "3G and DSL" telcos that don't currently have a way to offer a triple-play package, and while some sources say that monthly fees will be as low as "half" of a typical cable / satellite bill, we've also seen Phil Wiser, co-founder, chairman and president, quoted as saying that it will be "roughly comparable" to its rivals. Hit up the links below for loads more info, and join us as we sit back and wait for this entirely-too-complex endeavor to implode.

[Via PC Magazine]

Curb your enthusiasm, young buck. We know you're pretty stoked to hear that a live Segway Polo match will be coming to a browser near you this Sunday, but really, you don't want your office mates to come ask what's getting you all excited. Apparently, The Digital Lifestyle is gearing up to bring us "the world's first live broadcast of a full Segway Polo match," and yes, Steve Wozniak will reportedly be in attendance. Go on, cancel any other plans you had for December 16th at 1:00PM EST -- your secret is safe with us.

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

If you've been losing sleep over not knowing precisely what was going to happen to all that spectrum space that will be freed up when the imminent analog-to-digital cutover takes place, your insomnia is about to be (at least partially) cured. The US of A apparently pushed hard for a worldwide consensus on spectrum use -- suggesting that a common approach was more reasonable than each nation choosing separate frequencies for next-generation services -- and sure enough, it ended up getting exactly what it wanted. Apparently, the 700MHz band will now be reserved for a mobile broadband standard accessible throughout much of the globe, including most of North America, Central America, South America, Europe, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Of note, Europe was able to land a concession that enables it to offer up "about half of the bandwidth available for mobile services in their region" compared to what is offered elsewhere, but the agreement definitely makes the forthcoming auction that much more interesting.

[Via RCRNews, image courtesy of toddemslie]

In the live television streaming / placeshifting realm, Sling Media is likely the first name to come to mind, but now a new competitor is gearing up to enter the market sans the use of a box. Based on the Microsoft Silverlight platform, London-based Skinkers is in the early stages of readying a new product dubbed LiveStation, which looks to provide users with live television access on their internet-connected machine via a basic P2P setup. During an interview with Matteo Berlucchi from Skinkers, he did mention that the program would remain in beta for "the next few months" as kinks were gradually worked out, but also noted that it would be Mac and PC compatible when launch day comes. Go on, hit the read link to hear it from the developers mouth.

[Via TechCrunch]

Streaming internet radio through the home most certainly isn't new, but Tables Turned is making good use of its name by flipping the sequence in reverse and allowing users to create their own radio stations and blast them back to the web. The aptly-named Audiobot Pro is a Linux-based device which enables customers to "distribute audio to radio stations and music venues." Made for those who adore simplicity, you simply connect up an audio source and it "automatically records, formats, and uploads MP3 recordings to any website." Moreover, it can also broadcast an actual internet radio stream for others to tune into, and each Audiobot operator can control the device by inserting their own "uniquely encoded USB key into the front of the device." Don't expect to crank up your own pirate station without a bit of up-front costs, however, as the Audiobot Pro will set you back $1,200 right from the start.

We've already seen broadcast radio cross the century mark, and while 80-year anniversaries aren't exactly the most memorable under normal circumstances, television is certainly not in a normal predicament. Four score ago, the Indianapolis Star reported that "television, a scientific dream ever since the telephone was perfected, has at last been realized," as an image made its way some 200 miles from Washington, D.C. to Whippany, New Jersey, and then 22 miles by wireless to New York City. 80 years later, OTA broadcasts as we know them are at a turning point, as ATSC signals look to take over for the existing analog flavor, and companies are already chomping at the bit to get in while the getting is good. Furthermore, television as a whole has hastily garnered a newfangled medium in just the past few years, as the internet connected generation can now look to their browser to catch up on recent programming. The not-so-subtle revolutions that have occurred in the world of TV have happened at a breakneck pace, and considering all the luxuries we're starting to enjoy, we doubt things will slow down anytime soon. So here's to 80 years of keeping us pudgy, obliterating our motivation to socialize, and giving mega-corps a means to an end, and if you're interested in just how much has changed in just eight decades of the 'tube, be sure and hit the read link for a comprehensive report.

Ah, yet another technology that looks oh-so-promising from the onset, but quickly becomes dulled when wading through the technical jargon required to understand it. So is the case with digital television broadcasting, but Harris Corporation and LG Electronics don't seem to mind the complexities involved in establishing a new In-Band Mobile DTV service, as the duo has just announced the means to allow broadcasters to "create new markets and revenue streams" -- but besides all that -- give the end-user yet another option when it comes to TV on the go. Reportedly backwards compatible with A-VSB transmission and receiving equipment, the forthcoming Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) applications should theoretically allow DTV broadcasters to beam signals to set-top-boxes in the home and mobile devices simultaneously via the same antenna. Additionally, this technology enables HD programming to hit the couch-dwelling customers, while bandwidth-starved cellphone users will still get vanilla SD content without relying on new (read: pricey) hardware on the broadcasting end. Unfortunately, we've no idea when mass deployment of this stuff is scheduled, but you can still look forward to "field testing results" as well as mysterious "extra details" to be divulged in a few short weeks.

You won't find a bunch of happier folks than us when bringing up the (slowly) forthcoming analog-to-digital cutover, but we aren't looking forward to picking up one of these newfangled converter boxes for the grandparent who refuses to swap out that cabinet-based CRT they've had for decades. It shouldn't come as any surprise that these things won't be handed out for free, and since the vast majority of analog TV owners are certainly looking to remedy the imminent issue a full year or so in advance (ahem), we've already got manufacturers lining up to hit the market early. Following in the footsteps of RCA's DTA800, LG is reportedly readying a digital converter of its own for a 2008 release, and while it didn't divulge many specifics, it did note that the selling price would hover around $60 -- or $20 if you manage to snag one of those $40 government issued coupons.

Props to Zunerama for an anti-hack so painfully obvious we're kind of kicking ourselves for not having thought of it before. Want to live stream your music to your pals with Zunes (what do you mean your pals don't have Zunes?) or even FM radios? Just use the FM transmitter. It's relatively low-powered, of course (unless you performed that other hack), but at least anyone who happens to know you're broadcasting on that particular frequency can listen in. Of course, it would be nice if they actually added this feature via WiFi so you could get nearby Zune discovery, track information, and all the fun stuff that makes us pissed about having to resort to such a silly hack as this.

Sure, there's more than a few ways to get HDTV and PVR technology over on the Mac side of life, but Miglia is giving us one more alternative by updating its MiniHD to deliver tuning / PVR functions to your Mac over USB 2.0. Apparently the company isn't worried about the ole Apple TV stealing all the thunder, and most notably due to its missing tuner, we don't think it will either. The MiniHD+ doesn't seem to outdo its predecessor in most areas, as it still tunes into ATSC, ClearQAM, and OTA broadcasts, and pumps the data to your Mac via USB 2.0. This portable gizmo provides the usual pause, rewind, and scheduling functions you'd expect on a PVR, but it also reportedly allows you to "consult an integrated electronic programming guide to locate shows and edit recorded clips to remove advertisements." Aside from supporting DVD burning, it also features "exclusive 10-bit video and stereo sound," a wireless remote, composite / S-Video outputs, stereo inputs, EyeTV 2 software. So if you're more interested in watching television than downloaded content and movie trailers, you can pick this up for your Mac next month for a currently undisclosed price.

While Argentina tries to figure out if ISDB or DVB is the way to go, Samsung is giving us North American folk something (else) to cheer about, and it's dubbed A-VSB. Yes, that unfortunately means that you'll have to learn yet another acronym in the world of digital television broadcasting, but if the benefits turn out to be as sweet as they sound, it'll be worth it. Quite simply, Advanced-VSB technology "builds on the current ATSC transmission standard to enhance the ability of receivers to get television broadcasts in motion both indoors and out," and also "eases synchronization of broadcast signal timing of different towers in a Single Frequency Network (SFN)." SFNs are most certainly your friend, as they can improve the signal strength throughout an entire service area, allowing even remote and heavily walled locations to fetch their favorite shows. Possibly the best news about this newfangled development is its backwards compatibility with current digital TV receivers, meaning that potential implementers can't use that excuse when approached by Samsung. Currently, A-VSB is being "standardized in ATSC," and field tests are planned for "early 2007," but here's what you really want to know: implementation should happen shortly after "the first half of the year."

There's no better way to celebrate the one hundredth birthday of broadcast radio -- or to completely enrage your sibling by rendering that brand new cellphone useless -- than to craft your very own RF jammer. Branching out from the many other jammers we've already seen, the Wave Bubble touts itself as being a "self-tuning, wide-bandwidth" rig that doesn't require a spectrum analyzer, and can "jam many different frequency bands" all in a pocket-friendly enclosure. Powered by an internal Li-ion cell, this bad boy provides self-tuning via "dual PLL," and you can manually enter new frequencies to vex by simply plugging it into your PC's USB port and inputting the data when prompted. It can purportedly provide up to two hours of jamming on dual bands (such as "cellphones") or four hours on single bands such as "cordless phones, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc." Additionally, the output power ranges from 0.1-watts (high bands) to 0.3-watts (low bands), and the handy device sports an approximate range of about 20 feet with "well-tuned antennas." Of course, you aren't apt to find this for sale anywhere considering the fit the FCC would undoubtedly throw, but if you consider yourself a master of the DIY craft, be sure to tag the read link for some in-depth pedagogy.

[Via HackADay]

We'll admit, there's not a whole of gizmos invented 100 years ago that we still rely on (and bicker about) on a near-daily basis, but broadcast radio has managed to stay in our homes, cars, hearts, and complaint letters for a full century. Exactly one hundred years ago today, Reginald Fessenden fired up his transmitting station at Brant Rock, Massachusetts in order to broadcast a "brief speech," followed by an Edison phonograph recording of Handel's Largo." He also sent out a few other holiday jams and well-wishes to those spending Christmas "onboard US Navy and United Fruit Company ships equipped with Fessenden's wireless receivers." Fessenden earned more than 500 patents in his lifetime, including credit for the "radio telephone, a sonic depth finder, and submarine signaling devices." So while the FCC tries to regulate it, and we prefer the cleaner, less ad-filled satellite rendition of radio, we're still raising our glasses to a technology that's changed technology over the past hundred years, and here's to a hundred more.

[Via Slashdot]